Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 34
Go Forward, Serve the Lord
We are living in momentous days leading to Christ’s return. How can the church be victorious during such dark days leading to the ushering in of the world system of the Antichrist?
The darkness that envelopes the earth is deep and disturbing but in the Lord is the power of His penetrating light to dispel all darkness. We are in spiritual warfare. And the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). We are to put the whole armour of God so that we can be victorious for the Lord’s sake to His glory in the day of battle.
Ephesians 6:10-12 (KJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:13-18 (KJV) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
“To stand” is a keyword in v11, 13, and 14. Here is the word “withstand”. It means “to resist, to oppose” (Eph. 6:13). It comes from the root, “to stand,” meaning literally to stand against.
It is a military term for holding on to a position that is under attack. It implies the courage to hold our ground because of our allegiance to our Lord Jesus, the One true, King and Ruler, even when others may flee from the battle because the enemy seems too strong.
The verb requires that the believers themselves do so individually and thus collectively. It means “to stand” for the Word of God, the doctrines of the Bible. The Word that gives life and direction to life.
Stand we must! It is my prayer that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16).
What does it mean to be strong in the Lord? When the inner man is strengthened, he does not waiver and cannot be influenced or persuaded otherwise. Strengthening makes us determined to do something, Christ at Gethsemane to go to the cross. Stephen (stoned to death, his countenance was like Christ, Stephen was strengthened) and the Apostle Paul when he was in prison.
Daniel and his three friends strengthened, not human but divinely strengthened to go to the lion’s den and into the fiery furnace.
Peter said to the Lord, I will follow you to the death! Peter’s resolve was human determination – I will go with you to death. Why can’t we depend on ourselves, it’s very limited, isn’t it? When the test came, Peter denied the Lord all three times.
Christ told Peter who denied the Lord three times when you are restored, strengthens the brethren. When Peter was strengthened, he will be the man God will use at Pentecost to preach the gospel.
Strengthened in the inner man so that we can hold the faith to the end.
Because we have a very, very aggressive and formidable enemy, named, Satan.
Our text tells us only by God’s power, can we stand victorious against the onslaught of the adversary and we need to put on the whole armour of God. There are adversaries that are human but behind them is supernatural evil. Before we are saved, we are held ransom in the kingdom of darkness to which we belong. We were under the power and authority of the prince of the power of the air, the power of darkness, the ruler of this world, he is none other than, Satan. As John 8 says, Ye are of your father the devil! But after we come to Christ, Satan still is committed to destroying us. Once you belong to him, now you don’t. Once you were part of his system, now you have been freed, and walk contrary to his system. We are now the enemy of Satan because you have come to Christ.
Our text tells us that we need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, put on the whole armour of God because we are in a spiritual war that we may be able to stand strong and firm against the schemes, the wiles of the devil, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, not merely human, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of darkness, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We have had more than two years of pandemic experience where the church is very much curtailed. What are the forces driving the pandemic? Satan has succeeded to isolate members of the church to the confines of their home! We saw how it threatened the way of life of the church! In-person worship was curtailed, never before, so much so that today, worshippers are happy in the comforts of the home. This is not the church.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (KJV) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
How can we do so when we are sitting in the comforts, alone at home? Before His ascension, our Lord commanded His church to gather together to pray – Acts 1:4 (KJV) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
The church must be moving forward and persevering in her mission. There seemed to be so many obstacles to fulfilling the injunction of Hebrews 10:24-25 in the past 2 years, yet the Lord saw us through.
Thank God for His grace as we seek the Lord’s help for our upcoming Gospel Rally on 4 September 2022. Let us go forth and win souls for His glory! This is the only way to retard the darkness, let the gospel light shine forth brightly! Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee