Weapons Training
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:1-11
1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them
two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was
about to go. 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the
laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among
wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one
along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this
house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will
return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such
things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from
house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such
things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The
kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and
they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘The very dust of
your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this,
that the kingdom of God has come near you.’
Jesus sends them out two by two. He explains to them that the harvest is plenty, just
like today. There's a multitude of people out there that are ready to believe. They've
been beat down by the world. Many of them have given up on what the world has to
offer. Unfortunately, because the enemy has been working overtime inside the church,
many people think that the religiousness of what they perceive as 'the church' is just as
bad or worse than the world. If no one shows them that Christ's church is not about
religion but is about having a relationship with Him, how will they know there's another
option? The workers are few, those that will go out at tell them.
I watched a movie a couple of years ago called 'Hidden Places'. It was about a family
during the Depression that had an orange grove. The father died and there was only
his daughter-in-law, his older sister, and two grandchildren left. The bank had called
the loan due but they weren't going to have enough time to bring in the harvest so they
could get the money for bank. The harvest was out there, just hanging on the trees
but they couldn't afford to hire anyone to get the oranges off the trees. The wholesaler
told the woman that he had no use for oranges on the tree, he would only be able to
give her a price for the fruit in crates. The story had a happy ending as an unlikely
source of free labor came in and help them pick the fruit. As the movie was ending, I
began to (for the first time), really understand what Jesus was saying about the
harvest. Many people think that people don't want to hear the Gospel so they don't
share it. But, in reality, there are so many more who do want to really understand but
don't know where to go or who to ask. Maybe they've been hurt by someone in the
church or have just lost faith in everything. Jesus clearly tells us that the harvest is
right there, hanging on the trees, waiting to be harvested. We need to pray workers
into the kingdom.
He sent them out as lambs among wolves, basically powerless with no money, no
provisions, unprepared. They couldn't even salute anyone on the way. They were so
without power. But get this! In verse 17 they came back with joy saying devils are
subject to us in your name. With God all things are possible. These seventy went out
powerless but they really had sufficient power because they had the name of Jesus.
Luke 22:35-36
35 And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and
sandals, did you lack anything?”
So they said, “Nothing.”
36 Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it,
and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment
and buy one.
Here Jesus brings them into remembrance of this previous time. He asked them if they
lacked anything and they said no. Even with their lack of preparation, with God, they
had everything they needed. But now, He tells them to get ready. Take a moneybag if
you have one, and if you don't have a sword, sell what you have to buy it. The
knapsack is a bag that they carried their provisions in. We’ve talked about kingdom
thinking with our finances in the past. The first two things He says if you have it bring,
but the sword He says you'd better get. The sword is our protection.
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your
waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and
having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above
all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and
supplication for all the saints
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We have to put on the whole
armor of the Lord so we can be ready to handle the enemy. Our war is not in the flesh,
it's in the spiritual realm. We must be prepared as Jesus said. There are seven things
that are included in this passage and we'll take a look at each on.
1) Gird our loins with truth. Do you know what gird means? It means to put on, cover
yourself with. Every lie or deception or half truth is like a rip in the fabric. If you've ever
had a piece of clothing with a tear, you know it usually just gets worse and worse until it
ruins the whole garment. That's the way it is with deception. The more we lie, the more
we have to lie which leads us deeper and deeper into the pit. We must cover ourselves
with the truth and not allow lies or half-truths to be a part of who we are in the Lord.
2) The breastplate of righteousness. Now this is an easy one because when we're
born again we are the righteousness of God in Christ. What makes us have difficulty
with it is that it's just so hard to believe. People beat themselves up with the things
they've done, not realizing that they're removing their armor. The enemy's job is to be
the accuser of the brethren so he will continually remind you of your misdeeds. We
have to completely receive the forgiveness the Father offers so we will be able to pick
His righteousness and not put it down.
3) Our shoes are the preparation of the gospel of peace. Remember when He sent
them out without shoes. They were unprepared, going out with just their measure of
faith. But now we must put on our shoes which is to be prepared in the Gospel. We
must fill ourselves up with the Word because as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15 we must
always be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
that is in you.
4) Above all the shield of faith. Our faith is the most important part of our protection
but we must use that faith along with the other pieces in order to be truly effective.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. However, as we grow in the Spirit we must
learn to do more. With a baby just being cute is enough hold the attention of everyone
in the room. Just ask anyone whose had a baby brother or sister come from the
hospital how much attention a baby gets for doing nothing. But as that baby grows into
a child then a young adult, more is expected. Too many Christians are still spiritual
babies. It's time for us to grow up.
5) The helmet of salvation. We have to know that we know that we know we have our
salvation through faith in Christ. That's why it's the helmet. Pretend to put on a
helmet. What do you do with your hands? It's all about protecting your brain; your
mind. Don't let doubt creep into the equation. Salvation is yours when you're born
again and it cannot be taken away.
6) The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. This is one of the only offensive
weapons we see in this analogy. This is our power; the Holy Spirit. the Word. The
Word is how we come against the enemy. Just as Jesus defeated satan when He was
tempted in the wilderness by using the Word of God, so must we. As the enemy comes
against us in our own trials, we must learn to quote scripture. He will be forced to leave
when he sees that he can't sway us. If you've never read or never notice how Christ
accomplished this, read Matthew 4:1-11.
7) Prayer, prayer, and more prayer. This is both and offensive and a defensive
weapon. Being prayed up we will have more power and strength which is our defensive
weapon. While in praying for God to make ready the hearts of all those He brings you
into contact with is our offensive weapon.
The harvest is plenty. Let's get ready for the task!
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: November 30, 2008
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:1-11
1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them
two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was
about to go. 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the
laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among
wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one
along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this
house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will
return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such
things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from
house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such
things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The
kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and
they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘The very dust of
your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this,
that the kingdom of God has come near you.’
Jesus sends them out two by two. He explains to them that the harvest is plenty, just
like today. There's a multitude of people out there that are ready to believe. They've
been beat down by the world. Many of them have given up on what the world has to
offer. Unfortunately, because the enemy has been working overtime inside the church,
many people think that the religiousness of what they perceive as 'the church' is just as
bad or worse than the world. If no one shows them that Christ's church is not about
religion but is about having a relationship with Him, how will they know there's another
option? The workers are few, those that will go out at tell them.
I watched a movie a couple of years ago called 'Hidden Places'. It was about a family
during the Depression that had an orange grove. The father died and there was only
his daughter-in-law, his older sister, and two grandchildren left. The bank had called
the loan due but they weren't going to have enough time to bring in the harvest so they
could get the money for bank. The harvest was out there, just hanging on the trees
but they couldn't afford to hire anyone to get the oranges off the trees. The wholesaler
told the woman that he had no use for oranges on the tree, he would only be able to
give her a price for the fruit in crates. The story had a happy ending as an unlikely
source of free labor came in and help them pick the fruit. As the movie was ending, I
began to (for the first time), really understand what Jesus was saying about the
harvest. Many people think that people don't want to hear the Gospel so they don't
share it. But, in reality, there are so many more who do want to really understand but
don't know where to go or who to ask. Maybe they've been hurt by someone in the
church or have just lost faith in everything. Jesus clearly tells us that the harvest is
right there, hanging on the trees, waiting to be harvested. We need to pray workers
into the kingdom.
He sent them out as lambs among wolves, basically powerless with no money, no
provisions, unprepared. They couldn't even salute anyone on the way. They were so
without power. But get this! In verse 17 they came back with joy saying devils are
subject to us in your name. With God all things are possible. These seventy went out
powerless but they really had sufficient power because they had the name of Jesus.
Luke 22:35-36
35 And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and
sandals, did you lack anything?”
So they said, “Nothing.”
36 Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it,
and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment
and buy one.
Here Jesus brings them into remembrance of this previous time. He asked them if they
lacked anything and they said no. Even with their lack of preparation, with God, they
had everything they needed. But now, He tells them to get ready. Take a moneybag if
you have one, and if you don't have a sword, sell what you have to buy it. The
knapsack is a bag that they carried their provisions in. We’ve talked about kingdom
thinking with our finances in the past. The first two things He says if you have it bring,
but the sword He says you'd better get. The sword is our protection.
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your
waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and
having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above
all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and
supplication for all the saints
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We have to put on the whole
armor of the Lord so we can be ready to handle the enemy. Our war is not in the flesh,
it's in the spiritual realm. We must be prepared as Jesus said. There are seven things
that are included in this passage and we'll take a look at each on.
1) Gird our loins with truth. Do you know what gird means? It means to put on, cover
yourself with. Every lie or deception or half truth is like a rip in the fabric. If you've ever
had a piece of clothing with a tear, you know it usually just gets worse and worse until it
ruins the whole garment. That's the way it is with deception. The more we lie, the more
we have to lie which leads us deeper and deeper into the pit. We must cover ourselves
with the truth and not allow lies or half-truths to be a part of who we are in the Lord.
2) The breastplate of righteousness. Now this is an easy one because when we're
born again we are the righteousness of God in Christ. What makes us have difficulty
with it is that it's just so hard to believe. People beat themselves up with the things
they've done, not realizing that they're removing their armor. The enemy's job is to be
the accuser of the brethren so he will continually remind you of your misdeeds. We
have to completely receive the forgiveness the Father offers so we will be able to pick
His righteousness and not put it down.
3) Our shoes are the preparation of the gospel of peace. Remember when He sent
them out without shoes. They were unprepared, going out with just their measure of
faith. But now we must put on our shoes which is to be prepared in the Gospel. We
must fill ourselves up with the Word because as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15 we must
always be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
that is in you.
4) Above all the shield of faith. Our faith is the most important part of our protection
but we must use that faith along with the other pieces in order to be truly effective.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. However, as we grow in the Spirit we must
learn to do more. With a baby just being cute is enough hold the attention of everyone
in the room. Just ask anyone whose had a baby brother or sister come from the
hospital how much attention a baby gets for doing nothing. But as that baby grows into
a child then a young adult, more is expected. Too many Christians are still spiritual
babies. It's time for us to grow up.
5) The helmet of salvation. We have to know that we know that we know we have our
salvation through faith in Christ. That's why it's the helmet. Pretend to put on a
helmet. What do you do with your hands? It's all about protecting your brain; your
mind. Don't let doubt creep into the equation. Salvation is yours when you're born
again and it cannot be taken away.
6) The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. This is one of the only offensive
weapons we see in this analogy. This is our power; the Holy Spirit. the Word. The
Word is how we come against the enemy. Just as Jesus defeated satan when He was
tempted in the wilderness by using the Word of God, so must we. As the enemy comes
against us in our own trials, we must learn to quote scripture. He will be forced to leave
when he sees that he can't sway us. If you've never read or never notice how Christ
accomplished this, read Matthew 4:1-11.
7) Prayer, prayer, and more prayer. This is both and offensive and a defensive
weapon. Being prayed up we will have more power and strength which is our defensive
weapon. While in praying for God to make ready the hearts of all those He brings you
into contact with is our offensive weapon.
The harvest is plenty. Let's get ready for the task!
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: November 30, 2008