War A Good Warfare

[0:00] Talking about war a good warfare. I'm almost listening to the latest news, wondering when they're going to say war has been declared.

[0:11] ! It's getting close isn't it? Even tangibly all the hot spots around the world today and the fact is war has been declared. We're talking about spiritual war of course today, that it has been declared and we are in it. We're in a war.

[0:26] We are in a war. There's a battle going on and we, believers, we are in the thick of it. And Paul urges Timothy of this warfare to wage.

[0:38] He tells Timothy, this charge I commit unto thee son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare. Paul says war a good warfare.

[0:50] So let's see, what does the Bible say about this kind of good warfare? It's kind of a strange term isn't it? That warfare can be good. But this is a good warfare. This is an unseen war that we are or ought to be engaged in.

[1:04] And Jeremiah 50 verse 22 talks about a sound of battle in the land and of great destruction. In time of war we see there's a day by day reality of a battle happening.

[1:18] And so of this warfare I put to you two things. It's both defensive and offensive. On the one hand warfare is defensive. We face attack.

[1:30] Therefore we should be vigilant. As Peter tells in his letter, 1 Peter 5 verse 8. He says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devout.

[1:46] Number one, be vigilant. Be on guard. You're a marked man, a marked woman if you're a believer today. So keep watchful in constant alertness. There's the sense here, our faith, our families, our freedoms are under fire.

[2:01] And we've got values and truth to defend. An enemy to counter to fight. So be vigilant. And there's the defensive aspect as well as the offensive aspect.

[2:17] Here's the offensive aspect. Let us be valiant. The Bible speaks about being valiant in fight. War means it's time to sound the trumpet, to rally the troops.

[2:31] They would sound the shofar. They would call the troops to war. And it's time, people. It's time God's people are mighty in battle. There's a fight on that we need to fight.

[2:42] So we have need of courage to stand fast in the faith. Welcome to the battlefield today. So be vigilant. Be valiant. Thirdly, be victorious.

[2:53] You are. Fellow believer, as an encouragement, we can know that by God's grace through faith, we are victorious. Victory is assured through faith.

[3:05] So the battle rages on at least two fronts. There's the home front, the defensive, and then there's the battle front. So consider firstly the home front, the defensive aspect of warring this good warfare.

[3:20] We are at war. And honestly, can't you see it, that there's a battle on for your family? Can you see that, people, parents?

[3:31] The family is under attack. War is being waged against the home. And this is nothing new. Satan's always had this strategy. He's always been on this war path for a long time. Right back at the garden, where it began.

[3:44] The Tower of Babel, the flood. Pharaoh's attack on the male babies to kill Moses. The exodus. The idol worshippers throughout Israel's history.

[3:54] The plot to kill the Jews in Esther's time. The constant attacks of the church down through history. Satan has always been against us, and still is. For example, we see back in Nehemiah's time, Nehemiah charged the people.

[4:09] They were armed against the enemy while busily building sword and trowel. They were building up the broken walls. And Nehemiah 4.14, it says, Be not afraid of them.

[4:22] Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight. Fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses. Fighting words here.

[4:33] Like in Nehemiah's day, there's a fight going on. Brothers and sisters. A fight raging for the souls of men and women, for boys and girls. There's a propaganda campaign that's waged against us.

[4:45] Breaking down morals and the fabric of society. We see it, don't we? It's all around. And it's attacking our morale. As God's troops. What are we up against?

[4:57] We see militant radicals pushing stuff in the schools. I don't want to give it airtime, but we know what it is. Even to the very young. Even kindergartens.

[5:08] Leftist agendas are being radically pushing messages about transgenderism and LGBT. Brainwashing, conditioning children that what is obscene and abhorrent is normal now.

[5:24] We see pro-abortion extremists threatening to burn down the US Supreme Court. That's the kind of people who are against the church of God.

[5:36] That spirit, that drives them. And we're seeing increasing controls, aren't we? Moves towards globalism. Radical climate change alarmism.

[5:47] Pandemic scares. Monkey pox now. What next? God help us. Yes, truly. That should be our cry. Australia is increasingly secular, isn't it?

[5:59] There's this erosion of personal and religious freedoms. A new order. A new order. A new order is being set up.

[6:10] Slowly but surely. Surely. The very real prospect of tyranny over this nation is a prospect from globalist forces.

[6:20] And I'm not meaning to stray from what the Bible clearly says, but we can see clearly, can't we, what is happening. And it's all part of Satan's plan.

[6:33] And then you see on the church front, what's happening on the church front. Error prevails. False prophets. False teachings. And I know I've heard reports, even in Christian schools, we're seeing this erosion of biblical truth.

[6:48] A complete lack of discernment in some cases. So, Paul tells us of how he is set for the defence of the gospel.

[6:59] That's a defending to do. The Bible is under attack. Mind you, we've just got to unleash it, really, don't we? This book doesn't need defending because it's so vital and sure.

[7:09] But we see churches weakening their stance on the Bible such that they don't believe in infallible inspiration. There's a dumbing down of churches and of Bible training institutions.

[7:21] There's a watering down of doctrine and a rise of counterfeit gospels. I was reading recently a poll that was recent in the US of pastors.

[7:32] Only 37% hold a biblical worldview. 63% deny the biblical worldview. These are pastors.

[7:43] And we see some churches that they're all about experience and entertainment, focusing more on feelings than biblical faith and truth. And there's such a blending, a mishmash, such a thing as compromise.

[8:02] But there is such a thing as truth and error. And there should be no compromise. I know when we go door knocking sometimes, I sometimes come across people and they say, oh, I'm Greek Orthodox.

[8:13] Or I'm Russian Orthodox. Or whatever it be. And I say, yes, I'm Orthodox too. I'm an Australian Orthodox. Because we are Orthodox Christians, aren't we?

[8:23] Shouldn't we? Because this is the orthodoxy. This is the truth. This is the Orthodox teaching, the Word of God. We are Orthodox Christians. And we believe in biblical truth.

[8:34] Yes. Amen to that. And make no mistake, we are in the crosshairs, aren't we? As we stand up for what is biblical and what is right. What is Orthodox?

[8:45] Biblically speaking, yes. Our Lord has called us to be salt and light. A city set on a hill. Meantime, the cultural Marxists are wanting to cancel Christianity.

[8:56] They're determined that way. To eradicate it. To abolish it. And they hate Christianity. There's people who hate Christianity. It's their mantra.

[9:07] It's their platform, isn't it? They're not ashamed. And meanwhile, all the while, while they trumpet that the Bible is, they call this hate speech.

[9:19] And they say, Christians, you lot are haters. But they're the ones who hate. Some radicals want to actually ban what they call, they're calling it now, hate prayer.

[9:34] That our prayer could be seen as hateful. Because we're praying for someone to be released from abomination. To find Christ. For Christ to convert and save them from sin.

[9:47] And so they want to make certain prayer illegal. That you can go to prison for praying. Think of that. Ultimately, they want the criminalisation of Christianity. This is what's happening, people.

[9:58] It's time to hold our ground and to defend our homes. Our hearts. Our churches. From the devil's attacks. So there's need to watch out. And as we talked about, be sober.

[10:11] So what is our defensive position in this good warfare? Let's just examine that a little further. The defensive position. So we're to war a good warfare.

[10:22] Firstly, the defensive aspect. Firstly, be sober. It means keep your senses. Keep from influences that will hinder you. Your thinking.

[10:32] Your reasoning. Abstain. Avoid things that dull your thinking. Soberness. It's lacking, isn't it?

[10:43] Some people are the opposite of sober. Aren't they? Like Peter says, the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be sober. Watch unto prayer.

[10:54] In other words, be of sound mind. Self-controlled. Pray through. See things clearly. Understand what's going on. It's like that picture of a sentry, isn't it?

[11:06] Of a... Marching around the perimeter and keeping watch. Keeping guard. Peter puts it further in 1 Peter 1.13. Gird up the loins of your mind.

[11:17] And be sober. And hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So Peter's saying here, gird up the loins of your minds. In other words, it's a belt.

[11:29] Have that mind belted in under God's control and care. It means that our thoughts and our energies, our thinking is harnessed for the Lord.

[11:40] So be sober, number one. Be sober goes hand in hand with another B. Be vigilant. Keep awake. Keep on the alert. Keep watching. Always. On the lookout.

[11:52] The same word translated vigilant is also translated watch. In this verse here, continue in prayer and watch. In the same with thanksgiving. In other words, be vigilant.

[12:02] Watch. Be vigilant in prayer. We're under attack. We're under attack. We should be prayerful people. We should be careful, alert in spiritual things. Paul tells further about prayer of this resource in time of battle.

[12:17] And he tells of Epaphras, always laboring fervently for you in prayers. It's interesting this phrase, laboring fervently, is the same word we have in the Bible.

[12:28] Fight the good fight. Fight. There's a laboring fervently. There's fighting. As in fight the good fight of the faith. It's the same word. So prayer is part of the fighting armor that we need.

[12:43] So look out about what's happening around about and be alert to temptation. Be sober. Be vigilant. Why? Peter tells us why. He says, because your adversary, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

[13:00] Our enemy is hostile. He's a roaring lion. He's on the prowl like this lion on the loose. And we face a constant battle. After all, we're in enemy occupied territory.

[13:12] The fact is, this world worships another God, doesn't it? Small g. It's the God who's blinded the minds of those who do not believe. And so for us that are saved, we have an enemy today.

[13:24] And he's powerful. He's noisy. He's roaring. He's intimidating. I know we sometimes have encounters with rabid dogs when we go door knocking.

[13:37] And I always let Peter take those. If Peter's with me, I'll feed Peter to the lions, to the vicious guard dogs. And Peter's there with his foot against the fly screen, ready to run.

[13:52] But worse than these savage dogs that you face when you're door knocking, there's this roaring lion. He's a roaring lion.

[14:03] And he's intimidating, isn't he? An intimidating beast. But I know some people like to say he's got no teeth. But we need to be aware of the devil.

[14:14] He's against us. And we should wise up to his schemes, as it talks about in 2 Corinthians 2.11. We're not ignorant of his schemes. So on the bright side, if you're facing an attack, maybe you're doing something right.

[14:26] So if you are a threat to the devil, expect some attacks. If you're not getting attacked, maybe there's a problem there. So we're not to flee. We're to stand our ground.

[14:37] And having courage, take a stand. Having done all, stand. Be steadfast. Be firm in the faith. Faith is the victory, it says, that overcomes the world.

[14:48] Amen. Believe God. I love this. Many scriptures that talk about God being a shield for us. In fact, I had a, it was about triple this, this long list of, of references to God being a shield for us.

[15:02] For example, he's a surrounding shield. Psalm 5 verse 12. It says, with favour wilt thou compass him. He'll compass us about as a shield. Psalm 18.35 says that God is a saving shield.

[15:16] It talks about the shield of thy salvation. Psalm 3 verse 3 talks about God being a personal shield. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me. My glory and the lifter up of my head.

[15:29] Psalm 119.114 says, here's a sheltering shield. It talks about thou art my hiding place and my shield. I hope in thy word.

[15:40] Psalm 91.4 tells us about the shield of his very truth. It says that his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Buckler being like a small shield.

[15:51] So there's the home front. As we've looked about this defensive side of this warfare. That we are to wage a good warfare. There's a defending to do. The home front, if you like.

[16:04] And now let's look further at the offensive side. The front line, if you like. The second aspect of this good warfare is the offensive side of this battle.

[16:18] There's an offensive strategy that we should fight. We're not just to hunker down and hide. There's a fighting to fight.

[16:29] And we see of this battle that faces us. Now, I'm going to read this Bible verse from a user-friendly modern version. Okay? And so this is what it reads in a user-friendly modern version.

[16:44] It says, sit back in the easy chair of the faith. That's what it says. Of course, we know that's not true. Amen? It says, fight the good fight of the faith.

[16:56] Fight the good fight of faith. It doesn't say sit back in the easy chair of faith. It says, fight the good fight of the faith. With a fight to fight. I can remember as a lad in schoolyard days of fighting off the bullies.

[17:10] And you had to give them a blood nose before they gave you one. There's a fight to fight. Amen? That's the sense of it. There's a fight to fight. Now, I'm not encouraging you to violence here this morning.

[17:21] But we're not talking about fighting human beings. We're fighting that one. That one. That one down there. There's a fight to fight. Amen? It's the fight of the faith. And Jude tells us of a contending to do.

[17:34] Of earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. And this word, content, it means to strive, to fight intensely.

[17:45] Where is the church today? Honestly, pathetic, isn't it? It seems to have lost its fight. Where is the church?

[17:56] Wishy-washy. Compromised. Carnalised. Gutless. The church of God. Where is it? It's not where it should be. It's not where it should be.

[18:08] I'm talking to myself here. Friends, there's more that we could be doing. There's more fighting than we could be fighting. Friends, this is not a time to retreat, but to advance, to fight. So answer the front lines.

[18:19] The battle lines are drawn between truth and error. The very fundamentals. The faith is under attack. Jude talks about the faith once delivered. It's God's word.

[18:30] It's his truth. This is the faith once delivered. And we read on from where we first started. 1 Peter 5, verse 9. It talks about that roaring lion.

[18:42] Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. It's talking about the time of affliction. It talks about active resistance.

[18:53] Of resisting the devil. Of opposing him. Of not giving way. We have need of an aggressive Christianity. An aggressive Christianity. A muscular Christianity.

[19:04] Let us stand against the works of the devil. So how can we actively stand against the devil? We don't bow to public opinion or the woke generation.

[19:16] It's not that long ago the Australian Christian lobby said this. The gospel itself, parts of it, parts of the Bible itself, and pastoral ministry, and responsible parenting, and good medical care, are set to become potentially jailable offences.

[19:34] Pastoral ministry, responsible parenting, good medical care, it's got to be jailable offences. Because we know that some are pushing the barrow the other way, aren't they?

[19:47] And ever more so. And who knows what now? What next? Given the recent election. We're under attack. I'm not meaning politically to draw into the political sphere over much.

[19:59] But we know what drives the players that are playing in that space of the political sphere. Christian culture, Christian values are under attack. Ever more so. So we need to fight.

[20:11] To fight against sin and error. We need to fight back. There's strongholds to pull down. There's gates of hell we should be advancing against. But we're not. There are systems and principalities and powers that we must oppose.

[20:25] But they're ever more powerful. And it seems like we're just buckling under. We have need of courage. Friends, we must have courage. And not compromise.

[20:38] Fear not. It's repeated in the word, isn't it? Fear not. You have no need for fear. But rather faith. It tells us Ephesians 5.11 of a no compromise.

[20:52] Paul says to the Ephesians, have no fellowship. None. Zero fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. But rather reprove them. Oppose them. So in other words, avoid hanging around the people, the places, the influences that would drag you down.

[21:07] Drag you down back into darkness. Have nothing to do with them. Rather stand against them. You know, when you become a believer in Christ, it's like there's a line drawn and you step over it.

[21:18] And you step out of the darkness and into the light. And you don't want to have that fellowship. Because you're in the light now. It's the same through church history.

[21:31] Look back at the early church. We know of the early first century Christians. They were offered their lives if they would just burn a little incense.

[21:42] Here you go. Just a little bit of incense. Put it in the fire. Burn that before the image of the emperor. And you're scot-free. You can go home and just carry on as normal. And it was just a simple gesture of political support compared with being fed to the lions or being burnt at the stake.

[22:02] What of us today? Will we compromise? Will we burn that little bit of incense and just go with the flow? Just be a quiet, silent Christian.

[22:13] Just tone it down. Don't ruffle any feathers. Don't speak up for Christ. Or will we rather say, no, I'm not going to compromise.

[22:24] I'm going to have a zeal for the truth. It doesn't mean you'd be a total wingnut at work and act like a twerp. But you can be a witness for Christ.

[22:36] You can be a strong witness, a consistent witness. You can be a consistent testimony for Christ amongst the people that know you. Such that they know you're fair dinkum. So let's be clear.

[22:47] Whose side are we going to stand on? And stand firm there. Peter says again, I beseech you, dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims. This is not our home.

[22:59] We're strangers here. We're pilgrims. We're refugees. We're to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. We've run to the refuge. We are in Christ.

[23:10] We're strangers here. So we want to abstain from fleshly lusts which war or contend against the soul. Friends, it's a war going on, a contention. It's a struggling. It's a wrestling match.

[23:22] But the Lord will enable us. Think through the word of God of the many references to Bible heroes who stood to fight. As Moses called, who is on the Lord's side?

[23:34] And the sons of Levi responded by strapping on their swords. And 3,000 of the Lord's enemies were slain. Who is on the Lord's side? We must have that same fighting spirit.

[23:47] The word talks about how the day is at hand. Therefore, cast off the works of darkness. And let us put on the armour of light. Darkness has no part with us now.

[23:58] We're wearing the armour of light. Friends, the devil is active. And we need to be aware to arm ourselves. Think of how the devil tempts. He's tempting.

[24:09] He's like a serpent. Like an angel. Like a roaring lion. As a serpent, he's cunning and sly. Sneaking and tricking. Attracting us to do wrong.

[24:21] Whispering in our ear. Like a serpent. Like he whispered in the garden. A serpent. Cunning and crafty. Like an angel of light. Oh, so beautiful. So shining and splendorous.

[24:34] That he would deceive us. And give us a false view of spiritual things. And lead us into vain religion. As a roaring lion. Attacking. Destroying.

[24:47] Persecuting. Seeking to gulp us down. So what are we to do? Resist. Steadfast in the faith. Make no concessions. Set yourself against him.

[24:59] And his works. As James 4.7 talks about. And notice the order here. Submit yourselves therefore to God. And resist the devil.

[25:10] Two things to do. Submit to God. Number one. Resist the devil. And he will flee from you. So be assured saint of God. When we follow God's word. We submit to him.

[25:20] Our God. Then we resist the devil. Then the devil will flee. Be assured saint of God. That Satan will flee. He'll scarper when you stand. When you submit to God.

[25:31] When you love God. When you resist him. The devil. He will flee. It talks about how we should. Stand fast in the faith. Quit you like men.

[25:42] Or in other words. Act like men. Be strong. We've got a war. A warfare. Wage. A good warfare. Paul's saying here to the Corinthians.

[25:54] Be manly. Be brave. One of the virtues in the Roman time. Amongst the Romans. Was courage in battle.

[26:07] And Proverbs 28.1 tells us there's a boldness. There's a courage. That our God calls us to. As God's people. There's a courage. We're called to. There's a boldness. And it says.

[26:19] In part. The righteous are. As bold. As a lion. So our courage comes because of our faith. We can be bold and strong. In our faith. We can love Jesus.

[26:29] Such that we will stand. And be a strong Christian. Like a lion. Hearted Christian. Because our courage. Comes from him. So saint of God. Know. By faith.

[26:40] You have victory. The Bible talks about. Like 1 John 5. Whatsoever is born of God. Overcometh the world. And this is the victory. That overcometh the world. Even our faith.

[26:52] Who is he that overcometh the world. But he that believeth that Jesus is. The son of God. So. Take heart. Believe this morning. There's victory.

[27:03] There's victory for you. Walk in that. This victory. It talks about peace. Secured. By military. Victory. So. It's peace. Through victory.

[27:13] It's overcoming. We have peace with God. Because we have. His victory. We have. An overcoming. Paul commands Timothy. War.

[27:24] A good warfare. Friends. Today. It seems many pulpits are silent. Princes are soft. And inoffensive. Nice. And tolerant. But we're in the midst of a battle.

[27:35] For the minds of our children. There's a new generation growing up. That are being brainwashed against truth. And we've got a responsibility to defend.

[27:47] And to fight. For truth. Make no mistake. This is war. It is war. Now. I know for myself. I've never been in time of world war.

[27:59] But some of you. Older saints. Have seen such a time. Friends. This is war. It's happening now. The gospel speaks of sin.

[28:09] Of hell. Of the wrath of God. It talks. In many references. About how we are soldiers. Of the Lord. There's many analogies.

[28:20] But it's more than analogies. It's the reality. That we are soldiers. And we're called to be militant. Like the prophets of old. They were bold and fearless.

[28:31] And we've got the same Holy Spirit they had. Haven't we? Surely. Yes we have. So. We're called by our God.

[28:42] As Paul. Talks to Timothy. Thou therefore endure hardness. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that wareth entangleth himself.

[28:52] In the affairs of this life. That he may please him. Who hath chosen him to be a soldier. So. Believers here this morning. Let us please the one. Who is our commanding officer.

[29:04] Who's enlisted us. Is this our desire? To please him. To please him. Not to please ourself. To please him. What pleases God. That's what counts.

[29:15] And we know his help. Is for us. He's fighting for us. As 2 Chronicles 32.8. Tells of how. The Lord our God. Is our help. He'll fight our battles.

[29:28] For the meantime. We're recruited. We've enlisted. He's not conscripted us. We've enlisted. He's extended a recruitment campaign.

[29:39] And we said. Sign me up. And we are soldiers. Standing. With a fight ahead of us. We must prepare for persecution. It's interesting.

[29:51] In places where. People are persecuted. There's no lukewarm Christians there. You're either a Christian. Or you're not. We must prepare for persecution.

[30:03] Paul talks about. How he has endured much. And how the Lord has delivered him. And he says that all that will live godly. In Christ Jesus. Shall. Suffer persecution.

[30:13] So. Soldier of Christ. Expected. That hardness. That persecution. Endure. Press on. Persevere. We're in a real fight.

[30:24] We face a combat. Paul talks about a wrestling. A struggle. A hand-to-hand combat. With the darkness of this world. Spiritual forces of wickedness. We're in an enemy occupied land.

[30:36] And we should be an offensive force. Friends. Just to bring it. To a close. Our Lord's placed us in this land. And he's given us. The call to fight.

[30:49] As the writer of Psalm 144 says. Verse 1. Blessed be the Lord my strength. Which teacheth my hands to war. And my fingers to fight. So. Let us fight.

[31:00] Now. As I draw to a close. Let me quote. William Booth. The founding general. Of the Salvation Army. As it was. When it began.

[31:12] A strong unit. Of God's fighting. Forces. And. William Booth. Said this. In his last address. His last public address.

[31:22] He said this. I quote. While women weep. As they do now. I'll fight. When little children go hungry. As they do now. I'll fight. While men go. To prison.

[31:34] In and out. In and out. As they do now. I'll fight. While there's a drunkard left. While there's a poor lost girl. Upon the streets. While there remains one dark soul. Without the light of God.

[31:45] I'll fight. I'll fight to the very end. We need that same spirit. Don't we? I'll fight. A fight. Of the faith. A good fight. People are going out.

[31:56] Into a Christless eternity. That's why we care about evangelism. Because people are going out. Into a Christless eternity. See. Who will tell them?

[32:07] Let's direct our energies. At a serious gutsy. Christianity. We've got an enemy. To fight. So let's direct our. Fighting against him.

[32:18] And in closing. We know we have a victory. There's many verses that talk. Of how he leads us in triumph. He causes us to triumph. It's like a victory march. Victory day. When the streets were filled with people rejoicing.

[32:33] With decorations. And much joy. And jubilation. We've got that victory. People. This enemy that we face. He's a loser.

[32:44] He's already lost the fight. It's just his last gasps. At the moment. And friends. It says. Thanks be to God. Who gives us the victory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

[32:56] He's assured us of victory. So. Our Lord Jesus brings us victory. No matter the trials. That you will face. So. Believers here today. It says. Endure hardness.

[33:08] It says. You shall suffer persecution. It's not going to be an easy road. But you have victory. It's a victory road. Amen. It's a victory road. No matter the trials and tests.

[33:18] Of life. That you may yet face. And so. To recap. Real quick. Be vigilant. Be valiant. And be victorious. War.

[33:30] A good warfare. Defensive. On the home front. Offensive. On the battle front. Press the fight. Take the offensive. And know that.

[33:40] In all these things. Paul talks in the context. Of many. Hard things. Of many. Opposing things. And he says that. In all these things.

[33:51] We're more than conquerors. We're more than conquerors. No matter what. Lies ahead. We're more than conquerors. Through him. That loved us. We have victory today. By the grace of God.

[34:02] Friends. The Bible talks about. How this is the victory. That overcomes the world. Even our faith. I urge you today. Trust Christ. Enlist today. Report for duty.

[34:13] To your commanding officer. And say yes sir. I'm at your disposal. Amen. Let's pray. Lord we thank you. That we are. Your great army. We don't always feel.

[34:24] Like it. But yet. Your word tells us. We are such. Help us to be vigilant. To be valiant. And know. That we can. Be victorious. Because you are fighting.

[34:35] The battle for us. We thank you Lord. For your great grace. That enables us. No matter how hard the fight. No matter how thick. The fight. That we have.

[34:46] That great assurance. That we are saved. And this is the victory. That overcomes the world. Even. Our faith. We praise you Lord. Encourage our hearts. Help us to be defensive.

[34:58] On the home front. And help us to. Be offensive. On the battle front. As we wage this good warfare. All to your praise. In Jesus. Precious name.

[35:09] Amen.