R399 The Believer’s Commission Pt.1

God has an encouraging word for you and me today as we start a multi-part series on the believers commissioned with Dr. Don Wilson. As we study the Word of God together connect with us on our website www.tewonline.org has wonderful resources including the new book about Dr. Billy Graham from Dr. Wilson.

That's www.tewonline.org. Now today's teaching with Dr. Don. In 1981 some friends of ours in Mississippi at the time loaned us a motorhome. They marvelous things to driving and my wife and I and a brand new little baby son and my parents-in-law went for a long trip in this motorhome and we ended up in Washington DC and it was July the 4th. We parked our motorhome somewhere near the Jefferson Memorial or the Lincoln Memorial and there were literally thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people there.

There were people everywhere and then we did what I'm told you supposed to do on motorhomes. We climbed onto the roof, got out a jolly good cup of tea and we watched the most spectacular fireworks display that I believe that I've ever seen. It was fit for the President of the United States of America and for what seemed to be like 20 to 30 minutes there was an array of color that stretched from one side of the Washington skyline to the other and when it seemed that we had reached an exhilaration point at which we were about to max out, they all of a sudden launched their climactic agenda and there was a finale such of which I've never seen. The colors, the explosions, the designs of every nature and every kind that one could ever imagine.

It was spectacular. Paul does a very similar thing writing here in Ephesians chapter 6. When he gets to the end of his pastoral epistle, he has exhorted believers and he has instructed them and he's advised them and he's encouraged them and as we saw last week he talked first of all about the believers battlefield.

We're going to continue with that and move into the second component today. Having talked about the battlefield that believers find themselves in, Paul talks about the believers commission. He sends us out and he says listen, he said I want you to know that there is no way in God's Word that God's Word tells us that when we give our heart to Jesus that nothing is ever going to go wrong again. In fact if I seem to understand what the Apostle Paul is saying, he's saying anything but that is true. Paul is actually confirming what God has told us and what the Jesus Christ taught us when he was upon the earth. He said if anything when you receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life you are going to be running against what Satan desires for every person who lives on this world and therefore you are going to become increasingly vulnerable and susceptible to the battlefields of life. And Paul here says God does not just allow us to enter into these battlefields but he commissions us.

He tells us what we need to do. I should imagine that many of you here this week have just recently if not this coming week or the next week are going to have the joy of sending your son or daughter to college for the first time. I wonder what it is that you told them. What are the final words that you're going to give them? Not that it's the final time that you're going to see them but you want to give them instruction. You want to commission them.

You're saying to them now my son my daughter I want you to go out and I want you to remember these things. When he gets through that Paul moves into a different arena with the same theme and he says not just the believers battlefield and the believers Commission but the believers archenemy. That we're going to look at in the next week or two. The believers enemy. Paul talks about something here that is almost unbelievable. He tells us that as believers our enemy is not just operating upon this world but he's operating in heavenly places. That's staggering. First time I read that I said these things ought not to be. Then having talked about our enemy the believers enemy Satan himself the Apostle Paul comes to a climactic expression and he talks about the believers equipment.

What is it that you put on? The whole armor of God and he outlines that and then he gets up into that ultimate crescendo and he closes out this whole discussion with the believers prayer. Just think about it. The battlefield, believers commission, believers enemy, believers equipment and the believers prayer. That's what Paul is doing here in these final few moments. Let's read them together again Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10. Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.

Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything to stand. May the Lord write his word upon our hearts. Here Paul is commissioning the believer to be able to live a full productive life in the battlefields of life and guess what he's telling us? He's telling us that you and I can be overcomers. He says we are overcomers and he says that the life that Jesus Christ gives to us is the absolute best life because God gives to us what no man can give to us. He gives to us the ability and the equipment to be able to face life's journey. One of my favorite speakers is Kay Arthur, director of Precept Ministries out of Chattanooga Tennessee. Kay Arthur has done a Bible study and many of our ladies have done this called Lord is at Warfare and in fact there is a book by the name Titus by the same title. In her book Kay Arthur asks 15 questions regarding the reality of a believers battlefield. I wrote them down and I want to read them to you. I may stop once or twice but I'm gonna have to be rather quick.

Listen to listen to this. Do you really believe, I'm asking you, do you believe that you're in a battlefield? Do you believe that you need a commission? Do you understand what you're up against? Are you equipped for the journey and how are you going to respond to that through prayer? That's where we are at the moment in Paul's letter to the Ephesians and here's what Kay Arthur asks these 15 questions. Number one, have you ever felt like quitting because the hassle of Christianity was just too much? Number two, do you ever doubt the truth of God's Word or the reality of Christianity? Have you ever been tormented by blasphemous thoughts against God? This is going to demonstrate to you and to me as believers that we are in the midst of a battlefield.

We need a commission, we need to understand who we're up against, we need to be equipped and we need to know how to pray when we talk to God about these things. Number three, have you ever felt captivatingly drawn to the things of the world? Do you have a struggle in your heart this morning?

Friend, you find yourself being drawn into the things that the world has to offer you. Number four, is there anything you feel compelled to do or to believe and yet you know it is not of God? Number five, are you bombarded with doubts about God's goodness and His love toward you?

Do you doubt God's goodness and His love? Are you going to talk to someone who's suffering from cancer? Ask them some of these questions. Go and talk to someone who's lost their job. Ask them some of these questions. Go and talk to a parent whose teenager has got involved in drugs and alcohol. Ask them some of these questions. Go and speak to a couple whose marriage is struggling.

Ask them some of these questions. At work, at home, at play. Number six, have you ever been plagued by feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy? Do you just feel useless?

Do you find yourself saying, man I'm worth nothing. I'm inadequate. I cannot do it. I cannot be a parent anymore. I cannot be a husband anymore. I cannot work at this job anymore.

I'm just useless. Number seven, even though you have confessed past sins, Kay Arthur asks, do you still live under a cloud of condemnation? Our dear friends, listen carefully.

Let me run that by again. Even though you have confessed your sins to the Lord, do you still feel that you're under condemnation for what you've done? Say pastor, what do you have in mind? We could talk about sin from A to B, A to Z.

We could talk about every kind, every shape, every form. Perhaps you have been unfaithful to your spouse. This happened many years ago. Question number one, have you admitted your sin to God? Did you sin? Yes or no? You said yes, I sinned before God. Number two, do you believe that Jesus Christ will forgive you? You say yes I do. In fact the Bible says in 1 John 1 9, if we confess our sin, Jesus Christ is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Now do you believe that? From what unrighteousness? All unrighteousness. Everything.

He doesn't hold anything. If and when we confess our sin to Him, that's repentance. There has to be repentance.

It's not just something that comes from the head, it's from the heart. It's our recognition of who we are in the presence of the holiness of Almighty God. Now have you sinned? Have you admitted your sin? Have you confessed your sin to God? Do you believe that He's forgiven you?

Now here's the question, do you still walk around with a load on your shoulders? That's the believers battlefield. That's the believers battlefield and you know what Satan loves to do? Satan loves to remind you about your sin and sometimes he even uses other people to remind you. I don't know if you've ever been around someone who constantly brings out your sin, not their own, reminds you about what you did.

This is the believers battlefield. I've got good news for you today. If you have confessed your sin, Jesus Christ has liberated you. Such good news. As we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

But you know sometimes there is a desire to get better. We also are told in Scripture to confess our sins to one another, not to someone you can't trust, but someone you can trust. And you can trust us to pray with you, not about the sin.

You don't need to confess your sin, but you might want to say pray for me about this struggle. We're here at 866-899. We're 24 hours a day to pray you through.

That's 866-899-9673. Now back to today's teaching with Dr. Don. Number eight, have you felt overwhelmed with depression? Depression is sweeping across America. More and more people are being depressed and many of them with very good reasoning. Here's the question that Kay Arthur asks, do you suffer with depression?

I put it into classical terminology. Are you just perpetually down in the dumps? You know depression my friend is not just feeling sad. Depression is something that will get inside your soul. It'll get so deep inside of you that it's almost, it's a sickness, it's an illness and it will begin to overtake you and Satan is going to capitalize on your state of depression. God has answers for these things, but it is part and parcel of the believers battlefield.

Number nine, have you ever thought about suicide? I met an extraordinary person on Friday. His name is Ron and I have no doubt that Ron is listening right now in his hospital room and Ron I want you to know that at First Baptist Church that we love you most dearly. Thank you for sharing your testimony with me and allowing me to share your testimony with our congregation. I received a phone call from his wife Edna on Thursday night. Ron is not a member of this church. Some time ago his first wife became very ill and she died. He obviously loved her very much and on Thursday night Edna who's the sweetest lady you could ever meet now married to Ron called me and said pastor my husband Ron needs to see you he's in hospital would you please come by he wants to share something with you and so I went by on Friday morning first thing and the moment I walked into that hospital room Ron began to weep it were it it was beautiful they were beautiful tears they were tears of of joy and he wept the whole time I was there and he told me that his wife had died and that when she died he had nothing left to live for his life came crumbling down and told me in some detail he said to me pastor had ended up with me sitting on the end of my bed on a Sunday morning with my rifle my gun loaded and he said I was about to commit suicide there was nothing more for me to do nowhere to go the person I loved more than life itself had been taken from me and I was at the end of the line and he said it was that Sunday morning that I turned on and saw First Baptist Church on television said I opened up my heart to this Lord Jesus Christ and he said my life has never been the same again and with tears running down his cheeks he told me of the joy of his heart and I said to him Ron would you mind if I shared your testimony called your name he said oh no not at all you know why friends because there are lots of people out there who find themselves not unsimilar predicament to what Ron found himself in here's what Paul says Paul says you and I are overcomers we have the victory and so here's the question have you ever thought about suicide please don't do that and if you're listening to us this morning there's a number that peers on the screen and I want you to pick up that telephone and I want you to call that number because there are some of the finest men and women dear friends who would pray with you right now dear friend and they would help you and help you to become an overcomer just like Ron and just like so many of us here in Spartanburg today you see there is joy there is a life and God gives to us the very best that we could ever have number 10 have you ever been haunted by some derogatory remark thought memory or desire that you couldn't shake number 11 have you heard voices in your mind is your mind filled with incessant noises you're afraid to tell anyone you see when things like that happen to us we don't want to talk about it we get up to the point that we say I want to go and see my pastor and right there before we pick up the telephone Satan intervenes and says you don't want to do that there been times in my ministry even here in Spartanburg that that people that I don't know have made appointments to come and see me and then at the last minute they haven't shown up or they've cancelled out or something's happened do you know I'm convinced that many times many of those people are faced with predicaments that are so severe and right at the point at which they begin to do something about it they back off it's like the alcoholic one of the worst illnesses that can come upon any person and right there at the point of resolve Satan says just one more and just one more sets them back for many many months number 12 are you filled with anger bitterness or unforgiveness and even though you realize that you are wrong to harbor these feelings do you feel powerless to deal with them you fighting with anger this morning my friend has your marriage fallen apart are you in a custody battle are you angry you're not anger will do to you it'll eat you up it'll destroy you it'll tear you apart it'll get right on your inside you need to deal with it and the way you deal with it is through Jesus Christ he's the one why because we're engaged in a battlefield number 13 are you physically sick and yet the doctor just cannot find the cause wonder if there's someone worshipping with us today and you've been sick for some time aches and pains headaches migraines everything seems to come upon you you just in the mornings it's hard to get up your joints are sore this is bad I mean it just goes on and on and you've been to the doctor folks I believe that just as we've been blessed with the best educators in the country in Spartanburg I believe God has blessed us with the finest medical profession personnel that you'd find anywhere and I'm going to say I know that you're getting the best treatment I know that our hospitals are the finest of the fine men and women doctors and nurses who are dedicated professionals so many of them love the Lord Jesus Christ and they are not only ministering physically through the giftedness that God has given to them but they are ministering spiritually because of their personal relationship with Jesus Christ and you've gone to them and you've gone through tests and you've done everything under the Sun and yet you just cannot seem to find the answer to your predicament listen to these questions are you physically sick and yet the doctor is unable to diagnose your problem number 14 have you ever been joyfully serving the Lord and suddenly attacked unjustly you faithful you're faithful at home you're faithful at work you serve the Lord you tithe you give at least 10% and a whole lot more to the Lord's work you're obedient you sing in the choir you're a Sunday school teacher you're on committees you're doing what God has told you to do you're faithful at work and yet you're under attack that's the believers battlefield and so she comes to her 15th point have you remembered that the Christian life is a battlefield now friends how do we translate that in today's day and age let me share a few things with you this morning in this practical sermon based upon God's Word I have outlined seven things that I believe take place in today's world that parallel the struggle that we're in number one fascination with the occult with astrology an inward centered meditation you can drive up and down the streets of Spartanburg you're going to see palm reader signs folks that's not of the Lord you can turn on your television set and you're going to see 900 numbers that are going to say I want you to call this number there's a spiritual advisor folks that's a non-spiritual advisor that's not a spiritual advisor number two the effort to put people in touch with the God within the whole religious fervor of the world today is turning to the God within it is a humanistic approach that seeks to absolve the world of the centrality and the reality of who God is number three the lack of theological depth and Bible knowledge on the part of Christians which makes them susceptible and vulnerable to the cults that come knocking on your door number four the emphasis on role reversal and gender neutering I've said this before I believe it is anti Christ and the Word of God the things that are taking place today where the more popular thing is for men to become women and to look like women and for women to become men and to look like men there is an invasion of the opposite gender number five a big subject cloning makeovers new identities the endeavor to reproduce what is good and who knows what will happen when a Hitlerian type of person gets on to this type of context and concept and reproduces what is bad number six films movies TV video games you can go into arcades today and most of the games in arcades and there's nothing wrong with arcades and there's nothing wrong with video games but in many of the arcades most of the games are monsters and dragons and and blood and and everything that is abhorrent number seven heavy metal rock groups Marilyn Manson using a woman's name calling himself the Antichrist while the rock star formerly known as Prince has chosen namelessness to enhance his shame God's Word says you can overcome indeed we can overcome before we get away our pastor has some closing most important thoughts about today are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ why don't you pray this prayer with me right now dear God I know that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart in Jesus name my friend I welcome you today into the family of God this is exciting news if you just gave your life to Christ or rededicate your life we have wonderful resources we want to talk with you at eight six six eight nine nine word that's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three and we'd love to be a part of your life with multiple resources we have a tremendous amount of resources and they're available right now at a very special opportunity the encouraging word is having a summer book sale book prices will start at six dollars that's right only six dollars visit us online at TEW online dot o RG and click the store tab located at the top of the page we appreciate your support the encouraging word is a viewer and listener supported ministry thank you for listening today be sure and join us again tomorrow as we continue in the believers Commission with dr. Don Wilton here on the encouraging word