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[0:00] time to the chapter we had, Ephesians chapter 6, Ephesians chapter 6, and we're going again for a short time to that well-known section, a section we all know so well, but again, as we always say, just because we know it well doesn't mean we understand it well, and if we do understand it well, then it's good for us all to be reminded of God's truths as our brother prayed and God's promises, Ephesians 6, verses 10, down to verse 20, finally be strong in the Lord, the strength of his might, so on, down to the end of verse 20, I'm really taking in to the end of the chapter, if time permits. As we begin our new season together, we began, we could say, last Lord's Day, but here we are this evening, gathered once more, and the question is, what do we look at as we seek to begin serving together in this place?

[1:10] where should we focus our minds for our first time, perhaps, of study in a midweek? Well, it pays to be realistic, doesn't it? It pays to be realistic. And this evening, we're spending this time, a short time, being very realistic. We're dealing this evening with realities that are hard to understand, realities that if we take the time to understand them, are terrifying for us to understand, and so they should be. We come this evening to understand and to seek to understand things so beyond our understanding, to seek to at least begin to understand realities that are so beyond what we will ever begin to really comprehend. We come this evening in these verses, from verses 10 to the end of our chapter, we come to our battlefields, don't we? We come to our battlefields, and Paul is laying out the battlefield to these Christians in

[2:15] Ephesus. We touched on this before, months ago, we looked together at Ephesians chapter 2, that's last year now, two years ago now it was, 2021, Ephesians 2, and we saw that the young Christians in Ephesus, to say the least, they had a hard time of it, didn't they? They were serving in a city that was so vehemently against the gospel.

[2:39] But more than that, they served in a place where the gods, the pagan gods were so closely and so lovingly and so vibrantly worshipped. And here we find these young Christians, young in their faith Christians, seeking to serve a God, their living God, the true God, in this context.

[3:03] So here, as Paul concludes his letter to them, he reminds them just what it is they're facing. And the reality is for ourselves, this evening, these few thousand years later, and these few thousand miles away from Ephesus, we face the exact same opposition, don't we?

[3:24] The exact same problems, the exact same forces that were against the Ephesian Christians, are against us this very moment. And with respect, we have to try very hard just now to try and not think where we are.

[3:43] We're so used to the pattern, aren't we? This is our midweek service, we get dressed, we come out, and we love being here together. But if we're honest, sometimes we can relax into the pattern of the week.

[3:56] We come and we go, and we do what we do. When we come to sections like this, we have to be awake and ready. Because we're dealing this evening with a reality that is around us, and in this place, at this moment.

[4:13] And those here who have been Christians for many years, you know the reality I'm speaking of. The reality of the evil one that we face day by day and minute by minute.

[4:24] And Paul presents this reality like he is speaking to a battle-ready group. Be strong in the Lord, verse 10, And the strength of his might put on the whole armour of God.

[4:37] Stand ready, get ready. Paul reminds these young Christians, they can't afford to underestimate the enemy.

[4:48] They can't afford to relax in the face of the enemy. So that is our guidance this evening. Spending a short time together, you can see quite simply, just in the three very, very simple headings.

[5:01] First of all, looking at the enemy. We have to know who the enemy is. We have to know who it is we're facing. Verses 10, roughly down to verse 12.

[5:12] We're taking on down then past that. The enemy. Then of course we see the equipment we have to face the enemy. Verses 13, down to verse 17 roughly.

[5:26] And then finally we can see the encouragement. The last few verses of our section. The enemy, the equipment, and the encouragement. So first of all, the enemy.

[5:39] Starting at verse 10, again. Paul does not, as I were, sugarcoat the message he has. He's not writing to them to try and tell these Christians who are young in their faith that now you know Jesus, everything's easy.

[5:56] Now you know Jesus, life will go to plan. You can relax now. Your place in glory is secure. Therefore, you can just relax. The battle's been fought.

[6:08] There's no more worries. Paul didn't say that because Paul knew fine well he couldn't say that. Paul in his own life faced battle after battle. And Paul knew for certain that these poor, struggling Christians in Ephesus were facing evil.

[6:26] Real evil. Real spiritual evil. And right from the start we're reminded that we cannot face our spiritual battle.

[6:37] We cannot do it in our own strength. Verse 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. Put on the whole, the full armour of God.

[6:49] And so on. As we start, this is the first point we must really grasp onto. No matter how experienced we are in a Christian walk. No matter how long we've been following the Lord.

[7:02] From the newest Christian right this evening to the most experienced Christian in your walk. You cannot and I cannot fight the evil.

[7:14] Fight the enemy. Fight what faces us in your or my strength. Our strength is so limited. Our strength is so small. Our strength ends pretty quickly, doesn't it?

[7:29] And Paul reminds these Christians. As they begin to face off with the enemy. They must do so in the strength of the Lord and in his might. Using the equipment he gives us to use.

[7:45] The second we try and, as it were, fight the devil of our own strength. We will fail. And we will fail quite catastrophically, won't we?

[7:56] Again, you yourselves know this. And if you've been on the journey for a while. How many times, even fighting your own sin and your own strength, do you realise you have no power?

[8:09] No power. If you try going it alone. How much more through is that as we come face to face with the powers of the evil one himself?

[8:20] So who is the enemy? What is he like? Verse 11. Put on the whole armour of God. That you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

[8:35] The enemy has schemes. The enemy is logical. The enemy is tactical. He is active at this moment.

[8:47] And he is active, dear brothers and sisters, in this place. And the second we lose sight of that, we begin to not be very good soldiers.

[9:00] There's the famous C.S. Lewis quote. I know there's much and many things C.S. Lewis perhaps said we wouldn't perhaps agree with. But he's also great in many of his short quotes. And C.S. Lewis made the observation that Christians often have a problem when it comes to the devil, don't we?

[9:18] Some Christians go too far one way and we pretend to ourselves he doesn't exist. All that was for Jesus' day. Yes, of course he exists.

[9:30] We believe he exists. But we act as if he doesn't exist. He's got nothing to do with our context here in North Tolstair. He's got no interest in our meeting here this evening.

[9:42] He's got no interest in us as Christians individually. The other error we make is we go too far the other way. And we become, if not obsessed with the devil, then we become terrified of the devil.

[9:56] His power and his schemes are all we can think about. But as always, Scripture is balanced. And Scripture is clear.

[10:07] But on one side, yes, we must fear him healthily. We must understand that he is powerful. We must understand that he is able to destroy. Whilst never forgetting, of course, the opposite side of things.

[10:22] But we serve God. As we come face to face with the evil one in these verses and in our own lives, we do so in the power of God. In the eternal power of God.

[10:34] We'll see that more as we go on. The enemy has schemes. The devil has schemes. That word in verse 11, it's vital for us to grasp that.

[10:46] To understand that. The literal word for schemes, it's also used for tactics. It was used in the secular world at the time and in the day for documenting armies, movements of armies.

[11:02] The tactics of armies. The devil has set schemes. Clear tactics. We aren't facing an enemy who is just randomly attacking here and there.

[11:14] No, we face an enemy who knows what he is doing. The enemy has active schemes. He's not passive. Dear brothers and sisters, as we face up to the enemy this evening, we face an enemy that is active.

[11:32] An enemy that is also ancient. An enemy that's ancient. God willing, we'll start a series next week looking at a certain theme in scripture.

[11:47] And that theme begins for us next week in the garden. And though next week we aren't touching on Satan, we see that from the start of humanity's existence, the evil one is there.

[12:02] He is there. The enemy is ancient. He knows what it is to be human. He has watched us from the start. He is watching us now.

[12:14] As unique as we think we are, the reality is we're all pretty similar, aren't we? We all do things the same ways. There's been someone in history who has done certain things the same way that you have.

[12:26] Out of the billions of people and the several thousands of years before us, for all the billions and billions of people the devil has seen and observed and watched.

[12:39] He knows his stuff. He knows your weaknesses. He knows mine. He knows how to get at you, how to get at me. The enemy is ancient.

[12:51] Also the enemy is powerful. He is, and again we'll see this in our series as it unfolds in the next few weeks. We'll touch on the power that this enemy has.

[13:05] Glorious. Glorious. He was made to be glorious. He was made to be powerful. And he uses that now, that glory, that power for evil.

[13:17] For his own schemes, his own ends. He is ancient. He is powerful. As we said, he is logical. He is tactical. We give up very quickly.

[13:32] He does not. We so quickly fall away from following the Lord's simple commands. He does not give up following his plans.

[13:44] We lose hope so quickly. He loses no hope in his own power, his own effort. He has done his job well, we could say. But well is not a right word.

[13:55] He has done his job efficiently from the start of humanity up to this very evening. And the wording of Paul, the tone of this message, Paul is eager that these Ephesian Christians, that they are ready.

[14:12] Not in the future at some point. The message of Paul to the Ephesians is, in the next few weeks, the next few years, be ready. No. It's be ready now. At this very moment.

[14:22] Be strong in the Lord, the strength of his might. Put on. All the instructions here, grammatically, they're imperatives.

[14:34] They're instructions, but more than that, they're commands. Paul is lovingly, as he speaks from the Lord, he is lovingly telling these Christians, you have to be ready, and ready right now.

[14:48] There's no good waiting for a better time. The enemy is at the gate this very moment. You must be ready just now to face him. Again, for those who have served the Lord, I would say for some time, but for those who are here, who know the Lord, and who love the Lord, in time, please feel free to share, if you can, if you wish to, what it is to go through spiritual warfare.

[15:18] It's one of these things that perhaps we aren't too good at sharing, is it? Those times of spiritual oppression from the evil one. Those times where we feel so attacked by his schemes, and so attacked by his advances towards us.

[15:35] But as Christians, we have all faced some form of spiritual warfare. If you haven't yet sensed that, or faced that, then you will. And that's not to scare, that's not to terrify.

[15:48] It's to do what Paul is doing, and he is painting the reality. Yes, you will face severe, perhaps, spiritual attack. And there's not a place for stories, and we won't share them, but I assure you there is not many who have stood up here before you over the years who couldn't tell you some pretty dark, not horrifying stories of spiritual oppression and spiritual attack.

[16:15] As we try and serve the Lord, as we try and do the Lord's work in his place, we can be guaranteed of one thing, these attacks will increase. In this new season of ministry, as we seek, as our brother prayed, we give praise to God for unity here, and for the united sense we have here.

[16:34] The devil will try and destroy that. He will. As we try and share the gospel to those around us who need to hear it so desperately, the devil will try and stop that.

[16:46] He will. As you and I in our own private lives seek to grow in our love and appreciation and praise and glory of the Lord, he will try and disrupt that.

[16:58] He will. Dear friends, spiritual warfare is not for other Christians out there somewhere. Spiritual warfare is real. And every one of us are facing this same enemy.

[17:12] And every one of us, no matter how old or young in our faith, no matter how weak or how strong we feel in our faith, we all have the same command to put on the full, the whole armour of God.

[17:26] The enemy does not care for excuses. He's attacking either way. So we have to be ready to face the enemy. As Paul concludes this description of the enemy, he leaves the Ephesians, these Ephesian Christians, with one more reality, just to try and make them realise the enemy and the strength and the powerful one they face up against.

[17:53] We can note from verses 12 onwards that the enemy we face is layered. Verse 12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

[18:19] that is levels to the darkness, levels to the enemy, levels to the evil, that we know nothing about. Nothing. It is so far beyond our mortal understanding.

[18:33] And how silly we are, and perhaps how naive we are at times, as we begin to relax and think, well, I can maybe hold back now in the time I give the Lord.

[18:50] I can maybe hold back now and do a bit less reading and a bit less praying. Dear brother, dear sister, the enemy does not hold back. There are structures, schemes, and levels of the enemy ready and waiting to attack at every and any given moment.

[19:14] So here's the enemy we're facing. Old, powerful, strategic, logical, with organised levels of his power, organised levels of evil facing up against the Lord.

[19:35] If that hasn't woken us up, then we aren't listening. You've heard this before. I'm sure we all have read these verses before.

[19:46] But if we're honest, how quickly we lose sight as to the reality of the battle we are waging. As we try and share the gospel in this place, as together we go forward in this new season seeking to see God glorified in this district, what's stopping the gospel spreading?

[20:12] What's stopping the gospel going out? Is it folks who have perhaps come in and aren't from our culture and don't understand the way we do things? Is it folks who are just so stubborn they can't begin to listen to God properly?

[20:31] Who are we battling against? Not flesh and not blood in verse 12, but against these levels and these layers of the power of the evil one.

[20:44] So what hope do we have? What hope do you have if you're a brand new minister who's just fresh out of the grabber? What hope do we have to do anything?

[20:56] None. None whatsoever. If it wasn't the rest of the verses we have here, verses 13 down to verse 17.

[21:07] What is the remedy of Paul? What does Paul suggest? What does Paul tell these put Ephesian Christians to do? Verse 13.

[21:18] Therefore, that therefore is in the context of you've heard all by the enemy. I've just told you all the evil you're facing. Therefore, therefore, take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm.

[21:43] When God calls, he equips, doesn't he? That's often said for ministers and for those who serve God in various roles, but it's true for every Christian.

[21:56] We're all here this evening with personalities so different to one another. Some of us are quiet, reserved, others of us are not. Some of us have certain ways of doing things that others perhaps wouldn't agree with and all of the variety we find in this room.

[22:15] For every one of us here this evening who know and who love the Lord, you and I, dear brothers and dear sisters, we've been called together. And those who God calls, he always, always equips.

[22:30] that's no different when God calls us to fight and to stand before the enemy. As we withstand the schemes of the devil, how do we do so?

[22:42] We do so by putting on, again, verse 13, putting on or take up. the glorious wording there, the imagery of take up is literally the image of it's all on the ground in front of you, a big sheet in the ground.

[22:59] The whole armour is there for you, all the equipment has been given to you by God and the enemy is there. As you stand here with all the armour before you, just put it on.

[23:11] Take it up, Paul is saying to the Ephesians. Don't stand there terrified of what's coming towards you because what's been given to you, what God supplied to you, it's more than enough to withstand the attacks of the evil one but you have to take it up.

[23:29] You have to put it on. I think, well how obvious, how obvious. Why is Paul telling these Christians that if you want to battle the enemy you must use the equipment God gives you because the Ephesian Christians were just the same as us.

[23:51] They were so liable of doing things in their own power, in their own way. If we're being honest with ourselves and honest with the Lord this evening, how many of us have fallen perhaps away even for a short time, those of us who have found our love growing cold for our Saviour at times, those of us who have at times felt so far from God, there's some times where there's no understanding why it happens but there's plenty of times you think, well I feel so far away from the Lord, I feel so attacked by the evil one, I feel my sins are growing.

[24:30] Why? Because we've stopped using the equipment God's given us. We've stopped trusting the promises that God has made us. We've stopped taking these promises in prayer and holding on to them.

[24:45] We've stepped away from the means of grace and if we do attend the means of grace, if we come to the services, if we take part in all these things, we're here in body but not in mind. We must make use of what God has given us.

[25:00] Yes, the devil is powerful, as we said and as we read, yes, the devil is strategic, yes, the devil is ancient but for all his power, it has nothing, it has nothing in the face of God who is eternal in his power.

[25:17] Yes, the devil is stronger than you and I, yes, the devil is greater than you and I but he is still a created being. He's still a created being. He is still limited.

[25:29] He is still ultimately under the full reign of God. Dear Christian, God has equipped us.

[25:44] Very briefly, what does that equipment look like? These are verses we know so well but just to remind ourselves this evening in the context of all we said, what equipment do we have to stand against the devil?

[25:56] What does a fully equipped Christian look like? we could say. The belt of truth from verse 14 onward. Stand therefore, face the enemy, stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth.

[26:14] As we increasingly find a world where truth does not exist, where truth is whatever you make it to be, where truth is subjective, where your truth is good for you and your truth is fine and my truth is my truth, not all that matters.

[26:34] We must at all times hold on to the truth and where do we find the truth? It's not in our own logic, not in our own thinking, it's in God's word, isn't it?

[26:47] The reality, the promises, the peace, the warnings and so on and so on we find in God's word. You must read the word or listen to the word, whatever is easier for you, it doesn't matter.

[27:04] However you can digest it, digest it. Put on the belt of truth. The belt's on.

[27:15] What else do we put on next? What other bit of equipment is there for us to use? Now we put on the breastplate of righteousness.

[27:28] As we face the enemy, we now know the truth, to counter all his lies, now we are the breastplate of righteousness. As the enemy faces us, as the enemy shows and tells us that we have no right to stand, as the enemy tells you, dear brother and dear sister, that you are useless, what kind of Christian are you?

[27:58] What example are you to the community? Your words, your actions, they reflect nothing of who Jesus is.

[28:11] As you hear that, as you sense that, as you hear the evil one tell you just how undeserving you are of being called a Christian, you can stand firm and smile and go, yeah, you're right.

[28:27] But you have on, dear brother, dear sister, the breastplate of righteousness because your power to stand and face the enemy, your power to call yourself a Christian, your power to have the confidence to know that you are the Lord's, that he has you, that he loves you, that he cares for you.

[28:47] It's based in our righteousness that is not yours, that is not mine. It's based in the perfect righteousness of our Saviour. As that covers our heart, as it were, that breastplate covers our heart, that we are reminded that our heart of stone has been changed to heart of flesh, that we've been covered, as it were, with his righteousness, covered and kept safe by his protection.

[29:15] Belt us on with truth. His righteousness is covering our hearts, we could say. Now, the interesting one here is the shoes, and there's a fair amount, a fair amount, to say the least, of debate over what these shoes are representing.

[29:34] Throughout the years, there was various debates and discussions, and there still is to the day. Verse 15, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

[29:49] Our translation perhaps helps us a wee bit here, compared to our translations. Having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

[30:01] Readiness for what? To fight the enemy? Readiness to serve the Lord? That comes from where? The gospel of peace. It's much easier to be a witness.

[30:14] It's much easier to feel that holy zeal once more, to serve the Lord, when you remind yourself, when you tell yourself, when you look back in God's word, and you see the basics, not basic, but the glorious building blocks of what the gospel is, the gospel of peace, the reality that, dear brother, dear sister, you have been saved from wrath, you will never taste of God's wrath.

[30:44] That reminder that God looks on you, dear brother, dear sister, in love, at this very moment, he looks on you with a caring heart, an eternally caring heart, because it was completed for you in Christ.

[30:58] As the gospel of peace makes its home in your brain each day, as you rest in it, as you meditate in it, that then translates to you being more ready to serve.

[31:12] What will prepare us to fight the battle in this community? What will prepare us to be ready to go out and to share the gospel, even if it makes us feel uncomfortable?

[31:26] Is it for me to preach a 14-sermon series on evangelism? Maybe. It could help, perhaps. Is it for us to do 14 different courses over the course of years?

[31:40] It might help, perhaps. But one sure-fire way for us to go out and be ready to share the gospel is to be reminding ourselves at all times the beauty of the gospel.

[31:53] And if we're reminded of the beauty of the gospel that transformed us, we then can go out, can't we? So much more easily go out and share that same life giving, life-transforming gospel to those around us who need so desperately to hear it.

[32:09] Belt, breastplate, shoes, we're good to go, good to go out, good to face the enemy as it were. But God is good and God gives us more covering.

[32:22] We're now in verse 16, in all circumstances take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.

[32:35] How well we know these flaming darts, these attempts of the evil one to destroy and distract and distress. And the shield of faith, it reminds us that yes, the enemy is strong and yes, the enemy can attack us and at times, yes, it even feels as if the enemy is getting the upper hand on us.

[33:02] But dear brother and dear sister, we have the sure and certain hope. If we know the Lord, if we have faith in him as our saviour, the enemy will never, ever have us.

[33:16] He will never, ever have us. For all the fears we have, there is a fear we need not have. He will attack us, he will harm us, he will slow us down, he will never have us.

[33:35] So we are covered by the shield of faith, the faith which is from the Lord himself. Our faith is a gift from God. In and of ourselves we have no place to find that faith, no place to try and manufacture that faith.

[33:50] The faith you have, the faith we have as his people, it comes from him. The devil's fiery arrows, they might hurt, we might feel the heat of them, but they won't kill us, they won't destroy us.

[34:11] Because he has given us the shield of faith. The helmet of salvation, that covering, that covering which protects us, the most vital organ, that keeps us safe, that reminder that we worship one, as we'll see next week, we'll begin to see next week, who has crushed the head of the enemy.

[34:35] And because he's crushed the head of the enemy, we are kept safe, our head is kept safe by his complete and full salvation he has purchased for his people.

[34:50] And finally we have the one offensive weapon, no terrestrial defensive, we're told to stand, told to stand and be ready for all the defensive armour and shield and helmet, helmet, but now we have the one offensive weapon, the one offensive weapon, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, all times in the spirit, all prayer and supplication and so on.

[35:30] Note that the one offensive weapon we have, it's not wielded by your skill or my skill, your fighting tactics are not good enough to destroy or fight the enemy, my fighting ability is not strong enough to fight the enemy, when the enemy attacks, what is our one offensive weapon, sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, again and again, not in your power, not in my power, in his power we rest, in his word we find our hope, in his word we have our full defence and more than that, in his word we also have our full offence, in his word alone we are kept safe from the devil, in his word alone we can fight the devil, the devil tempts you, take him to the word of God, when the devil seems to attack you and bring up past sins, take him to the word of

[36:31] God, follow the example of our saviour, when you feel low and attacked in your faith, go to the word of God, go back to his promises again and again and again, again, and God calls us to serve him, he equips us to serve him, what a glorious equipping God has given us, and for all the fear we have of the evil one, if we find ourselves all this equipment around us and not using it, we only have ourselves to blame when we feel attacked by the enemy, dear brothers, dear sisters, you and I must be ready to put on the full equipment, the full armour of God.

[37:16] Very briefly it takes us to the last few verses, verses 18 down to verse 20, where we see just the encouragement, the encouragement, as they put on the full armour of God.

[37:29] We're told to do one last thing here, to pray, aren't we? Verse 18 and verse 19, to pray and to pray and to pray of all prayer and supplication, to pray and to be alert, and I hear and I hope and I trust that we are a praying congregation here.

[37:50] I'm not saying this because I don't think you are, and I've heard and I've seen myself that you are praying congregation, we all need the ongoing encouragement to keep on praying.

[38:01] It's in prayer and the ministry of prayer alone that we see God supplying his church. One thing to note here, as Paul asks and reminds him to pray for all the saints, verse 19, and also pray for me.

[38:20] Paul the great apostle, who said last Lord's Day evening, Paul the great apostle, who done and who did many glorious things, who had all the power of an apostle, he needs prayer.

[38:37] He asks this young, young in their faith gathering of Christians to remember him in prayer. My genuine request is that you follow the same advice that Paul gives here.

[38:55] I'm pleased to remember me in prayer. I'm no apostle, but I serve alongside you. Remember one another, include me in these prayers, and together as we pray for each other, as we pray for each other going forward, as we seek to battle the enemy on a mission field of this village, of this district, the mission field of your own homes, places of work perhaps, the mission field of everyday living as a Christian, we do so in his power, knowing that God will accomplish his work with his fully equipped saints.

[39:34] That is our hope this evening, that's our hope as we carry on this week. Bow our heads in a word of prayer. Lord God, we come before you Lord, we thank you for the gift that we have in these words, the reminder you're a God who equips your people.

[39:54] Lord help us, we ask, to make full use of the equipment you give us. We confess that we often are so slow in taking up the armour, we're so slow in making full use of the glorious equipment you've given us.

[40:09] Lord help us to make use of the equipment, train us well in its use, we ask. We do pray for this community. We do pray Lord for the many homes represented here.

[40:20] We pray Lord for those in this district who have no gospel knowledge. We pray as we come to face the enemy, as we come in this new season to face the evil one, as we seek to go out and to share your glorious gospel.

[40:35] We ask that you would protect us, you would keep us. Lord you would encourage us in dark days and perhaps in long days to serve you well in this place. Until you aside the awkwardness to our shame perhaps the embarrassment we have at times of sharing the gospel and to serve you well, to put on the full armour you've given us and to glorify and to magnify your name in this place.

[40:59] Lord equip us we ask, Lord humble us, remind us daily that all we have is given to us in and through you and your power alone.

[41:09] help us to leave this place we ask this evening, having known and having been encouraged in your word, having been strengthened in the reality that we stand before an enemy who is powerful, who is tactical, an enemy who is full of hatred towards you and your cause, but we stand before him in your eternal power, covered by your wings, with your equipment prepared for battle.

[41:40] And we know, we come just now knowing that we know how it ends, we know that you are victorious eternally, that one day we'll be with you in your glory.

[41:52] Until the day comes, help us to serve you well. We ask all these things in and through and for Christ's precious name say. Amen. Let's conclude by singing God's praise in Psalm 70.

[42:09] God's Psalter, Psalm 70. Which version? Version 1 and version 2. Okay.

[42:21] Psalm 70. God's Psalter, Psalm 70. We go to the common meter version.

[42:33] Make haste, O God, me to preserve with speed. Lord, succour me. Let them that for my soul to seek, shamed and confounded be. Let them be turned back and shamed, but in my heart delight.

[42:47] Turned back be they. Ha ha, that say, their shaming to the quiet. O Lord, in thee let all be glad, and joy that seek for thee. Let them who thy salvation love, say still, God, praise be.

[43:00] Psalm 70, the second version, to God's praise, the whole psalm. Make haste, O God, me to peace, with speed, Lord, stagger me.

[43:24] Let them that for my soul to see, shamed thou unfounded be.

[43:40] Let them be turned back and shamed, but in my heart delight.

[43:55] Turned back back giving a halal sin, their shaming to require.

[44:12] O Lord, in thee let all be bound, and joy that seek seek for Lee.

[44:28] Let them who die salvation now, stay still God, beverly free.

[44:45]  I want toieve but not deserve come lord and make no stay my health and dear the heart oh lord make no delay the grace of the lord jesus christ the love of god the father and the fellowship of the holy spirit with you now and forevermore amen