If your armor is on When I was a young man and felt like collapsing, falling, sinking or dropping from the pressures of life. I would call my mother for advice. She never gave me along discourse on the situation, nor did she give me any specific advice, she simply said, “Stand, just stand.†Some how those words gave me the courage to fight on when I was ready to quit. It is my belief that many of you share my feeling on this condition or have experienced this for yourselves. With this in mind, you should be able to appreciate Paul’s comments in our text today. Please, focus with me on the following scripture;as he encourages the Church to persevere in the face of great persecution by the Roman Government. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. "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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...." Ephesians 6:10-18 TEXT The following verses make up Paul's concluding remarks to the church at Ephesus . These verses contain very familiar verses and metaphor. Paul begins his concluding remarks by exhorting the Ephesians to be strong. Specifically ,he tells them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He urges Christians and the Church to be strong so they will be able to stand against the enemy. One frequently misunderstand concept here is that we are fighting the forces of evil on an equal bases with God. This is not true! Satan’s power is not equal to God’s power. There is no equal… but opposite relationship here. Jesus said, ‘I beheld Satan like lighting hitting the ground.’ Syntax To take up or maintain a specified position or posture; to be in a particular state or situation; to hold a course at sea, these are three definitions of stand. I believe Paul was making a syntactical argument here. He explains or illustrates the nouns in the sentence with a metaphor …shield of faith, etc. However, the syntactical approach says the verb is the theme or goal in the sentence, paragraph or passage. When we look at the verb “stand,†it stands alone. Stand does not need a direct object; it stands alone. It makes a complete thought. STAND FOR SOMETHING Many today have embraced the philosophy of tolerance for everything, mistakenly believing they haven't taken a stand. Failure to take a stand is often a stand. How can you determine for what you should stand? Success in life means taking a stand for others as much as taking stand for what you believe. It also means taking a stand for God. When you are challenged for what you believe, whether in terms of biblical doctrine, morality, basic honesty, or God's existence, hold your ground, stand and speak and stay on course, as long as your beliefs are firmly rooted in the Word of God. Job Such an effort is worthwhile. Throughout Jewish and Christian history Job has spoken powerful words of hope and comfort to people who have suffered or who have found faith difficult. For people who are not satisfied with simple answers, Job rings a word of truth. Having lost everything, money, property, children, and health, he would not turn from God, nor lose faith in him. He is one the greatest witnesses of the true God in the Old Testament. When God discussed his case with the Devil, God himself, said there was none finer than him. John the Baptist There are many fine words written about different individuals in the Bible. None more compelling than what Jesus said when he was eulogizing John the Baptist. Luke 7:28. "For I say unto you, among those that are born of women (that covers most of us) there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he" also Matthew 11:11 to 14 gives an account of the same scripture. John was greater in the eyes of Jesus, than Moses, any of the patriarchs. He was greater than Joshua, any of the kings, including David. He was also greater than all the prophets and all of the disciples. He preached the Gospel of the coming of Jesus before Jesus started his own ministry .He even baptized Jesus and predicted that he baptized with water but there would be one to come who would baptized with the fire and Holy Spirit. He was executed by Herod because he would not stop preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rev. Greg Boyd 'There was a remarkable story in today's New York Times called, Disowning Conservative Politics, Evangelical Pastor Rattles Flock. The story recounts how Rev. Greg Boyd "grew" his suburban, evangelical mega church from 5,000 to 4,000 simply by suggesting that the United States of America is not "the light of the world and the hope of the world. The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ." Actually, that's not all he did. He preached a six-part sermon series called, The Cross and the Sword, in which he challenged the growing alliance between evangelical Christianity and the pro-war, pro-rich, Republican party platform, which has used the abortion myth and scare tactics about homosexuals destroying the family to their political end. He explains how the religious right has distorted the faith and that it is not in line with what Jesus taught which are love, compassion, and mercy for everyone, 'Myth of a Christian Nation.' Stand, Stand, Just Stand Remember, if you are an aggressive soldier like David, you might be able to lighten up on your armor. But make sure you have the following armor so you will be able to withstand and stand: Shield of faith Helmet of salvation Sword of the spirit, the Word of God Key to the kingdom: Prayer is the key to the kingdom. CONCLUSION Have Faith, Stand Tall. Don't give up; don't lie down but Stand Tall. When life's problems and challenges confront you, Stand Tall! He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3) We shall not; we shall not; we shall not be moved! We shall not; we shall not; we shall not be moved! Esco Yancey,Jr.,Ed.D.(ACSI) © 2007 GOSPEL TIMES MINISTRIES
