Scripture readings; Psalm 84, Matthew 4:1-11
Sermon Scripture; Ephesians 6:10-20
Message; “Dress For Faithfulness” in the Armor of God.
Psalm 84
(1) How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
(2) My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
(3) Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young- a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
(4) Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah
(5) Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
(6) As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
(7) They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
(8) Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah
(9) Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
(10) Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
(11) For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
(12) O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
Matthew 4:1-11
The Temptation of Jesus
(1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (2) After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (3) The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
(4) Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “
(5) Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. (6) “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ “
(7) Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” (8) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. (9) “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
(10) Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ “
(11) Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Ephesians 6:10-20
The Armor of God
(10) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (12) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (13) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (14) Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (15) and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (16) In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (17) Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (18) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
(19) Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, (20) for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Paul was a prisoner in Rome when he penned Ephesians, and he was accustomed to being chained to Roman soldiers. He even converted some of them to Christ! Paul knew of a greater battle taking place, not in the battlefield of flesh and blood but in the spiritual realm of evil adversaries (6:10-12). He tells us this is the most dangerous and deadliest battle of all. It’s a fight to the finish with the believer standing on solid ground, but also on the edge of the slippery slope of temptation. Christians need to hold their ground and not give an inch to devil and his temptations.
The good news is that the war was won at the cross of Calvary. But that does not mean that believers are completely out of harm’s way — the battles must still be fought. Believers have every assurance that they will prevail, but at the same time believers are warned that they still have a fierce fight on their hands!
Have you ever noticed just how frustrating life can get sometimes? The simplest things can all of a sudden become so complex, that even the best of us give into temptation.
For example. A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn’t find a space with a meter. So he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: “I have circled the block ten times. If I don’t park here, I’ll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses.”
When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: “I’ve circled this block for ten years. If I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.”
Don’t you wish you had a suit of armor or some sort of invisible shield to protect you from all the frustrations and confusion of the world? Wouldn’t it be great if you could get up every morning and put on this special suit that would protect you and your family from the frustrations, harshness, brutality and the confusion of the everyday world?
Well, we may not have a physical suit of armor but Paul describes a spiritual armor that is designed just for that purpose. How many of you have heard the phrase, “Dress For Success”? You can find countless books on the subject. God doesn’t call us to “Dress for Success”. He calls us to “Dress for Faithfulness”.
If you want to sing like the psalmist, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;”: you need to “Dress For Faithfulness”, in “The Armor of God”, as Jesus did, in our Gospel reading today and as Paul instructed, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”(Eph. 6:11).
Let’s take sometime today and learn how we are to;
“Dress For Faithfulness” in the Armor of God.
Let’s look at how it’s to be used in, DEFENSE, OFFENSE AND PRESENCE in our lives.
DEFENSE
Most of the articles in the Armor of God are for defensive purposes. They are to protect the Soldier. We’re all concerned about that kind of protection even in everyday life. We have Computer Firewalls and Antivirus Software to keep folks from getting their important information stolen and to stop malicious infections from people who simply want to cause problems for others.
We have Security Systems in our homes and cars. We have Fire Alarms and Rain gear. Recently, we have all been urged to get vaccinated from the coronavirus as we have in the past from other ailments. We protect our eyes with sunglasses. We have metal detectors at schools and airports. They are there to protect us. Paul says we should protect ourselves spiritually too, by daily putting on these 5 pieces of DEFENSE he lists in,”The Armor of God”.
1. The Belt of Truth:
In Roman armor, the belt protected the midsection, from the waist to the knees. It was considered fighting dirty to strike in that area. But because fighting was fierce and dirty, some protection had to be developed. Soldiers didn’t go into battle wearing something that looked like skirts because it was fashionable, the leather and metal strips of the belt were for protection.
God has crafted the finest and strongest spiritual armor in the world. And one of the best pieces of this armor may be the smallest and simplest: The Belt of Truth. One of the best defenses we have against evil, which distorts everything, is truth. Consequently, the best witness is to live truthfully and faithfully. We’re called to live a life of integrity. Gird yourself with The Belt of Truth.
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness:
In Armor, the Breastplate was designed to protect the vital organs, especially the heart and lungs. For us, the spiritual armor protects the vital center of our faith, the heart of our faith which is Righteousness. Or simply Right Living. Being Righteousness is simply be Faithful. Being Faithful always asks: “Will what I do be pleasing to the Lord?”
Many a Christian has fallen by the wayside because they let corruption enter in. They let Unrighteous thoughts and desires enter into their heart and minds. Or they go back and pick up the garbage left at the foot of the cross and they re-burden their lives. That chink in the armor is enough to bring them down.
Put on The Breastplate of Righteousness, live Faithfully.
3. Shoes:
I think it’s interesting that Paul says: put on whatever shoes work for you. Put on whatever shoes facilitate your purpose, which is to spread the Good News of the Peace of Christ.
Isn’t it kind of odd and ironic that Paul talks about the Peace of Christ in the midst of this militaristic analogy? Paul knew that the Peace of Christ is different than the peace of the world. The Peace of Christ is an inner peace, and a spiritual peace. When we have that, then we can proclaim Christ. The Good News lives in us and through us. Choose whatever is comfortable and enabling but put on Shoes that help you Spread the Good News of Jesus. It doesn’t matter if it’s running shoes, football spikes, work boots, flip flops, sandals or ballet slippers. Every person, in every profession can witness to the Peace of Christ through being Faithful.
4. The Shield of Faith:
The Shield protected the soldier from arrows, rocks and darts. The Shield of Faith protects us from the flaming arrows of doubt caused by misfortune or calamity or the sin of another. The Shield of Faith reminds us that God promised to be with us, “even to the end of the age,” and God has never reneged on a promise.
5. The Helmet of Salvation:
We all know what Helmets were for, the helped protect the head. Likewise, The Helmet of Salvation is there to protect our mind. Our minds are both the strongest and most vulnerable part of our faith because we can talk ourselves into anything. We can justify nearly anything or any action if we try hard enough. We fool ourselves all the time. That’s why we need The Helmet of Salvation to protect our minds from distraction and discouragement. Put on The Helmet of Salvation.
Those five pieces of the Armor of God are for DEFENSE.
OFFENSE
I think it’s interesting that Paul only lists one piece of OFFENSIVE equipment. The Sword of the Spirit, which he says is the word of God. There’s an old saying that says: There’s no defense like a good offense. Let me give you an example.
When I was in the Navy one of my fellow shipmates received a “Dear John” letter from his girlfriend. In the letter she explained she had found someone else, wanted to end their relationship and wanted her pictures back. The sailor was crushed. But he rose to occasion, like Sailors always do. He went around to his buddies and collected all the unwanted photos of women he could find.
He then mailed back about 25 pictures of these other women along with a single picture of his girlfriend with a note: “I don’t remember which one you are. Please remove your picture and send the rest back!” There’s no defense like a good offense.
The only weapon, so to speak, which we have available to us in the Spiritual Armor of God, is The Sword of the Spirit or Scripture, the Word of God.
I know some folks who think the Scripture is a weapon and they brow beat people with it left and right. You know the kind. Judgmental and self-righteous.
That’s not what the Scripture is for! Through the Word of God, the Spirit convicts. Through the Word of God, God can and does change hearts.
Look at Jesus’ example. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, each time Satan tempted him, he responded with the exact same answer; “It is written” and then He quoted Scripture. You see evil can’t stand up to the Word of God. And when you have God’s word hidden in your heart and in your head through study it comes to mind when you need it most.
Plan a good OFFENSE: Study the Word of God. Read and study the Bible.
PRESENCE
The Purpose of the Armor of God is to keep you ready. Ready to do the work of a Soldier of Christ. And that work is very simple. It’s front line battlefield work. It’s hard work. It takes stamina and will power. It takes focus and a warriors heart. What am I talking about? Prayer. You and I are called to kneel in the very presence of God and lift one another in prayer.
One of my mentors once told me, one of his favorite stories, that God uses whenever his head started to swell because everybody kept telling him he was such a good preacher was about the preacher who died and went to heaven. This preacher was known as one of the best preachers around. Thousands of people had come to Christ because of his sermons. And he knew it.
St. Peter was showing him around and they passed through this huge section of humongous homes. These things were so big, they were nearly Castles, not mansions. Either outside or looking out the window of each of them was a little old widow lady or widower or a teenager or a child. And they all looked somewhat overwhelmed by the size of their mansion.
The preacher was getting excited, if these people, just you’re ordinary every day kind of Christians got those kind of mansions. Imagine what he was going to get. As they ended their trek through the neighborhood, they came upon a large ranch house. It was gorgeous but wasn’t huge. It had everything you could imagine but it was nowhere near what he was expecting. So he asked why?
St. Peter sort of grinned and said: “Oh, we appreciate everything you did. You’re a great preacher and thousands upon thousands came to Christ because of you. But truthfully, you were just the distraction. The real work, the tough work was done on the knees of every one of those people we passed. They were our prayer warriors. And that’s where the real battle was fought.”
Prayer brings us into the very presence of God. Through prayer we are brought to the throne of grace and we are enabled to stand before God. Not arrogantly but in all humility and because we’ve been invited there.
And once there, God wants to know everything on our hearts and minds about everyone we know and love. And even those we don’t love.
You and I have been called to Dress For Faithfulness, not Success. We’re called to live a life that is pleasing to God in all that we do. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so you could be successful by worldly standards. Jesus died on the cross because of our sin, because we couldn’t be faithful. God doesn’t want us to pursue worldly success.
God wants us to pursue faithfulness, even in the midst of a frustrating and sometimes amidst the confusion of life.
“Dress For Faithfulness” in the Armor of God.
In His Service, Pastor Joe
Listen To Audio: Sermon 20210822
Listen To Audio: Service 08222021
Prayer of Confession: Spirit of God, we confess that we put on airs more often than we put on the armor of God. We are guilty of girding ourselves with lies instead of the truth. We try to protect ourselves with arrogance, superstition, and self-reliance instead of righteousness, faith, and your gift of salvation. Forgive us, Holy God. Gift us with the wisdom and strength to change our ways, so that we may live as your faithful ambassadors of the Good News. Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pastor Joe will be available at the church on Thursday afternoon from 2 to 4. If you need to speak to him, contact Pastor Joe at 570-267-4570 (cell) or Email: joe.s.travis@gmail.com
Loose change goes to General Fund
Sunday School starts at 8:30am
Session meets Tuesday, August 24, at 9A.M. in the community building.
Newsletter Deadline – Tuesday August 31, 2021
Social Hour following church service 5 September 2021
Choir practice will begin Thursday, Sept. 2nd at 1:00! Please come a join us in singing praises to Jesus!
Please sign up to host one of the social hours on the Sunday after Communion Service on the first Sunday of the month. Hosting only means setting out what is brought and cleaning up afterward. It does not mean bringing everything to share.
EMAIL address for the church has been changed to: fhpc400@att.net
