Stand Firm
Stand Firm
City Life 2017 Men's Retreat - Stand Firm
Locations & Times
Triple R Ranch (City Life Men's Retreat 2017)
3531 Bunch Walnuts Rd, Chesapeake, VA 23322, USA
Friday 7:00 PM
Stand Firm
"Christianity is not a playground. It's a battleground." @craiggroeschel
I’m convinced that all too many times we underestimate what it takes to fight against our enemy, so we show up to the battle with play clothes on ready to spend a couple hours on the jungle gym instead of in the jungle.
Sin isn’t something to be played with, it’s something to be fought against.
Sin isn’t something to be played with, it’s something to be fought against.
"Be killing sin or it will be killing you." - John Owen
You are either in a battle, coming out of a battle, or about to go into a battle. - Pastor Justin White
You see, the enemy cannot STEAL your salvation, but the enemy will make attempt to rob your joy. He will make an attempt to attack your faith. This enemy will do everything he can to sabotage your trust in the Lord.
“There’s a war going on outside no man is safe from.”
You may have never understood the importance of putting on God’s armor, and that may be the reason why you are showing up ready for hours on the jungle gym instead of life time fight in the jungle.
You see, the enemy cannot STEAL your salvation, but the enemy will make attempt to rob your joy. He will make an attempt to attack your faith. This enemy will do everything he can to sabotage your trust in the Lord.
“There’s a war going on outside no man is safe from.”
You may have never understood the importance of putting on God’s armor, and that may be the reason why you are showing up ready for hours on the jungle gym instead of life time fight in the jungle.
Standing firm against the enemy and being strong in the Lord only come with putting on every piece of God’s armor.
We see in this Scripture, six pieces of armor that make up the totality of God’s armor.
(1) Belt of truth
(2) Body Armor of God’s righteousness
(3) Shoes, peace from the Gospel
(4) Shield of faith
(5) Helmet of salvation
(6) Sword of the Spirit
Our walk with Jesus isn’t a stroll through the botanical gardens. It’s a march through the jungle with our Savior leading us to victory through the battleground of this life.
(1) Belt of truth
(2) Body Armor of God’s righteousness
(3) Shoes, peace from the Gospel
(4) Shield of faith
(5) Helmet of salvation
(6) Sword of the Spirit
Our walk with Jesus isn’t a stroll through the botanical gardens. It’s a march through the jungle with our Savior leading us to victory through the battleground of this life.
Spiritual warfare is real. This ain't the movies and you ain’t Rambo. You need God’s righteousness to protect you.
STAND FIRM.....there's those two words again!
Listen, our God is a good Father. He wouldn’t tell us to do something that He hasn’t given us the ability to complete. So if he tells you to stand firm, it’s possible to do that.
He’s not giving his people impossible tasks.
Listen, our God is a good Father. He wouldn’t tell us to do something that He hasn’t given us the ability to complete. So if he tells you to stand firm, it’s possible to do that.
He’s not giving his people impossible tasks.
“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth…..”
There are two primary uses for the belt:
(1) To hold out outfit together
Outfits fall apart without the support of a belt, but our lives fall apart without the support of the truth.
(2) To keep our weapon close
When a Christian suits up properly in the full armor of God, the truth keeps them held together AND their weapon close to them.
(1) To hold out outfit together
Outfits fall apart without the support of a belt, but our lives fall apart without the support of the truth.
(2) To keep our weapon close
When a Christian suits up properly in the full armor of God, the truth keeps them held together AND their weapon close to them.
“….and the body armor of God’s righteousness….”
Body Armor is worn to protect the torso because a wound to the body can be instantly fatal.
While body armor CAN stop a bullet and save the life of a person wearing it, God’s righteousness WILL protect the heart of a Christian from the war waging against them during the battle.
God’s armor isn’t made of metal, God’s armor is powered by His righteousness.
While body armor CAN stop a bullet and save the life of a person wearing it, God’s righteousness WILL protect the heart of a Christian from the war waging against them during the battle.
God’s armor isn’t made of metal, God’s armor is powered by His righteousness.
God’s body righteousness is needed to protect your heart during the battle.
“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.”
A good shoe needs to be durable, supportive, and definitely comfortable.
A soldier wears boots, a football player wears cleats, a business man wears dress shoes, and Pastor Fred wears sandals.
You need the peace of the gospel bringing you comfort as you walk everyday with Jesus.
A soldier wears boots, a football player wears cleats, a business man wears dress shoes, and Pastor Fred wears sandals.
You need the peace of the gospel bringing you comfort as you walk everyday with Jesus.
Just like shoes bring comfort to the sole of a foot, the gospel should bring comfort to soul of a man.
“In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.”
Shields are used to block weapons from hurting us, but they aren’t meant to be immobile. They must be moved, and moved quickly in battle.
The only way you can stop the assault that the enemy is sending your way is with faith.
You need to be ready to meet the fiery arrows of satan with a fiery faith in Jesus.
The arrows of lust, worry, unforgiveness, selfishness and pride often get shot at me from distances that I am not even aware of, but when they come I hold up my shield to knock them down.
Here are some key scriptures that I have committed to memory, that help me block the arrows shot my way....
The only way you can stop the assault that the enemy is sending your way is with faith.
You need to be ready to meet the fiery arrows of satan with a fiery faith in Jesus.
The arrows of lust, worry, unforgiveness, selfishness and pride often get shot at me from distances that I am not even aware of, but when they come I hold up my shield to knock them down.
Here are some key scriptures that I have committed to memory, that help me block the arrows shot my way....
“Put on salvation as your helmet…”
A helmet, simply put, protects our head during the heat of battle.
Rarely will you catch Snake Eyes without his helmet on! He’s always ready for battle, and this is how we need to be, even more so.
Our helmet must remain on at all times.
We need protection as well for the battles that we will face in our walk with Christ.
Our heads need protected from danger, but more specifically, our mind needs protection from evil.
Reformer Martin Luther put it this way, ““The Holy Scriptures call Christians saints and the people of God. It’s a pity that it’s forgotten that we are saints, for to forget this is to forget Christ.”
You won’t experience the peace and comfort of the gospel on your feet without keeping this glorious salvation cemented in your mind!
Rarely will you catch Snake Eyes without his helmet on! He’s always ready for battle, and this is how we need to be, even more so.
Our helmet must remain on at all times.
We need protection as well for the battles that we will face in our walk with Christ.
Our heads need protected from danger, but more specifically, our mind needs protection from evil.
Reformer Martin Luther put it this way, ““The Holy Scriptures call Christians saints and the people of God. It’s a pity that it’s forgotten that we are saints, for to forget this is to forget Christ.”
You won’t experience the peace and comfort of the gospel on your feet without keeping this glorious salvation cemented in your mind!
“….take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
We are not merely supposed to sit back on the defensive in our walk with the Lord, but we are to be ready to take action as well, hence the word “take” which implies we will be using this weapon.
To be prepared for a battle of any kind, you need a weapon. And God gives us the best weapon of all!
Other weapons may be able to pierce things, but no weapon can cut between the soul and spirit like the Word of God! It is alive, your weapon is ALIVE and powerful!
Your faith can stop the flaming arrows, but only your sword can drive the enemy away. There is a battle going on, and your enemy is attacking you with his powers, so you need to attack Him with the mightiest power of all, the Word of God!
To be prepared for a battle of any kind, you need a weapon. And God gives us the best weapon of all!
Other weapons may be able to pierce things, but no weapon can cut between the soul and spirit like the Word of God! It is alive, your weapon is ALIVE and powerful!
Your faith can stop the flaming arrows, but only your sword can drive the enemy away. There is a battle going on, and your enemy is attacking you with his powers, so you need to attack Him with the mightiest power of all, the Word of God!
Tedashii - Make War
I think all too often we cower back in our walk with the Lord, as John Piper says at the beginning of Tedashii’s song “Make War”:
“I hear so many Christians, murmuring about their imperfections,And their failures, and their addiction, and their shortcomings.And I see so little war! Murmur, murmur, murmur.Why am I this way? make war!”
https://open.spotify.com/track/1bnp5TFwsjB1SSZPeQ837t“I hear so many Christians, murmuring about their imperfections,And their failures, and their addiction, and their shortcomings.And I see so little war! Murmur, murmur, murmur.Why am I this way? make war!”
You need to be practicing with your sword before the battle so when the battle comes you know exactly how to use is because you’ve been growing in this skill. It’s the same way with the word of God. You have to spend time in the Word, to stay prepared.
Every time you take up the Bible, you are taking up your sword.
Every time you take up the Bible, you are taking up your sword.
The belt, the body armor, the shoes, the shield, the helmet and the sword.
The truth, God’s righteousness, the peace of the gospel, faith, salvation and the Word of God.
All of them work together to keep you safe. You can’t walk in the battlefield of this Christian life lacking any ONE of these pieces of armor.
To have these with you everyday, and to be using your armor in battle is to guarantee that “after the battle you will be standing firm.”
Gentlemen, Christianity isn’t a playground, it’s a battlefield.