STAND FIRM
Pastor Glenn Newton 9-16-01
EPH 6:10 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.
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 we were invaded by the worst kind of enemy
imaginable. We were invaded, our security was shattered, our sense of well being was
pulled away as we watched in horror two great buildings and our Center of Defense, the
Pentegon burn and crumble with thousands of lives lost.
We were invaded. Our comfortable lives, our own plans, our personal agendas were
invaded by National pain, a loss of life that we have only experienced once before in one
day, and that was during the Civil War. Never before had America lost so many lives in
one day. We were invaded. This invasion was an invasion of evil, evil bent on destroying
our Peace, Our Faith, Our Love. This invasion will not prevail. This Invasion of evil will
be the day America Woke up from it’s Spiritual Sleep.
Make no mistake this morning. This horrible invasion has so shook us as a Nation that
We have been driven to our knees in Prayer. I Praise God for a President that has led our
Nation to this time of Prayer, it was by his proclamation that Yesterday at noon was a
National Call to Prayer.
Let me read a portion of President Bush’s message he gave yesterday during this Prayer
service, “God’s signs are not always the ones we look for. We learn in tragedy that his
purposes are not always our own, yet the prayers of private suffering, whether in our
homes or in this great cathedral are known and heard and understood. There are prayers
that help us last through the day or endure the night. There are prayers of friends and
strangers that give us strength for the journey, and there are prayers that yeild our will to a
will greater than our own.”
We need to Thank God for a Leader that is looking to God during these times of
Trial, and we need to Pray for all our leaders as very important descisions will be made in
the coming days as we send our Men and Women into battle.
As I watched that Prayer Service where Rev. Billy Graham was the keynote
speaker, I couldn’t help but believe God has kept Billy Graham with us for this moment to
help lead our Nation back to God. Listen to What God has promised, “14 if my people,
who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin
and will heal their land.” 2 Chron. 7:14
On Tuesday we were invaded by the worst kind of evil, on Saturday, we responded as a
Nation, with all our leaders, in church, Seeking His Face, and asking for His guidence.
The question remains, will we repent of our sins as a Nation?
But I am excited about what God will do through this tragedy, we are at a time where
more people are turning to God and to the Christian Faith for answers than anytime in my
lifetime, and maybe yours too.
We were invaded by Evil, Cowards who were used as instruments in the hands of Satan.
The question is How Will We Respond? This morning I’m asking this to you personally.
We know how we will respond as a Nation, we are going to War, And we will do
whatever it take to win that War, because that’s what Americans Do, We will Fight For
Freedom and Justice until the battle is ours. I have no doubt after watching and hearing
how Americans have responded that we still have the will to be free, and to sacrifice our
own lives to keep that freedom. I love this country for that very reason. I’m proud to be
an American for that very reason and many more.
But, my question is for us as Christians, How will we repond to this invasion of Evil?
Satan would hope that our Faith would crumble like the twin towers, Satan would
hope that our Love for people would turn cold because of this act of evil. Satan would
hope that our Peace would be turned into fear. Satan hopes to move you away from what
you know to be the truth, God’s Word, and move you to some other source of comfort.
How will We Respond? The Apostle Paul who knows something about being persecuted
for one’s faith, who knows about being stoned, being beaten, being boiled in oil, being
imprisioned because of his beliefs. The apostle Paul knows what it is to be invaded at
every level by evil, and in the end, He knew what it was to Stand Firm in His Faith, To
Stand Firm in his Love, To stand firm in His conviction, and His Peace.
Listen to his battle tested words of life.
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.
Last week I talked about being filled with the Holy Spirit so you can live a life with
Spiritual Power, so you can be effective in the Christian life.
Now Paul is instructing us to Stand Firm, and to be Strong in the Lord and in His Mighty
power. This power doesn’t come from us, it’s not a human power, it’s not something we
can work towards, this power is a gift from God, through his Holy Spirit.
As Christians there are some things we just need to realize as truth. First, as the body of
Christ we must be united and built up so we are ready for the invasion of Evil that will
come and has come, and every believer needs to be prepared for the fight.
I get the impression that many believers today are under the impression that they somehow
don’t have to worry about things getting too bad, that somehow they are going to be
sheilded from all the evil in the world. Christians, we need to have a reality check. Do
you realize how many Nazarene Church members died in Tuesday’s attack? One of the
Pilots in one of those planes was a Nazarene member. We had over 200 members of the
Church of the Nazarene that worked in the World Trade Center buildings, and 50 more in
the Pentegon. We don’t know how many we have lost.
As our Nation has been shaken from it’s slumber, I pray that the Church is shaken from
it’s sleep, and we will take serious the call to battle, Paul’s call to put on the full armor of
God so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes.
When Paul wrote to his readers to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, those
greek words used to describe this power is the same power that raised Jesus from the
dead, and the same words that described the power to bring them back to life when they
were dead in their transgressions and sins. In their minds, there was no doubt that this
power was enough for them to have victory in this life.
Do you know this power? On Tuesday, Was God’s Power, His Peace evident in your life?
Don’t misunderstand me. This power doesn’t take away our feelings and our emotions. It
doesn’t keep us from hurting, from weeping, from feeling all those emotions that we
should feel. What this power does for us is keeps us from Dispair, From Doubt in God,
From Fear.
Friends, We have been invaded. And when you are in battle, you better have on the whole
armor, the full protection for your body, and you want to have your full complement of
weapons. You also need to know who the enemy is.
Listen to Paul v. 12. 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
How many of you know that there is a Spiritual Battle that rages in the heavenlies right
now as we speak? There is a battle between Good and Evil. Satan wants to destroy you
and all of mankind. The only reason he doesn’t is because of God’s Power and
Protection. There are times in our world where we see first hand with our own eyes this
battle that is waged between good and evil. The Bible teaches us that Evil was introduced
into this world through Sin, and ever since then it has been a curse upon mankind. But we
also know that Satan’s rule is limited and only for a time.
There is going to be a final battle one of these days. Satan and all the evil forces will wage
war against God and his people, Satan will try to destroy and end God’s rule.
That Day is not far off my friends. I ask you this morning, Are you ready to Stand? Do
you have the Armor of God on, some of you know what the armor of God is, but do you
wear the belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, are your feet fitted with the
gospel of Peace, the helmet of Salvation, the sheild of Faith, do you have the Sword of
the Spirit, God’s Word? Are you armed with these things? A soldier must be ready at all
times, because as we found out, we don’t know when the enemy might strike. You can’t
just try to climb into your Armor on Sunday morning and then slip out of it on Sunday
evening thinking that will be sufficient, that will spell disaster.
Will You Stand Firm? I can promise you if you will Stand Firm For Jesus Christ, you
won’t be disappointed. Knowing Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior is the key to
standing Firm when the evil one comes.
You may be here this morning, and you may not see the need to be protected, you seem to
have it all under control. Let me tell you something, your world can be turned upside
down in an instant, and I ask you what will you hold on to that will not crumble if it’s not
Jesus?
I have to admit I wasn’t surprized when I heard the story. But it makes me want to cry.
A pastor who has been building a great church, over 100 teenagers, running over 300
people, when just two years ago it was running only in the 50’s and 60’s much like ours.
He has a wonderful wife, with three great kids, two teenagers. He was busy doing God’s
work, I’m sure very busy, I’m sure way overloaded with responsiblities. His life was
invaded by the evil one, and the problem was when he reached back to fight, he realized he
didn’t have the Armor of God, he had been too busy to protect himself. Before he knew
it, pornography had slipped into his mind and heart and chained him. We don’t even know
how many casualties his personal sin will cause in the lives of those in his church, and in
his own family. Your personal sin effects the people closest to you. Evil invaded, and he
wasn’t standing Firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
Thank God he is seeking help, and has repented of this tragic sin, but what a price to pay.
What are you holding on to this morning? Is it Jesus? If it’s not Jesus let me warn you
now, ahead of time, it will fail you when your life is invaded. It’s only through knowing
Jesus in a personal way will we have the victory.
This morning the battle rages on. On a day not that far from today, there will be the Final
battle. Satan will gather his forces, the nations of the World that hate Christianity and all
it stands for, the Anti Chirst will have had his rule, but then the final chapter will be read in
time and space. Let me read to you the reason we can know that Victory is ours even
now, even today.
Rev. 19:11-21
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called
Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire,
and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he
himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14
The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen,
white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the
nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of
the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
REV 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all
the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so
that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their
riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."
REV 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered
together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast
was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous
signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the
mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into
the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that
came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves
on their flesh.
Friends, that’s why you can stand firm today, Jesus is the reason for our Hope. Jesus is
the reason for our Peace. Jesus is the reason that in a time like this, We Can Stand.
Are you Ready? If you not, you can come and pray and let God transform you life, and
give you the Spirit of Power through is forgiveness and grace.
