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SET FREE
Volume 5 Issue 7
JULY 2008
Rev. Ray Sargent
SIT WALK STAND.
For the last two editions of SET FREE we’ve been taking a look at
what is called the letter to the Ephesians. We are taking an over view of the three basic points. My thanks to Watchman Nee
for the wonderful outline that I received from reading his little book called“SIT WALK STAND.”
STAND - Our Attitude Toward The Enemy
We began this study two issues back with SIT - Our position in Christ.
This is not about what we do but rather it’s resting in what He has
done.
Then last month we looked at WALK - our life in the world. Our attitude
toward each other. In particular we looked at walking in love toward each other the love walk.
This issue it’s STAND - our attitude toward the enemy. The stand
portion of this letter is covered in chapter 6:10-24
Ephesians 6:10-18 (Philips)
In conclusion be strong - not in yourselves but in the Lord in the power
of his boundless resource. Put on God's complete Armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil's methods of attack.
For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against
the unseen power that controls this dark world and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must
wear the whole Armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power and that even when you have fought to
a stand still you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breast plate
the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit the Word of God.
Above all be sure you take faith as your shield for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all
times with every kind of spiritual prayer keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ's men and women.
Verse 10 in the KJV says“be strong in the
Lord and in the power of his might.”
We are not to be strong in our own strength but we are to stand in the power
of His strength. Jesus living His life through us. It’s not about us getting stronger it’s about us allowing him
to have more control of us and us submitting ourselves to his control to his strength.
Verses 11-18 (look them up)
These verses primarily speak about whom we are to protect ourselves against
and why we are to wear this Armour.
For this study we won’t be going through all the pieces separately
but rather we’ll just concentrate on the posture we are to have while wearing it. That position is as verse 11 saidPut
on God's complete Armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil's methods of attack.
You don’t lie around in this Armour - you stand in it.
When we stand we are to hold our ground using His strength to do it.
The Amplified reads this way:
Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on God's complete armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger]and
having done all [the crisis demands] to stand [firmly in your place]. 14Stand therefore [hold your ground]
Let’s look at an instance from the Old Covenant where someone
stood his ground.
2 Samuel 23:11-12
Shammah son of Agee the
Hararite was the third of the Three. The Philistines had mustered for battle at Lehi where there was a field full of lentils.
Israel fled before the Philistines 12but Shammah took his stand at the center of the field successfully defended it and routed
the Philistines. Another great victory for GOD!
Maybe this is where the expression “it isn’t
worth a hill of beans” came from.
These beans were the food that the Israelite armies were living off of.
So the Philistines decided to take them away from them. This instance took place after the time David slew Goliath but still
the Israelite armies ran away from the Philistines. Except again for one man. Shammah who stood in the middle of that field
and defended it.
Notice he wasn’t fighting to gain his ground he was standing to hold
his ground. He was defending what was rightfully theirs. So he wasn’t fighting for the victory he was standing
in it!
Jesus has defeated our enemy so that we don’t need to be fighting
to get the things that God has already said are ours.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God who
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have been given
the victory!
John 16:33 I've told you all this so that
trusting me you will be unshakable and assured deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties.
But take heart! I've conquered the world."
Jesus has conquered our enemies so all that we need
to do is to stand in that victory.
We are not the ones trying to get God to heal us or to
prosper us or to bless us. We are the healedthe prospered and the blessed. If those things are missing in our livesall
that we need to do is to take them back from the enemy. He has no right to keep them. He stole them. It’s time to take
back your stolen property!!!!
Let’s go back to that hill of beans again.
We’ll pick up two verses earlier than what we’ve already read.
A little background first. David had three men that were his inside
team. Like Jesus who had Peter James and John, David had Eleazar Adino and the fellow we first heard about Shammah.
2 Samuel 23:9-10 Eleazar son of Dodai the
Ahohite was the next of the elite Three. He was with David when the Philistines poked fun at them at Pas Dammim. When the
Philistines drew up for battle Israel retreated. 10But Eleazar stood his ground and killed Philistines right and left until
he was exhausted--but he never let go of his sword! A big win for GOD that day. The army then rejoined Eleazar but all there
was left to do was the clean-up.
Here again we have a fellow who stood his ground and held it. It was the
Lord who won the victory but he worked through his servant.
When Eleazar, a name that means servant, had finished with the Philistines
all that was left to do was the cleanup.
Jesus was a servant who went out and defeated our enemy through the power
of the Spirit. We don’t have to go and fight any more all we do now is cleanup on the devil.
The question could then be asked: Since the enemy is defeated why do we
have to stand against him?
In our country is it legal for someone to come into your house and steal
your goods? No! Then if it is illegal for someone to steal our things then why do we lock our doors? Because
the thief will come and take our things if we don’t.
Satan is a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. He comes under the
cover of deception and darkness just like a thief. If we don’t stand against this thief he will rob us. Satan is only
able to take from us what we allow him to steal.
That is why we must stand against the tricks of the devil. We need to lock
the doors of our life that will allow him in. We need to stand on guard of our lives and the things that God has blessed us
with.
Ephesians 6:13-14 Therefore put on God's complete
armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger]and having done all [the crisis demands]
to stand [firmly in your place].14 Stand therefore [hold your ground]
ELIJAH
During the days of Elijah the prophet
Ahab was the king in Israel.
1 Kings 16:30 Ahab son of Omri did even more
open evil before GOD than anyone yet--a new champion in evil!
He was a pretty rotten guy! But Elijah took a stand against the evil that
he represented.
1 Kings 17:1 And then this happened: Elijah the
Tishbite from among the settlers of Gilead confronted Ahab: "As surely as GOD lives the God of Israel before whom I stand
in obedient service the next years are going to see a total drought--not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise."
Elijah said“I stand”. He was taking a stand against the evil
that the king was doing. He told the king that it would not rain until he said so.
Three years later God told Elijah to go and stand before the king again.
1 Kings 18:17-20 The moment Ahab saw Elijah he
said" So it's you old troublemaker!" 18"It's not I who has caused trouble in Israel" said Elijah" but you and your government--you've
dumped GOD's ways and commands and run off after the local gods the Baals. 19Here's what I want you to do: Assemble everyone
in Israel at Mount Carmel. And make sure that the special pets of Jezebel the four hundred and fifty prophets of the local
gods the Baals and the four hundred prophets of the whore goddess Asherahare there." 20So Ahab summoned everyone in Israel
particularly the prophets to Mount Carmel.
Elijah was standing in the boldness of the God that he represented. He knew
Israel had a covenant with God and that God would back him in this.
Today we can stand before the enemy with full confidence knowing who we
are in Christ. We can stand in our covenant rights and privileges because we know our position. We know that we are seated
with Him in heavenly places.
Let’s continue this account with Elijah.
1 Kings 18:21-22 Elijah challenged the people:
"How long are you going to sit on the fence? If GOD is the real God follow him if it's Baal follow him. Make up your minds!"
Nobody said a word nobody made a move. 22Then Elijah said"I'm the only prophet of GOD left in Israel and there are four hundred
and fifty prophets of Baal.
Elijah was asking“who’s going to stand here with me?”
Nobody said a word nobody made a move. So he said okay then I’ll stand here alone.
No matter how things look around you and when it seems
that no one is there to stand with you in your situation remember that the Holy Spirit is in you that you are in Christ and
you are standing in the power of His might.
1 Kings 18:23-29 Let the Baal prophets bring up two oxen let them pick one butcher it and lay it out
on an altar on firewood--but don't ignite it. I'll take the other ox cut it up and lay it on the wood. But neither will I
light the fire. 24Then you pray to your gods and I'll pray to GOD. The god who answers with fire will prove to be in fact
God." All the people agreed: "A good plan--do it!"
25Elijah told the Baal prophets"Choose your ox and prepare it. You go
first you're the majority. Then pray to your god but don't light the fire."
26So they took the ox he had given them prepared
it for the altar then prayed to Baal. They prayed all morning long"O Baal answer us!" But nothing happened--not so much as
a whisper of breeze. Desperate they jumped and stomped on the altar they had made. 27By noon Elijah had started making fun
of them taunting"Call a little louder--he is a god after all. Maybe he's off meditating somewhere or other or maybe he's gotten
involved in a projector maybe he's on vacation. You don't suppose he's over slept do you and needs to be waked up?" 28They
prayed louder and louder cutting themselves with swords and knives--a ritual common to them--until they were covered with
blood. 29This went on until well past noon. They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to make something happen
on the altar but nothing happened--not so much as a whisper not a flicker of response.
Sometimes I wonder if some Christians perhaps pray like that. They think
they have to make a scene yell and carry on all night trying to get God’s attention. We don’t have to call
all the prophets or even the pastors together and the whole town to shout at God all night and all day he’s as close
as your breath. When we remember that we seated “in Christ Jesus”sitting at the right hand of the Father we’ll
know that we don’t have to carry on like that to get God’s attention.
Something else here too.
The devil doesn’t answer the prayers of his children. Some people
get all spooked out at Halloween thinking that the Satanist are getting through to the devil that night and that we have to
counter attack with our prayers. If the devil could answer prayers for his followers don’t you think that he would have
done it at this time? Remember he was the lord of the earth then. Jesus hadn’t taken it back yet and even still Satan
didn’t have the power to send a spark of fire down that day.
So what do we do? Do we march all over town? No! That’s works
not faith.
What we do is stand!
We stand and hold our ground.
Just like a palace guard.
You just stand there and hold the palace.
Let’s see how Elijah did it.
1 Kings 18:30-35 Then Elijah told the people"Enough
of that--it's my turn. Gather around." And they gathered. He then put the altar back together for by now it was in ruins.
31Elijah took twelve stones one for each of the tribes of Jacob the same Jacob to whom GOD had said "From now on your name
is Israel." 32He built the stones into the altar in honor of GOD. Then Elijah dug a fairly wide trench around the altar. 33He
laid firewood on the altar cut up the ox put it on the wood and said "Fill four buckets with water and drench both the ox
and the firewood." 34Then he said "Do it again" and they did it. Then he said "Do it a third time" 35and they did it a third
time. The altar was drenched and the trench was filled with water.
Verse 30 said He then put the altar back together
for by now it was in ruins.
Sometimes we need to stop and repair the altars. To take our stand again.
To re-establish our thinking as to “who we are in Christ.”
James reminds us … James 4:7 “Resist the
devil and he will flee from you.”
It didn’t say fight him or chase him it said “resist
him.”
1 Kings 18:36 When it was time for the sacrifice
to be offered Elijah the prophet came up and prayed "O GOD God of Abraham Isaac and Israel make it known right now that you
are God in Israel that I am your servant and that I'm doing what I'm doing under your orders.
“I am your servant”
Re-affirming his position as a man of God. Again this reminds us that we
need to remember where we are seated before we take a stand.
Elijah said: I'm doing what I'm doing under your orders.
Having done
all having done that God had asked him to do. Now it was time to hold his ground.
To stand.
To hang onto his hill of beans.
1 Kings 18:37-40 Answer me GOD O answer me and reveal to this people that you are GOD the true God and that you are giving these people
another chance at repentance." 38Immediately the fire of GOD fell and burned up the offering the wood the stones the dirt
and even the water in the trench.
39All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship exclaiming "GOD
is the true God! GOD is the true God!" 40Elijah told them "Grab the Baal prophets! Don't let one get away!" They grabbed them.
Elijah had them taken down to the Brook Kishon and they massacred the lot.
He mopped the floor with the enemy. Whatever we are dealing with in our
livesif we will stand our ground we too will stand in that victory that is ours in Christ Jesus.
Brother Wu stands his ground.
I was saying at the onset of these lessons that I got my outline from Watchman
Nee in his book Sit Walk Stand. In the book he tells this story.
Back in the 1930’s there was a group of Chinese Christians who were
preaching the gospel throughout southern China.
At one time they were preaching in a particular village that was located
on a small island. It seemed they were having little success. So one of the workers Brother Wu asked the villagers“why
will none of you respond to the gospel?”
They replied “we have a god - one god - Ta-Wang and he has never failed
us. He is an effective god.”
Wu asked “How do you know that?” They responded “We
have held a festival procession every January for the past 286 years. The chosen day is revealed by divination before handand
every year without fail this day is a perfect one without rain or even a cloud.”
Wu then asked them what day it would be this year. “On January 11th
at 8:00 am” came the reply. So Wu promised them that it would rain for sure on that day this year. Their response
was “if there is rain on the 11th then your god is God.”
The Christian brothers then went into “fervent prayer.” After
awhile they seemed to be getting no response and began shouting out. “where is the God of Elijah?” Still
no response.
Then gently the Lord rebuked them saying “where is the God of Elijah?”
They had been fighting and struggling for God to answer and send the rain. They had forgotten where they were seated. When
they remembered to sit first then they could stand in the victory instead of struggling to get it.
Next morning the 11th they woke up at 7:00 am to a bright and sunny day.
As they were seated they bowed to say grace over their breakfast and quietly prayed a prayer of thanksgiving - a prayer of
faith.
Before they had said “Amen” they heard a few drops of rain on
the tiled roof. As they continued to thank the Lord and eat their second helping of rice it began to come down in buckets.
By the time they had finished breakfast the water was up to the third step of their front door.
The village priest determined to go ahead with things brought out their
idol on his chair. As they tried to walk through the streets they fell in the mud and broke one of the arms off of the idol.
After getting only half of the way around the village so many of the elders had fallen and were in trouble that they canceled
the pilgrimage and took the idol back inside.
The elders said that they had picked the wrong day and that it was suppose
to be the 14th at 6:00 p.m. Meanwhile many of the villagers received the Gospel and over 30 were born again.
As to what happened on the morning of the 14th. Again the day broke bright
and clear but Wu and his men thanked the Lord for more rain. Not a minute late at 6:00 p.m. fierce rain and flooding occurred
again.
Needless to say the Gospel was widely accepted on that island from that
day forward.
Summary
As we see ourselves SEATED in Christ Jesus knowing that He has made us righteous
we rest in the confidence of who we are in Him.
Then WALKING with Him in our day-to-day life by the power of His love that
fills us we can live in harmony with those around us.
And finally confident in the promises of His Word we can STAND!
Christ has set us free to live
a free
life. So take your stand!
Never again let anyone
put a harness of slavery on you.”
Gal. 5:1 MSG
In Christ Alone
Words and Music
by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend Copyright © 2001
Kingsway Thank you Music
In Christ alone my hope is foundHe is my lightmy strength my song
This cornerstone this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought
and storm.
What heights of love what depths of peace When fears are stilled when strivings cease!
My comfortermy all
in all—
Here in the love of Christ
I stand.
In Christ alone Who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of
Christ.
No guilt in life no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ
in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r
of Christ I'll stand.
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