Moraine Valley Church

The Mystery of Marriage / Week 1 / The Mystery

The Mystery of Marriage

Ephesians 5:31-33 & Matthew 7:24-27 June 13, 2021

I. Introduction:

A. Marriage is a great mystery!

1. Turn in your Bibles and read Ephesians 5:31-33

2. By mystery it does not mean it is something that is very strange and cannot

be understood

3. But what it does mean is that it is a truth that cannot be known or understood

apart from the Bible revealing it to us.

4. Here in this context we learn that the mystery of marriage is that the deep

oneness that happens when a man and woman become husband and wife is

actually a picture of the oneness of that Jesus and the church experience in

their relationship.

B. This summer we are going to look at what the Bible says to us about marriage.

My hope is to lay a foundation for us regarding marriage that is based on the

Bible so we can stand the storms of what this culture is bringing against marriage

today. The storms that can come just by two people, who are equal in dignity as

persons but gloriously different as male and female living really close to one

another.

1. You know that when the foundation is off and weak the rest of the building

becomes vulnerable when stress and pressure is put on it.

2. That foundation has to be built upon God and His Word because God is the

creator of male and female, He is the one who instituted marriage as the

pinnacle of His creation! Everything God created up to that point was good

but after He created male and female in His image and instituted marriage He

said it is very good

3. God as the creator and designer of male and female along with marriage has

written an owner’s manual, the Bible. In the Bible He gives us wisdom about

many things that relate to marriage and how they were designed to work –

love, forgiveness, how to relate to one another, sex, parenting,

communications, how to handle conflict, money, what to do with our

weaknesses, etc.

4. When we ignore God and His Word when it comes to marriage, we do it to

our own hurt!

C. Turn to Matthew 7:24-27. Read

1. Let me illustrate that with the swing set we got when our daughters were real

young and I was new at MVC

a) Started with the owner’s manual then Roger, my next-door neighbor

came over with a better idea, “since pastors do not last long you can take

it with you…”

b) After setting it up, the next day, I am at church and Kim calls – there is a

problem…

c) Next day back to owner’s manual, and I followed it instructions and it

worked perfectly for over 30 years.

2. So many people are building their marriages in light of the ideas they have

heard and seen from “the Rogers” in their lives (experts in the world, parents

or friends) rather than by the instructions of the one who created male and

female and marriage.

• Today I am going to be speaking in a very general sense and in weeks to come we

will look at greater specifics from God’s Word. Let me start with two

II. Myths about marriage that make poor foundations!

A. Marriage was designed to make me happy!

1. I love the story Dr Henry Cloud told about a friend who told him “when I

was single, I was unhappy and insecure. Then I got married and I became

married, unhappy and insecure!

2. God is not against our happiness but there are much greater purposes for

marriage than that!

3. When we build marriage on happiness, when it starts to wane, and it will

wane, then we either blame our mate or ultimately leave our mate looking for

someone who will make me happy!

B. The second myth is marriage will complete me!

1. Sometimes people feel like they are not whole or like something is missing

until they find that soul mate and get married to them. They think they have

found that better half and now will be complete!

2. The Bible teaches us that a mate or any other person (for those of you who

are single) was never designed to complete us instead; they were designed to

make us better!

3. When we look to them to complete us, that is do something for us that only

God can do, we make them an idol and frustrate both them and ourselves.

4. When I get my completeness from God then I can move towards my mate to

give them blessings rather than to get from them something I need!

III. Now I want to share …

IV. Four counter cultural Bible truths that have shaped the foundation of Kim’s and my

marriage

A. First, marriage was designed to make me holy not happy

1. I first learned about this truth when I was reading the book by Gary Thomas

called Sacred Marriage.

2. It makes sense when you look at marriage through the lens of God’s ultimate

purpose in our life.

a) Romans 8:29 tells us that God predestined us to be conformed to the

image of His Son Jesus Christ and Romans 8:28 essentially tells us that

God causes all things to work together for this purpose.

b) Read Romans 8:28-29

3. This turns most North American perspectives about marriage upside down

and changes everything about the way I approach and respond to both the

good and tough parts about marriage!

a) So God is even going to use the things that make me unhappy in

marriage as part of His process to make me more like Jesus.

4. There is something going on in marriage that is bigger than my happiness!

B. Second marriage is a covenant not a contract.

1. Many may not know this but our whole relationship with God and His

program in this world is based upon covenant

2. I am going to spend a whole message on this but let me say one thing about

this now. Death and covenant are tightly tied together as the death both

ratifies and pictures for us the heart of a covenant.

3. So the one picture of death that I want to remind us of is that I have died to

myself and now I live for Kim and Kim has died to herself and now she lives

for me!

a) Everything I do, every decision I make should be for her benefit and not

mine.

b) I am laying down my life to bless her!

4. This is no different from our new covenant relationship with the Lord where

we no longer live for ourselves but we live for Him while at the same time

He commits himself to care for us!

5. There is something going on in marriage that is bigger than I am!

a) So let me ask you men – the last time you kissed your wife did you do it

to get a blessing or to give her a blessing?

C. The third cherishing is the driver of love, commitment is the spare tire

1. I hear people often say love and marriage is all about commitment. I disagree

with that 99%.

2. While commitment is an aspect of love, it is not the driver. Cherishing your

mate should be the driver in your marriage. To cherish them means that I

have a soft and tender heart towards them that values them highly and I care

for them with a tender love.

3. Commitment is more about I have to do it because I promised her versus the I

get to do it because I delight in her that comes from cherishing.

4. Ladies, let me ask you this – would you rather have your husband hold your

hand and kiss you because he delights in you and wants to or because he has

to because he married you?

5. Commitment is a part of love but it is the part that comes when the cherishing

is not going well, then I pull out the spare tire of commitment and use that

until the cherishing is restored.

6. The Song of Solomon is clearly a picture of a couple that cherishes one

another!

D. Fourth, marriage models our relationship with Jesus

1. It is my opportunity to model how Jesus loves us to Kim, my kids and the rest

of the world!

2. That is where we started today in Ephesians 5 and we will be back to that

passage at least four times in this series.

3. But simply the way that I treat my wife and the way she treats me becomes

one of the greatest visuals God has given to us in our witness to a lost world

and to help grow other believers in this.

4. The love and respect that should be there between a husband and wife and the

kind of love that Jesus has for us and the kind of respect His people give Him

is better caught by couples who model it than taught by preachers who preach

it!

V. Conclusion

A. What if I discovered this morning that my foundations are so far off that I need an

overhaul in my marriage? Good news – that is what Jesus is all about!

1. He not only saves us from the penalty of sin but also from the power of sin in

our lives and marriages!

2. He gives us the Holy Spirit to dismantle sin in our lives and to build the life

and heart of Jesus into us!

B. I think many couples need to have a very honest conversation this week

1. To see how closely their marriage is built upon the foundations that can face

the storms of this world and this life.

2. And how deeply they are depending upon the Holy Spirit to transform them

and their marriages into something that matches the instructions in the

owner’s manual!

C. Pray

The Unseen War / Week 7 / The Word, Our Offensive Weapon

The Unseen War / Week 6 / God's Double Whammy Defense

God’s Double Whammy Defense

Various Passages May 23, 2021

Introduction

A. No soldier would ever go to battle without their defensive

armor or their offensive weapons

1. Today we are going to look at our defensive armor

2. Next week we will look at our key offensive weapon!

• This morning I want to share with you two strong defensive

resources that God gives us in standing firm against Satan’s

attacks to hold our ground. The first is…

I. The armor of God

A. God has provided His armor for the very purpose that we might

be able to stand firm against Satan’s attacks turn to Ephesians 6

1. Read v11 put on the full armor … “that” you may be able

to stand firm.

2. Read v 13, take up the full armor …“that” you may be able

to resist... and... Stand firm.

B. What is the armor?

1. Read v14-17

2. Bottom line - truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation,

and the Word of God.

C. I want to share with you in a very practical way, how I put on

the armor!

1. I put on the armor through believing prayer.

2. I start by thanking God for the foundation that by His

doings, I am in Christ and Christ is in me. When I pray

about:

a. I in Christ I am claiming all the gifts and rights that

God has given to me in Christ.

b. Christ in me I am praying that the life of Jesus within

would grow in me and take greater possession of my

life in these particular ways!

3. You will note as I describe what I do that when it comes

to what I am in Christ it is always in the context of

thanking God for that because it is already done. But

when it comes to Christ in me, I am always asking for

something because it has to do with what God needs to do

in my life.

D. Describe what the armor is like that we wear.

1. Belt = truth – the belt is so important because it is the

piece of the armor that holds all the other pieces in place.

a. Satan’s primary tool is the lie. He was a liar from the

beginning, he is the father of lies and he works through

the lie. Much of spiritual warfare rages in the mind and

it is a battle between the truth and lies.

b. In Christ – thank Him that I am in the truth and

associated with the truth.

c. Christ in me – ask

1) His spirit to move the truth from my head to my

heart. That He would cause truth to fill the innermost

part of my being.

2) Holy Spirit to shine His light of truth on and expose

any darkness, lies, ground, denial, deception, doubt,

strongholds (mindsets contrary to truth) strategies

that Satan is working against me, my family and

MVC.

2. Breastplate = righteousness

a. Satan is constantly attacking believers in this area.

1) He accuses us of sin and tries to convince us that deep

inside there is something wrong with us, and that we

are dirty and not good. He also is looking for ground

in our life from which he can work!

2) We need to stand firm in the truth that we are

righteousness in Christ.

b. In Christ – thank that in Christ I am righteousness.

Nothing to do with my performance or any righteousness

of my own. Thank you that I stand before you today with

Jesus righteousness and not my own.

c. Christ in me – ask Jesus to fill me with His righteousness

in such a way that I live a righteous life. Would He make

righteousness the delight and desire of my heart? And

make me more righteous so Satan has less he can grab

onto!

3. Shoes = peace

a. I believe this applies to both the peace with other brothers

and sisters in Christ and proclaiming of the good news to

the lost of peace with God through Jesus.

b. When we are under attack by Satan, we feel like God is

displeased with us because not everything is in order in

our lives. In the midst of the battle, you need to stand on

firm on the fact that you are at peace with God.

c. A key theme in Ephesians is the peace that comes between

the believing Jew and Gentile and that Jesus has already

broken down the dividing wall.

1) Nothing that I know of better causes a place for Satan

to attack than in the area of divided relationships

between believers. When we have something in our

hearts against one another, Satan notices that and

causes it to come out in such a way as to ruin

relationships and churches.

2) We need to be ready to make peace with one another.

d. So when I pray I pray regarding both peace in my

relationships and spreading the gospel of peace.

1) In Christ – thank Him that I am one with Him and we

are at peace with one another!

2) Christ in me

• Ask Him to grant me every grace that I need to be at

peace with those who struggle with me and I pray for

blessings upon those with whom I struggle.

• I also ask Him that as an ambassador He would give

me the heart of Jesus towards the lost and a readiness

in my heart to share the gospel. Pray that He would

open a door for me to share the gospel

4. Shield = faith

a. When Satan’s lies, doubts, and temptations come flying

over at us, it will require the shield of faith to extinguish

them.

1) Without faith then Satan’s flames begin to burn and

destruction of our lives is the result; and we are

distracted from the real enemy as we are busy putting

out the fires that Satan has started.

2) Like the Roman soldier, we must also at all times

crouch behind that shield when we are fighting.

Whenever we take on the enemy from a stance other

than by faith we leave ourselves open to be struck by

his arrows.

b. In Christ – thank Him that I am in the faith.

c. Christ in me – ask that His Spirit would fill me with His

faith, His expectancy and His dependency. I ask that my

faith will not come from me but from Him. And that He

would make me sensitive to the flaming darts coming my

way!

5. Helmet = salvation

a. In Christ – thank Him that I am already saved, already a

new creature, already dead to sin and alive to God, already

delivered from authority of Satan and transferred to

kingdom of His son. That I am no longer a victim but

now a victor! I declare that I am fighting today from a

position of victory and not trying to get victory

b. Christ in me – ask Him to work in particular strongholds

in my life. Break, transform and control. I also ask Him

to work in areas of sin and ground in my life that I am not

even aware of. I particularly ask Him to make me aware

of my own thoughts and that by His grace I would bring

every thought captive to the obedience of Christ

6. Sword = word -

a. We will look at this one next week in more depth as part

of our offensive weapon.

b. It is sufficient to say today that I pray the Spirit of God

will speak the word to my heart, bring the word to me

through others, and through me to others!

• So the first defensive gift that God gives us is the armor of God.

The second one is …

II. God himself as our refuge!

A. Read Psalm 18:30

1. A refuge is a place that provides shelter or protection from

danger or distress.

2. Illustrate it by running to Kim’s porch during a rainstorm

when we were dating.

3. God is saying here that His word is tried, proven and

certain. If you trust Him to be your protection from

danger, He will be a shield to you.

4. Remember in Job 1:10 Satan complained to God that he

could not get at Job because God had put a hedge about

him, his house and all that he had.

B. Turn and read Psalm 91:9-11.

1. By faith, he trusted God to be his refuge as a result God

gave his angels a charge/command concerning him to

guard him in all his ways.

2. Picture this for them. Me praying and God calling the

angels at the café.

C. Does this really work? I wondered that myself and began to

ask God if this was real or was I just making it up in my

head. Within 2 weeks

1. Story of Courtney and the school kids egging her on to

involve herself in a séance. Felt like something one was

telling her no in her heart.

2. Story of me working for Dave and painting a front window

when woman came out fully naked.

3. Did not think but rather God whispered that into my heart

• So

III. Application

A. Simply start daily and at special times of trial or ministry to

pray on this armor through believing prayer, declare to God you

are trusting Him to be your refuge, your spiritual protection,

then ban Satan from your life and ministry by the blood,

authority and name of Jesus

B. Resource of my warfare prayer

C. Pray

The Unseen War / Week 5 / Satan's Favorite Plays

Satan’s Favorite Plays

Various Passages May 16, 2021

I. Introduction:

A. A number of years ago the Chicago Bears were playing the Dallas Cowboys in the

playoffs. The Cowboys beat the Bears and frustrated them greatly in the process.

Four times the Bears had the ball inside the Cowboy’s 10-yard line but each time

they were unable to score a touchdown.

1. I will never forget watching the 10 o’clock news that night. The sportscaster

had gone into each of the locker rooms and asked a player from each team the

same question. “Why could the Bears not score even though they had the

ball inside the 10 yard line four times in the game?”

a) The Bears player shock his head in frustration and said “I do not know”

b) The Cowboys player said, “We know why, we watched their films.

They always do the same thing, so we stacked up against where we knew

they were going to go. We were ready for them.

2. Did you know that Satan is much like the Chicago Bears were? He uses the

same tricks over and over again.

B. God in His word has shown us what Satan’s favorite plays are so we, like the

Dallas Cowboys, can be ready for his attacks, stack up our defense against were

we know he is going to go.

• This morning we want to look at Satan’s three favorite plays that he uses over and

over again in his game plan. the first one is …

II. Confuse our plays

A. When we are in the huddle with God in His word, we get our plays that He wants

us to carry out! But Satan seeks to confuse us and get us to question what God

wants us to do.

1. We see he did this with Eve.

2. There are three parts to this play

B. First part is that he confuses us about God’s word

1. Read Genesis 2:16-17a - This is what God did say – “from any tree except

one you may eat freely.” Read Genesis 3:1 - this is what Satan said – “you

shall not eat from any tree.”

2. Satan twisted God’s word to try to confuse her as to what God said.

3. Satan will do anything to keep us from reading, studying, memorizing and

mediating on God’s word.

a) He does not want us to be clear about God’s ways. This play includes

keeping us confused.

C. Second part is tampers with the consequences

1. Read Genesis 2:17b - God said, “You shall surely die” Read Genesis 3:4 -

Satan said, “You surely shall not die!”

2. Now he convinces us that the consequences of disobeying God are really not

that bad.

3. Come on, God is a God of grace and love. He understands and forgives.

D. Third part is once he has us questioning God’s word and the consequences of sin

then he tells us that we are not complete. There is something we are missing.

Read v5

1. God is withholding something good from you. Something that you really

need. You deserve this. If only you had, then your life would be OK. He

gets us preoccupied with what we do not have and what we need.

2. Satan’s goal is to get us to go outside of Christ to find what fulfills us; job,

pleasure, person, position, possession, etc.

E. So Satan’s favorite play is to: confuse us regarding God’s word; tamper with the

consequences of sin; then tell us that we are not complete.

1. Then he gets us to indulge in sin resulting in us destroying ourselves read v6-

8

• That is Satan’s first favorite play that he uses over and over again on us. but he has

two more …

III. His ground attack.

A. Satan is looking for certain conditions that are ripe for his work.

1. Read 1 Peter 5:8

2. What kind of person is Satan seeking to devour?

B. I believe that Satan is looking for a place to stand.

1. Favorable circumstances by which he can take hold of and use, a base of

operation. Ground to stand on to take advantage of us.

2. Read Ephesians 4:26-27 read; 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 read

C. Ways that Satan can find a place to stand in our life

1. Anger Ephesians 4:26-27

2. Unforgiving heart 2 Corinthians 2:10-11

3. Selfishness - Matthew 16:21-25

4. Immorality - 1 Corinthians 5:1,5

5. Pride - 1 Timothy 3:6

6. Worldliness - James 4:4-7 1 John 2:15-16 – playing in his playground all

day

7. Unbelief - 1 Timothy 1:19-20

8. Bad conscience - 1 Timothy 1:19-20

9. Anything you love more than Jesus - Revelation 12:10-11

10. Ancestral sin (especially satanic sin) - Exodus 20:4-5 1 Peter 1:18

11. Lack of marital sexual fulfillment - 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 –

12. Idol worship (objects of idol worship) - 1 Corinthians 10:20

Beth with the dream catcher

* Exceptions: sometimes God allows Satan to work in our lives

- battle point – Job – purposes we cannot understand

- sanctification - 2 Corinthians 12:7 – messenger of Satan to keep us humble

IV. His goal line defense

A. A goal line defense that is when a team is very close to scoring a touchdown. The

goal line defense is an arrangement of players, especially big and strong, all

stacked up right in the middle so that it is hard to gain even a yard at a time. It is

designed to hold the offense right where they are so they cannot move.

B. Satan has a play like that and it is called a stronghold

1. A stronghold is a well-secured and guarded position that cannot easily be

entered into.

2. Illustrate this on the platform.

C. Read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

1. Note in v4 the “destruction of fortresses.” Note in v5 “we are destroying.”

Destruction …. Destroying.

2. In other words, he moves from the general in v4 to the specific in v5. In v4,

he tells us these weapons are for the destructions of fortresses. In v5, he gets

very specific in telling us what these fortresses are they are destroying!

Read v 5 again

a) Speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of

God. It is a battle for the mind. It is a battle of truth

b) Has to do with every single thought that passes through our minds.

Every single worldview and philosophy that the world is promoting as it

is trying to squeeze us into its mold!

D. But this battle is not just with individual thoughts that pass through our minds.

Strongholds are mindsets, patterns of thinking, ways of thinking, and habits in

thinking that are contrary to the truth.

1. We are usually not conscious of these patterns. Our conscious thoughts are

usually the fruit of these strongholds.

2. When God destroys a stronghold in our life, He is pulling out a problem by

the roots so that the symptom are all dealt with.

• How do we respond to all of this information?

V. Conclusion

A. Read Psalm 36:9

1. The first light is God’s light shining into us

2. The second light is our light in that we see things as they really are.

3. This is not about searching out your life but rather the Spirit of God and the

word of God shining light on things I may be out of touch with or are so

deeply built into my thinking that I think they are normal

B. So pray, God

1. Are there any places in my life where my thinking about your word is

confused or lacking?

2. Are there any sins in my life that Satan is using as ground for him to work

3. Are there any ways of thinking that are contrary to your ways of thinking?

C. Quiet reflection

The Unseen War / Week 4 / Jesus Intensely Searches For One

The Unseen War / Week 3 / BAN Satan

How to Ban Satan from our Lives

May 2, 2021 – Communion

Introduction:

A. So far we have learned that:

1. “There is an invisible intelligent organized army out there whose sole desire

is to destroy us.”

2. We also learned that Satan has a game plan to destroy us: Satan will use the

world to tempt our flesh so we will destroy our selves by our own sin.

B. This morning I want to address the question: “How do we resist Satan as the

Scripture tells us to do?”

1. Scripture

a) Ephesians 6:13

b) James 4:7

c) 1 Peter 5:8-9

2. Resist means to answer an offensive action by using counter force.

C. To do this we need to go back to Ephesians 6:10 where we learned that the

spiritual foundation to this whole spiritual battle we are in is for us to be strong in

the Lord and the strength of His might.

1. That is all the spiritual blessings, rights, privileges, positions, promises that

are now ours because we are in Christ and all the power that comes to us

through the Spirit of Jesus being in us!

• So this morning I want to share with you the three special rights and privileges we

have in Christ regarding our battle with Satan! The first is…

I. The blood of Christ

A. Turn and read Colossians 2:14-15

B. V15 says that at the cross God did three things:

1. Disarmed the satanic army - stripped away from them their weapons

specifically the weapon of using sin against us in v14

2. Made a public display - explain in that culture when a victory was so

complete they would strip the enemy and march them right down the center

of town to show everyone how totally defeated they are.

3. Triumphed over them through Christ - a decisive and overwhelming victory

has already been won at the cross.

4. Note that all of this is already done, already accomplished through the blood

of Christ shed at the cross.

C. Read Revelation 12:11

• The second spiritual right and privilege God has given us in His grace is …

II. The authority that we already have over Satan

A. We talked about this a few weeks ago as we learned we do not have the power to

overpower Satan but God has given us the authority, the legal right to use the

power of Jesus to defeat Satan.

1. Read Ephesians 1:20-21

2. Read Ephesians 2:6

• The third spiritual right and privilege God has given us in His grace is …

III. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ

A. Read Philippians 2:6-10

1. Acts 16 tells us about a slave girl that had a demon in her and followed Paul

around for many days. Listen to Acts 16:18

B. A name is simply a symbol that represents all that a person is and does! God has

given us the privilege to use Jesus name in both prayer and warfare!

1. Like the song says – there is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain

2. In Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested and they were brought before the high

priest and his descendants.

a) Listen to what they asked Read Acts 4:7

b) Note here they equated name with power!

C. I remember watching the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China.

1. Both the British and the Hong Kong flags were raised. In a moment, those

two flags would be lowered and China’s and the new Hong Kong flag would

replace them.

2. The announcer then said, “Those flags carry great symbolism… as each flag

represents all that is behind it.”

a) Each flag represents a different political system, different economic

systems, different military power, different rulers, different laws,

different culture and just different ways in general.

b) While at the moment of the changing of the flags it appeared very little

really happened but a ceremony. But actually very deep changes took

place that have made a great difference in Hong Kong.

3. The name of Jesus is the same! The name of Jesus represents all that He is,

does, has given us, authority, power, victory, etc. ; and at the moment that we

use it, it may appear that very little is happening but very deep spiritual things

take place.

D. Whenever Satan comes our way, we need to raise the flag of Jesus name. Satan

knows that it is the means that God has given to us to represent that Jesus and all

of His authority and power are on our side.

1. When we bring the name of Jesus against Satan, it is like a police officer

flashing his badge.

2. He is showing the people that he is a representative of a certain government

authority and that all their power is available to back what he says and does.

IV. Conclusion

A. So when I use God’s gifts to resist Satan I think of this simple little acronym

“ban”. Ban Satan by the blood, authority and name of Jesus!

1. Like any gift of God’s grace, we experience them on the basis of faith.

2. We must by faith claim our victory over Satan on the basis of the blood,

authority and name of Jesus!

3. Like Peter said, we must resist him firm in faith!

B. The best way I can picture what happens when we do this is what I saw in a

movie a number of years ago.

1. A mountain lion was devouring all sorts of animals in the wild.

2. One day this lion came across a small bear cub. The camera showed the lion

growling at the little bear cub and in a position ready to attack. Then you saw

the little bear cub stand up on his feet and growl back at him as if he was not

a bit afraid.

3. I thought this bear cub is dead; he has no chance against this lion. I figured

the lion would brush off his growl and destroy the bear. However, the next

scene you see is the lion backing off. I did not understand it this lion could

destroy that bear.

4. Then they showed a completely different camera angle. Something that we

did not see first time was shown this time. Behind the bear cub was his

mother. Standing up about ten feet tall ready to defend her cub if needed.

Not making a sound but making its presence known.

5. When we by faith stand on the foundation of God’s gifts of grace He is

standing right there behind us seeing to it that His word will be fulfilled and

the His presence will be made known to Satan.

V. Communion

A. As we go to communion this morning, consider what James 4:7 says, “Submit

therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

1. Is there any area of your life that you must submit to God then resist the devil

by banning him from your life with the blood, authority and name of Jesus?

The Unseen War / Week 2 / Foundation for Victory

The Sure Foundation for Victory

Various Passages April 18, 2021

Introduction:

A. Foundations are the ultimate support upon which something stands, whether it be

a building or an idea!

1. If the foundation is strong, then the structure that is built upon it will stand

the test of time and stress.

2. If there is any flaw in the foundation it will have a direct impact upon the

strength or the condition of the building and will become more and more

evident over time!

B. If we ever need a foundation that is flawless, it is in the area of spiritual warfare

since we are facing an invisible army who has thousands of years of experience

and their sole goal is to destroy us!

¨ This morning I want to look at the sure foundation for our

victory over Satan. In weeks to come we will continue to look

at the complete structure of our victory over Satan but we need

to get the foundation right or everything else will be off.

I. The riches of God’s grace Ephesians 6:10

C. This is one of the strongest passages in the New Testament regarding our battle

with Satan, we learn here about the armor that God provides for the battle. But

before he goes into the armor, he lays a foundation for us. Read v10

1. He teaches us here that foundational to our warfare with the enemy, even

foundational to the armor being effective for us; we must be strengthened by

the Lord in two different ways!

a) Strong in the Lord - you in Christ

b) Be strong … in the strength of His might - Christ in you

2. We need to be strong in all that we are in Christ and we need Him filling our

lives with His strength.

a) At the core of our beings, we are spiritual beings. “Christ in us” and “us

in Christ” is not just a theological phrase but rather a deeply real spiritual

relationship that we have with Christ

b) This is how God infuses us with life and power of the Spirit of Jesus,

shares with us all the rights, privileges, and victories He has already

accomplished for us!

c) I love the way the TPT says this verse! - “…be supernaturally infused

with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand

victorious with the force of His explosive power flowing in and through

you.” Ephesians 6:10 TPT

B. You in Christ and Christ in you are the two major pillars of God’s grace. The

foundation of our victory over Satan is God’s grace. If you will, it is the footing

to the foundation that upon which even the foundation stands!

1. All that God freely gives us in Christ and all that God freely gives us with

Christ in us is the heart of God’s grace.

2. Us in Christ is the way that god sees us and blesses us.

a) Remember from Ephesians 1:3 that in Christ we have already been

blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places!

b) That means that God has already given to us as a gift every blessing,

every promise, every position, every privilege, every right, and even the

victory Jesus has already accomplished over Satan!

3. Christ in us is the way that God changes us and empowers us.

a) The Spirit of Jesus within us is the one who transforms us to be people

who fight from the right foundation of Gods’ grace and the one who

empowers us to live like a mighty warrior of Jesus!

C. If we respond to Satan’s attacks by any means other than grace, we are doomed

to defeat! It is what Jesus has done and not what we can do that is the basis of

our victory over Satan!

¨ So now, with the footing of the foundation in place now let us look at two

foundational gifts of God’s grace that we have in our battle with Satan. First, …

II. God has already won the battle

A. Turn to and read Colossians 1:12-14

B. First note the word “He.”

1. God is the one who has won the battle not us.

2. It does not say that God “will” deliver us “if” we do the right things, or pray

enough or obey enough or anything else. Our victory is not dependent upon

us but upon God.

3. Much of what I have heard in the area of spiritual warfare makes the victory

over Satan dependent upon our performance and jumping through so many of

the right spiritual hoops and saying the exact right words in a warfare prayer

so you can have the victory. In other words this way emphasizes we must do

certain things in order to be set free from Satan’s power in our life.

C. V 13 does not say that God “will” deliver us and transfer us …

1. It does say that God has “already” delivered us from the territory over which

Satan was ruler exerting his power and authority

2. God has “already” transferred us into the kingdom where His Son is ruler

exerting His power and authority.

3. Picture this with two sections on the main floor (neighborhood) as God pulls

us out of one and puts us into another.

D. I remember the day God turned on the lights inside of me to realize this.

1. It was break time of a seminar, went back to my office with the two speakers

at the seminar, and shared the deep struggle I was in.

2. As they prayed for God to work in my behalf the lights went on inside of me

as the Spirit showed me that I already have the victory. It is not something I

have to get but something I already have.

3. From that day on the foundational way, I did spiritual warfare totally changed

as I moved from doing things to get the victory to standing in the victory I

already have!

¨ Now that I know in God’s grace that He has already given me the victory over Satan I

need to recognize the third foundation and that is that …

III. I have authority over Satan.

A. To understand this properly we must understand the difference between authority

and power because I do not have the power to overcome Satan but I do have the

authority to overcome Satan!

1. Power - ability to act, capability of producing an effect or exert force.

2. Authority - the right to exercise someone else’s power. The legal right to

command.

3. A good way to illustrate authority is what a police officer has when he directs

traffic. A big semi is rolling down the road that is much bigger and more

powerful than him. That powerful truck comes to a halt when the police

officer raises his hand.

a) The police officer had the authority to stop the truck but he did not have

the power to stop it!

b) By virtue of his authority as police officer, he has the power of the

government behind him. They can bring all and every resource they

have to stand behind what the police officer is ordering.

4. God has given us the legal right, with all His strength, all His angels and His

Son and His Spirit to back it up, to command Satan from using his strength to

overcome us.

B. Turn and read Ephesians 1:19-22

1. Note first the names of demons here. (Rule - authority - power and dominion)

we learned last week that their names indicate that they do have a measure of

control, exerting some kind of influence over humans.

2. But note also where Jesus is

a) Seated at the right hand of God. God is seated on the throne in heaven

(1) A throne is the place where the king rules.

b) He is seated “far above”

(1) Jesus is in a place where He is not just above but far above all the

rule, authority, power and dominion of Satan and his army of

demons!

c) In other words, Satan and his demons are in subjection to Jesus.

C. Now look at Ephesians 2:4-6

1. Where are we right now in Christ? Seated at right hand of throne!

2. We have not only been joined together in the death and resurrection of Jesus

but also in the ascension of Jesus Christ

3. God in His grace has shared with us the authority of Jesus Christ and that is

the basis of our victory over Satan.

IV. Application

A. Let me try to illustrate how all this works with flood insurance. I shared this early

on in our Ephesians series but it fits perfectly here!

1. Required to buy at $300+ per year – bothered me because no flood at my

house since Noah!

2. I had to tell someone just how much that bother me so I called insurance

man, bank, surveyor, city – good news – not in zone

3. Called back bank, surveyor but he refused to change (pride)

4. Because it was legally mine I kept calling and kept claiming my right

5. Eventually he gave in and changed it and I got back my $300

6. It happens the same way spiritually as we stand firm in the grace God has

already given us with the victory and authority over Satan! As we fight the

fight of faith against Satan, he will eventually back down and God’s Spirit

floods us with His presence, power, and freedom!

7. 1 Peter 5:9-11

The Unseen War / Week 1 / Prepare to Fight the Right Enemy

Be Prepared to Fight the Right Enemy

Eph 6:10-13 April 11

I. Introduction:

A. Many years ago Kim and I attended a seminar for pastors and their wives

regarding burnout and handling stress in the ministry. It was led by a medical

doctor and a pastor.

1. The medical doctor opened up the 1st session with a comment that caught me

off guard coming from someone from the medical field.

2. In essence he said “there is an invisible intelligent organized army out there

whose sole desire is to destroy us. We have to expect it, we must recognize it,

we must be prepared!” Dr. Richard Swenson

3. Did you ever stop to think that you have an invisible intelligent organized

army of supernatural evil beings whose sole goal is to destroy you?

4. It’s a war for your soul and a war for your marriage and family,

church and nation!

5. It is time for us to wake up from the illusion that being a Christian is like

going to a church picnic or a Christian concert but rather it is a war!

B. And God warned us about this many, many years ago in Eph 6! Please turn to

Eph 6:10-13.

1. Watch for the heart of what God is telling us in this passage which also will

become the heart of my message this morning: be prepared to fight the right

enemy!

2. Watch for this as I read.

• Let’s start by talking about …

II. Fighting the right enemy

A. Listen again to11b-12 as to who our battle is with.

1. Satan and his army of invisible spiritual angels – called demons.

2. He classifies 4 different kinds of demons here – rulers, powers, world forces

of this darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness.

3. To summarize, they are demons, who are wicked and relate to darkness that

have some particular role in influencing the activities of human beings.

B. And they use schemes to accomplish their purposes! 11c

1. The word schemes shows us that Satan has a strategy to take us down. He

uses a method, a technique, he tricks us and deceives us in order to ambush

or ensnare us!

2. They want us to take the bait they use to get us to sin so we will drink poison

in the Kool aid resulting in the destruction that sin brings upon ourselves and

others around us!

C. Finally note who the battle is not with. Read 11a

1. That is why I am calling this section fight the right enemy because so many

of us think the fight is with other people, flesh and blood, or even with our

own flesh and blood, but we are only the pawns – Satan only uses others to

further his purposes, he is the real source.

2. Satan’s primary camouflage is other people! Repeat

a) And if we do not recognize that and fight with the right enemy we will

end up fighting with other people.

b) Someone said “snakes do not hiss anymore, they call you babe, bro or

friend.

D. So there are 2 key implications to this:

1. If I do not learn to recognize and deal with the source/root problem, Satan;

he will be glad to feed me his resources/fruits/Kool aid all day long or even

more so all lifelong to keep me in defeat and frustration dealing with the

fruits one at a time rather than the root problem Satan himself

2. If the one I am ultimately wrestling with is not flesh and blood but spiritual,

then I am going to need spiritual weapons to deal with him!

• And my next point and the whole series is designed to address this, and that is …

III. Be prepared to fight!

A. We need to put on the full armor so we will be “prepared” to fight!!!!

And we need to be prepared to “fight!!!!”

1. I think one mistake I often make is thinking if I put on the armor then I

will avoid Satan’s schemes and he will just pass me by because he sees I

have the armor on.

B. Note

1. V11 says I need to put on the armor so that I can stand firm against his

schemes. – That means his evil and deceitful schemes are going to come my

way and the only way I will be able to stand is by having on the armor.

2. V13 says I need to take up the armor so I can resist in the evil day when he

does attack me. Resisting means I need to actively oppose that wicked and

dark spiritual pressure or power that is coming against me.

• “Finally” let’s look at the word at the start of this verse:

IV. Finally

A. Read 10a.

B. This word is very clear that it is not a final thought in a series of unrelated ideas

but rather this word indicates that it is the rest of the whole.

1. It directly relates to and completes everything we have learned in the book of

Ephesians! What we need to know about our position in Christ and our walk

with Christ and yes even in our marriages, parenting and daily work in Eph

5:22-6:9

2. By the way, we will be dealing with marriage and parenting from Ephesians

as our summer series this year.

C. Position in Christ – Satan, the father of lies will continuously lie to you about who

you are at the core of your being!

1. Convincing you that you are still just a sinner saved by grace rather than a

brand new creature who has been totally transformed by God’s grace into a

saint!

2. As the accuser of the brethren he will constantly point out your failures and

inconsistencies and say to you “see this is who you really are!”

3. Or he will work to get us to focus on our performance and activities as a

believer to get the blessing God has given us and the victory over Satan

in Christ rather than living your life as one who already has the

blessings and victory over Satan.

D. Walk with Christ – Satan as the tempter will constantly be putting temptations in

front of us to side track us from our walk with the Lord.

1. And those temptations can range all the way from pornography to people

pleasing and everything in between!

2. He wants to frustrate us, control us and ruin us and he will use anything and

anyone in this world system to get us to bite the bait and drink the poisonous

Kool aid.

E. Marriage and family – God’s most precious gift of a mate or child and for those

of you not married – a close friend often becomes the closest, most intimate and

fiercest battles we can have.

1. And so often Satan is skillful at causing us to think that our real enemy is that

person who lives so close to us who is made of flesh and blood.

2. Young parents you will learn over time that one of the great parenting skills

will be learning how to wrestle with Satan for the sake of your children!

F. This world - and as we learned in Eph 2 Satan is the prince of this world and is

currently influencing the sons of disobedience. We do not have to look far to see

that in the time and nation we are living in.

1. Like never before we need to recognize who the real and ultimate enemy is

who is using politicians, entertainers, media, etc. as his pawns.

2. And there are no people in this country positioned better than Christians to

be part of the real answer when we recognize who the real enemy is and use

the spiritual weapons we have!

G. We need to be prepared! And we need to be prepared to fight and we need to fight

the right enemy.

1. Today was the introduction – the next 6-7 weeks will be the rest of the

sermon!

Easter at MVC | April 4, 2021

“A Story of God’s Transforming Power”

Easter Sunday April 4, 2021

I. Introduction:

A. Have any of you ever been thirsty before? I am not talking about a physical

thirst, but rather a soul thirst! A soul that craves to be satisfied?

1. A thirsty soul is the best way to describe my life before I knew Jesus

Christ.

2. All I know is that my life was driven by the need to satisfy this

unidentified nagging thirst.

a) I found myself doing all sorts of things trying to quench this thirst,

but everything came up empty, it only gave temporary satisfaction at

best, but the thirst kept coming back even stronger.

b) Jesus said in John 4:13-14

B. Today I want to tell you my story about how Jesus Christ quenched the thirst

of my soul with his living water. I shared this on Easter Sunday 24 years ago

and it is time to do it again.

II. Life before Jesus Christ

A. As a young boy I thought that I would go to heaven because I was a Catholic

and if I lived somewhat of a good life. The problem though was that I was

not a very good Catholic nor did I live a good life!

B. The real trouble started when I went away to college and all of the parental

restraints were off of me! I broke loose. I partied hardy.

1. Beer, wine, whisky, along with marijuana, hash and acid became what I

used to quench the thirst of my soul at that time!

2. I would go out and party almost every night, then sleep during the day.

Since I missed most of my classes I became a mini expert at cheating my

way through the first 3 years of college.

C. I remember one night being at a party and I was high on acid. I was walking

down the hallway and I ran into another man who I never met before who

was also high on drugs.

1. We began a conversation with one another and I discovered that we both

felt the same way. We were searching for something and we did not know

what it was.

2. We shared the common feeling that if we were at a party on the south

side something inside of us felt like we should have been at the one on the

north side. If I was with one person, something inside of me felt like I

should have been with someone else. I felt like I was always at the wrong

place, with the wrong people at the wrong time doing the wrong thing:

and to quench the thirst of my soul something had to be different.

D. In my junior year of college I transferred to Western IL Univ. A friend of

mine there was named Greg. He was the star of the baseball team, was good

looking and had a gorgeous girl friend who was a quality woman.

1. I thought “if I could just have a girl like Greg does then I know that I

would be satisfied - the thirst of my soul would be quenched.”

2. One night Greg and I went out to drink and talk.

3. As we talked, Greg told me that he had broken up with his girlfriend that

day. I was stunned! This guy had something that I thought would make

me happy and he was letting it go.

4. I said Greg, “Why did you break up with her?” He said “Pat, I had to

do it so that I could have peace of mind.” I said “peace of mind, what is

that?” He said “peace of mind is knowing that you are in the right

place, with the right people at the right time doing the right thing!

5. That hit my heart like a sledge hammer. That is what I had been looking

for, ‘peace of mind.’ This unidentified nagging thirst in my soul was a

thirst for peace, contentment and satisfaction deep down on the inside.

E. A few months later at what we called a kegger, I got seriously drunk and got

in the car and hit a tree on the way home! The car did a complete twirl

around in the air and amazingly with 6 of us in the car no one was seriously

hurt, just a few bumps and bruises.

F. This accident not only sobered me up physically but also in my soul as I

became deeply aware something was wrong inside of me and I was trying to

fix it in all the wrong ways!

1. First thing I did was go to church and try to be a better person – back to

where I started when I was growing up - religion and trying to live a good

life.

a) The problem was the same this time around – not only was I not good

at either of them but I quit my efforts with them within 6 weeks!

2. Then I went to group counseling after that but did not find the peace I

needed and still sensed something was wrong deep inside.

G. The rest of that year was a downward spin as I could not find peace of mind

and heart in anything that I pursued. So I dropped out of college at the end

of my junior year.

H. That summer I had no idea of what I was going to do with my life. I would go

up on many of the weekends to visit my friends in a town in Michigan where I

had worked the 2 previous summers.

1. One weekend I found myself sitting in this bar drinking at the counter

with a man I did not know next to me who was in his fifties.

2. He was telling me dirty jokes. Sitting in some booths across from us

were some people I knew, they were about 10 years older than me, 2 men

and 2 women. All of them were married but not to each other as they

were trying to pick one another up. Then the 4 of them left together in a

car!

3. I think that the 1st time the Spirit of God ever spoke to me was while I

was sitting in that bar. It was like someone deep inside of me spoke

to my soul to take a look around. Is this what you want of your life? I

thought to myself “this is not where I want to go with my life.”

a) I do not want to be sitting at a bar at the age of 50 telling some kid

the same dirty jokes that have been told for years.

b) And I certainly do not want a marriage where my wife or I was out

messing around with others.

c) It’s like God opened up the eyes of my heart to see where my life was

heading, and it was not what I wanted. I was deeply shaken on the

inside.

I. I had to do something drastic and I only knew of one other option to fix me

and that was enlist in the Marine Corps. If anybody could do it, it would be

the marines. So the next morning I left town immediately and came back

home to Chicago to enlist!

III. How I came to Christ

A. During boot camp I did great since I was removed from all my old friends and

substances and had a drill instructor watching over me 24/7 for 3 months.

B. After boot camp, when all the external controls of the drill sergeants were

removed, I began drinking again in a heavy fashion. Then I started having

flashbacks of a bad trip.

1. My days were full of fear and my nights were full of horrifying night

mares.

2. Internally I was a mess. I went and talked to a counselor and he put me

on tranquilizers.

C. A few weeks later, a Chaplain came in to speak to us men. He said if we ever

needed help that he was available.

1. I immediately went and talked to the man. He told me how he could help

me and that he would be available to me at any time. I left with a sense of

security knowing someone could and would help me.

2. A week later I was having a very difficult time so I went over to the

Chaplain’s office. He was not in. They called him at his home but he

could not come in. My last hope was dashed.

3. I asked the woman in the office to please call the base drug rehab center

to come and get me. She called and they said they would send a jeep for

me.

D. As I was waiting a different Chaplain came in and asked the secretary what I

was doing there. He said that he would talk to me if I wanted. I wanted.

1. Rather than offering himself to me as able to help and always available he

told me that Jesus Christ could help me and would be always available to

me.

2. He told me of story after story of how Jesus Christ had changed the life of

other men and women on the base who had struggled with drugs and

alcohol.

3. He told me it was not dependent upon what denomination I was with nor

how good I had lived my life nor anything I could do for God. Rather it

depended on how good Jesus is and what he did for me.

4. He told me how my sin separated me from God and that Jesus died to pay

for my sins.

5. Then he shared this verse with me. Rev 3:20

6. He told me that Jesus wants to come into my life and walk with me and

help me with my problems! Then he asked me if I wanted to invite Jesus

into my life?

a) I asked for time to think about all of this. It was all so new to me.

b) Went into the next room and prayed to God. For the first time I did

not come to him with some recited prayer that I learned as a child

but rather I spoke to him from my heart. I said “God, I do not know

if this is some weird religion or what, all I know is that I need your

help.”

c) And guess what, that same inner voice in my heart that spoke to me

about 6 months before in the bar was back. He said “Pat it is ok, this

is the right thing to do.”

7. I just knew it was right. I got off of my knees and I went back into the

room and told the Chaplain that I wanted to trust Jesus Christ.

E. He led me in a prayer that was in essence something like this “God, I

know that I am a sinner, thank you that Jesus Christ paid the price for my sin

and offers me a brand new life. Right now I transfer my trust from anything

I can do and put it all in what Jesus did for me! Right now I invite Jesus

Christ to come into my life.”

IV. What Jesus has done since trusting Him:

A. Instantly my heart was filled with peace. That which I had for so long

searched for was now deep down inside my soul like I never knew before.

1. For the 1st time in my life I felt like I was in the right place with the right

people, at the right time doing the right thing! For the 1st time I

experienced what Greg was telling me about.

a) For the 1st time my thirsty soul found the drink that it was craving

for, the drink that could satisfy it.

b) Jesus said in John 7:37…

2. For the 1st time I felt clean inside. This heart that felt dirty because of

the way that I had lived all of a sudden felt clean and filled with joy!

3. The best way I can describe it is that I felt like I had a 2,000 pound back

pack on me and someone had cut the strings and I was free of it.

4. My soul felt light and free and clean and joyful and above all full of

peace!

B. Those were some of the things that God did instantly. Other things God has

worked in over a period of time to change, things like attitudes, motives, and

mindsets. Many things He is still working to change in my life.

V. Conclusion

A. Maybe you are here today and you have a thirsty soul. Maybe you find

yourself in circumstances that are bigger than you are strong and smarter

than you are smart. Maybe you are at the place where you are tired of trying

to find the road to peace, or satisfaction or freedom from habits, hurts or

hang-ups. Maybe it is something else.

B. This is the very hope of the Resurrection. Not only do we celebrate on Easter

the historical fact that Jesus rose from the dead, but also the implications of

that Resurrection.

1. Without the Resurrection all we would know of Jesus is that He was a

man who was executed for claiming to be God himself! Listen to Acts

2:22-24 impossible

2. When Jesus was raised from the dead He proved in the most powerful

way to not only be God but also the Lord and our Savior and the Judge of

all!

3. The Resurrection also shows us Jesus is the Author of Life and He offers

to you and me a brand-new life.

a) 1 Pet 1:3

b) John 3:16

C. Today may be the day you are hearing that same voice speaking to your heart

that I first heard in the bar and then in the Chaplain’s office telling you “this

is the way, walk in it!”

D. Pray my prayer “God I know that I am a sinner, thank you that Jesus

Christ paid the price for my sin and rose from the dead to offer me a brand

new life. Right now I transfer my trust from anything I can do and put it all

in what Jesus did for me! Right now I welcome Jesus Christ into my life.”

Walk Worthy / Week 11 / Walking by the Spirit

Walking by the Spirit

Various Passages March 28, 2021

I. Introduction:

A. I have a concern that too many Christians are trying real hard to live for Jesus

and too many preachers are calling people to commit more and give their all for

Jesus.

1. Now those are not bad things but they are not the basis for the Christian life,

but actually they are outcomes when someone lives from the right starting

point.

2. It is the difference between me living for Jesus and Jesus living for me! It is

the difference between trying and trusting! It is the difference between the

power for the Christian life coming from me or coming from the one who

lives in me!

3. Listen to 2 Cor 4:6-7

a) Treasure of the glory of God in the face of Jesus dwelling inside our

bodies, our clay pots

b) The power for the Christian life is supposed to come from God and

not from ourselves.

4. Simply to walk by the Spirit means I am trusting the One who lives in me

and not trusting myself so that the surpassing power in my life

might be from God and not from myself!

B. All Christians trust in the substitutionary death of Jesus for their salvation, but

few are trusting in the substitutionary life of Jesus for their walk.

1. So for many of us, we get saved by trusting Jesus Christ’s death for us but

then we move on to our own working hard for spiritual growth.

a) The North American culture has engrained into us that we are self-made

people! The American dream has convinced us that if we work hard

enough we can achieve anything we want!

b) So there is always a feeling that there is more for me to do, even if I do

not know what that more to do is!

2. We are saved by faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross and we are to

walk by faith in what Jesus is and will do in my heart

3. I love the way Bob George says “Jesus gave His life for us; so He could give

His life to us; so that He could live His life through us.”

• Let’s start with the:

II. Series of slides regarding walking by the Spirit!

A. The truck will be dumped on you today but I am putting these slides with the

verses on the website along with my notes by the end of this coming Wednesday.

It will take time for these truths to sink in and it will be worth the review and

study on your own and even re-watching this message a few times on YouTube.

B. Slides

1. Humans/creation– original design (Adam and Eve)

a) This slide speaks to the way we were created as 3 part beings and how

each part is connected to that around them!

b) Turn and read Gen 2:7

c) I Thess 5:23

d) Body – relates to the environment; soul – relates to others and our

unique personality. Spirit part of us that relates to God

2. Lost/fall - this is what happened to mankind at the fall and the state we were

in before we were saved. This shows our depravity

a) At the fall man was depraved, that means he was corrupted from

his original design. Man has been totally depraved!

(1) Total depravity does not mean that man is as rotten as he can be.

(2) Total depravity means that every part of man’s being (his body,

soul and spirit) has been touched by corruption.

b) Turn and read Gen 2:16-17 – something died that day and it was not

their bodies or souls but rather their spirits.

(1) Death does not mean the cessation of life but rather separation

from life!

(2) Listen to Eccl 9 description of the dead, read 9:5-6

(a) Simply they no longer share or participate in what is taking

place here on earth.

(b) We know physically when a person dies their body stops

functioning but their life (soul and spirit) does not cease but

continues on either in heaven or hell.

(c) And the same way when Adam died spiritually and we were

born spiritually dead, that meant we are separated from

God and unable to share and participate in the things of

God.

c) Turn and read Gen 5:1,3 – since Adam, everyone that has been born has

been born in Adam’s image – that is the image of God but corrupted in

every part of his being.

(1) Sin entered into man’s body and began the process of death in his

body. Rom 6 teaches us that the body is the place where sin

operates and dwells. Rom 7 teaches us that this body is dead when

it comes to doing God’s will – unable to obey God.

(2) Sin impacted his soul so that man’s mind, will and emotions have

been corrupted. Note on slide

(3) Man’s spirit is dead and is at heart a sinner.

(a) Read Rom 5:12 - because of Adam - all died

(b) Rom 5:19a - because of Adam - all became sinners

(4) The Bible calls that our old self/man and who we are in Adam

d) Remember we just learned in Eph 4:17 that the lost have a futile mind

that operates apart from God and His Word.

3. Saved

a) This slide speaks to the way we are as a new creation in Christ. Read 2

Cor 5:17

b) To be saved, a person’s spirit must be born again – read John 3:3.

Gospel opportunity

c) Rom 5:19b -because of Jesus - all believers became righteous!

d) Now our spirit is made holy and righteous - read Eph 4:24

e) Eph 4, Rom 6 and Col 3 calls this our new self

f) You are no longer just a sinner saved by grace but rather a saint

transformed by grace.

g) But as saved people, our bodies and souls stay the same.

h) And this defines our core problem – we are saved people living in an

unsaved body! We are brand new creatures at the core of our being who

are separately linked to a fallen flesh!

4. The ministry of the Spirit is simply to make me holy – that is called

sanctification. Listen to Gal 5:16

a) Dismantle sin in me, that is in my body, that is my flesh! Turn and read

Rom 8:13 - keep open because we will come back

b) Fill us with resurrected life to overcome the deadness of our bodies and

give us the ability to obey God. Turn and read Rom 8:10-11

c) The Spirit also is the one who defeats Satan in our lives. Read 1 Jn 4:4

d) And the Spirit of Jesus is the Guardian and Shepherd of our souls! Read

1 Pet 2:25

5. Walk by the Spirit

a) Read definitions on left side of slide

b) We already learned that we do not have the ability to do God’s will.

Death is the ultimate weakness, impotence, inability, emptiness,

powerlessness!

c) So when I depend upon everything that I inherited from Adam – body

and soul to overcome sin or do God’s will I am walking in the flesh and

I fail every time.

d) But when I depend upon the indwelling Spirit of Jesus He overcomes

sin and can do God’s will in and through me! Turn and read Rom

8:2-4.

e) I need to transfer my trust from myself to the One who lives in me! My

dependence is not upon myself but the One who lives in me. Read Gal

2:20

f) But to be clear I am not talking about being passive.

(1) We should not consider the engagement of my soul and

body as in opposition to walking by the Spirit but rather as

complementary!

(2) We tend to go to extremes in either depending upon Spirit

and not engaging our soul and bodies or depending upon our souls

and bodies but not engaging the Spirit.

(3) This is depending upon the Spirit as the source and I

engage my soul and body as the resource to dismantle sin

and empower me to do God’s will!

g) If we are to trust Christ will work in us, why are there so many

commands in the Bible telling us how we should live? When I read

command verses, I take it that is my responsibility to obey.

(1) Yes it is my responsibility to obey those verses but the way I do it

is by turning to and trusting the Spirit of Jesus to enable me to

obey in a manner that is pleasing to Him.

(2) Phil 2:12-13

(3) Heb 13:20-21

• Now let me close by just directly quoting some of the things

III. Watchman Nee says about these things!

A. Love the way he starts the book where he lays out his premise for the normal

Christian life:

1. What is the normal Christian life?

2. We learn it is something very different from the life of the average Christian.

3. Indeed a consideration of the Word of God – of the Sermon on the Mount for

example – should lead us to ask whether such a life has ever in fact been

lived upon earth, save only by the Son of God Himself! But in the last saving

clause lies the answer to our question.

4. The Apostle Paul gives us his own definition of the Christian life in Gal 2:20.

It is “no longer I, but Christ” I live no longer, but Christ lives His life in me.

a) In all of God’s dealing with us, He works by taking us out of the way

and substituting Christ in our place. The Son of God died instead of

us for our forgiveness and He lives instead of us for our

deliverance.

b) So we can speak of 2 substitutions – a substitute on the cross who

secures our forgiveness and a substitute within us who secures our

victory!

B. Listen to just a few more key quotes from his chapter on the Spirit!

1. To live in the flesh is to do something “out from” myself as in Adam. It

is to derive strength from the old natural sources of life that I inherited from

him. Living in the Spirit means that I trust the Holy Spirit to do in me what I

could not do myself!

a) It is not a matter of trying but of trusting!

2. We think of the Christian life as a “changed life” but it is not that. What God

offers us is an “exchanged life” a “substituted life” and Christ is our

substitute within!

3. Now what is the law of sin and death?

a) If someone passes an unkind remark about me, at once something goes

wrong inside of me. That is not the law of sin, that is sin. But if when

different people pass unkind remarks, the same “something” goes wrong

inside, then I discern a law within – law of sin! Like the law of gravity,

it is something that is constant and always works the same.

b) Now as to the law of death – death as we have said, is weakness

produced to its limit. Weakness is “I cannot.” Now if when I try to

please God in this particular matter I find I cannot, and if when I try to

please Him in that other thing I again find I cannot, then I discern a law

at work.

c) There is not only sin in me, but a law of sin! And there is not only death

in me but a law of death! How can I be delivered from the constant

repetition of weakness and failure?

d) The law is there, but another law superior to it is operating to overcome

it, namely the law of life.

e) God delivers us from one law by introducing another law. The law of sin

and death is there all the time, but God has put another law into

operation – the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, and that law is strong

enough to deliver us from the law of sin and death!

f) The law of life in Christ – the resurrection life that is in Him has met

death in all its forms and triumphed over it!

4. Let me close with this one – why do men use willpower to try to please God?

a) They may be born again and the life is there, but they have not learned to

trust in that life!

b) It is no longer a question of our will but of His life!

C. This is me now and not Watchman - you have heard me say this before – the way

we are saved is the same way we walk with Christ! We are saved by transferring

our trust from ourselves to what Jesus did for us on the cross. We walk by

transferring our trust from ourselves to what Jesus will do in my heart.

1. Whether we walk by the Spirit or walk by the flesh is all the difference

between: joy and frustration, fruitfulness or bareness, praise or

discouragement! Between rivers of living water flowing out of your heart and

just a drip of the Spirit, experiencing the surpassing greatness of the power of

God or constant defeat!