[Ephesians 6:10-14]
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
The Breastplate of Righteousness
What is it?
There are two types of righteousness.
Imputed Righteousness
The righteousness of Christ given to us by faith.
Imparted Righteousness
We are restored to wholeness & holiness. The spirit of God changes you.
For the breastplate, we must have both types. We cannot separate the two. Christians must have both.
Why does it matter?
The roman armor of the breastplate was used to protect the vital organs. All the vital organs sat behind the breastplate. In the Christian's life, the breastplate of righteousness protects our conscience. The conscience is very delicate. The devil comes and accuses to try and make us hopeless. The devil wishes to bruise the conscience so that we run from God. We think ourselves unworthy, inept, and failures. But there are two types of sorrow: Godly sorrow will make us turn to God, repent, and ends in joy. Worldly sorrow makes us hopeless and discouraged. We end up hiding from God and running from Him. The devil wishes to encourage worldly sorrow.
How to put it on?
Daily Claim the Imputed Righteousness of Christ
We are children of God through Christ. We are accepted because of Christ. We are loved because of Christ. We need to claim all the promises we have through our faith in Christ.
Daily Exercise Imparted Righteousness
We give up our former sins and live the life as God wishes. Areas of our lives where we are not fully submitted to God gives a place for the devil. If you look around the city, there are these things called bird spikes. They are located where there are perches above places where pedestrians walk. They keep birds from perching there are taking a crap on your head. This is the same for the spiritual life. When we are fully submitted to God, there are bird spikes to keep the devil from crapping on our heads. If we have places in our lives where God does not rule, the devil will come and attack us there.
May 9, 2010
Cherishing the Path of Wisdom
{Proverbs 4:5-7, 26-27}
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
[Rev. Paul Kim]
Wisdom is to value wisdom.
Desire wisdom, in contrast to our society
As a society, we don't really desire wisdom. We seek fame, fortune, comfort, gadgets... not really wisdom. There is a Ten Commandments of America Culture which describes what our society. Notice that wisdom is missing. We have movies on romance, bravery, freedom... but wisdom?
Wisdom recognizes our own ignorance and foolishness
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding (3:5)
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. (3:7)
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (12:15)
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him (26:12)
Gospel Reminder: A weak and humble posture.
This reminds us of our needfulness. We are not self-sufficient. We are like children... like beggars. We cannot boast in ourselves. Both the Gospel & wisdom share the same posture.
Wisdom chooses wisdom, repeatedly down a path
delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
(2:12-13)
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
(4:11-13)
We learn how to frame the issue
We have before us the path. We have a choice between wisdom and folly. It is not just a set of perspectives, but the worldview or perspective of Proverbs. It shows us how to view the choices. When we run into temptations and choices, the view of Proverbs helps us to see the issue clearly.
We choose repeatedly
We are constantly being tempted. We must not forsake the teaching. Not depart from the path of wisdom. There is a repetition and constancy to the choices thrown at us.
We can see the trajectory
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
(4:26)
[the adulteress]
she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
(5:6)
There is a final destination at the end of the road. Each decision results in a step which results in a path... which will end in a destination. We have lived long enough to see the results of our choices. What happens when someone turns on the TV day after day for 10 years? What if someone read for 15 minutes every day for 10 years? (They would have read about 200 books.)
Gospel Reminder: take Gospel steps to a loving, free, intimate relationship with God
What is the best final destination? A loving, worshipful relationship with God. To be freed by the love, grace, & acceptance of God.
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
[Rev. Paul Kim]
Wisdom is to value wisdom.
Desire wisdom, in contrast to our society
As a society, we don't really desire wisdom. We seek fame, fortune, comfort, gadgets... not really wisdom. There is a Ten Commandments of America Culture which describes what our society. Notice that wisdom is missing. We have movies on romance, bravery, freedom... but wisdom?
Wisdom recognizes our own ignorance and foolishness
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding (3:5)
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. (3:7)
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (12:15)
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him (26:12)
Gospel Reminder: A weak and humble posture.
This reminds us of our needfulness. We are not self-sufficient. We are like children... like beggars. We cannot boast in ourselves. Both the Gospel & wisdom share the same posture.
Wisdom chooses wisdom, repeatedly down a path
delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
(2:12-13)
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
(4:11-13)
We learn how to frame the issue
We have before us the path. We have a choice between wisdom and folly. It is not just a set of perspectives, but the worldview or perspective of Proverbs. It shows us how to view the choices. When we run into temptations and choices, the view of Proverbs helps us to see the issue clearly.
We choose repeatedly
We are constantly being tempted. We must not forsake the teaching. Not depart from the path of wisdom. There is a repetition and constancy to the choices thrown at us.
We can see the trajectory
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
(4:26)
[the adulteress]
she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
(5:6)
There is a final destination at the end of the road. Each decision results in a step which results in a path... which will end in a destination. We have lived long enough to see the results of our choices. What happens when someone turns on the TV day after day for 10 years? What if someone read for 15 minutes every day for 10 years? (They would have read about 200 books.)
Gospel Reminder: take Gospel steps to a loving, free, intimate relationship with God
What is the best final destination? A loving, worshipful relationship with God. To be freed by the love, grace, & acceptance of God.
May 2, 2010
Fighting with the Full Armor of God: The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace (Part 2)
{Ephesians 6:10-15}
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
How does the Gospel of peace ready us to stand and fight.
Have you ever gotten into a fight? If you have, you know that traction is important. It is important to have good footing. For the Romans, as we mentioned last week, the soldiers wore shoes with spikes on the bottom, like cleats.
The Gospel of Peace gives us the Eagerness to stand and fight.
The gospel gets sweeter as we hear more of it. As we learn more about ourselves, we see how undeserving we are... but we also learn how immensely loved we are.
Ever since Adam & Eve, the human heart has rebelled from God. All of our hearts are bent away from God because of sin. (Romans 8:7-8) To put it simply, the human heart is at war with God.
Jesus died for us while we were still rebelling. while we were still going where we wanted. (Isaiah 53:5-6) Not only do we have peace with God through Jesus. We have also been reconciled with God. It is like we had a strained relationship... and now there is love and restoration of our relationship with God. (Romans 8:31-39) For those in Christ, the God of the universe is always for you. This knowledge will give us a cheerful eagerness to fight.
We stand with an Eagerness of Love.
For a christian, we see our sin & His love. What keeps us from sin and keeps us fighting? We remember God's love for us & try to please God. We will resist sin because we know God's love for us is so great. Our God has been so good to us, we wish to honor Him.
We stand with an Eagerness of Sure Victory & Glory.
We gladly enter warfare. If God is for us, we will gladly & eagerly enter battle. We are promised victory in the war. We may get beat up and scraped, but we will be victorious. Why? Because the God of the universe is for us. We will not ultimately fail. We may lose some battles, but the war is already won by God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
How does the Gospel of peace ready us to stand and fight.
Have you ever gotten into a fight? If you have, you know that traction is important. It is important to have good footing. For the Romans, as we mentioned last week, the soldiers wore shoes with spikes on the bottom, like cleats.
The Gospel of Peace gives us the Eagerness to stand and fight.
The gospel gets sweeter as we hear more of it. As we learn more about ourselves, we see how undeserving we are... but we also learn how immensely loved we are.
Ever since Adam & Eve, the human heart has rebelled from God. All of our hearts are bent away from God because of sin. (Romans 8:7-8) To put it simply, the human heart is at war with God.
Jesus died for us while we were still rebelling. while we were still going where we wanted. (Isaiah 53:5-6) Not only do we have peace with God through Jesus. We have also been reconciled with God. It is like we had a strained relationship... and now there is love and restoration of our relationship with God. (Romans 8:31-39) For those in Christ, the God of the universe is always for you. This knowledge will give us a cheerful eagerness to fight.
We stand with an Eagerness of Love.
For a christian, we see our sin & His love. What keeps us from sin and keeps us fighting? We remember God's love for us & try to please God. We will resist sin because we know God's love for us is so great. Our God has been so good to us, we wish to honor Him.
We stand with an Eagerness of Sure Victory & Glory.
We gladly enter warfare. If God is for us, we will gladly & eagerly enter battle. We are promised victory in the war. We may get beat up and scraped, but we will be victorious. Why? Because the God of the universe is for us. We will not ultimately fail. We may lose some battles, but the war is already won by God.
Apr 25, 2010
Fighting with the Full Armor of God: The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace (Part 1)
{Ephesians 6:10-18}
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
Caliga - Roman shoes that soldiers wore. They were flexible and it made the army very mobile. These shoes had thick metal spikes on the bottom that gave lots of traction, much like clets. They had thick soles that protected soldiers feet from various spikes and traps used by their enemies.
"readiness given by the gospel of peace" can mean two things. In this sermon I will cover one, and I will cover another one later. We will cover that the gospel is something we should be ready to deliver. When you are trying to deliver the gospel, this is spiritual battle. There are also other biblical reference to the feet that deliver the gospel/salvation.
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' " - Isaiah 52:7
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" - Romans 10:14-15
Two main points
The Gospel is the Good News of Peace for the Religious and Irreligious
Living in the Gospel prepares us to Deliver the Gospel
The Gospel literally means "Good News". When we read about other countries, we hear statistics that 80% plus people are "christian." But that doesn't mean much... because there are many christians that don't know the Gospel. They are culturally raised in a church, but do not have a relationship with Christ. Because of this, we continue to send missionaries to preach the Gospel. For those who are religious, they feel they just need to follow rules x, y, & z. If they follow the rules and do enough, God would be pleased. But that is NOT what the Gospel says. The Gospel says we can NEVER do enough. We cannot live lives good enough. But the Gospel says that Christ has done it for us. So we try to live good lives not because we have to earn salvation, but rather we live lives having already received everything through Christ.
For the irreligious, they don't care about earning salvation. But the gospel is multi-faceted. Shalom. Fullness & wholeness in all of creation. No more racism, poverty, or death. The irreligious don't care about about earning points with God. But they are also disturbed by death, by brokenness, by all these things that are messed up. We can tell them about a God who is restoring. A God who sent His son to restore the whole world, the relationships, everything. The kingdom that God is creating is one where everything works as it should. We are to be a foretaste of heaven. A citizen representative of heaven.
The Good News has to be Good News to us - In order to be a good messenger, you need to live in the Gospel. Is the Gospel good news to you? If something is not important or meaningful, you will not share it. You will talk about those things that are precious to us. If the Gospel is precious, we will easily discuss it and commend it to our friends. For us, the news always gets better each time we hear it. When we first accept it, it is good. But then we learn more... and it gets more amazing. God not only loves us. He wants us to work with Him. He has adopted us into His family.
Allow the Gospel to speak to your inadequacy - You are not winning because of clever arguments. You are not reaching people because you have impeccable character. People are reached because God works through you. God works through even our inadequacies. God opens eyes, He softens hearts.
Allow the Gospel to speak to your Unworthiness - Our motives are always impure. If we waited until our motives were pure to serve, we would never serve. The devil would point out our previous mistakes to keep us on the sidelines. We should stand on the Gospel when we feel unworthy. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
Caliga - Roman shoes that soldiers wore. They were flexible and it made the army very mobile. These shoes had thick metal spikes on the bottom that gave lots of traction, much like clets. They had thick soles that protected soldiers feet from various spikes and traps used by their enemies.
"readiness given by the gospel of peace" can mean two things. In this sermon I will cover one, and I will cover another one later. We will cover that the gospel is something we should be ready to deliver. When you are trying to deliver the gospel, this is spiritual battle. There are also other biblical reference to the feet that deliver the gospel/salvation.
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' " - Isaiah 52:7
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" - Romans 10:14-15
Two main points
The Gospel is the Good News of Peace for the Religious and Irreligious
Living in the Gospel prepares us to Deliver the Gospel
The Gospel literally means "Good News". When we read about other countries, we hear statistics that 80% plus people are "christian." But that doesn't mean much... because there are many christians that don't know the Gospel. They are culturally raised in a church, but do not have a relationship with Christ. Because of this, we continue to send missionaries to preach the Gospel. For those who are religious, they feel they just need to follow rules x, y, & z. If they follow the rules and do enough, God would be pleased. But that is NOT what the Gospel says. The Gospel says we can NEVER do enough. We cannot live lives good enough. But the Gospel says that Christ has done it for us. So we try to live good lives not because we have to earn salvation, but rather we live lives having already received everything through Christ.
For the irreligious, they don't care about earning salvation. But the gospel is multi-faceted. Shalom. Fullness & wholeness in all of creation. No more racism, poverty, or death. The irreligious don't care about about earning points with God. But they are also disturbed by death, by brokenness, by all these things that are messed up. We can tell them about a God who is restoring. A God who sent His son to restore the whole world, the relationships, everything. The kingdom that God is creating is one where everything works as it should. We are to be a foretaste of heaven. A citizen representative of heaven.
The Good News has to be Good News to us - In order to be a good messenger, you need to live in the Gospel. Is the Gospel good news to you? If something is not important or meaningful, you will not share it. You will talk about those things that are precious to us. If the Gospel is precious, we will easily discuss it and commend it to our friends. For us, the news always gets better each time we hear it. When we first accept it, it is good. But then we learn more... and it gets more amazing. God not only loves us. He wants us to work with Him. He has adopted us into His family.
Allow the Gospel to speak to your inadequacy - You are not winning because of clever arguments. You are not reaching people because you have impeccable character. People are reached because God works through you. God works through even our inadequacies. God opens eyes, He softens hearts.
Allow the Gospel to speak to your Unworthiness - Our motives are always impure. If we waited until our motives were pure to serve, we would never serve. The devil would point out our previous mistakes to keep us on the sidelines. We should stand on the Gospel when we feel unworthy. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
Apr 18, 2010
Fighting with the Full Armor of God: The Belt of Truth
{Ephesians 6:10-14}
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
Review of previous sermon (The Unseen Battle)
The Reality of our Battle - The moment we become Christian, we are thrown into a spiritual war.
The Nature of our Battle - Spiritual, not physical
How to Win the Battle - Even though there are battles still, Jesus has won the war.
"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth" - Technically, the belt is not a part of the armor. Back in those days, men wore tunics. They were just a single piece of fabric with a hole for your head. It's a flowing garment. This was everyday wear. If you needed to run or fight or do some sort of activity, they would pick up the loose portions of their garment and tuck it into their belt. In some translations, it is called "girding your loins." This tucking is what those translations are referring to. How do we prepare for battle? We start in the truth.
What does Paul mean when he refers to truth? Some scholars believe it refers to objective truth. You need to know the content of the gospel. Other scholars believe it refers to an attitude of truthfulness, subjective truth. You need to be living out the truth. You are sincere and committed to the gospel. For myself, I believe it means both. You need to understand both the content and also be living out of the gospel.
Objective truth means understanding the central message of the Bible. The gospel. Understanding sanctification... so we aren't guilt-tripped by the devil. This isn't a Sunday school quiz. Not just knowing the names of all the books of the Bible, or who is the oldest person in the bible, or the names of the minor prophets. But more like things such as what is God's purpose for me? or the fact that Christians are adopted into God's family... and we no longer need to live as slaves.
Subjective truth means taking what we know and letting that inform our lives. Here is the truth and I want to see that shape my life. Not living lives of hypocrisy but sincerity. What you believe will impact how you live your life. Even if it is a lie. Imagine your old brother plays a prank on you. He tells you that you are adopted. For that time when you believe it... your life is impacted.
Ephesians 4:17-24 tells how the combination of the two views of truth looks:
"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."
The devil does not fear people who only understand the objective truth. People who only know objective truth can become proud of their knowledge. This is dead orthodoxy.
"To enter on this spiritual conflict ignorant or doubting would be to enter battle blind and lame. As the girdle gives strength and freedom of action, and therefore confidence, so does the truth when spiritually apprehended and believed. Let not any one imagine that he is prepared to withstand the assaults of the powers of darkness, if his mind is stored with his own theories, or with speculations of other men. Nothing but the truth of God, clearly understood and cordially embraced, will enable him to keep his feet for a moment, before these celestial potentates. Reason, tradition, speculative conviction, dead orthodoxy, are a girdle of spider-webs. They give way at first onset." - Charles Hodge
The devil loves when we only pay God lip service. When all we have is head knowledge. There is no consistency in our lives. We know the right answers. But when the tough times come, they have to say: I really don't believe it.
Why Satan loves hypocrites:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
Review of previous sermon (The Unseen Battle)
The Reality of our Battle - The moment we become Christian, we are thrown into a spiritual war.
The Nature of our Battle - Spiritual, not physical
How to Win the Battle - Even though there are battles still, Jesus has won the war.
"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth" - Technically, the belt is not a part of the armor. Back in those days, men wore tunics. They were just a single piece of fabric with a hole for your head. It's a flowing garment. This was everyday wear. If you needed to run or fight or do some sort of activity, they would pick up the loose portions of their garment and tuck it into their belt. In some translations, it is called "girding your loins." This tucking is what those translations are referring to. How do we prepare for battle? We start in the truth.
What does Paul mean when he refers to truth? Some scholars believe it refers to objective truth. You need to know the content of the gospel. Other scholars believe it refers to an attitude of truthfulness, subjective truth. You need to be living out the truth. You are sincere and committed to the gospel. For myself, I believe it means both. You need to understand both the content and also be living out of the gospel.
Objective truth means understanding the central message of the Bible. The gospel. Understanding sanctification... so we aren't guilt-tripped by the devil. This isn't a Sunday school quiz. Not just knowing the names of all the books of the Bible, or who is the oldest person in the bible, or the names of the minor prophets. But more like things such as what is God's purpose for me? or the fact that Christians are adopted into God's family... and we no longer need to live as slaves.
Subjective truth means taking what we know and letting that inform our lives. Here is the truth and I want to see that shape my life. Not living lives of hypocrisy but sincerity. What you believe will impact how you live your life. Even if it is a lie. Imagine your old brother plays a prank on you. He tells you that you are adopted. For that time when you believe it... your life is impacted.
Ephesians 4:17-24 tells how the combination of the two views of truth looks:
"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."
The devil does not fear people who only understand the objective truth. People who only know objective truth can become proud of their knowledge. This is dead orthodoxy.
"To enter on this spiritual conflict ignorant or doubting would be to enter battle blind and lame. As the girdle gives strength and freedom of action, and therefore confidence, so does the truth when spiritually apprehended and believed. Let not any one imagine that he is prepared to withstand the assaults of the powers of darkness, if his mind is stored with his own theories, or with speculations of other men. Nothing but the truth of God, clearly understood and cordially embraced, will enable him to keep his feet for a moment, before these celestial potentates. Reason, tradition, speculative conviction, dead orthodoxy, are a girdle of spider-webs. They give way at first onset." - Charles Hodge
The devil loves when we only pay God lip service. When all we have is head knowledge. There is no consistency in our lives. We know the right answers. But when the tough times come, they have to say: I really don't believe it.
Why Satan loves hypocrites:
- Hypocrites have no grounding.
- Hypocrites have no power in private.
- Satan will use the hypocrisy of hypocrites against them.
- Satan uses hypocrisy to damage Christ's reputation and His bride.
Apr 11, 2010
The Unseen Battle: Fighting with the Full Armor of God
{Ephesians 6:10-18}
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
For those who have been Christians for a long time, you should be able to follow along. You go through a time of blessing. We get all excited and then right afterward, we fall on our face. Nothing changes.
Background on Ephesians
Chapters 1-3 in Ephesians speaks of Christ. Who is He? What He done for us? Chapter 4 explains what our new life in Christ looks like. It explains how our new life changes everything, our relationships, our work, our character.
The Reality of our Battle
This is not about physical battle. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood" The gospel doesn't tell us to take over the government. It doesn't tell us to bomb and throw paint at people who go to the abortion clinics. There is more to the story than naturalistic fixes. Not just fixing our physical ailments with drugs or medicine. Not just fixing the government.
What does this say about Christians who are unaware that there is a spiritual battle going on?
They don't have a chance. They get creamed.
It is like those Predator drones we have flying over Afganistan and Iraq. There's a guy in Colorado watching the terrorists. The terrorists are scheming. They can't see us. But we can, because of these technologies. They step outside and without warning, two missiles make them nothing more than a bloody spot on the sand. Only the devil is the one who is hunting us... and we don't see him, but he sees us. Why are we surprised when our plans for God get interrupted and obstructed?
The Art of War by Sun Tsu is a well respected piece about warfare. It is still useful. A large portion of the book is dedicated to knowing your enemy. The deployment of spies and ways to exploit your enemy. Satan knows our weaknesses and our hearts' desires. He knows how to distract us.
The Nature of our Battle
Our struggle is incessant. "wrestle" is intensely personal. If you let your guard down for a second, you may find yourself choking. Or maybe one of your elbows or knees locked by your opponent.
How to Win the Battle
"be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God" This isn't about being strong in our own strength. It isn't a game of willpower. It is about tapping into God's power. The devil is strong, but not as strong as God. The power that resurrected Christ is the one that defeated death & sin. This is the power available to us through Christ. The power of God comes through the graces of Jesus.
Application
The power of God comes in the form of:
We are saved through Christ. The devil cannot take that away. But there is more at stake. God has saved us and kept us here to do God's work. To share the gospel.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
For those who have been Christians for a long time, you should be able to follow along. You go through a time of blessing. We get all excited and then right afterward, we fall on our face. Nothing changes.
Background on Ephesians
Chapters 1-3 in Ephesians speaks of Christ. Who is He? What He done for us? Chapter 4 explains what our new life in Christ looks like. It explains how our new life changes everything, our relationships, our work, our character.
The Reality of our Battle
This is not about physical battle. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood" The gospel doesn't tell us to take over the government. It doesn't tell us to bomb and throw paint at people who go to the abortion clinics. There is more to the story than naturalistic fixes. Not just fixing our physical ailments with drugs or medicine. Not just fixing the government.
What does this say about Christians who are unaware that there is a spiritual battle going on?
They don't have a chance. They get creamed.
It is like those Predator drones we have flying over Afganistan and Iraq. There's a guy in Colorado watching the terrorists. The terrorists are scheming. They can't see us. But we can, because of these technologies. They step outside and without warning, two missiles make them nothing more than a bloody spot on the sand. Only the devil is the one who is hunting us... and we don't see him, but he sees us. Why are we surprised when our plans for God get interrupted and obstructed?
The Art of War by Sun Tsu is a well respected piece about warfare. It is still useful. A large portion of the book is dedicated to knowing your enemy. The deployment of spies and ways to exploit your enemy. Satan knows our weaknesses and our hearts' desires. He knows how to distract us.
The Nature of our Battle
Our struggle is incessant. "wrestle" is intensely personal. If you let your guard down for a second, you may find yourself choking. Or maybe one of your elbows or knees locked by your opponent.
How to Win the Battle
"be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God" This isn't about being strong in our own strength. It isn't a game of willpower. It is about tapping into God's power. The devil is strong, but not as strong as God. The power that resurrected Christ is the one that defeated death & sin. This is the power available to us through Christ. The power of God comes through the graces of Jesus.
Application
The power of God comes in the form of:
- The Word
- Faith
- Prayer (The Spirit)
- Truth
- Gospel
- Righteousness
- Salvation
We are saved through Christ. The devil cannot take that away. But there is more at stake. God has saved us and kept us here to do God's work. To share the gospel.
Apr 4, 2010
All Things New
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
We know that the resurrection is a historic event. Two thousand years ago. But it has impact for our lives now. We are going to explore this event in God's word and then see how it affects our lives now.
"the first heaven and the first earth" - this is passing away. Our bodies are decaying. It is corrupt & decaying. This started when sin entered through Adam as it says in Genesis. It is clear from the world around us that the world and the people are broken. The current news speaks of a seven year old who was gang raped. The various earthquakes happening around the world. Whether you are christian or not, whether you are religious or not, we all wish this world was better. When death comes, we wish there was something more. This is not right, it is not the way it should be. We notice this even more when someone close to us dies. Even when Jesus went to see Lazarus, He wept. Even though Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus and knew He had the power to raise him, Jesus still wept. This is probably because Jesus saw how wrong it was.
Some of us wish for a utopia in this world. They try to make a perfect little world with the perfect ideology. But this is futile. We are broken people in a broken world. We corrupt all those things that we touch. Or we try to carve out our little piece of happiness separate from the brokenness. But even then the broken world can break into our little happiness. One drunken driver can completely destroy our little happiness.
"Behold, I am making all things new." - Through Christ, we have a new place where all things will work as they should. This is going to be a bit difficult. There are allusions to other literature. We are viewing heaven through an ancient man's point of view. It's like a man trying to describe apple macbook pro's two thousand years ago. "new" in this case refers to qualitative better. Now there is some continuity in our lives. There are cities... and bodies. How do we know? Jesus' resurrection body. His disciples recognize him. So we are not going to be chubby babies playing harps. But the doors were locked. So somehow, Jesus entered to visit disciples... through locked doors.
"the sea was no more" - The ancient people were scared of the ocean. It was a place of danger & death. You would be eaten by ocean monsters. So John was trying to say there was no more danger. It also separated nations & people. So, John was trying to say people were all be together.
"the holy city, new Jerusalem" - now those suburbanites, it's not like God hates you. In cities now, there is lots of messed up things. But also consider the great things in cities: arts & culture, great food, being able to get to know your neighbors. But the new city will not have all the bad stuff, no more fear of gangs, poverty, etc. Jerusalem is the city were the ancients went to meet God. So the inhabitants of the city would have access to God. Instead of having a single high priest meeting God once a year within the holy of holies within the temple of God within the city of Jerusalem.
"prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" - it will be like the culmination of a long-distance relationship. Two people in love who spoke through Gchat & Skype. They finally get married and they will live together forever. Imagine the joy.
So what does this have to do with us now? What does the life in heaven mean for us now in this broken life?
This book was written to christians who were being persecuted. They were being killed, being fed to lions, & their corpses used to light Roman roadways. The christians were being encouraged that heaven was waiting. So they could persevere through anything! If we saw clearly what heaven promised, we could do anything. Life becomes more than just getting a paycheck. Working for pay becomes only a part of life. We would not believe that our status is dependent upon the amount in our bank accounts. We would invest our money differently.
For those who are suffering, it tells us that we should not be surprised. We are broken people in a broken world. But we have hope, there is something beyond the suffering of this life. God is working through our suffering. We would not be afraid of aging. This body is falling apart, but we have a resurrection body. We would not have to fear dying either. We will be resurrected with Christ.
If I believe in an eternity of rest, I can give this life away. A place of joy and happiness is promised to us. So we willingly throw our lives away, to meet those who need Christ & life. There is willingness to go to dark & dangerous places. It is said the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. We are willing to throw our lives away for others, to save others... because our lives to come are secure.
The hope of heaven & the hope of life is not for everyone.
Who gets it? Those who are thirsty. "To the thirsty I will give"
How do we get it? It comes without payment. All you need to do is believe that the one who offers it is true. "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega" That through Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection, our salvation was purchased.
And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
We know that the resurrection is a historic event. Two thousand years ago. But it has impact for our lives now. We are going to explore this event in God's word and then see how it affects our lives now.
"the first heaven and the first earth" - this is passing away. Our bodies are decaying. It is corrupt & decaying. This started when sin entered through Adam as it says in Genesis. It is clear from the world around us that the world and the people are broken. The current news speaks of a seven year old who was gang raped. The various earthquakes happening around the world. Whether you are christian or not, whether you are religious or not, we all wish this world was better. When death comes, we wish there was something more. This is not right, it is not the way it should be. We notice this even more when someone close to us dies. Even when Jesus went to see Lazarus, He wept. Even though Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus and knew He had the power to raise him, Jesus still wept. This is probably because Jesus saw how wrong it was.
Some of us wish for a utopia in this world. They try to make a perfect little world with the perfect ideology. But this is futile. We are broken people in a broken world. We corrupt all those things that we touch. Or we try to carve out our little piece of happiness separate from the brokenness. But even then the broken world can break into our little happiness. One drunken driver can completely destroy our little happiness.
"Behold, I am making all things new." - Through Christ, we have a new place where all things will work as they should. This is going to be a bit difficult. There are allusions to other literature. We are viewing heaven through an ancient man's point of view. It's like a man trying to describe apple macbook pro's two thousand years ago. "new" in this case refers to qualitative better. Now there is some continuity in our lives. There are cities... and bodies. How do we know? Jesus' resurrection body. His disciples recognize him. So we are not going to be chubby babies playing harps. But the doors were locked. So somehow, Jesus entered to visit disciples... through locked doors.
"the sea was no more" - The ancient people were scared of the ocean. It was a place of danger & death. You would be eaten by ocean monsters. So John was trying to say there was no more danger. It also separated nations & people. So, John was trying to say people were all be together.
"the holy city, new Jerusalem" - now those suburbanites, it's not like God hates you. In cities now, there is lots of messed up things. But also consider the great things in cities: arts & culture, great food, being able to get to know your neighbors. But the new city will not have all the bad stuff, no more fear of gangs, poverty, etc. Jerusalem is the city were the ancients went to meet God. So the inhabitants of the city would have access to God. Instead of having a single high priest meeting God once a year within the holy of holies within the temple of God within the city of Jerusalem.
"prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" - it will be like the culmination of a long-distance relationship. Two people in love who spoke through Gchat & Skype. They finally get married and they will live together forever. Imagine the joy.
So what does this have to do with us now? What does the life in heaven mean for us now in this broken life?
This book was written to christians who were being persecuted. They were being killed, being fed to lions, & their corpses used to light Roman roadways. The christians were being encouraged that heaven was waiting. So they could persevere through anything! If we saw clearly what heaven promised, we could do anything. Life becomes more than just getting a paycheck. Working for pay becomes only a part of life. We would not believe that our status is dependent upon the amount in our bank accounts. We would invest our money differently.
For those who are suffering, it tells us that we should not be surprised. We are broken people in a broken world. But we have hope, there is something beyond the suffering of this life. God is working through our suffering. We would not be afraid of aging. This body is falling apart, but we have a resurrection body. We would not have to fear dying either. We will be resurrected with Christ.
If I believe in an eternity of rest, I can give this life away. A place of joy and happiness is promised to us. So we willingly throw our lives away, to meet those who need Christ & life. There is willingness to go to dark & dangerous places. It is said the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. We are willing to throw our lives away for others, to save others... because our lives to come are secure.
The hope of heaven & the hope of life is not for everyone.
Who gets it? Those who are thirsty. "To the thirsty I will give"
How do we get it? It comes without payment. All you need to do is believe that the one who offers it is true. "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega" That through Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection, our salvation was purchased.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)