Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ.
Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Chapter 6. And before we kind of dig into our verses, I want to give you a little bit of context and a little bit of history. As we jump into it, I want to first give you, as we lay out this passage, you have to kind of, you really have to go all the way back to Chapter 1, which I'm not going to do, but at the least Chapter 5.
And what we see first is a clear calling, a clear calling. Now notice as you, and I have these verses up if you want to try to, because it's just little pieces, I want you to see that in Chapter 5, verse 1, it says, Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children. This is what we're encouraged to do, that we are to be followers of God. Notice in verse 2, I can't even see with my tears everywhere here. And walk in love, verse 2, as Christ also hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God. Notice verse 3 of Chapter 5.
Do not be once named among you. Notice verse 6, let no man deceive you with vain words. Verse 8, walk as children of light, not of darkness, but of light.
I've never seen a day where more of God's children are walking in darkness instead of light. Notice if you would, here in verse 11, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Notice in verse 15, see them that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools. Don't be fools out there. Be wise.
God's given us that ability. Notice verse 16, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Verse 17, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. You and I need to be able to determine and decipher and have discernment on what God's will is in our life.
Verse 18, and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. Don't be discouraged. You need to be doing this.
You need to do this. Don't be fools. Be wise. Walk circumspectly. Walk as children of light.
Walk in love. Follow, be followers of God. Notice if you would, verse 20, giving thanks always for all things unto God.
Now that's hard. Giving thanks always for all things to God. Notice what he says in verse 21, submitting yourselves one to another.
That is not easy. But he begins this interpersonal relationship Notice verse 22, wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as unto the Lord. Verse 23, husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church. Verse 6, verse 1, children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Verse 5, servants be obedient. Do you understand? All the way down through verse 5, the beginning of verse 6, he gives command after command after command.
This is what you need to do. This is how you are a follower of Christ. This is how we live. This is how we are to conduct ourselves.
All the way down to what wives should do, what husbands should do, what children should do, what servants should do, how we are submit to each other. He goes through all these things. It's a clear calling. This is what it is to be a Christian.
Not one time did he say it was going to be easy. But he wouldn't tell us to do something if he didn't give us what we need to do it. Verse 10 in chapter 6, we have a clear command.
This is what he says. Finally, my brethren, be strong. Now we're just going to start with that, a clear command. Finally, my brethren, be strong. Based on everything that I've told you to do, it comes all the way down to this. Finally, my brethren, be strong. Notice first the importance.
He says finally. That means this. This is the key to everything. Without this, it cannot be done. I wrote it out this way.
See what you think about this, those of you that make fun of me for alliterating? The instructions are impossible without the implementation of this ingredient. Finally, my brethren, I've given you all this instruction, but what I'm getting ready to tell you is the only way it will ever be done. The importance. Notice secondly, the implication. He says finally, my brethren, be strong. Why would he say that you are going to have to be strong?
Now listen to me. This implies something. There's an implication here. For him to tell me to do all this, I am going to have to be strong. It implies first that there will be resistance. It implies that you're going to have to be strong to do this because someone is going to be fighting against you.
Can I have an amen right there? If you're going to do anything that God instructs you to do, Satan's going to fight every last part of it. You are going to have to be strong. If you are anything else but strong, it won't be done. It implies not just resistance, it implies a challenge. Listen, if he did say, hey, listen, just take it easy, that means this probably won't be a challenge, but he says be strong. Third, it implies difficulty. It means this is going to be difficult.
Yes, God told us all the things and how to live and what to do, but you're going to need strength. You're going to have to be strong. This implies that there's going to be resistance. There's going to be a challenge.
There's going to be difficulty. Notice this implies a battle. It means you're going to have to fight. You're going to have to be strong. You can't fight if you're not strong. You're going to lose if you're not strong. This is going to take strength.
It's a rowboat. It's difficult. It's a challenge. It's a battle.
May I say this? This battle is going to require strength. It's going to require you to be strong.
The importance, the implication, but notice thirdly, the implementation. Be strong. Listen, understand what I say when I say this. The problem is there are so many other options. There are so many other options than being strong. We can be weak. We can be apathetic. We can be gullible. We can be undiscerning. We can be confused. We can be timid.
We can be intimidated. You see, the problem is there are so many other options and so many of God's children are taking all the other options right now. Instead of what God said, this is what's going to have to happen. If you're going to implement all these instructions, you're going to have to be strong. May I say today there's a lot of other options out there, but God says the only option for the Christian to live the Christian life is to be strong. We have a clear command. Third, we have a clear definition. All right, God said to be strong. Okay.
How does that happen? Well, notice God's definition of strength. I love this. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. This is what strength is. Notice first, strength must be enabled by the Lord. Be strong in the Lord.
It must be enabled. It only comes from the Lord. Notice secondly, strength must be empowered by the Lord and in the power of his might.
What's the difference here? I'm going to show you. It means that for me to have strength, it's got to be enabled by God and it has to be empowered by God. So what does that mean? Strong in the Lord is the inward. Strong in the power of his might is the outward.
Say, preacher, what does it mean? Listen to me. I am only strong because of his power. Are you with me?
Say, amen. His power makes me able. I am strong in him because I know that strength and might and power are only available through him. I have no real strength on my own.
Look at me. Please get this. My natural courage is nothing but cowardice. My natural strength is nothing but weakness. In fact, God tells us in our weakness is when his strength is made perfect.
Please get this. The inward is I'm strong in the Lord. That's the inward. In the power of his might means because I'm strong in Christ. Now I can be strong through Christ. His power is what comes on the outside. So he must enable me on the inside and empower me on the outside.
Everybody with me so far? Say, amen. Look at this verse. 2 Corinthians 3, verse 5.
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves. But our sufficiency is of God who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament. Let me give it to you simply. These are the only ingredients for real strength.
Are you ready? Number one, it's in the Lord. Number two, it's of the Lord. Number three, it's through the Lord. Number four, it's by the Lord.
Number five, there's nothing of myself. That's the only ingredient. Do you want real strength? In the Lord, of the Lord, by the Lord, through the Lord, and nothing of you. That's real strength. If you're going to do all this stuff, if you're going to follow all these instructions, you're going to have to be strong. But if you're going to be strong, it has to be enabled through the Lord.
It has to be empowered by the Lord. He has to do the work on the inside. He has to give you strength on the inside.
So they know that he can show his strength on the outside. Number four, let me give you this phrase. I think I wrote this down.
I want you to see this. I don't write statements a lot, but I believe it's on here. Brother John was able to put it on. Every day that you and I, every day that we go out and live, breathe, make decisions, work, et cetera, and we do so without seeking his word, seeking his faith, seeking his wisdom, seeking his guidance. We are saying we have enough strength to do this without him.
This is the application of the information. Remember, we don't submit to him. How in the world can we say that he's my strength when we're never with him? So now, number four, we have clear instructions. We're almost done.
I know you know I'm lying, but I'd just like to say that it gives you hope, okay? The definition of what strength is, it's in the Lord, it's by the Lord. It's strength in the Lord and in the power of his might. So what do we do? Here are the instructions. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Now, I'm not going to give you a whole series of messages on the armor of God.
I've done that a couple of times over the years. Now, we might reference them as time goes on, but I'm not going to go through that whole thing. But I want you to notice the instructions here, very clear. Number one, prepare for the battle. Prepare for the battle, okay? You're going to have to be strong. Battle's coming.
That implied that there's going to be a battle. Be strong in the Lord. So prepare. What does it mean to prepare? Notice how you prepare. First is God's armor.
What does he say? Put on the whole armor of God. It's called the armor of God because he prepared it and he's made it available. We have no armor of our own. It's not like he says, here's the armor of God. Here's a list of your armor. So I suggest you wear his armor.
Look at me. Here's God's armor and we have none. So if we don't put on the armor of God, we have no armor. We have no defense. We have no weapons.
We have no anything. But just because God has made his armor available, just because he's put it there, we still have to put it on. What does the Bible say? Put on the armor of God. So that means first, it means God's armor. Second, Satan's schemes.
If I'm going to prepare for the battle, I've got to put on the armor of God, God's armor. Notice secondly, Satan's schemes. That ye may be able to stand against the wiles. That word wiles means schemes of Satan. Paul calls the devil work against us schemes, wiles.
It indicates that there is a coordinated plan of attack that Satan has at us. And if we have not put on the armor of God, if our strength is not in the Lord, if our strength is not in the power of his might, we have left ourselves wide open. So part of being strong is to admit you're not strong and to realize we need the armor of God. Now, prepare for the battle. Number two, recognize the enemy.
He makes it very clear. Look at verse 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. So prepare for the battle, God's armor, Satan's schemes. Second, when you go to war, you got to know who the enemy is.
Baptists are horrible at this. We fight everybody except the real enemy. We fight each other.
We even fight God. But the real enemy here, what does he say? He says, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Now, let me say this first. It's hand to hand, face to face contact. What does he say? We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but we wrestle against principalities, against power.
What does that mean as a Christian? Wrestling is something that cannot be done from a distance. Wrestling is something, listen, you can't stand over there in that corner and I stand over here and us wrestle each other. That's just going to look odd. Wrestling has to be done in close.
What does it mean? You and I need the armor of God. We need his strength. We need his might.
Why? Because we are in hand to hand, face to face combat with the power of Satan every day. We wrestle.
Wrestling is up close, personal, hand to hand combat. Now, Paul here identifies our enemies. These are the enemy. You need to recognize your enemies.
Notice first he says principalities. This seems to indicate a top level of evil spiritual forces. Then he says powers. This refers to the general forces of evil attacking believers. Then he says rulers of the darkness. This seems to refer to the worldwide nature of this spiritual battle. In this world, look at me, don't read this verse where we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness. Well, we're talking about the president of the United States. What did he just say? We wrestle not against flesh and blood.
So don't take what he just said and get confused about what he says next. What we're saying is this, Satan's power has infiltrated politics, leadership, all kinds of areas. It's infiltrated our culture. It's infiltrated our news.
It's infiltrated obviously our media, all networking, TV, radio, however you want to say it. But we don't wrestle against those people. If you wrestle a person and you beat up that person, you haven't done one thing to hurt Satan.
Do you understand where we are getting this wrong? To fight principalities, you and I are fighting each other and that's wrong. He says, listen, here's our enemy. It's these evil spirit world entities, darkness that all comes from Satan and it infiltrates people. It infiltrates positions. It infiltrates politics. It infiltrates power. Yes, but our enemy is a spiritual one.
Not a physical one. Current Baptist Church, can you say amen right there? Listen, February the 11th, we're trying to have just a day where we pray for our country and we pray for our community. And I'm going to tell you something. You and I oftentimes are trying to fight a spiritual battle, a physical way.
Look at me. You don't have the strength to do that. For us to fight this spiritual battle, we must be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
We've got to determine. He didn't say be weak. He didn't say be apathetic. He didn't say be standoffish.
He didn't say be calm. He said be strong. And it's time for God's people to understand that I, God expects me to be strong, but I can't do that on my own. If I'm going to be strong, I've got to be strong in the Lord.
If I'm going to be strong, I've got to be strong in the power of his might. Third, implement the plan. Implement the plan. Prepare for the battle. Recognize the enemy.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities powers. And notice last, implement the plan. Look at verse 13. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day in having done all to stand.
How do I implement the plan? Number one is put on the armor. The passages are all there. The helmet, the breastplate, the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel piece, the sword. Everything's there.
It's all God. Put on the armor. Listen to me.
Please get this. Nothing will stand against us if we have the armor of God. This armor is prepared for us. But we must put it on. Take unto you.
It didn't say put it up unto someone else. Take unto you. That's why we must pray for grace. Let us be so well armed that if we don't have a strong heart or a strong life, God's armor will stand strong for us. Why do we need God's armor? Because we aren't strong enough. Why do we need God's armor? Because I'm not going to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. But God's armor can.
That's why I need that. All right. Put on the armor. But notice secondly, stand firm.
Now please get this. Look what the verse says. Take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Listen to me. We're about done.
I'm being honest. It is interesting that these verses say exactly what they say. The armor of God is given to us for a purpose.
And the purpose is for us to stand against the devil. The verse does not suggest conquering. The verse does not suggest leading a charge. The verse does not suggest fighting.
Look at me. We are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He never said take unto you the whole armor of God that ye be able to conquer Satan. Our job is not to win. Our job is not even to fight. Our job is not to have the victory. Look at me.
Our job is to stand firm. Why? Look at me. Because God's already won. He already won the victory.
Look at me. Satan will only get what ground you give him. He can't have anything. Satan has no right to anything.
He can only have what you willingly give over to him. So why do we need to be strong in the Lord? So I can beat Satan. Why do we need to be strong in the Lord? So I can have power over Satan.
No. You don't. And you don't need to. God's already had power over Satan. God's already won the victory through Jesus Christ.
We have to be strong so that when Satan comes at us with everything he has that we stand against it. Let God do the fighting. Let God get the victory. Let God get the battle.
Let God do His job. Do you notice in the armor of God there's only one offensive weapon and that's the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God? We're not made to fight. We're made to withstand in the evil day. God does the fighting for us. It would be unfair in a sense for God to say, listen, you go fight Satan. We're not able. We don't have that kind of strength.
He's never asked us to do that. He said, listen, you've got to be strong in the Lord because Satan is going to come at you with everything he has. And you need to be able to withstand in the evil day. Now, current Baptist Church, look at me.
We're done. There's a lot of information. This is instruction, information.
Let me give you the application. Every day of your life, the moment you take that first breath in the morning, Satan shows up. It might not be him personally. Satan can't be everywhere at all times. But Satan's influence is through demonic forces, through culture, through our own flesh.
Can I tell you something? There's no outward influence that is worse on me than my own flesh. But the moment you wake up, here it comes. And if you do anything in your own strength, you've already lost. That's why some of you keep fighting the same battle and that same thing keeps getting victory against you over and over again. You've been to this altar. You've asked God to forgive you.
You've gone home within a day, within 24 hours and started right back at it. Why? Because you're trying to do it in your own strength. And when you try to do things in your own strength, what's going on?
You're trying to win. You're trying to fight the battle. God said we are not able to fight. All we are made to do is to put His armor on and to withstand. He has to do the fighting.
So let me tell you something. If you get a hold of this, I know this seems teachy, I know it seems heavy, I know it seems like a lot of... Look, if you get a hold of this, it will change your life as a Christian. When you realize you can't fight the battle, you weren't made to fight the battle, God doesn't want you to fight the battle. What does God say? Resist Satan and he will flee from you. He didn't say beat up Satan, he'll flee from you. He didn't say fight Satan and he'll flee from you. He didn't say beat up Satan and he'll flee from you. He says resist Satan and he will flee.
What does resist mean? I'm going to withstand. I got the armor of God.
I got the Word of God. You got to be in the Word of God or this isn't going to work. And if I resist, if I stand firm, Satan will flee. But if you don't have the armor of God, what's going to happen? Satan comes at you, you're going to try to fight the battle and you're going to lose instantly because we're not made to fight it.
We're not made to win it. God's already won. When Jesus resurrected out of that grave, battle's over.
It's done. Victory is ours. So what you and I have to do is we've got to be strong in the Lord. Let me put it this way. I am strong in the strength of someone else.
I am strong in the strength of someone else. Now, illustration. This pulpit that brother Jonathan Hall built is David Hall. Why did I call him Jonathan? I called him his son's name. David built.
So, I had Jonathan on my mind. So, David built this. This is heavy. I mean, this is real stuff.
This isn't corrugated. This is real stuff. So, you know what? I probably am not going to lift this up over my shoulder. So, I'm not strong enough to do that. But if I have about 15 of you come, it's not going to be a problem at all.
So, guess what? I'm not intimidated by this if I have help. I'm not strong in my strength. I'm strong in your strength. So, you and I are strong in the strength of someone else. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin Broadcast today. God bless you.
