Luke 11:33-54

Bonjour, hope you’re having a good week. We’re in the middle of a 3rd or 4th heatwave. Summer will be over soon so hopefully the Winter in NZ as well ! For me it’s too hot because it’s quite limiting what you can do. 28° is about where it starts to get less enjoyable for me, at the moment it’s 35° and it got up to 41° a few weeks back. The biggest risk though is fire; they really need some rain. It could be very heavy when it comes so next big thing could be flooding, or power and food shortages, take your pick, prayers appreciated!

Last week we looked at the negative reaction of people when they have witnessed a great miracle – sometimes people can be exasperating, or should I say often! We need to remember a few things – 

1. We’re not fighting flesh and blood - The battle is a heavenly one and we need discernment to recognize what spirits are driving the suggestions that are presented to our world today.

2. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit - The importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit which protects us from the evil one and Jesus said it’s as easy as asking and receiving - Luke 11:13 - If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”)

3. Signs are a witness to repent and believe - Not to be obsessed with signs but to get on with what Christ called us to do.

4. The Resurrection is the greatest sign

Let’s move on to today’s passage which immediately follows the miracle and see how Jesus takes aim at the biggest stumbling blocks – the religious leaders and other smart people like the lawyers. I think it carries a warning for all of us.

Luke 11:33-36

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Jesus made the interesting statement that the light within can be darkness and that happens when our eye is bad. For the last 100 years we have had television and movies and of course recently we have the internet. Smartphones have been a tremendous resource, but there’s also been a lot of profiteering without consideration for the effect on the young. And just like all things invented by man, they have all be used for evil as well as good. Governments in Australia and the UK have woken up to the effect of social media on the young and they have banned it below a certain age which is a step back in the right direction. It has been too easy for young eyes to see truly evil things unfiltered; it poisons the mind. 

But a bad eye can mean something else. A bad eye looks at the world with envy, judgment, or greed, failing to see truth, beauty, or God's goodness. A bad eye could also then mean looking at the world skeptically or cynically. Let’s face it, as we get older, we do witness corruption, injustice, crime and our expectations of humanity tend to get lower. But it can get to the point where all we expect is the worst from people all the time. At this point, our eye has become bad.

When we are unable to see the good that is happening right in front of our eyes, we end up with a distorted view of the world. That seems to be more in context with the passage we are reading when if you remember last week, people were attributing the miracles of Jesus to Satan. Sadly, we learn to look at the world cynically as we get older through comedy, through stories, through life experience. But a child looks at things innocently and in innocence sees a beautiful world. 

You can see the light or darkness in a person’s eyes. But as Christians, we are lamp stands for the true light. People do notice us. So, it’s important that our light shines bright, especially in this darkness. They expect more of us than themselves! Is there hope for an older person like me?

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Yes, our minds can be renewed by reading scripture and by asking the Holy Spirit to create a clean heart within. It is up to us to keep our minds clean by being careful about what we watch or listen to and by catching ourselves when we fall into cynicism.

More than ever today, the Christian needs to look after their eyes, the way they look at the world!

Luke 11:37-42

And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

For us, it is normal to wash our hands before eating because we know now about germs. In that day it was done for ceremonial purposes, in other words just for show. But Jesus didn’t do anything just for show. At this time, he chose not to wash his hands, I suspect to bring out a teaching point. Spiritually, he was already clean. The Pharisees were all for keeping their rituals and traditions but had forgotten about the most important things of justice and the love of God. In many ways it’s so easy for us to fall into the same trap and get distracted by our different theological points of view and forget about love and justice and our main task of proclaiming the Gospel. Satan without a doubt loves a divided Church, as it renders it ineffective in reaching the people who Jesus died for.

You’ve heard it said hate the sin, love the sinner. One way we can do that today is to ask questions of people, to challenge their logic in the way that Charlie Kirk did, rather than pronounce judgment on people we’ve never met. We’ll still get accused of hatred and bigotry but thinking people may appreciate it.

Luke 11:43-44

Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them. ”

And sorry to say that the main reason for the way they were was their big egos. They loved the power, they loved their status, they loved worldly success, they loved being right. Is this all starting to sound a bit too familiar? Have we lost our compassion for a dying World, what are we doing about that?

Luke 11:45-48

Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.” And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.

They were able to see clearly the faults in others but were blind to the poverty of their own spiritual condition. There is none so blind as those who will not see.

Jeremiah 5:21

‘Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not:

This is a fair criticism that is thrown at religious people. We are prone to judging others without actually doing anything to help another’s circumstance that lead to their bad choices. But it doesn’t take much to expose one’s hypocrisy.

Luke 11:49-52

Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

We all tend to think we are good people; that’s part of our human condition. When someone turns the spotlight on us, it’s easy to get defensive. Sometimes I’m scrolling through my newsreel, and a Christian one comes up and I immediately scroll to the next one. Then I think to myself, why did I react like that, what’s wrong with me. Sometimes our own reactions do surprise us when we realise we’re not the good person we thought we were. The Pharisees and lawyers thought they were good people, but it wasn’t long before they were conspiring to kill the Son of God.

Jesus made the criticism that they had taken away the key of knowledge. It is one thing to know the law, it is another thing to understand the principles of justice, love and mercy behind it. The God that people saw through them was cold, judgmental and distant, one that they wanted nothing to do with. 

And perhaps even worse is they actively tried to stop people from following the Lord in criticising Jesus and his message. The real question for us today is, do we do that? Do we hinder others from believing the Gospel by our words or deeds? Let’s take a sober look at ourselves and repent of we need to. Lord, I’m sorry for anything I’ve said or done that has hindered another from believing the Gospel.

Luke 11:53-54

And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

It’s not an easy thing to have your life exposed in the light, there are plenty of faults we would prefer to keep hidden.

But if we catch ourselves reacting to a rebuke in the way the religious teachers and lawyers did, it’s time to realise we are the problem.

Keith Green sang a song called “Stained Glass”. Just like churches with stained glass windows, we’re here to let the colourful light in a darkened room and people should notice and appreciate the difference and ultimately see Jesus.

Luke 11:14-32

This week Brian Tamaki put out a tweet 

« Tonight we unleash the strike force from heaven... If your organisation or name is on Heaven’s Hitlist…you should repent or have the fear of God on you. »

He went on to name names, everyone in Government, the Police, the Judicial system, the media, all other religions, atheists and church leaders working against Destiny church.

He has forgotten one important thing that we have been studying this year in spiritual warfare - we are not fighting against flesh and blood. It’s pretty easy in this generation that we live in to get confused over who the enemy is because we see a world increasing in hostility towards God, embracing a future which excludes God altogether. Man is once more trying to build that tower that reaches to the heavens, what do you think is going to happen?

What Brian expressed rather badly I would say will happen when Jesus comes again and judges the nations. We think this is very soon now but until then we have to do the job of winning people into his Kingdom, of taking the approach that Jesus took which is difficult - to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick and to combat against the true enemy and that isn’t people who are blind to the truth and need to be shown the light. 

What we see is society reaching breaking point, the inevitable outcome of democracy without our true King Jesus.

Democracy for most people means the right to live their life how they choose. Freedom of choice is the catchphrase in everything – in daily living, life and death. The outcome is what we have today – everyone living to their own standards, not prepared to even consider the other point of view. History repeats. In the Old Testament, you can read the same thing in the Book of Judges and you’ll also see what the outcome of that was;

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Let’s go to our passage today from Luke 11:14-32 which follows on from Jesus’s teaching on prayer, so key in spiritual warfare that we looked at a few weeks ago.

Luke 11:14-16

And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.

Notice that there were 2 groups of people that were saying things that showed that they were resisting the good thing that was happening right before their eyes;

1. Those saying Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub (that is the Devil!)
2. Those who wanted another sign from heaven

These were the 2 groups that Jesus addressed in the passage that follows.

Firstly those who said Jesus was casting out demons by Satan;

Luke 11:17-23

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

That Jesus was casting out demons by God’s power and not Satan’s power should have been obvious. People were being completely healed. Right before their eyes, a mute could now speak. But rather than marvel and worship God, some were saying it was Satan, in other words, Satan deceiving men with counterfeit healings. Strangely the same type of accusations are being made today against the charismatic movement. But are the accusations correct? There is definitely a need to stand back and consider carefully what is going on.

Take for example, do you remember revival breaking out in Ashbury University in in the US on February 8, 2023, following a routine Wednesday morning chapel service. There were 16 continuous days of uninterrupted prayer, worship, and testimony and an estimated 50,000 visitors travelled from across the United States and internationally to the small campus. Rather than celebrate that a revival was happening, there were church leaders that came out and criticised the claim of revival effectively pouring cold water on the fire. Better to keep quiet than speak out against a work of the Holy Spirit.

It is a warning against sectarianism that Brian Tamaki would do well to heed. There are church leaders in all the denominations doing the work that Jesus has called them to do that may be different to the emphasis of his denomination. This is not about disregarding doctrine for the sake of unity, that is what the ecumenical movement does. We need to discuss doctrinal errors and arrive to the place the Spirit leads which is into all truth. It is sad that the Church is split today and reached the point where one church is condemning to judgment other churches. We are a house divided and it is little wonder that we are ineffective sending out contradictory messages.

Satan’s house is not divided. It may seem a curiosity that the LBGTQ community has been very outspoken in its support of Palestine when we know that gay people would be executed under a strict Islamic regime. I believe their unity is because the spirits of Islam and LBGTQ are actually on the same side. The spirits of Islam and LGBTQ are hostile to Christ and to all mankind ultimately and have the goal of taking both camps to Hell. Remember, we are not fighting against flesh and blood, against Muslim and Gay people who Jesus died for.

Surely, we can at least understand where someone is coming from even if we completely disagree when we remember who we are truly fighting against. It changes the approach altogether.

Luke 11:24-26

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Do you remember not long ago we talked about the time Jesus healed the man with a legion of demons inside him. It came right after the Jesus had calmed the storm on Galilee and ended with the disciples saying; « who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey him. »

At that point the disciples still did not understand that Jesus is the Son of God. In fact, it was the demoniac who was the first person recorded as recognising Jesus for who he is and what did he do?

Mark 5:6-7

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”

Even in the worst of conditions, a person is still able to respond to God. He was full of demons but the man worshipped Jesus. No one is unreachable for Christ, that’s what we always need to remember. One day everyone will bow down to Jesus, no matter their spiritual condition. New Zealand as a country once embraced Jesus, but if you throw out Jesus who is stronger than any evil principality and power, then you have a nation that can’t protect itself against even more wicked spirits that come in as well as the original one that comes back in.

That is the state of our nation today. We need Jesus to come and save us.

Could a demon return to a Christian after being cast out? I have always thought “no” because the Holy Spirit is living inside them. That is what most denominations teach. But does that contradict what Jesus taught in today’s passage. Let’s dig a bit deeper. Firstly, remember;

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The enemy is on the look out for anyone even weak believers. That is why Peter taught to us to be sober, to be vigilant and to resist him. He certainly had the experience of dealing with demons as did Paul. Paul taught us to put on the armour of God and to pray in the Spirit, that is the key. Having the Holy Spirit dwelling within. Then we are safe.

In our passage today, Jesus is specifically warning believers that simply cleaning up one's life or stopping bad habits is not enough. Moral reformation without Christ is empty space. If a person empties themselves of sin ("sweeps the house") but fails to actively fill that spiritual void with the presence of God and the Holy Spirit, they remain vulnerable to a worse spiritual collapse. A cleansed life must be occupied and guarded by active faith, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit. You cannot remain neutral in the spiritual realm; failing to surrender to Christ leaves room for old habits and influences to return with greater force.

Luke 11:27-28

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

This woman, in contrast to the critics, and seemingly in his defence, recognised that what Jesus was saying and doing was of God and she bravely cries out her support in the face of the opposition from the religious teachers and other critics. This was not an easy thing to do in such a patriarchal society against so-called educated men of high standing. It was extremely brave. Jesus's response was so humble. He said that anyone who heard the Word of God and did it was just as blessed as Him. You don’t have to be a superstar for Jesus. Faithfully doing what he says, whether in the face of opposition or without recognition is blessed. Those are the ones who are in the family of God, the ones who gather with him and do not scatter. Bless the Lord !

Luke 11:29-32

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

The signs are given so that we will believe. I bet all of us here today could testify that we have witnessed or experienced a healing at some point in our life. But miracles don’t guarantee that people will truly believe. The crowd had seen Jesus heal the mute, but they still wanted a sign! 

Just ONE miracle should be enough to bring a person to repentance and into a relationship with Jesus. To understand that Jesus really did rise from the dead, is the greatest sign of all and if you believe that, you are truly blessed.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray for miracles, because everyone at some point needs a miracle. What I’m saying is, don’t keep chasing miracles, thinking that unless someone sees a miracle, they won’t believe. He has already performed the greatest miracle of all by rising from the dead. Wanting another miracle can become just an excuse for not doing what Jesus has asked us to do. Just get on with proclaiming the resurrection, you’ll see other miracles alright.

John affirmed that we have enough to believe when he said.

John 21:24-25 

This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Let’s pray. 

Lord, you know us only too well. It is too easy for us to put off what you are asking us to do because of unbelief or wanting another sign. Help us all to embrace the work you are doing in the world today and please fill each one of us with the Holy Spirit so that we may be protected from the Evil One. Amen.

Luke 11:1-13

We recently finished our first study on Spiritual Warfare from Ephesians 6, teaching that we need to be armed and ready for battle every day as Christians. We also realised that all the weapons are quite loving, humble and kind towards humanity but are hostile to our true enemy who is the opposite of all of them.

Quite a while ago now we did a 2 part study on 2 secret weapons that the Christian has available to them. Fasting and Prayer. Both of these weapons rely humbly on God, in fact Jesus specifically instructed us to keep them from others.

Matthew 6:5-6

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

What could be less threatening to people than prayer offered to God in a secret place? Did you hear about the woman who was arrested for praying silently outside an abortion clinic in the UK? The hostility towards her did not come from a human source let me tell you.

Similarly, with fasting, Jesus said;

Matthew 6:16-18

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Jesus specifically instructed us not to let people know when we are fasting, once again it in no way threatens people, however it provokes hostility from the enemy. Big things happen in the spiritual realm when we fast - it is one of the ways God approves for connecting the physical and spiritual realms. This week we are going to look at the secret weapon of prayer. If there’s one area of the Christian life I’ve personally struggled to be disciplined in, it’s prayer. And yet prayer is of the utmost importance. Isn't it interesting that Jesus emphasised the secret to prayer is secrecy? We think that prayer effectiveness is proportional to the number of people present but Jesus says the only people that need to be present at a prayer meeting are you and God. We are not seeking the attention of people, only God. God is the one who moves mountains. Fasting and Prayer combined are an explosive combination and we are living in a time where we need to push back the darkness like never before. This is not Mortal Kombat, this is the real thing! This is the time to get serious and engage with the real enemy. The way Jesus prayed was something that impacted the disciples. They could see that Jesus’s prayers were powerful and probably like you and me felt lacking in their own prayers. How much we could change the world, if we could pray like Jesus.

Luke 11:1-4

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you pray, say: 

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us day by day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. 

And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

The recent experience being tempted by the Devil was fresh in Jesus's mind and you can hear that in the prayer. Remember the 3 temptations Jesus faced and his responses to each one;

1. To turn stones to bread ("Give us this day our daily bread") 
2. To throw himself from the temple so the angels would save him ("Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil") 
3. To receive all the kingdoms of the world if he would worship the Devil ("Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven") 

No wonder then, having experienced the most difficult life and death struggle himself, Jesus taught his disciples to pray "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil".

In essence the Lord’s Prayer is one for Spiritual Warfare. 

When Jesus began his ministry, the fight really began. In the same way, while we are sitting comfortably, the Devil will gently rock our chairs. But once we determine to take the Gospel to the World, we experience the same opposition that Jesus faced. Soon after Jesus started his ministry, John the Baptist was arrested and put in prison. What a great discouragement it would have been to Jesus. Don't be surprised at an immediate attack! So Jesus with strength and courage, takes up the work of John and goes out proclaiming John’s message “Turn from sin and turn to God for the Kingdom of Heaven is near”. And at the same time he begins healing every kind of sickness including demonic possession. This isn’t Jesus just being nice. He is rolling back the Darkness, chasing the Devil out of town. Taking the land back for God. We can't do that without engaging in Spiritual Warfare. We need to fast and pray.

This Spiritual Warfare continued all the way to the Cross at Calvary. 

As with fasting, prayer needs to be from the heart to be effective. If we don't feel it emotionally then it will most likely be less effective. You know that family member or friend who is living their life apart from God and it's breaking your heart? You are afraid for them, you have cried many times for them. Keep letting Jesus know about those ones in prayer, it's not for nothing they are on your heart. Don't give up on them! The Lord once clearly told me to share the Gospel with my colleague who was leaving that day to return overseas and who I thought I would never see again. Maybe I'll never see the final result but the Lord has promised that his Word does not return void.

Everything Jesus said in the Lord's Prayer is a foundation, a guide for effective prayer. Jesus wasn't giving a magic formula nor giving the details of what to pray in every situation faced. Instead he sets the foundation blocks like the good builder he is.

Let’s look at the Lord’s Prayer line by line. 

The first part of the prayer is about our relationship with God and who He is. Quite often we start off our prayers with what we want forgetting that the most important thing to God is our relationship with Him.

Let’s Pray Together;

Our Father - he's our Dad, he loves us. He's a good Father. He wants us to grow up and be successful in life, in our relationships, in our character. To do our best. to avoid foolishness and evil. He wants us to be wise, strong, beautiful and popular for all the right reasons. He wants us to fulfill our potential, to be healthy, blessed, fulfilled in our dreams but to do more than we could ever dream of. To have a good reputation. To leave behind goodness and a legacy to be proud of. To be courageous and stand up for what's right. To be faithful and true. To be hardworking, to have a strong foundation for the storms of life. To be filled with joy and to always have love. But if we're not on track for all of that we can expect some "correction" from Dad. Because he loves us!

in Heaven - He's the Rock, a strong and mighty tower. A safe refuge. Heaven, that place where there is only peace and beauty and goodness and no evil. He is not susceptible to the troubles of the World, he can see everything clearly and he knows what we are facing, what we should do and where we should go. He is ruling over everything, every evil principality and power and every situation we are in. And he has untold number of angels at his command to protect us and guide us. A NZ citizen can appeal to the Privy Council if they face an injustice but we are heavenly citizens and we can appeal to the highest Authority there is but more than that, we are the kids of the King!

Hallowed be your Name - Let the mention of your name bring a hush. The demons are afraid of the name of Jesus. May everyone shut their mouths and stand in awe of you. When people look at us, let them be reminded who we represent. Don't let people use your name like a curse word, let them realise who you are.

Your Kingdom come - Your Kingdom come whether we are ready or not. May your power be demonstrated to the World so that nobody can deny you. When your Kingdom comes, people are going to tremble and fall to their knees and on their faces but let it be so! Let the earth shake. Do your healing and miracles so that the people will discover you are real. 

Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven - Down here people follow all kinds of different rules and philosophies. Some follow a strict religion. Some just live by the "golden rule". Some people do whatever they like as long it doesn't hurt anyone else. Some do what they whatever want and don't care for how it affects everyone else! Some "Just Do It". Some are just looking after No.1. And down here there is one big mess! No-one has it all together, we're all a bit screwed up. But you are the Way, the Truth and the Life. You made us and you know what's best for us. If only we could do what you want and not what we want. Then we would have Heaven and not Hell on Earth.

Then after getting our priorities in prayer straight we can move on to what we need!

Give us day by day our Daily Bread - The Lord's Prayer is for the morning, asking provision for the day ahead. It is looking forward not backwards. This verse has a direct connection to the first temptation Jesus faced in the desert. We trust that God will provide even in the leanest of times because he is Jehovah Jireh. There is also more to life than our physical needs. We don't live by bread alone but by obedience to God's Word, doing his will on Earth as it is in Heaven. Doing God’s will satisfies us.

And forgive us our sins - Only the person who is owed the debt can forgive us. Jesus knew the day we were saved, it wouldn't be the last time we sinned so it's in his prayer! So many debts! Now God is our Father so we're not talking about things particularly. God doesn't give us something for a favour. He gives out of love. But there is a kind of debt in love. A feeling that you need to repay love with love. Because if we just take, take, take the giver can begin to feel they are being taken for granted. Those are the debts we have to God our Father and we can never repay them. Do we realise how much we owe Jesus for what he gave to us? That is our greatest debt.

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us - The people who owe us something! Those debts we find a bit easier to remember don't we! We gave them something and they never gave it back. Or we did something for them and they never even thanked us for it. They took us for granted. Or they hurt us. Now we're holding a grudge and we don't like them and are angry with them. We need to forgive them that debt. We need to let it go. We can, if we remember that God has forgiven us a much greater debt!

The year of Jubilee was the year all debts were forgiven. It came once every 50 years! We’re not too old to forgive what happened long ago. And with Jubilee came a promise of a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy.

Isaiah 61:7

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

In one of his parables, Jesus tells the story of the dishonest accountant who knew he was about to lose his job. So he goes around tearing up the contracts between his employer and his customers, writing down the debts in order to win some friends for when he is unemployed. Cancelling someone's debt can be the smart thing to do!

And do not lead us into temptation - As we saw last week, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan. But Jesus encourages us to pray not to be tempted. Knowing our frailty, that is a very good thing for us to pray! Is there any weakness we have, any place we should avoid so we don't get tempted to do evil? When we are engaged in Spiritual Warfare, one of Satan's key weapons is temptation. Jesus is encouraging us to pray against Satan's weapon, to neutralise it. We need to anticipate when he is going to use it before we are in the heat of a battle!

But deliver us from the Evil One - Not just on a personal level, but our Nation, our World. We are unable to escape on our own from the grip of the Evil One. If we are trapped in our sin, the Lord is able to deliver us, Jesus paid the price for every sin to set us free. If we are in an evil situation through no fault of our own as were the Israelites in slavery in Egypt we can cry out as they did to the Lord to deliver us. He sent Moses and delivered them with many miracles and he can do the same for us through Jesus. We can be delivered from any evil principality and power if we will cry out in prayer!

The Lord’s Prayer is not a one-time sinners prayer that saves us. It is something that can be prayed every day. Speak out the Lord's Prayer and what each line means to you at this moment in your life.

The final words Jesus speaks on prayer are ones of encouragement. Firstly, to persevere.

Luke 11:5-8

And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. “

It was often said at my old workplace that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Not the one who deserved it the most, who was first in the queue, who was the most loyal customer, but the one who made the most noise. It’s funny to think of us being like that with God, if we cry a bit, go around with a pout on our face, repeatedly asking like an annoying kid that God would listen to us. But the ones who got Jesus’s attention were often the ones who made the most noise. Think of blind Bartimaeus shouting out « Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! » so much noise did he make that people in the crowd told him to be quiet. Modern life has taught us to give up too easily. Companies count on us not bothering with the hoops we have to jump through, they make money out of their processes being a pain. They prefer people to give up and go away. God is not really like that, but what Jesus is saying is that he does respond to perseverance. 



Jesus taught what God is really like in the following verses.

Luke 11:9-13

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

These verses are about perseverance as well. Asking, seeking, knocking involve perseverance but Jesus gives us an insight. God is our Father, he wants to give us good things. A lot of people have trouble believing that God is really for us. And others are seeking the gift and not the giver, they just want material things. But we see here that above all, the gift God wants to give us is the Holy Spirit. And if we think of the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, what else is there worth having?

Amen.

Luke 10:25-42

Good morning from another hot day in London.

Last Saturday 4th July, we were at Sean and Hannah’s wedding at Westminster Chapel and what an amazing surreal day it was. The chapel is very near to Westminster Abbey used for Royal weddings. The wedding had a strong Christian message of building their marriage on Jesus, that was a great memory of the day and especially to see those from Papatoetoe and PCC Youth who had come halfway around the World. For me personally, it was like life going full circle, joining the dots.

The reception was at Westminster school right next to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament in fact. The dinner and speeches were held in the school hall and all around the walls were the names of very famous past students going back hundreds of years like Charles Wesley and Christopher Wren. But amongst all the famous names on the wall, what caught my attention were 2 murals of Ancient Greece and I looked at them and saw how sophisticated that civilization was with its colosseums and temples, baths and impressive buildings. At the British Museum not too far away you can see amazing artefacts from all the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome and what is striking is that they are all gone, not quite to dust but far from what they were. I reflected on Jesus’s words of the 2 houses, one built on sand, the other on rock and on the scripture which says; unless the Lord builds the house, the builders work is in vain, and I wondered the fate of today’s society with its brilliant ideas and inventions but all done without any reference to God and the Eternal. Man is searching for the eternal but it remains elusive.

But the Bible says that it is God who has put eternity in our hearts, we are made for something much greater.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Elon Musk and others are seeking to become transhumanist, so that mankind will be part flesh and blood, part machine and ultimately live forever. The goal is to get rid of aging, disease, and natural human limits. Supporters believe people can evolve into a "posthuman" species with near-godlike abilities. This will prove to be a great deception and will crumble to dust just like all the other civilisations. That path is completely hostile to God, it is simply man trying to save himself again through science instead of religion.

With eternity in mind, let’s turn to today’s passage from Luke 10:25-42.

Luke 10:25-29

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? ” So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

This lawyer had a sense of something more. He knew the law and he was trying to live it. He was what people call a good person. But it wasn’t satisfying him, there was something missing that he hadn’t found yet, he knew he didn’t possess eternal life. You can see that in man made religions such as Islam and Freemasonry. The people do good works, they pray, they follow their code carefully yet they cannot have assurance of eternal life because it is based on what they do and you can never do enough. 

What Jesus said to the lawyer exposed something else, a dark truth that we don’t want to admit. How we see ourselves may not be the truth about who we really are. What the Lord thinks about us is what ultimately matters. Even though the lawyer did good things, what was truly in his heart? What was he like when no one was watching? Did he truly love God and have mercy and compassion for his neighbours or was his religion really just about what he would get out of it?

Luke 10:30-35

Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’

Is there anyone here today who would have done what the Samaritan did for his enemy? Walking around the streets of the big cities like London or even Auckland, you might not ever come upon someone who has been beaten up and robbed but you will see plenty of homeless. It is very confronting, and it is easy to do what the priest and the Levite did and walk on by. Now and then I might do something to help but it’s not much, certainly not in comparison to the Samaritan who at great expense and inconvenience genuinely and in an extraordinary way helped the man. Last year, a man in Sydney helped my nephew in a very similar way and I’m very thankful for his act of extraordinary kindness but such acts are extremely rare in my experience. This story convicts me when I hold my life up to the Samaritan’s standard and that is what Jesus is really saying reading between the lines. Is there anyone who loves their neighbour like that, let alone an enemy, let alone God who isn’t even mentioned in this story about human compassion.

Jesus asked the lawyer one of those questions to which there’s only one reply;

Luke 10:36-37

So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

God’s law is written on our hearts. Even if we strictly follow the law, it’s what’s in the heart that counts. That is the point of the Sermon on the Mount. External appearances don’t matter to God. Jesus will say to many in that day he never knew them. He will say it to people who were doing the works of God but in reality this was not done from a heart of mercy and compassion for others. It had nothing to do with relationship, it was to gain something for themselves. 

The lawyer was right to say the whole of the law is to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and to love our neighbour as ourself, to treat others as we would want to be treated but he wasn’t able to live up to it.

The story of the Good Samaritan ends left the lawyer with something to think about but not only him, each one of us. The next part of the passage speaks a bit more about this and really is directed at believers if we still think we’re off the hook.

Luke 10:38-42

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Mary and Martha are important characters in the New Testament and John gives us a bit more information in the story of the resurrection of Lazarus.

John 11:1-2 says

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

Mary and Martha were from Bethany which is not far from Jerusalem. Mary is not likely to be Mary Magdalene because Mary Magdalene, the one who had seven evil spirits cast out of her by Jesus was from Magdala on Galilee.

That’s just by the way. The importance of this passage is about getting our priorities right, making sure we maintain relationship with Jesus and with others above else.

It is so easy as Christians to get caught up in doing things for the Lord and forget the most important thing which is to find the time to listen to Jesus. It is because we often fail to recognise the most important thing in any moment. We make our plans, they are good plans and we work hard towards them but if anything else comes up, it may feel like a distraction and we can easily carry on without considering whether to reprioritise. That is what the priest and the Levite did. They had their priorities for the day and an injured Samaritan was not one of them so they walked on by. I can relate to this, maybe you can too. But when Jesus turned up at Mary and Martha’s house, Mary recognised that the housework was not the most important thing. She was able to change priorities because she was able to recognise that the guest in the house was the new focus for the day. 

That doesn’t mean dropping everything the moment something else turns up. But it does mean being able to judge the most important thing and being prepared to sacrifice your own plans for the day.

What was more important in the story of the Good Samaritan; the religious duties for the day or a badly injured man.

What was more important in the story of Mary and Martha; The housework or the esteemed guest who they loved who had arrived.

Psalm 127:1

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

Lord it is so easy to have fixed plans and hard to change but we want you to be our priority and to correctly judge the most important thing and do whatever that thing is. Our plans, even the civilisation we live in today will sink in the sand but we want to build our lives on you, the Rock. Amen.

Luke 9 v 57-62

Bonjour. thanks for your prayers last week, we “happened to” meet a man who was able to advise us concerning our residency status. It’s been all go since we arrived. This week I went to an annual meeting of the apartment owners, a new president was elected, they seem nice and we discussed upcoming maintenance needed amongst other topics. But the main thing which I’m sure if you have watched the news this week you will have heard of, are the record temperatures we are currently experiencing in France. Here in Vannes, we can confirm it was just as hot as you can see from this screenshot from my phone earlier in the week. I found myself singing the theme tune to « It ain’t ‘alf hot mum » and visions of the sergeant Windsor Davies coming to mind. Most French don’t have air-conditioning, it’s kind of looked down on, so everyone suffers together. You can at least escape the high temperatures at the shops and at the local beach which is a 20 min ride on the bus. But for those shops that don’t have air-conditioning, it’s not a surprise to find the shop closed for the day. The mayor of the town who we really like, announced that the schools were closing and a ban on alcohol at public events to help the rescue services. All these kind of things, which are every day issues really are of course more of a challenge in a foreign language country and I found myself thinking this is all too hard, it would be much easier just having our life in New Zealand. So this week’s reading was an encouragement to me and hopefully to you as well.

Luke 9:57-62 

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Here in France where our apartment is so basic and in the process of renovation, and being a stranger in a foreign country, I do miss my home in New Zealand and or is easy to look back. But then I remembered that God’s call doesn’t change, and sometimes we just have to persevere on the journey he has put us on. As I thought about this and the passage from Luke today, I was reminded of Ruth. And when I went for my devotion the following morning, the page was opened at Ruth chapter one, I even asked Mhairi if she’d been reading Ruth but she said no. so that acted as an indication to pursue the story. Naomi and her husband and family were living in Bethlehem and when a famine came they made a decision to move to Moab to start life anew. Things went wrong fairly quickly when the husband died, but life carried on, the two sons got married to local Moab girls and they just fit in with a new way of life and things were normal for 10 years. But then real tragedy hit the family when the 2 sons also died leaving just Naomi and her two daughter-in-laws Ruth and Orpah, though no children are mentioned even after the 10 years. Without any men to earn a living, it was extremely difficult economically and a decision had to be made. Naomi decided to return home to Bethlehem where the Lord was moving and providing bread for his people. Naomi told her two daughter-in-laws to go back to their Moabite families even though it was heartbreaking say goodbye after a life of 10 years together as family. Orpah finally made the decision it was best to go home but that’s when Ruth made her famous statement…

Ruth 1:16

But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.

Ruth’s decision was not made based on economics or convenience. It was solely based on wanting to maintain her relationship with Naomi and no doubt all the Jewish beliefs and customs she had gotten used to. Ruth was prepared to go through any personal hardship necessary to maintain her relationship with Naomi even if it meant leaving her home in Moab.Maybe you can just relate to what it’s like to not have a home. A home is usually thought of as a physical address but not everyone has their own home or even a place to live. Where would you call home, the place where you most love to be? Because you can have a physical address and still not feel at home. I have never been without a place to live but I have been in places in my life when I have not always felt at home. A home is where your family are. Our true home is with God, he wants to welcome you into his house, but sadly many people reject that for the comfort and convenience the World offers. It is just a temporary illusion, a mirage in the desert ! I want my home to be wherever Jesus is. I want to forsake the comfort and convenience of this World if that is necessary to be where Jesus is, just as Ruth did to be with Naomi. That’s what Jesus’s call is all about and reflected in that old hymn 

All to Jesus I surrender,

Humbly at His feet I bow,

Worldly pleasures all forsaken;

Take me, Jesus, take me now. 

Jesus is where our real home is, not any place here on Earth.

John 14:2-6

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus is the only way to a home in Heaven, there is no other way. Of all the messages Jesus gave, this is and the need for him to pay for our sins are the ones the World rejects. The World does not have much of a problem with much else Jesus said or did.

Let’s read today’s passage again a bit more slowly;

Luke 9:57-62 

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 

A few people looking on, see the appeal of Christ but finally don’t accept the lack of earthly comforts that may come with following Christ closely. Following Jesus does not bring with it the guarantee of financial success that prosperity preachers would have you believe.

Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” 

Following Jesus can also mean at times forsaking societal norms and protocol. If Jesus has called you to some task, that is your priority. Bear in mind that Jesus knows what’s going on in your life and he already knows the predicament you may face when a situation contradicts something he has asked you to do. We should be discerning on this point because for example, God also asks us to honour our parents, it’s just if the situation is an excuse for not doing what God has asked us to do. It’s a question of priorities.

And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Sometimes when Jesus calls someone, they think to themselves, there’s plenty of time, I’ll just do this or that first. But you don’t know if you have time, you may not. This may be the only opportunity you have in your life.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Sometime in your life did you hear a call from God to leave your home and security and follow him? It may have been at Church or it may have been in some tough moment in your life. Is the Lord calling you TODAY?

Luke 9 v 37-56

Bonjour from Vannes in Brittany, France. We arrived last Friday, travel went well with Malaysian Airlines, luggage arrived, the flat was in good order, the internet and mobiles worked, and the Summer is here! It should be a bit more comfortable than last year now that we have a proper kitchen and completed a lot of maintenance since last time, including replacing the hot water cylinder. Our body clocks are still adjusting to the new time zone so please excuse the brief sermon this week. You might think that’s a good thing anyway! Now that we have finished our 101 series on Spiritual Warfare, let’s return to Luke with eyes open to the extent of spiritual warfare going on and how Jesus dealt with each situation.

Luke 9:37-42

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Jesus' response seems to be directed at the disciples suggesting it was a lack of faith on their part that prevented them from casting out the demon, he even called them perverse! According to Matthew's account of this same incident (Matthew 17:14-21), the disciples later asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast out the demon and he told them that for that type of demon, they needed preparatory prayer and fasting to drive it out. As we learned in our 101 series, do not engage in spiritual warfare if you are unprepared! Jesus makes mention of an extra weapon to the armour of God found in Ephesians 6. Fasting is required in some cases because some demons are powerful. I remember when we were young going on a mission trip to Fiji with Every Home Crusade. One of the Fijian guys told us the importance of fasting to him before going out evangelizing. Jesus has authority over all, so he was able to cast out the unclean spirit, but we know from his time battling Satan in the desert that he was accustomed to fasting and I’m sure that’s why he mentioned it.

Luke 9:43-45

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.

Having watched him take control of such a difficult situation and overcome a powerful demon, and at another time a Legion of demons all at once, the disciples did not understand when Jesus told them he was about to be betrayed into the hands of men. Surely if he can defeat demons that easily, he wouldn’t have any problem with mere mortals? But they were too afraid to ask him that question, he had already called them faithless and perverse. No doubt they had other questions they wanted to ask him but didn’t want to display their ignorance so they left the question unanswered. However, sometimes we have to humble ourselves and this was a question about their understanding of the Messiah and what he would do, and I don’t think we should ever be afraid to ask the Lord such a question as that. It’s not wrong to ask the Lord a question! But sometimes he’s going to give us an answer that humbles us. At other times though, we just have to put our doubts aside and simply trust him.

Luke 9:46-48

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

The Kingdom of God is upside down compared to this world. Here on Earth, people contest for higher status, a better house, a better job, sadly even a better partner, one with better looks, more money, a higher social status. When we think of the GOAT’s in sport, we think of the ones who won the most championships, scored the most goals and so on. That’s how the disciples were thinking when they argued about who was the greatest. Their argument may even have had a spiritual twist to it. Who had won the most souls, who had cast out the most demons, who would get the most rewards in Heaven. But Jesus told them that the least would be the greatest, the one most like a little child. A child doesn’t naturally worry about performance or status but just loves people for who they are, loves and trusts their Mum and Dad and goes where the family goes. Those early days of our innocence should hold the best of memories for everyone, woe to anyone who ruins that for a child. How we treat the least is a test of our true character. We can learn something important from anyone, but we should pay special attention to the ones the World considers the least because they don’t contribute economically, the kids, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the ones with low paying jobs, the elderly in rest homes all fall into this category. They are often the least in our society, but they are not overlooked by the Lord. Jesus affirmed in the Sermon on the Mount that the least are the ones who are blessed.

Matthew 5:3-10

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 9:49-50

Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

We can spend a lot of time criticising other Christians, can’t we? We tend to think we’re right about everything, I’m guilty of that as much as anyone. We are supposed to keep an eye out for false teachers, false doctrine, that’s important. But we must be careful that doesn’t cross over into sectarianism, where we believe only our group is right as the disciples were doing here. That’s a mark of a cult. If someone is doing the work of God, and here it was casting out demons, let’s remember they are on our side, and think twice before opening our mouths to criticize. I’m looking at myself in the mirror here!

Luke 9:51-56

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. ” And they went to another village.

James and John were next level, weren’t they? They wanted revengeful judgment on those who rejected the Gospel. Unfortunately, the church today is seen to be a little like James and John in harshly judging others. But Jesus told them to move on, his purpose is to save people not destroy them. God alone will judge people in the end, and he gives them Grace to repent in the meantime because he is not willing that anyone should perish. God is long suffering and merciful and so do we need to be and aren’t we relieved about that when all is said and done?

Let’s pray.

Father, help us as we do battle for you to remember you are a God of mercy as well as justice. Help us to be like children in how we present your message to others.

Help us to recognise the real enemy and to be prepared whenever we have to face him.

Amen.

Spiritual Warfare 101 - The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit

Today we’ll wrap up our teaching on Spiritual Warfare after which we shall be better equipped for these times especially as the battle intensifies leading up to Jesus’s return.

Yesterday was D-Day, the moment in World War II when the allies landed on the beach in Normandy. Code-named Operation Overlord, the massive assault successfully breached Nazi Germany’s "Atlantic Wall" defenses, ultimately paving the way for the liberation of Western Europe.

Similar, at the Cross, Jesus defeated Satan, liberating us believers but now the Church has been given the mission to go out and take the World for Christ, making disciples of all nations, to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

But this talk of war can get confused with earthly wars that have been going on for time immemorial and Hollywood movies where the allied and enemy soldiers are killed and blood is shed.

The Bible says;

1 Peter 5:8-9

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

We are not to run away from our enemy but to face him head on and this may initially seem a daunting prospect.

Ephesians 6:10-13

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Once you become a Christian your enemy changes from being God to being Satan and you enter a cosmic war. When you’re not a Christian, the Devil won’t bother you too often until such point that you are on Death’s Door. He is quite happy for a nonbeliever to be at ease and think he doesn’t exist.

The Bible is a soldier’s manual and provides insight into the Cosmic War we are fighting in every one of us individually and as a Church.

Spiritual Warfare 101 begins with putting on all the parts of the armour of God before we find ourselves at the front line in hand to hand combat with the enemy.

Ephesians 6:14-18

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Carefully notice that the weapons underlined are actually humble and loving in nature. They are harmless to flesh and blood but they stand in opposition to our true enemy who is the opposite in nature to all of them.

Last week we understood the shoes of the Gospel of Peace means that we need to be ready at all times to share the Gospel in an effective way, balancing words of sin and judgement with the overall message of the offer of peace with God through faith in his Son in a manner like Ray Comfort uses. We can do this by our testimony and by knowing some key scriptures but we have to take the time to prepare so that when the opportunity arises, and it will, we are fully ready.

In addition to the shoes of the Gospel of Peace, it says above all take the Shield of Faith. This affirms faith is a priority as the Bible says.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Faith is not only central to our salvation; it is our shield in day to day living and fighting in the war against the Devil. 

Our faith is in God; he is the object of our faith. We can have disappointments, but we know we are on the winning side, we are going to be with him forever.

The Devil tries to attack us when we’re suffering, that’s when we need the Shield of Faith the most. Faith works in tandem with the first weapon we’ll look at today.

The Helmet of Salvation

The helmet of salvation protects the mind (just like the breastplate of righteousness protects the heart). 

Helmets are required by law when riding a bike or motorcycle in New Zealand. If people didn’t wear them, our road toll would be a lot higher because if you come off a bike at speed, you’re likely to break your head. When someone gets wounded in the head, it makes it very difficult to use the other parts of the equipment effectively.

You wouldn’t go on a building site without your safety helmet. To be a minister of Jesus, you must wear your hard hat, the helmet of salvation.

If we become prey to depression, mistrust of others, or believe that we are less capable than others, or maybe even are not saved, it will make us less effective and sometimes stop us altogether. This is a problem in the mind and why we need the helmet of salvation for protection.

When you go into Spiritual Warfare you are going to enter into a battle for the Human mind. We have so many mental health issues in New Zealand, our suicide rate is the highest in the world for adolescents, that’s a shocking statistic for such a beautiful country and more evidence of the foothold the Devil has gained here. But we have the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ who read from Isaiah when his ministry first began.

Isaiah 61:1-3

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Ever been in a place where there’s a spirit of heaviness? Everything seems too hard, expectations are low, a gloomy tiredness descends.

That’s when we need protection on our head. What is the helmet of salvation? 

1 Thessalonians 5:8

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

The protection of the mind is hope. The protection of the heart is faith.

Hope is a quiet steady expectation of good based on the promises of God’s Word. 

When we face depressing thoughts, we need to reject them by remembering our hope. This is what the young people of New Zealand need to hear today, scriptures of hope like;

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

In this struggle, we need to protect our minds with the helmet of salvation or we can easily become depressed ourselves by what we may encounter. Our hope is sure and steadfast whatever difficulty we may encounter.

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

More than conquerors means we come out of the battle with more than we went in.

Isaiah 54:17

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.

That we cannot lose is something to remember when we’re in the heat of a spiritual battle! His promises are 100% reliable.

Hebrews 6:17-20

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

People of the World have put their hope in temporary things like their possessions, their jobs, their bank accounts, their pension plans and in other people.

But we have our hope in 2 immutable things;

1. It is impossible for God to lie

2. Jesus is our High Priest forever

Our hope is in the eternal. The only security in this world is the hope found in Christ. 

Being an optimist protects our mind. Having God’s Word stored in our hearts gives us the wisdom we need to outmaneuver the Devil.

2 Timothy 3:14-15

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The helmet of salvation is wisdom, and the good news is that if you think you’re not wise, it is just a prayer away!

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Most of us will need to pray for wisdom because Satan has won some ground in battling for the minds of people and has them accepting certain things like;

1. Social justice (rather than biblical justice)

2. Love is love

3. Evolution 

4. Hell and the Devil don’t exist or alternatively, all Roads lead to Heaven.

Are there others you can think of? Every one of these can be deconstructed with the different weapons in our spiritual armour.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Out of all the pieces of armour, there is one weapon of attack and is the one thing that drives the Devil back.

The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

In the desert, Jesus was tempted by Satan and every time Jesus answered « It is written ».

Satan never questioned the authority of scripture because Jesus was able to stand firm on it.

In the Garden of Eden, although Eve remembered the word that God had said, she didn’t know it well enough, adding to it and was not able to ward off Satan. We need to not only remember it but believe it and stand firm on it which Eve didn’t do but Jesus did. 

This is why we all need to memorise scripture and get used to applying it when Satan attacks us.

Every temptation was an invitation to doubt using the word « if ».

Satan knows Scripture but he misapplies it. Watch out for people who misapply scripture.

Jesus didn’t use reason; he didn’t rely on a bachelor's degree. He used scripture every time. We have to take the Sword, and the Holy Spirit will direct us when and how to use it.

Never give up and walk away in a battle with the devil. if you do that, he will get you from behind where the armour of God doesn’t protect. 

In the Body, we do have people who will protect our back. Let’s not be a person who would stab another Christian in the back.

We will revisit this topic in the future. There is homework in the meantime!

You will need to write your testimony and learn some scriptures, so you are prepared

Part 2 we’ll do on groups with some real-life examples. 

And Part 3, well that sounds like a project to me !

Through this Spiritual Warfare series I have learned of how we are to use the armour and my thinking of what that means in practical application has changed. Truth, righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God are not weapons like in war movies where people get shot to bits and blood is everywhere. Our weapons are not against people but they stand in opposition against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

Finally, a passage from Philippians, which is like a prayer;

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Spiritual Warfare 101 - Shoes of the Gospel of Peace and the Shield of Faith

We’ve been studying the Gospel of Luke and and got as far as Luke 9 when Jesus sends his 12 disciples out to preach the Good News of the Kingdom, heal the sick and cast out demons and realising that as disciples of Jesus too, we will engage in Spiritual Warfare at times in our lives and there is a need for us to be better equipped for these times especially as the battle intensifies leading up to Jesus’s return.

When we look at the things that open doorways to demons, we can easily see that in New Zealand, as in many countries that have abandoned their Christian foundations, we have allowed the Devil in and once again we are in the position of having to suffer to win back lost ground that our forefathers gained.

The Bible says;

1 Peter 5:8-9

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Why are we having to fight Satan if he is a defeated foe? 

Yes, Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross. However, it is our responsibility in our generation to demonstrate and administer the victory of Jesus (The Great Commission). This is what Paul instructed the Church so clearly.

Ephesians 6:10-13

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

When you become a Christian your enemy changes from being God to being Satan and you enter a cosmic war. When you’re not a Christian, the Devil won’t bother you too often until such point that you are on Death’s Door. He is quite happy for a nonbeliever to be at ease and think he doesn’t exist.

The Bible is a soldier’s manual and provides insight into the Cosmic War we are fighting in every one of us individually and as a Church.

Spiritual Warfare 101 begins with putting on all the parts of the armour of God before we find ourselves at the front line in hand to hand combat with the enemy.

Ephesians 6:14-18

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

I underlined the weapons and point out again that they actually humble and loving in nature. They are harmless to flesh and blood but they stand in opposition to our true enemy who is the opposite in nature to all of them. Can you think of a word to describe the Devil that is the opposite of each of the underlined words? 

Last week we understood we need the weapon of truth against that liar and how Christ’s righteousness protects our heart against Satan’s weapon of guilt by freeing us from the condemnation of the Law.

Let’s continue on to the next two pieces of armour the shoes of the Gospel of Peace and the Shield of Faith. 

Ephesians 6:15-16

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Roman soldier’s were instructed to sleep with their shoes on. If you were awakened in the night because the enemy was attacking, the last thing you needed was to spend 10 minutes fluffing around in the dark finding your shoes and putting them on. The shoes also had spikes on them so that a soldier wouldn’t slip in combat. 

In order to bring the gospel of peace we need to be ready at all times to share the Gospel in an effective way. We can do this by our testimony and by knowing some key scriptures but we have to take the time to prepare so that when the opportunity arises, and it will, we are fully ready.

Peter said to be ready to provide a reason for why you believe as you do.

1 Peter 3:15

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Could you give your testimony in 3 mins? 

What would you say to give hope to a dying man?

Could you recall scriptures that could lead the person to Christ?

These are questions I ask myself!

Note that the gospel is of peace. Harsh words about sin and judgement will provoke a reaction, that’s a normal human defensive response. But if our delivery of the Gospel is balanced by the overall message of the offer of peace with God through faith in his Son, then it’s possible the hostility is from something darker. 

Jesus said something interesting in his instruction to the 70 disciples he later sent out in the next chapter of Luke;

Luke 10:5-6

But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.

This is using the authority of Jesus to give protection over yourself and the house. Remember we are not fighting flesh and blood. Yet there is nothing to fear as Satan is already defeated and God has promised; 

Isaiah 55:11

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

The Gospel delivered in Peace is a seed that God can use even if at first the person doesn’t appear to have listened.

But if we don’t have peace ourselves, we won’t be able to convince anyone. At least half the impact of any message is dependent on the demeanour and honesty of the person delivering the message. If the demeanour and the message contradict, or the character of the person and the message contradict, then people will have a hard time believing us.

With 1001 things on our mind, anxiety can easily rise up. Anxiety is the real pandemic of our time.

Matthew 6:25

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

God has given us everything we need, that is life, food, drink, a body and clothes. Can you see that is true? God provided all those things for you. And more then that. A home to stay in, a family, friends, simple pleasures like the sun and the ocean and so on. We can see him looking after us over many years, will we trust him for the future. So why are we worried about so many things ? Isn’t it ultimately because we don’t trust the Lord as we should?

And that’s a problem because it is impossible to give 100% to something or someone we don’t believe and have confidence in.

Peace comes from trusting the Lord.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

If Jesus is your focus, if your mind is stayed on Him, you will have peace. If you have the Holy Spirit, you will have peace.

Put on the shoes of peace. Walk in confidence in the Way.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Satan tries to attack us and disturb our peace by causing us to doubt God.

Perhaps the greatest challenge that the atheist throws at the believer is the problem of suffering. It is during life’s darkest moments that Satan attacks us trying to make us doubt God. His call, his promises, his salvation, our understanding of the world itself.

In addition to the shoes of the Gospel of Peace, it says above all take the shield of faith. This affirms faith is a priority as the Bible says.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

There is plenty we can say about faith, Hebrews 11-12 is devoted to the topic of  faith, I don’t need to stress it’s importance. 

But Faith is not only central to our salvation, it is our shield in day to day living and fighting in the war against the Devil. 

The Roman soldier had 2 types of shield. One was small and circular, useful in hand to hand combat because it was light and maneuverable. But the other type is the word used for shield in this passage. This shield was as big as a door. It could be locked to a soldier next door forming an impenetrable wall against arrows as a company advanced. This is the type of shield that can ward off the fiery darts or arrows of the enemy and it is the shield of faith. We are stronger together, our faith combined will keep us safe. It is so important to be in Church. Out of Church, you are a lone soldier and it is much easier for Satan to take you out. 

Satan loves to attack us when we’re suffering. He tells us that either God is not all powerful as he cannot prevent the suffering or else he is evil for allowing the suffering when he could prevent it. You’ll actually hear the atheist use this very argument. It is Satan attacking us from above by twisting the intention of God to make us think he is against us. We counter the attack with faith. Faith in God’s promises such as 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

And this favourite of mine

Exodus 20:12

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

We have to take up the shield of faith. Now it is true that we have been given a measure of faith and that might make us think that some Christians have a bigger advantage than others 

Romans 12:3

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

But if we use the measure we’ve been given, if we’re trustworthy in the small things, then we will be given more. If we want more faith we have to use the faith we have ! Just like with our body which only gets stronger through eating well and exercising same principle to make our faith stronger. 

Faith is not based on feelings. Our emotions can fluctuate from minute to minute based on how things make us feel.

Faith is not the type that people talk about when they talk about their favourite sports team. One year your team wins, the next it loses, if you put your faith in a sports team you are going to experience a lot of disappointment and ultimately they will carry on without you. That kind of faith won’t save anyone. 

Our faith is in God, he is the object of our faith. We can have disappointments but we know we are on the winning side, we are going to be with him forever.

David Jeremiah asked a good question.

He said would you rather have a whole lot of faith standing on a quarter an inch of ice or a tiny bit of faith standing on four feet of ice. 

He said that the answers are split 50/50 believe it or not. He said he always takes note of the ones who said they would rather have a whole lot of faith in a quarter of inch of ice and put them on a list and never go fishing with them!

The size of our faith doesn’t matter as much as the object of our faith which is in the Almighty Lord God. Our faith can be the size of a mustard seed but if it’s in the Lord, then it will grow big and strong. 

So what or rather who is our faith in?

But in order to enter a battle with the Devil, your faith in God does need to have grown or you’ll be mincemeat. We need the courage that comes from faith as David showed when he went into battle with Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:45-47

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

David surely had a faith that had grown strong and he was able to say in the face of the enemy that he would defeat him because the battle is the Lord’s, and the Devil will fall down. Amen.