Sermon Tone Analysis

*Defending the Vision: Protecting the Family of God*

*Ephesians 6:10-20*                  *September 11, 2005*

 

*RECAP*

 

          God’s vision for us (chosen~/predestined to be part of his kingdom – to the        praise of his glory)

          How to keep it alive (prayer)

          How to live it (grace~/not works)

          United in it (family)

          Getting committed to it (mystery~/love)

          Consumed by it (prisoner~/mature~/work~/‘one’)

          Changed by it (obey)

          What it looks like (family portrait)

/          ~*Defending it/

 

*Introduction:*

 

How many of you here believe in the concept of spiritual warfare?

How many of you have personally experienced spiritual warfare?

We are in a spiritual battle for the family of God.

Our enemy is defined.

He is powerful – but not all powerful.

Today we remember the terrorist attack 4 years ago on the world trade center in New York City.

We took a blow but we were not overcome.

Today we remember something even more recent - the hurricane attack on New Orleans.

We took a blow but we will not be overcome.

We had an idea that both of these events could happen.

We were not prepared for either of them.

In some sense there is no way to prepare totally.

There is always some element of surprise no matter how prepared we are.

Will these things really happen?

Could they really happen to us?

But we could have done much more beforehand to protect ourselves.

Indeed, now that these events have happened, we have and will take steps to protect ourselves in the future.

But how about spiritual warfare – spiritual disasters that can happen at any moment?

What can we do to defend ourselves – to protect ourselves?

As always, the Word of God gives us the answers.

And in the spiritual realm, the stakes are even higher because they deal with things eternal.

ILLUS.: Operating the boat by myself while fishing (windy).

We can’t go too fast and must keep ourselves pointed in the right direction lest we be flipped over or blown away.

*Big Question:*

 

/(What should the family of God look like – and what threatens it?)/

*/How does God enable us to defend what he has given us?/*

 

*I.

Cycle One: We are empowered (in the Father) (v.

10)*

 

Back to a question I asked earlier --- do you even believe that this spiritual life we have received by faith in Christ to be a spiritual battle, since he has already won against Satan by his acceptable sacrifice on the cross for our sins?

We must see that Yahweh God himself is a warrior surrounded and his agents in need of his strength.

“For the director of music.

Of David the servant of the LORD.

He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

(Ps 18:1-2 NIVUS)

 

 “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

(Ps 18:32 NIVUS)

 

 “You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.”

(Ps 18:39 NIVUS)

 

 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

(Ps 28:7 NIVUS)

 

 “But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, or my people will forget.

In your might make them wander about, and bring them down.”

(Ps 59:11 NIVUS)

 

 “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.” (Ps 59:16-17 NIVUS)

 

 “You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!” (Ps 68:35 NIVUS)

 

 “My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.”

(Ps 89:21 NIVUS)

 

 “The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”

(Ps 118:14 NIVUS)

 

 “Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength.

Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city.

The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.”

(Isa 52:1 NIVUS)

 

We must see Paul’s military imagery of the Christian life as our necessity, since we have an enemy who prowls around ‘like a lion seeking whom he may devour’.

“But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”

(1Th 5:8 NIVUS)

 

 “in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;” (2Co 6:7 NIVUS)

 

 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

(2Co 10:3-4 NIVUS)

 

 “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.”

(Ro 6:13 NIVUS)

 

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Ro 6:23 NIVUS)

 

 “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.

So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

(Ro 13:12 NIVUS)

 

 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”

(1Co 16:13 NIVUS)

 

*II.

Cycle Two: We are equipped (in the Son) (vv.

11-17)*

 

We must see Christ as God’s warrior at the head of his army.

He is the rock that Daniel spoke about in his dream of the statue representing all the world kingdoms.

“but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”

(Isa 11:4-5 NIVUS)

 

 “He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.”

(Isa 59:17 NIVUS)

 

 “He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.”