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.