THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

Today a lot of people treat the Christian cause as a political one. They say, If we could get the right people elected, and put in the right laws, everything will be great. That’s our job, they say. But it’s not true. It doesn’t happen. First of all, even if you elect someone, that doesn’t mean everything will be all right. After all, we’ve got Trump in there, and things are not all right. Yes, I will vote, but that’s not my main job as a Christian.

The Bible says that our weapons are not “carnal,” not physical, not in the flesh. Our weapons are not guns. Our weapons are not even working to elect people. Our weapons are not physical at all.

What are the weapons of the Christian?

We have many weapons that lost people do not have. One of them is prayer. Lost people cannot do this in a meaningful way. Prayer puts you in contact with GOD. God is Almighty; that is, He is all-powerful. He can get things done when you can’t. The Bible says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Excellent question, and the answer is obvious.

God opened the Red Sea so the Hebrews could escape from the Egyptian army. In the time of King Hezekiah, Jerusalem was surrounded by an Assyrian army. The Assyrian general mocked the true God. In answer to prayer, God send an angel and killed the whole army.

God caused the Messiah Jesus to be born of a virgin. He sent Jesus to die and rise again to pay for your sins and give you a new life. And one day Jesus will come back to rule over the earth.

I’m not saying God will do that kind of thing for you. But He could. And don’t you think He will at least do something for you? Of course He will. I have seen God answer prayers for me, and for the church, and for other Christians.

Right now, our church needs to pray. We have people who need prayer. Several people have medical problems, some of them severe. So why don’t you pray for them?

There are people who have not yet trusted Jesus. Why don’t you pray for them?

You have problems and needs in your own life. Why not pray for them? I didn’t say you should not work on them yourself and just sit back and pray. That won’t work. You must do the best you can, and also pray. In the Middle Ages there was a man who didn’t want to work on his farm. He just stayed out and prayed. A famous Christian said to him, “Laborare est orare [Spanish: laborear es orar],” which means “work is prayer” or rather, “work is a form of prayer.” Work and prayer are two different ways to get something to happen. Yes, get to work. And then pray for God to do what you cannot do yourself.

All this is individual prayer, private prayer. And the church can pray together as a body for things. Sometimes we do. I hope that someday as things work out, we will have a short prayer meeting just for that.

The Apostle Paul said, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). Why don’t you do that?

Then the Apostle Paul said, “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).

Why don’t you pray for your pastor? For his preaching, his leadership of the church, and everything he does. Sure!

Another weapon we have is the Scriptures, the Bible. You can trust the Bible because it is God’s Word and therefore it is absolutely true, without error. The Bible says, “For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). That’s quite a weapon.

Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan three times. Christ answered by quoting the Bible. He said,

“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Then He said,

“It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7). And He said,

“It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10).

The Bible is a powerful weapon. Why don’t you use it? If the Devil tempts you, why don’t you answer him from God’s Word? If you don’t know which way to go, or what to do, why not go to God’s Word for the answer? If you don’t know the Bible much, why don’t you speak with Pastor Ngann or me, and we will help you. God tells us to take the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). That’s your weapon.

Here are some more of the weapons you have:

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:14-17).

Here you have (or you should have) truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. That’s quite a few weapons! If you use them, you will triumph.

Notice that it says “righteousness.” None of us is perfect. But a Christian should have a righteous life. If you are living in sin, or actively practicing sin, or cherishing sin in your heart, don’t expect much. The Bible says,

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). Again, we read,

“But your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

But what if you do live a righteous life, a good Christian life? To you, the Bible says,

“He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch” (Proverbs 11:28).

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life” (Proverbs 11:30).

“Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth” (Proverbs 11:31).

“For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it” (Proverbs 2:21-22).

“The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever” (Psalm 37:29).

“In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death” (Proverbs 12:28).

Hang in there! You have quite a future ahead of you. Be as righteous as you can, and ask God for help as you do it. Righteousness is a weapon, and being righteous will help you win.

I want to tell you about one more weapon. That is the Blood of Jesus. Most Christians don’t think of the Blood as a weapon to use, but it is. The Bible says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11).

These people are Christians in the Tribulation, under terrible persecution from Satan. In fact, they were put to death for being Christians. But they won! “They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

They will defeat Satan by the Blood of the Lamb! That’s the victory! And because they have the Blood of the Lamb, and the Bible, and their testimony, they will remain faithful even to the death.

You can, and you should, pray in the name of Jesus. This tells God that you come to Him through Jesus, and not on your own goodness. And you can pray and ask for things by the Blood of Jesus. You can only come to God because your sins are covered and washed away by Jesus’ Blood, and so you are coming to pray in that way, and you ask God for that reason.

I have shown you Christians that you have many weapons. The Blood of Jesus is your ultimate weapon.

If you are a Christian, you have the Blood of Jesus. If you are not a Christian, you don’t. The Blood of Jesus does a lot for us. It cleanses from sin. The Bible says,

“The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7).

And we read,

“Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:24-25).

And the Bible says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:8-9).

It is the Blood of Jesus that cleanses you from sin. It is the Blood of Jesus which satisfies the anger of God. Because of the Blood of Jesus, you can be justified – declared righteous, forgiven of all sin. With the Blood of Jesus, you are saved. Without the Blood you are not.

Therefore, I call upon you to stop fooling around! It’s not enough to sit in the chair. It’s not enough to be friends with the people here, although sure, you can do that. But all that is nothing if you do not have the Blood of Jesus!

Listen to the sermons. Think about them. Know and feel that you are a bad sinner, outside and especially inside. Know that Jesus died for you and gave His Blood for you. Then come to Jesus! Trust Him. He will forgive your sin by His Blood and save you forever. Amen.