June 20, 2021 Standing Your Ground
This morning, we're going to be talking about standing your ground. Standing your ground and I'm going to come back to this picture in a minute. We're going to kind of dissected a little bit more in and give you a better look at it. Would you dim the three lights at a right up here?
So that the picture, I'll stand up, wrong ones. Wrong one.
There you go. Now turn these ones back on. Yeah, okay. Thank you. Praise the Lord. All right, so we'll be coming back to this soldiers. Standing guard so smartly and looking at it in just a moment, but I want to encourage and not only encouraged because that's not really, even a strong enough word. I want to challenge you this morning. That you stand. and stand firm, you stand as a child of the Living, God generically That's all men and women you stand as a child of the Living God as a woman, if I get a little bit more specific in and narrow in a little bit, a woman needs to stand as a woman of God. A man needs to stand as a man of God. A mother or a grandmother needs to stand as the mother and the grandmother of her family as a woman of God and being example and you all know exactly what I'm talking about because not everybody's child even if you raise them the best you possibly could they still have free will and not every child. Grows up serving the lord So when those grandchildren come around you that might be their only opportunity for Christian witness, that might be their only opportunity for you to lay hands on him and pray for him. That might be the only opportunity for you to increase their spiritual knowledge and understanding and, father, and grandfather. You need to stand for all the same reasons, we need to do, whatever we can do. Whenever However, every opportunity we can just stand tall for Jesus Christ and to stand around all of those around us. And You see there? What I just read and I didn't Advance the slides for reading fast too late. And so, rather, you're a man or a woman. Now, I'm going to obviously be talkin primarily to them in today, but I wanted to take a moment and make this point in Christ. In the kingdom of God, there is no male or female spiritually, speaking. Spiritually speaking, we are all called to be Kingdom Warriors for Christ. And whether you are a male or you are a female, doesn't make any difference when it comes to putting on the whole armor of God, and picking up The Sword and the shield, and being ready to do spiritual battle on behalf of God, male or female doesn't make any difference in. So, this morning as I talk, mainly and direct a lot of my comments. Mainly to the men ladies, almost everything I'm going to say to the men is also pertinent to you as a Female warrior of Christ. Amen. So, pay close attention to Ephesians chapter 6. Now, this is a verse that we have used many, many, many, many times we have done, Bible studies, we have done multiple sermons. We have done all sorts of things with this passage in Ephesians about spiritual warfare, but that was the passage that was in my heart as I looked at talking to the men today. Spiritual warfare Ephesians, chapter 6. Starting verse 10 in reading through verse 18. Would you stand and honor of reading God's word, please.
Finally, my brothers. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities against power, against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual forces of evil, in Heavenly places, therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may Be able to resist in the evil day and having done all to stand stand there for having your waist, girded with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Having your feet fitted with the Readiness of the gospel of peace. And above all taking the shield of Faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil. One, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the spirit, always, and with all kinds of prayer, and supplication to that, and be alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Lord, God, we, thank you for your word, Holy Spirit. Now, please come in and Luminate it to our heart mind, and spirit, be our teacher, be Illuminator and, and help us Lord to receive it. And walk it out as Life. Walk It Out as life in Jesus name. Amen. And you may be seated.
Now standing your ground. I want you to take a moment and look at that Soldier. Look at that Soldier. I mean, his uniform, if you could get up really close and look His uniform is impeccable. Everything is on exactly where it is supposed to be. Did you know that he cannot dress himself?
Full grown, man. And he cannot dress himself. I was never a member of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I was never in that Elite group, but I did do a lot of burial details and things like that. And we followed some of the same Customs as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It takes two men to get dressed. Because you cannot bend over and put your pants on. Your pants are so heavily starch that you could stand them up. And we would have a chin-up bar and you would execute a chin up and your partner would pull your pants on.
Because you didn't want to bend over and put a crease in those pants. Then when it came to getting your boots on, you stood on a bench and your partner tied your boots because you couldn't bend over Everything and they're even more strapped than that. Every single thing is absolutely perfect. And they are trained that have that kind of attitude and Readiness at all times.
Couple of years ago, if you've ever witnessed The Changing of the Guard, you can see that there's a Banette attached to that M14. They flip the weapon around and they do all sorts of things to inspect it and show that is perfect and excetera. And unfortunately, a couple of years ago, when they were flipping the weapon, around the weapon, got away from the sergeant, that was doing that in the band that went through the foot of the Guard.
The guard never even grimmest.
They finished the ceremony of the Guard Exchange, the guard that had the Bennett, go through his foot. It was his watch. He assumed the position and began walking his post leaving a trail of blood back and forth all the way. Until they could get another guard there. And relieve him and have that guard. Stand the watch.
That is the kind of dedication that these men have. That is the kind of reserved and attitude, they are prepared and they are ready. And that doesn't just start with equipment that starts with the heart. Being back, kind of prepared in that kind of ready, starts with the heart and their uniform is perfect in our, since they put on the whole armor of God, you're not allowed to put on part. No, where in the Bible? Do you get away with putting on part of the armor? Well I'll put on the helmet of salvation but I'll leave the rest sitting over there. No you have to put on the whole armor of God and it's got to be fitted perfectly to you. These guys don't have one uniforms. They all share. Every uniform is tailor-made to that Soldier so that it fits perfectly. And no other Soldier will ever wear that uniform except for that Soldier right there. That's the way it is with the armor of God, it must be perfectly fitted to you. Denim. 14 spotless. and if you've ever seen someone crossed the line, you know, that they take authority real quick. And now, leaving Jack around. If they need to.
If someone isn't paying attention to them, racking and M14 is a very distinct sound. And it will get your attention.
now, with all of this perfect, Readiness attitude preparation. He stands as the Bible says, it's the mine. estimate, you don't pronounce eh That's the word in the Greek that talks about standing with resolve with firmness, wish with Assurance, standing feet, planted ready.
I want to give you two illustrations. Of the kind of Courage. That can be shown by a person that is ready to stand.
That picture.
Is a Mister Rogers, television show. That aired in 1962. According to the write-up that I read about it, this was not an actor. The police officer is not an actor. The police officer was a real police officer. Who, on a very, very hot day was out walking, his beat and Rogers got the idea and he sent out one of his, his production staff and they got the officer off the beat and Rogers, brought him into the studio on air and put his feet in in that pool and then Rogers wash his feet and dry them. In 1962.
That took courage.
That took her tremendous amount of resolve and courage for Rogers to do that. But Rogers. Was a man of God. Rogers was a man that believed in the word of God. And Rodgers, lived and applied the word of God and everything that he did. So this was not some TV stunt or something like this. This was simply Mister, Rogers, being Mister Rogers. That's all this. What? Let's go back to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The soldiers have locked that post non-stop since July, 1st, 1937, Twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week. 365 days a year. There is a guard walking that post And those guards have refused to let anything stop them. In 2003 Hurricane, Isabel slammed into the East Coast, causing millions and millions and millions of dollars. In damage of something like about 16 to 20, people were killed. Many more were injured and really wreak havoc all over this area and the house and the Senate, and the president gave the guard, the option and the command that they could stand down. They refused. There was a guard walking at station when Isabel hit and he remained on station when Isabel hit. That is the kind of resolve and steadfastness steadfastness that. I'm trying to get all the men especially in this church. The think about right now, if these men can stand guard over the Dead, With such honor and steadfastness. How much more? Should we have that kind of resolve over our wife, our children and our grandchildren?
men, how much more
Stand your ground.
You don't give up an inch, you don't give an inch you stand your ground. Now it's true. That there are a few minor passages in the Bible that we could disagree on. They have their minor passages they have mine or applications excetera excetera and we might disagree on them but I'll tell you a Biblical truth. The more important that biblical passages the more important the messages the more steadfast that messages, the more that message is clearly defined. If not right there somewhere else. God does not leave those kinds of messages in Gray areas. He only will do the work, he will only do the work where I mean, he will always, I'm sorry. Do the work where the work must be done, where it must be clear, where you must know where to stand, where you have to be clear as a kingdom and to take a stance and the stand guard as a man, as a Biblical man, you are called to be what used to be called before. It was Politically Incorrect. A man's man.
You know, there was a time when we were raised to be men.
We were raised to be a feminine. We were raised to be men and to be a man's man. And the enemy did an excellent job of ruining that.
Because we are supposed to be spiritual Warriors for the king and we're supposed to lead the family. We're supposed to be a kingdom man. A kingdom, that let me share a couple of things that a kingdom and a man's man does. Number one, God's man, controls his Passions. God's man, controls his Passions. I want a quote Dennis Rainey on this. He's got a paragraph in one of his books that in one single paragraph Just Nails it perfectly. And so I want to quote him directly in this single or married. A real man tames his passions. He doesn't abuse women or children. He protects them. He keeps his hands off of women that are not his wife and treats. His wife with love respect and dignity. He keeps his eyes off of pornographic images, he protects a single woman's virginity and innocence he's not the fine by the exploits below his waist. He's a man with a heart ahead and a conscience. Man, did he hit that?
Real men don't abused people that are weaker than them. They don't abuse anybody.
Well, she made no. Well, it was just make it no.
A real man controls his Passions. A real man. Does not look at pornographic material, nor have it in the house available.
Kids are getting their hands on that at unbelievably young ages.
I'm talking before 10.
Indeed, you know, we didn't we found out recently.
That pornographic material. And coming out. Is going on in like the 6th grade in. Bible Camp.
It's a problem that there had the youth pastors and the counselors and stuff like that are having to deal with left and right in Bible Camp.
one of the reasons why you've got such young children coming out is because they've been exposed to things, they shouldn't be exposed to
When you're 10 years old, you shouldn't even be thinking about sex. Or. Any of that stuff. but, you know, Who's to blame?
Rothschild.
The child has been exposed or allowed to be exposed in a home where a kingdom man has not taken charge.
And you don't just say, no. Of course, first of all, you lead, by example. and second of all you take charge of looking at things like if they have a device that can get on the internet, Man you ever respond? Let me ask you a question. I ask you a question. There's a lot of guys that are going to do zeocin this in this church. A lot of you are going to do see us a lot of, you know, how to handle a weapon perfectly, you know how to shoot, well, everything like this. so, imagine this You are a man. This really in the guts. So laying all over your house. Are guns that are fully loaded round in the chamber safety off. Why your children and grandchildren are running around the house? Is that right? Would any of you guys do that? Then why would you allow? Your children or grandchildren to have access to the internet without you watching what they're looking at.
I think it would almost be safer to give them a loaded gun.
And if you don't know how to watch, if you don't know how to monitor, if you don't know how to get around, by the way, they have all sorts of programs out there for the kids to load that the minute the parent comes by. They can push a button and it goes to some innocent-looking little screen. There's lots of things out there, folks, you need to educate yourself with out there and you need to educate yourself how to get around that stuff. And you need to educate yourself, so that you are watching, what your kids are watching, and you are monitoring, what your kids are monitoring, and don't you, dare tell me what, my child wouldn't do that.
Well, then, give him a loaded gun because your child wouldn't pointed it. Anybody and squeeze the trigger.
Time to wake up, folks. We are living in a very evil land and a wise Steward of God takes affirmative action before.
Something happens. Prevention.
Beats everything.
Years and years and years ago, I used to ride a little newsletter called Captain Band-Aid. It was a first aid and safety type thing in the corporation that I work for and the motto of Captain bandaid was one. Ounce of prevention beats every bit of Medical Science.
Don't get hurt in the first place and you beat everything that medical science can do for you.
The same thing, how much more is it true? If we prevent our children from being exposed and our grandchildren from being exposed and we speak into their life, the things of God. How much more important in the is that than teaching them how to handle a gun properly?
I'm serious. I'm using that example because I know most of you guys know exactly what I'm talking about about handling a weapon.
And training, a child, how to handle a weapon and wind to handle it and how to make sure it's empty and all those things.
And yet you wouldn't do that kind of thing with spiritual stuff.
You're missing the boat. You're missing the boat.
God's man provides for his family.
1st Timothy. I'll just give you one verse on this 1st, Timothy 5:8, but if anyone does not provide for his own and especially for those of his house, though, he is denied, the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
I think that pretty well says it. Don't you?
Anybody can lose a job. Been there, done that. Anybody can lose a job, anybody can be temporarily out of work. But you know what? Your job is if you're out of work. Find work.
You're not laying up in front of the TV set, or playing a Nintendo or whatever. The latest thing is game, you're not doing that. You're out trying to find work.
And if your wife is working outside the home, you'll have to work that into between cleaning house and doing the laundry and all that kind of stuff, huh? Do you know real men can do laundry? Real men can cook a dinner. Real men can change a diaper.
Yeah.
It's not a nice job but it's got to be done. And there's no reason in the world. Why the wife has to change all of them?
Willy's hot one. Guardsman, protect his family, 100% of the time. This is one of those ones that Our society doesn't realize how stupid they've gotten. You know, our society says men and women are equal.
Older equal in all ways. No, no let me explain something. If you're standing beside me on the job doing the same exact job, I am with the same experience and time and everything that you should be making the same amount of money. I am. and if you've got the better credentials, when promotion time comes you out to get the promotion and I answered you, That's not a problem.
But I've got a news flash for you. Men and women are not equal.
They are not meant to be equal. In God's eyes, physically. God did not design men and women to be equal. And I could tell you all sorts of stories out of the military wear, women started talking about being equal in. The general said not, not a problem. There's a hundred and 20 lb backpack, there's a rifle, there's a thousand rounds of ammo, there's a mortar base plate, there's an 81 mortar pick it up and start walking. And after you walk 30 miles, I'm going to have you as salt that Hill I just gave you a description of a real event that happened. Not one woman made it up that hill. Not one. Then they did the same thing just to drive the point home. They did the same thing with a men's group at every single man made the March carry this stuff in a salted. The hill. Why? Because we're not built the same.
That's why this letting men do Sports as women is to So stupid, but here is where our society is gotten in and you have to, you have to admit. This is true. If we are 100% equal. Then here's the scenario that you have to live with if you believe in that.
3 a.m. in the morning soundasleep. You're woke up by the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen. Both you and your both you and your wife, wake up, startled by that sound, obviously, a burglar is breaking into the house, the husband reaches over grabs a baseball bat hands, it to the wife and says, I did it last time, it's your turn now,
That would be a quality, wouldn't it? Why should the man have to get up and go after the burglar every time?
A real man protects his family 100% of the time and would lay down his life in a heartbeat to save the life of his wife, or his children or his grandchildren. That wouldn't even be a decision. That would happen as a natural reflex, why? Because way back when You've got the mental attitude in the preparation and everything like this, that I lay down my life, for my wife, my children, my grandchildren without hesitation. I don't, I don't have to think about that. That's not wait a minute. Let me think about this year. That's not something. A real man, does a real man has already Already made that kind of a decision.
God's man is the servant leader of his family. Don't you dare come up to me. And quote. Out of Ephesians 5, that that woman is supposed to submit to you.
That woman submits to the lordship of Christ. And if you are acting like Christ, she won't have a problem.
She won't have a problem. If he's in 523 for the husband is the head of the wife as also crisis ahead of the church. And he is the savior of the body 525. Husbands love your wives, just as Christ, also loved the church and gave himself for me, isn't it amazing? That the and I have had this, believe me, I've had this over the years, I've had men come up to me and want me to talk to their wives because their wife was in submitting and cowering down to them.
I was reaching for the baseball bat.
Isn't it amazing that they don't read? All the parts about you be to your wife, as Christ is to the church who gave his life for the church who sacrificially came down from heaven and became lonely, man for the church and hung on the cross for the church. And they seem to forget all of those verses. And they also don't read the verse that this whole passage starts with 521. Starts with you submit to each other into God.
And by the way, yeah, you are supposed to be the leader, the spiritual leader leading, the family to church, leading the family, and devotions leading the family and prayer leader in the family and Bible. This such discussion, knowing your Bible better than anybody else in your family. How can the spiritual leader not know, their Bible? Well, How is that possible?
Boy, got quiet in here.
I thought maybe somebody turned off all the sound or something. I'll just asked you a simple question. How is the spiritual leader? Not Extremely extremely knowledgeable in the Bible.
Well, maybe if somebody better get, your Berean hats on having done all stand your ground and don't give an inch stand firm. Remember that picture prepared whole armor of God on perfectly weapon at the ready attitude resolved. Ready to stand firm. 0 liberal drift. I'm not talking politics folks.
If you follow the yeti dsbc this week, it should have broke your heart.
What are the most biblically conservative groups in America went left? Not all the way left. Not extreme left, but the drift has started, And that came out in their convention and some of the things they voted in and excetera. That don't you realize that only leaves a couple of denominations left? The Assemblies of God, being one of them to Church of God in Cleveland Tennessee. Being another one, the Foursquare Church being another one. That still take 100% biblical stance. And I'm just being honest with you, the Foursquare Church is leaning to the left. They haven't stepped to the left yet, but they're leaning in that direction. And I'm going to stand here as your pastor and tell you this in the board knows because I've said this to them before.
If the Lord tarries in the day comes at the Assemblies of God ever starts, going left.
I will be handing a resolution to the board and then later to the church to resign from the Assemblies of God.
And if the board doesn't pass it, my resignation when I mean the church doesn't pass it. My resignation will be next.
Because I am not going to stay in an organization. That promotes lgbtq rights and all of those type of things.
We will love the sinner.
And we will do our best to bring the sinner to Salvation through Christ Jesus, but we will not accept the sin under any circumstances. so, zero liberal drift, when you are standing like that guard at the tomb, Ready with pure resolve. Stand firm and stand your ground. Where is your ground? The solid rock of Jesus Christ. Stand firm and stand your ground on Jesus Christ. Stand firm, and stand your ground on the word of God. This is our standard for faith in practice. Not our culture, not our laws, not our government, This is the standard and you've got to be ready to stand firm with resolved that they say if you're going to preach the word, you're going to go to prison.
Handcuffs go right here. because I'm not stopping preaching the word because the government says so,
The government didn't ordain me, the government didn't call me the government didn't say, preach the word. Jesus Christ did And the government didn't call you ordained, you do who and what you are. Because I believe you're just as called. And just as ordained to be a police officer or a construction worker or a teacher, or a homemaker, or whatever, it is that you have been called to do. You're just as called. And God called you with a purpose and you need to have absolute resolve. Colossians 4:12 ffs greet you. He is one of you, a servant of Christ, always leave. Laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand mature and complete in the entire will. I've got that's our job, that's our calling. That's what Christ has called us to do. And we do not let you know, drift one degree to the left or the right from the word of God.
This right here. There and there are your boundaries for drift. Genesis to revelation. Is your boundary of drift? That's it.
Having done all. Stand. Having done all stand. Now, I'm going to ask you this morning as we in this service. Men or women. If you. Are going to serve Christ with 100% Readiness attitude, resolved, preparation, the whole armor of God, ready to wield your weapon ready to hold your Shield of Faith. You aren't swerving it all, you are going to stay true to him and you're able to stand physically this morning. I want you to stand
Stand Tall for him and in your heart and in your mind, I want you to do this. I'm not going to lead you in a prayer because I want this prayer to be between you and God. I want you to take a moment and pray right now to God that you are going to stand firm for him. Would you do that? Just takes some time right now and pray to him quietly yourself.
Lord. I Thank you for each one of these men and women that are standing right now. I think you for their resolve, I thank you for their strength and I asked the Lord that you would look down upon them and refill them with your Holy Spirit Empower right now to walk in you to stay in, you to have zero drift to the left or the right. But the stand firm on the rock of Jesus Christ and on your word, from this day. And every day that we are on this Earth in the name of Jesus. Amen. And amen. Thank you. And the altars are open.