Wow.
We have one more.
We have one more recitation
before we finish Ephesians chapter 6.
And Mary Ellen,
your Sunday school class is next.
When you are ready,
like next week.
No, I...
We'll work at that.
But hasn't this been a blessing, right?
It's been a great, great blessing.
And we all want Gabe in the future
to introduce our various little parts
of the Scripture.
In case you're wondering,
Gabe is a very quiet, shy young man.
And so we appreciate that.
I trust what you will do
is take your Bibles
and turn in them to Ephesians chapter 6.
And follow along with me
as I read there in verse 16 and 17.
In all circumstances,
take up the shield of faith
with which you can extinguish
all the flaming darts of the evil one
and take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God.
Let us pray.
Our Father God,
this morning as we take this Word in our hand,
we recognize that it is given to us
by revelation,
that the Holy Spirit has given it to us
that we may profit by it.
And furthermore,
we are mindful, Lord,
that we who are Your children
are heavily dependent,
even at this moment,
both in the preaching of the Word
and also in the comprehension
and application of the Word
on the ministry of the Spirit of God
who dwells within.
And so this morning,
we ask that we would be
enabled and strengthened
by Your Spirit
to both comprehend
and declare
the sweetness
and the glory
of the truth that reflects
our Lord Jesus Christ
and His love for us.
And we ask this in His name.
Amen.
We are in our third lesson,
I believe,
on the subject of spiritual warfare.
And I confess that it may seem
a little longer than most,
but when I stop and consider
the significance
and the importance of it,
I believe that it has bearing
on all of your lives.
And as I have spent
the last week in prayer
and thinking about this passage,
I couldn't help but have
many of your hearts
and my pastoral relationship
with you come to mind.
I cannot think about
the issue of spiritual warfare
and not think about,
first of all,
the enemy and his hatred for me
and his desire to harm me,
but I also cannot
come to this passage
and not think about you
and recognize that
in pastoral ministry,
you end up being aware
of some of the heartaches
and challenges
and the afflictions
of the enemy
who at one point or another
has harmed and aims
to hurt you.
Furthermore,
I cannot help but think
of our young men
this week as I was praying.
I thought about Will
and I thought about Sam
and I thought about Isaac
going off to basic training.
I thought about Seth
and I thought about Kevin,
one in Afghanistan
and the other in Cuba.
and I found myself praying
not only for their physical safety
but for their spiritual well-being.
And my desire and my prayer
has been that the Word of God
would be the thing
that would be a comfort
and a help to them
and that they would,
in those circumstances
that they will find themselves,
they would put on
the whole armor of God
that they will be able
to stand against
the wiles of the devil
in the wicked and evil day
that we are.
Now as we look at this passage
we come to
the last set of pieces
and very thankfully
I have some illustrations here
of those things.
I'm going to draw
their attention to them.
For one,
we have a shield.
I'm going to get
these things set where,
what happened to the chairs?
Here they are.
I'm going to put the helmet
out here for you.
But a shield was something
that since people
were always trying
to hurt you
and stick you
and poke little things in you,
the shield was something
that protected you
and was very,
very vital
to ancient warfare.
In fact,
a soldier was most often
referred to
as a shield wearer
or a shield carrier.
And ancient warfare
and much of the,
I wouldn't use
the word mythology,
but all the mystique
surrounding it
had to do with a shield.
One of the things
that a Spartan mother
and father would say
to their son
when he was going
off to warfare
was either come back
with your shield
or on it.
That is not rumor.
That's fact.
And the attitude was
is that your shield
was probably one
of the most important
items of defense
because it was what
protected you
from those who were
bent on your destruction.
In addition to the shield,
there was the helmet
and we were looking
at that this morning.
This is one example
of a helmet
and the helmet
was something
that you didn't wear
for casual entertainment
or when you were
mowing the lawn.
You only put it on
when you were involved
in conflict.
It was hot.
It was sticky.
It was messy.
It was heavy.
I mean,
the modern helmets
that men wear today
in battle
has nothing to do
with that old lump
of metal
that was stuck
on top of your head
for your safety.
Third,
and I have
very thankfully
a sword here
that,
there it is.
Sword was
very,
very important
and for the most part
in ancient warfare
they did not use swords
the way they use them
on TV.
Now what I mean by that
in TV,
how are swords used?
Oh,
it's clatter and clang
all over the place
and big strokes
and swings
and all that kind of stuff
but the truth of the matter
is the sword
was used primarily
for putting five
or six inch
little holes in people.
Straightforward,
okay?
Let me tell you something.
A slashing wound
that is two feet long
and half an inch deep
is not quite as dangerous
to an individual
as a five inch penetration
in his core
because guess what happens
when there's a penetration
in your core,
in your thorax?
It all begins
to shut down,
okay?
And you begin
to lose oxygen,
you begin to lose blood,
there are all kinds
of nasty little ugly things
that happen
when that sword
ends up being stuck
inside you.
And this morning
as we think about
ancient warfare,
we recognize
that this passage
was written
not to just give us
a little introduction
to history
but to remind us
that we here
are engaged
in active warfare
and we have an enemy
that is bent
on causing us harm.
And one of the things
that we saw
as we look at the passage
earlier
is over there
in verse 12,
Paul says this,
we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood.
We do not wrestle
against flesh and blood.
And over and over again
the enemy
inclines us to think
that the problems
we have in life
have to do
with other people
and things that other people
are doing to us,
circumstances,
events,
all those things
surrounding us
and here
the Spirit of God
says to us,
hey, let's get this straight.
The real battle,
the real conflict
is not with people,
it's with something
more profound than that
and there is an enemy,
there is an enemy
of your soul
that is desperately
interested in causing
you harm.
And as a result of that
we come to the last
three pieces
and we find here
that the first thing
that we find
in this passage
in verse 16
is that we're to put
on the shield of faith.
Now the shield
that I have here
is probably a shield
that would,
if it had been used
and this is a modern shield
in case you're wondering,
it was just put together
this week,
but,
last week,
but if you were dealing
with an ancient shield
this kind of shield
would have been used
by those who are
riding on horses
as a general rule
or involved
in individual
personal conflict.
The shield
that Paul refers to
was much larger.
It was four feet tall
and two and a half feet wide
and it was kind of sloped
like this,
kind of a concave
and you would stand
behind that,
you had a brace
so you could hold on to it
and it weighed about
twenty some pounds.
It was a very,
very heavy thing
and because of that
as you look
in this passage
it says in all circumstances
take up.
You had to pick it up.
You had to hold on to it
and what the ancient shield
was used for
was primarily
for a defensive posture
of guarding yourself
against the enemy
that was coming at you
as this mass of individuals
or was firing arrows
and throwing darts
or throwing spears
and trying to stick you
and kill you
and the large shield
was something
that the soldier
stood behind
and he used that shield
to protect him
against the things
that the enemy
was throwing at him.
Remember I said
that ancient warfare
for the most part
was a brutal pushing match
in which one side
tried to push the other over
and then when they had
their backs turned
or had bowled them over
guess what they would do?
They would slaughter them.
They'd stick,
stick, stick, stick
and kill them
as a result of that.
And so that ancient shield
was how the men
would lock together
10, 20, 30 of them
in a row
and they would lock
those shields
and then they would bear
against the weight coming
and as that enemy
came right up against them
then what they would do
is use that sword
and they would stick
in between
and find the little gaps
in the other person's armor
and they would
poke holes in them
and allow him to die.
And as we look
at this passage
the apostle says
listen I want you
to understand
that in all circumstances
all circumstances
you are to take up
the shield of faith
with which you are
to extinguish
the flaming darts
of the evil one.
So let me draw
several truths out
from this
that you can apply
into your own life.
For one
I think you sitting here
need to understand
that Satan hates you
and he's bent
on your destruction.
Satan hates you
you
and he is bent
on your destruction.
You may not realize it
you may find yourself
indifferent to it
but I want you
to understand
that Satan
is interested
in your personal harm
and he wants
to trash your life.
You're a believer.
Most of you here
this morning
know Christ
as your personal Savior
but that does not mean
that you are exempt
from the attacks
of the enemy
and as you stop
and think about it
it's important
for us to recognize
that a lot of the things
that we go through
are really not just
the consequences
of who we are
but they're also
something that
the enemy
is bent
on harming
you with.
So let's stop
and think
of some of the little
things that we deal
with on a daily basis
that are more than
just what they seem
on the surface.
Sometimes we find
ourselves blindsided
by events.
We didn't plan it.
Something happens
in our life
and all the order
and structure
that we had
and how many of you
realize that
for the most part
we do rely upon
order and structure
to keep balance.
Isn't that right?
And along comes
something that just
completely throws
everything out of turmoil
and when we are
in that state
of turmoil
and flux
we have a tendency
to become more
vulnerable
to Satan's attacks.
Isn't that right?
And we need to
understand that
behind those
circumstantial
challenges
is really an enemy
who's interested
in causing you harm.
Now does God
let things happen
to us
without weighing
whether or not
we can endure them.
What's the answer?
1 Corinthians 10, 13
There's not a single thing
that happens in your life
that God has not
already evaluated
and weighed
and He considers
your ability
to handle it
and He will not
let you be tested
above
what you can handle
and He will
with that testing
provide a means
of dealing with it
enduring it
standing up under it.
So I want you
to understand
that when circumstances
come and seem
to just overthrow us
for a moment
remember Satan's
behind that
and he wants
to harm you.
What about those times
when you find yourself
suddenly reviewing
something that
someone said
that was a little snarky
and you get caught up
and a little embittered
and how many of you
ever play that game
I should have said
any of you out here
do the I should have said
or I wish I'd said
or you know
we just kind of play
and we let that thing
kind of
inside
and no
that's not just
something happening
it's the enemy
who's also interested
in harming us
by that
or you're sitting
there watching TV
and suddenly
there's that ad
on the TV
or there's the
little scene
in the program
and you think
man that is just
so godless
it's perverse
and instead of
responding to it
and really cutting it down
and shutting it off
you just kind of said
oh well whatever
it happens all the time
and you go on
and you're desensitizing
yourself
to what the enemy
of your soul
is interested in doing
in your harming
your heart
there you sit
and beloved
understand that
Satan is in the mix
in that moment
and he is interested
in your harm
so what do you do
here in this passage
it says that we're
to pick up
the shield of faith
the spirit
who is deeply
interested
in your spiritual
well-being
says pick it up
and use it
that means
that there has
to be a conscious
and deliberate
choice
to pick up
that shield
when we find
ourselves in that
adversity
and do something
with what is
the shield of faith
so let's ask ourselves
what is the shield
of faith
that's important
to know
is faith
something that is
kind of abstract
or it's just
kind of one of those
ethereal ideas
that well it's got
some benefit
it's very interesting
the other day
I was speaking
with an individual
and asking them
why they were doing
a certain thing
and the person
as they pondered
it for a moment
they says
well I guess
I'm doing this
because of heaven
really
well what is heaven
you can have
all different ideas
one of the things
I was actually doing
this morning
as I was finishing
up my devotions
is I googled
the idea
of how common
it is
in history
for people
to have ideas
and visions
and write
little stories
of visiting heaven
how many of you
realize it's a fairly
popular thing
and do you realize
that surprisingly enough
it's not something
that's happened only
in the 20th
or 21st century
people have always
had little fantasies
and ideas
about what heaven is
and they get carried
away with it
and they don't
really rely upon
that which the word
of God
has revealed
regarding it
and so here's
this person saying
well the reason
I'm doing this
is because of heaven
and when I pressed
in a little bit
on it
I discovered
that this idea
of heaven
was something
that was kind
of ill-defined
and just kind
of like an attitude
you know
well someday
it's going to be
better
I got to tell you
when we're dealing
with an enemy
having some abstract
idea of
well someday
it's going to be
better
a little positive
mental attitude
is not the key
I want you to
understand that
faith really
is a very
personal
issue
in that
it really
rests in the
person
and the nature
of God
himself
I want you
to get that
anchored in your
mind
when it says
that we are
to take up
the shield
of faith
it's not
talking about
faith as an
abstract
it's talking
about a
very real
understanding
of the person
and nature
of God
himself
let me illustrate
that for you
I want you to
look first of all
if you would
at Romans chapter
4 verse 19
through 21
we are looking
at the fact
that when we
take up the
shield of faith
we are actually
referring to
our thinking
about the
person and
the nature
of God
Romans chapter
4 verse 19
through 21
it's talking
about Abraham
being the
father of faith
and there in
verse 19
it says
he did not
weaken in faith
when he
considered his
own body
which was as
good as dead
since he was
about a hundred
years old
or when he
considered the
barrenness
of Sarah's
womb
no distrust
made him
waver
concerning
the promise
of God
for he grew
strong in his
faith as he
gave glory
to God
fully convinced
that God
was able
to do
what he
had
promised
faith
is not
an abstract
sense
of positive
mental attitude
faith
is
believing
God
is who
he says
he is
and believing
that he
is the one
who keeps
his promises
and does
exactly what
he says
he will do
and so
when we
find ourselves
under attack
from Satan
and he is
seeking to
unhinge us
and harm us
it's not just
a matter of
having a little
bit
well
I think
it's going
to work
out
alright
it's a matter
of believing
that God
is who
he says
he is
and he's
going to
do
what he
says
he will
I want
you to
look at
another
passage
in relationship
to this
and turn
over in
your Bible
to
Hebrews
chapter
11
Hebrews
chapter
11
Hebrews
chapter
11
verse 1
it says
now faith
is the
assurance
of things
hoped
for
the conviction
of things
not seen
I've got
complete
confidence
in how
my story
will end
do you have
that confidence
do you have
complete confidence
that if you
were to die
this morning
as you were
driving home
that instead
of spending
eternity
in hell
you would
spend
eternity
in heaven
why
do you
have
that
confidence
do you
have
that
confidence
because
you're
a great
person
and there's
nobody
else
like you
and you've
earned
your way
into heaven
well that's
a lie
from hell
if you
believe
that
the reason
I have
confidence
is not
because of
who I
am
but because
of who
Jesus
is
and what
he said
and we
look at
this passage
it says
hey listen
faith is
the assurance
of things
hoped for
the conviction
of things
not seen
now look
forward
if you
will
to verse
6
and without
faith
it is
impossible
to please
him
for whoever
would draw
near to
God
must
believe
that
he
exists
and
that
he
rewards
those
who
seek
him
so now
I want
you to
recognize
that what
Paul
is teaching
us
is that
when we
face the
adversary
that we
do
that we're
to pick
up the
shield
of faith
and the
shield
of faith
is our
conscious
and deliberate
thinking
about the
person
and the
work
of
Christ
now I
play that
out for
you in a
couple
different ways
so you
can kind
of see
it in
real time
when
Joseph
was tempted
by Potiphar's
wife to
have sex
back in
Genesis
how did
he respond
to
Potiphar's
wife
where
he said
no no
no
if I
do
this
it's
probably
going to
be a
career
ender
I'm
going to
get in
trouble
and I
don't
want
to
do
this
is
that
what
he
said
no
did he
that if
I'm
engaged
in
unprotected
sex
that there
could be
some
consequences
I could
end up
with an
STD
or I
could have
some
real bad
things happen
to me
is that
what he
said
no
what did
he
say
how
can
I
do
this
against
God
in the
center
of his
faith
was his
belief
in the
person
and nature
of God
and he
understood
that if
he fell
into
this
sin
he
would
harm
his
relationship
and his
communion
with his
father
and he
said
I
don't
want
to
do
that
to
my
father
let me
have you
think of
an
opposite
illustration
after
David
fell
into
sin
with
Bathsheba
and
then
subsequent
a child
was born
and he
thought
that the
reasonable
way
to
cover
up
this
sin
was
to
murder
the
woman's
husband
and
then
marry
her
in
this
quick
little
event
so
that
he
could
pretend
that
well
she
had
a
little
bit
of a
premature
birth
or
whatever
else
and hide
his sin
did it work
out
no
and eventually
Nathan the prophet shows up
and you know what Nathan says to him
how could you do this to God
you have been
you have been the one
that has harmed the reputation and testimony of God
and so when Satan is attacking
and he is trying to unhinge you
or he's trying to discourage you
or he comes in and he says listen
the things that are happening to you
are indications that God really doesn't care
he's not paying attention
those are lies from Satan
and when you give in to them
in essence what you are doing
listen to me carefully
you are denying
what your faith
believes and knows about God the Father
will God let something bad happen to his children
to their harm and their detriment
what's the answer from God's people
no
and so when you sit there with your pouty attitude
kind of fretting of the fact that God doesn't love you
what are you saying about the scriptures that you say you know
you're denying them
and what you need to do is pick up that shield of faith
and say I am not going there
I know who my Father is
and I know how he cares for me
so when you find yourself tempted by the enemy
who wants to harm you
think often of your Father's person
and promises
and guard yourself from sin
think about your Father's person
and his promises
and guard yourself from sin
I want you to ponder with me just for a moment
what it must be like to be Pastor Saeed
as he is in prison in Iran
or I think about the woman
we heard that she has been
she has been forgiven or whatever
and she may be released from prison
but just days ago
Miriam, what's her name, Abraham
anticipated that eventually
she was going to be executed by hanging
for her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
and as she languished there in jail
what do you think she took confidence in?
not just a positive mental attitude
she was believing in the character
and the nature of her Father
and she trusted in His promises
the second thing that we find there in Ephesians chapter 6
is that we're to take on the helmet of salvation
here's the helmet
and what the helmet did was it protected the head
I'll tell you something
if you have ever been bumped on the head
or hit on the head
what does it do to your capacity to think clearly?
it kind of messes it up
there's a reason why we have all this attention now
in the football league to concussions
because it causes individuals to not be able to think clearly
and so here in ancient warfare
man, if you could hit a guy a good lick on the head
he rung his bell
and not only that
he couldn't think
and Satan is always interested in hitting us in the head
so that he can affect the way we think
and our understanding of things
and just as the ancient helmet protected the head
where thought was generated
so the helmet of salvation
is designed by God
to protect our head
and our thinking
from the attacks of Satan
and so look at what it says here
it tells us a little bit of what this helmet is
it says it is the helmet of salvation
verse 17
take on the helmet of salvation
and I want you to think with me
that I believe that this issue of the helmet of salvation
is not just the matter that you're saved
that's true
it is important to recognize that you're saved
but there's more in peace
than just the matter of your salvation
so let me talk a little bit
about the broad sense
in which I believe this issue of the helmet of salvation
protects the believer
from the attack of Satan against his mind
for one thing
salvation delivers us
from the penalty of sin
the sinner lives a quiet
life of anxiety
and terror
from the eventual judgment of God
that doesn't mean that all that the sinner does
is under this pall
and under this cloud
but I will tell you
that in the quiet moments
when those individuals are alone
their conscience bears witness
against the sin that they've committed
and they live with a certain fear
and anxiety
that judgment's someday coming
and we who know the Lord Jesus Christ
understand that the scripture tells us
that because of what Christ Jesus has done for us
that we have been delivered from the penalty of sin
I want you to turn over your Bible just a little bit
go to Colossians chapter 2
and look with me at verses 13 and 14
in relationship to this
Colossians chapter 2 verse 13 and 14
and you who were dead in your trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh
God made alive together with him
having forgiven us all our trespasses
by canceling the record of debt
that stood against us with its legal demands
this he set aside
nailing it to the cross
in the ancient world
when a debt was satisfied
the thing that happened with that document of debt
was that in a different sense from our world
by the way
when you pay off your mortgage
what happens?
you get a title to your home
how many of you have had the joy
of having the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
send you a copy of the title to your car?
how many of you like that?
it's a good thing
I want you to know that in the ancient world
when you satisfied a debt
that document was taken
and was nailed in a public place
so that everybody knew
you were free of that obligation
salvation
and in the Bible
what it tells us is that
salvation has delivered us
from the penalty of sin
salvation has taken away
the right of the enemy
to come and remind your conscience
that you stand condemned
before a holy God
and that you should live in
holy terror of his judgment
I want you to understand also
that salvation delivers us
from the power of sin
now think with me carefully
follow me carefully here
prior to conversion
the sinner cannot help himself
but
sin
does that make sense?
the sinner cannot help himself
but sin
in fact there are some of you
sitting here this morning
perhaps that
that secretly inside
now you wouldn't admit it
at this point
but secretly inside
your life has been
one ongoing frustrating
experience
of trying your very best
to do right
and you never get there
the reason you never get there
is because you don't know
Christ as your Savior
you do not have the
indwelling spirit of God
that is actively engaged
in helping you overcome
the enemy
and not fall into sin
and you're toast
you're a little bit like
the lion
who by virtue of being
a carnivore
right
is just not into vegetables
and so
every time
Satan kind of drags
a little piece of meat by
guess what
you're saying
no I'm going vegan now
it's like
boom
there you are
you're all over it
because that's your nature
the unregenerate person
cannot help but sin
the person who has been
saved by the grace of God
has received a new heart
and a new mind
and has the ability
to not sin
this morning as I was driving
to church
and it seemed that there were
quite a few of my neighbors
who decided that it was time
to jog
and they were jogging
in fairly scanty clothes
because you know
it's insufferably hot
and so you know
that's the best way to jog
and I am
you know what I'm doing
I'm reciting passages
of scripture
to help me with my thought life
does anybody understand
what I'm saying
okay
and one of the passages
that I grabbed a hold of
and hung on to
was this passage
in Galatians chapter 5
verse 16
it says
they that walk
by the spirit
shall not fulfill
the lusts of the flesh
I could say to myself
I don't have to do that
why
because God
has saved me
and I enjoy
the blessing
of that deliverance
but there's another part
coming
listen to me
salvation will deliver us
from the presence
of sin
the day is coming
when the believer
will no longer face
that daily battle
with sin
turn with me
just for a moment
to 1st John chapter 3
just want to read
that passage to you
1st John chapter 3
let me have you look at it
here's what it says
in chapter 3
verse 1
it says
see what kind of love
the father has given
to us
that we should be
called the children
of God
hey listen
if you are a child
of God
you should never
get over
absolutely being
blown away
by the fact
that God
has made you
his child
John says
see
now what is he saying
in essence
he's saying
in our contemporary
lingo
he says
wow
see what manner
of love
the father
has given
to us
that we should
be called
the children
of God
and so we are
the reason
why the world
does not know us
is that it did
not know him
beloved
we are now
God's children
and what we
will be
has not yet
appeared
but we know
that when he
appears
we shall be
like him
can I stop
there just for
a second
when he
appears
we shall
be what
like him
if that
doesn't
overwhelm you
there's something
going on in your
heart that needs
to be remedied
when we see him
we shall be
what
like him
the best
the most precious
the most real
most satisfying
thing of all
eternity
will be seeing
the Lord
Jesus Christ
and in
seeing him
my soul
will be satisfied
and I
will
be
like
him
and then
look at
verse 3
and it
says
and everyone
who thus
hopes
in him
purifies
himself
your
ambition
your
futuristic
thinking
about the
day that
you will
see
Jesus
Christ
makes
all the
difference
in the
world
in your
spiritual
life
and coming
back to that
passage in
Ephesians
where the
apostle says
put on the
helmet of
salvation
thinking about
the fact that
you've been
delivered from
sin
thinking about
the fact that
sin has no
right to
control your
life anymore
and thinking
about the
fact that
the day is
coming when
you will see
Jesus face
to face
and that
protects your
mind and your
heart from the
attacks of an
enemy that
wants to
trash your
life
finally
we look
there in the
passage and
it says
and take
up the
sword of
the spirit
which is
the word
of God
now
like I
said TV
has given
us to a
large degree
a misunderstanding
of what
swords were
for
I can tell
you that it's
not just
this sword
here
that would
probably not
do well
I'm sorry
Josh
forgive me
but I can
tell you that
if Josh and
one of his
neighbor friends
armed equally
with a sword
what does it
say here
there's a
I forget
it's an
elven script
and I can't
read that
today
it's not
Greek
and it's
not Hindi
so I'm
stuck
but you
know
Josh and
his friend
out there
in the yard
going through
the drama
of these
whoo choo
crack
smash
about three
or four
strokes into
it the sword
would be bent
or whacked
in half
how many of you
understand that
I mean
for the most
part swords
were really
not designed
for smacking
other swords
they were
designed for
putting holes
in people
do you
follow that
all about
poke
and
you know
here it
says
take up
the sword
of the spirit
of the word
of God
I gotta tell you
that the word
of God
is not some
certain
warm set
of fuzzy
feelings
it's the
authority
it's the
express
written
revelation
of what
God
who abides
in heaven
knows to be
true
and tells us
is right
and we
ought to
take him
seriously
I bump
into people
all the time
today
that
the wishy-washy
lack of
clarity
on what
the Bible
has to say
is befuddling
to me
you know
what
when the
Bible
says
don't
be
unequally
yoked
do you
know
what
that
means
it
means
believers
and
unbelievers
should
not
be
engaged
in
relationships
should
a
Christian
boy
date
a
non
Christian
girl
what's
the
answer
the
Bible
says
no
it's
not
Tim
Kenoyer
that
thinks
that
it's
the
Bible
one
of the
reasons
why
periodically
I
say to
you
as a
congregation
hey
don't
ask me
to do
a
wedding
ceremony
where
there
is
a
believer
and
a
non
believer
that
are
thinking
about
getting
married
I
can't
do
it
God
doesn't
allow
me
and
if
God
wouldn't
allow
the
pastor
to
perform
the
ceremony
should
parents
allow
the
dating
what's
the
answer
no
God's
word
speaks
clearly
and
one
of
the
responsibilities
that
we
have
is
to
take
the
word
of
God
and
use
it
let me
hammer
home
the
value
of
the
word
of
God
and
I
want
you
to
look
if
you
would
to
a
passage
in
2
Peter
just
for
a
moment
2
Peter
as
we
think
about
the
word
of
God
let
me
stay
in
this
passage
predominantly
2
Peter
chapter
1
and
I'm
going
to
tell
you
that
the
word
of
God
is
the
direct
revelation
of
the
spirit
it
says
there
in
verse
20
and
21
knowing
this
first
of
all
that
no
prophecy
of
scripture
comes
by
someone's
own
interpretation
for
no
prophecy
was
ever
produced
by
the
will
of
man
but
men
spoke
from
God
as
they
were
carried
along
by
the
Holy
Spirit
being
a
person
who
is
a
collector
of
books
to
a
certain
degree
and
I
know
we
are
moving
towards
the
electronic
age
where
we
can
have
a
whole
library
and
our
iPad
but
I
have
a
copy
of
the
Gospel
of
Thomas
how many
of you
have
Gospel
of
Thomas
in
your
Bible
well
there's
a
reason
that
it's
not
in
your
Bible
because
it's
heresy
it's
false
teaching
it's
just
the
figment
of
some
person's
imagination
who
decided
that
he
would
write
a
book
and
he
would
call
it
the
Gospel
of
Thomas
and
has
some
kind
of
wishy-washy
feel-good
stuff
about
Jesus
but
other
than
that
there's
no
scriptural
clarity
in the
matter
and
I
want
to
tell
you
that
scripture
is
not
something
that
comes
by
because
somebody
decides
they're
going to
have
a
fertile
idea
it
tells
us
here
no
prophecy
was
ever
produced
by
the
will
of
man
but
men
spoke
from
God
as
they
were
carried
along
by
the
Holy
Spirit
this
idea
of
being
carried
along
is
a
word
that
comes
to
us
and
we
find
it
elsewhere
in
particular
where
Paul
in
a
shipwreck
his
ship
was
being
carried
by
the
storm
the
power
of
the
storm
was
the
thing
that
was
moving
the
ship
in
a
certain
direction
and
men
wrote
the
scriptures
when
they
were
being
moved
by
the
Holy
Spirit
to
say
exactly
what
needed
to
be
said
you
will
never
hear
Tim
Knoyer
and
I
trust
that
in
the
days
to
come
when
we
prayerfully
!
find
a
man
that
will
come
here
serve
as
our
senior
pastor
I
trust
that
no
one
ever
stands
in
this
pulpit
and
says
I
have
a
direct
word
from
God
and
can't
hold
up
this
Bible
and
say
and
here
it
is
this
is
the
book
and
we
rely
upon
it
secondly
I
want
you
to
understand
that
the
word
of
God
is
settled
in
the
heavens
just
to
recite
the
passage
in
Psalm
119
verse
89
it
says
doesn't
change
when
God
the
Father
God
the
Son
God
the
Holy
Spirit
tells
us
what
is
immorality
it's
not
up
for
vote
it's
his
word
third
the
Bible
is
more
reliable
than
any
human
experience
I
want
you
to
look
at
2
Peter
chapter
1
verse
19
this
is
a
real
winner
for
today
here
is
Peter
and
I
want
you
to
look
at
verse
18
it
says
we
ourselves
heard
this
very
voice
born
from
heaven
for
we
were
with
him
on
the
holy
mountain
what
this
is
talking
about
is
when
during
the
transfiguration
remember
when
Jesus
took
three
of
the
disciples
up
the
hill
and
they
had
a
view
of
Jesus
in
his
glory
and
they
heard
a
voice
from
heaven
said
this
is
my
son
follow
him
obey
him
right
okay
and
here
is
Peter
years
later
!
hey
we
did
hear
that
voice
now
follow
me
and
we
have
something
more
sure
hey
if
you
could
choose
between
a
voice
and
the
Bible
which
would
Peter
advise
you
to
choose
it
says
here
the
Bible
is
the
more
sure
word
of
God
well
I
had
a
dream
and
God
told
me
oh
yeah
while
I'm
saying
oh
yeah
I'm
picking
up
stones
really
what
did
he
say
you
know
I
want
to
know
what
the
Bible
has
to
say
because
the
Bible
is
the
only
thing
that
is
reliable
it's
more
important
than
experience
finally
mark
this
it
is
not
for
private
interpretation
it's
not
for
private
interpretation
and so
you
understand
this
morning
as you
think
about
this
subject
that
the
Bible
is
not
something
that
means
one
thing
to
Andrew
Mead
and
another
thing
to
Pastor
Andrew
and
another
thing
to
Andy
Manwiller
it's
the
same
for
all
of
us
because
God
who
he
is
has
said
it
clearly
and
he
expects
us
to
follow
and
understand
what
he
has
to
say
I
appreciate
in
particular
the
value
that we
have
this
morning
as we
deal
with
the
enemy
that
is
interested
in
absolutely
trashing
your life
in
relying
upon
the
shield
of
faith
that
is
the
character
and
nature
of
God
and
we
who
are
his
children
knowing
who
he
is
and
how
he
handles
things
secondly
in
putting
on
the
helmet
of
salvation
which
is
the
truth
of
our
salvation
it's
deliverance
from
sin
it's
present
victory
over
sin
and
it's
eventual
absolute
deliverance
from
any
sin
whatsoever
and
finally
taking
up
the
sword
of
the
spirit
so
let me
close
do
you
have
an
enemy
that
is
interested
in
harming
your
heart
and
soul
what's
the
answer
I
spend
a
fair
part
of
my
week
and
pastor
Saul
spends
a
fair
part
of
his
week
and
pastor
Andrew
spends
a
fair
part
of
his
week
and
every
one
of
you
that
are
fathers
and
mothers
and
every
one
of
you
that
are
young
people
are
well
aware
of
the
fact
that
we
have
an
enemy
that
is
bent
on
harming
us
and
if
you
as
God's
child
do
not
pick
up
the
shield
and
put
on
the
helmet
and
take
up
the
sword
I
can
tell
you
he
will
harm
you
and
it
will
not
be
pretty
and
God
intends
for you
where
you
sit
to
take
the
word
of
God
seriously
and
to
do
something
with
it
does
that
make
sense
let
me
close
if
you
are
here
this
morning
and
you
do
not
know
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
the
armor
is
not
for
you
yet
the
truth
of
the
matter
is
a
part
from
coming
to
Christ
with
a
broken
heart
that
says
I
am
a
sinner
that
stands
justly
condemned
before
a
holy
God
and
I
realize
that
the
scripture
tells
me
that
I
have
no
hope
apart
from
what
Jesus
did
in
dying
on
the
cross
for
me
and
I
freely
plead
with
him
to
save
me
and
to
deliver
me
from
the
judgment
that
I
deserve
I
believe
in
Jesus
Christ
as
my
personal
savior
if
you
have
not
taken
care
of
that
this
morning
now
is
the
time
don't
fool
yourself
it's
not
about
who
you
are
or
where
you
were
a
member
or
how
many
times
you
go
to
church
or
how
nice
people
think
you
are
the
truth
of
matter
is
this
there
is
salvation
in
no
other
person
than
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and
the
door
to
salvation
is
narrow
and
is
marked
by
humility
and
brokenness
and
calling
upon
the
name
of
the
Lord
let's
close
in
prayer
our
father
God
this
morning
we
come
to
you
with
humility
recognizing
that
you
have
given
us
these
verses
to
warn
us
about
the
enemy
so
that
we
who
are
your
children
would
not
be
harmed
and
father
we
want
to
be
a
people
who
listen
carefully
and
then
plead
with
you
to
enable
us
to
take
up
the
armor
of
God
that
we
may
be
able
to
stand
against
the
wiles
of
the
devil
there
are
some
here
this
morning
that
are
wounded
no
one
else
knows
it
but
you
and
in
their
own
heart
they
desire
to be
freed
from
the
bondage
of
sin
I
plead
with
you
that
this
morning
those
who
sense
the
burden
and
the
convicting
work
of
the
Spirit
of
God
would
call
out
and
say
Lord
deliver
me
from
Satan's
devices
they
would
repent
and forsake
that
those
who
are
not
Christians
would
call
upon
the
name
of
the
Lord
for
salvation
we
ask
this
in
Jesus
name
amen