Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 91 - Essential qualities of leadership: The filling of the Spirit; Overcoming the power and influence of Satan; Eph 6:10-18.
Title: Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 91 - Essential qualities of leadership: The filling of the Spirit; Overcoming the power and influence of Satan; Eph 6:10-18.
Announcements / opening prayer:
Principle:
Overcoming the power and influence of Satan demands the filling of the Spirit. Since he is a supernatural foe, human power cannot overcome him.
Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong [keep being clothed with strength] in the Lord [not self effort], and in the strength of His might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For our struggle [wrestle: close quarter contest] is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places [Satan's demon organization which has the sole purpose of opposing God].
Eph 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor [emphasis on the entire armor] of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day [pernicious attack], and having done everything, to stand firm [hold your ground - don't become spiritually lazy or apathetic, but be alert].
Eph 6:14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.
The faith in view is not salvation faith but living faith or walking by faith in time. It is a faith to persevere in the midst of satanic attack knowing that God will deliver us, protect us, bear us up, and establish us.
Last night we focused on the shield wall of the Roman infantry as a metaphor for Christian service and support in the body of Christ.
The effectiveness of this armor and the trained men who used is made obvious by the extent of the Roman Empire during its height.
The same is true for the church. In its first two hundred years it spread throughout this vast empire, but not by any physical force, but by the shield of faith.
If we don't take the risk to follow Christ for the sole fact that He is Lord and that He has called us to follow, we will have little to believe and we will not learn how to believe all things.
We cannot follow Him on our own terms. We cannot choose what to believe. In His word He shows us what to believe and how to follow. If I don't pick up the shield of faith and move forward in trust in my Lord who has called me to advance then I will never know what lies ahead in the spiritual life. How can I put my faith in what lies ahead if I never go there? If I say that I have faith that I can climb that hill and it's a hill I have never climbed before, what good is my boast if I never climb it? It is a fine thing to set off in faith to climb the hill, but to turn back is no faith at all.
Luk 9:61 And another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home."
Luk 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
He wants to follow, but feels obligated to insist on his own terms. Moving forward in faith to him is a possibility which can only be realized when certain conditions have been fulfilled. This limits the shield of faith to the level of human understanding. First you must do this then you must do that. No! The Lord says "Follow Me," and you follow in faith. The enemy will attack, but you march on in faith. The fiery missiles come, but you march on in faith. It is not up to you as to where you are going, that is the decision of the Commander. This man is arranging a program of his own in order to suit himself. That is a shield of his own construction, and Satan will smash such a thing to splinters. As soon as he says, "first permit me," he rejects the shield of faith.
His call frees us from all earthly ties, and binds us to Jesus Christ alone. Pick up the shield of faith and follow Him, and never drop it.
Peter had to drop his nets and risk leaving his life on the sea, in order to learn both his own weakness and the almighty power of his Lord. If Peter had not taken the risk, he would have never learned the meaning of faith. Some years later we see Peter with no shield of faith denying his Lord and a little while after that, under the filling of the Spirit, boldly holding the shield of faith and proclaiming the gospel at Pentecost.
So we would conclude that steps of faith make greater faith possible. Faith makes faith.
Eph 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.
The fiery missiles refer to arrows tipped with pitch, or such material, and set on fire before they were discharged. They were extremely dangerous, as are our enemies, but the shield could easily prevent the dangerous pike and fire from getting through to the body.
Satan's flaming missiles consists of his tempting the saints, which he will do at the opportune time, projecting at the heart and mind, lies, blasphemous thoughts, hateful thoughts about others, doubts, and burning desires for sin.
When he may strike is uncertain. Stumbling blocks are never foreseen, and so we must walk in faith constantly so that we are always on the alert and having the shield of faith ready at all times.
The temptations of the great adversary, which are like fiery missiles; are those furious suggestions of evil, and excitements to sin, which he may throw into the mind like destructive fire. They are blasphemous thoughts, unbelief, sudden temptation to do wrong, or thoughts that wound and torment the soul. In regard to them, we may observe:
(1) that they come suddenly, like arrows sped from a bow;
(2) they come from unexpected quarters, like arrows shot suddenly from an enemy in ambush;
(3) they pierce, and penetrate, and torment the soul, as arrows would that are on fire;
(4) they set the soul on fire, and enkindle the worst passions, as fiery missiles do a ship or camp against which they are sent. The only way to meet them is by the "shield of faith;" by confidence in God, and by relying on his gracious promises and aid, and patiently and faithfully waiting for His deliverance.
It is not by our own strength; and, if we lack faith in God, we are wholly defenseless.
We should have such a spiritual fitness that we can turn the shield of faith any direction, on which we may receive the arrow, and by which it may be put out.
We note that we are to walk with the shield of faith at all times since we do not know when the fiery missiles will come. Alertness is parallel to spiritual fitness. The Roman shield weighed about 22 lbs. and so the Roman infantryman had to be in fantastic physical shape. Along with the rest of the armor he would have to carry this shield long distances and then be ready to fight with it. The lives of his fellow soldiers depended upon his constant training so that he might never be the weak link in the shield wall. Likewise, the Christian must be in spiritual shape.
He accomplishes this by applying faith at all times, to both the small and the big issues of life. In this he increases in spiritual stamina, response time, and strength.
Satan's only legacy will be how many he was able to take down with him in his destruction.
The shield was used offensively as well as defensively, and so is faith, in which we defend ourselves from falsehood and attack it by exposing it.
Eph 5:11 And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;
Eph 5:12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.
Eph 5:13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
We are not to sit idly by while the deeds of darkness are being manifested and paraded as truth when we have a legitimate opportunity to expose them.
Christians will do this in order to be liked. These fear not being liked by others more than they fear not being pleasing to God.
Luk 11:37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table.
Luk 11:38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.
We conjecture that this is the Sabbath and that on Sabbaths it was deemed a religious duty to have three meals. What we have here is the morning meal.
We do not read that the Pharisee made an overt comment about the Lord not ceremonially washing, but since the Lord comments, it is likely that he did. The Pharisee made an issue out of ritual that he believed actually cleansed a man.
The basic error of the Pharisees was thinking that righteousness was only a matter of external actions, and they minimized internal attitudes.
This was simply the morning meal. The Pharisees turned it, and everything else they did, into great shows of externalism. It was right to eat with clean hands as they didn't use utensils, and I'm sure our Lord's hands were already clean, but the Pharisees turned the washing of hands into a washing ritual in which specific steps needed to be followed. The issue for them therefore was not about having clean hands, but about how you cleaned your hands. The Talmud explains:
"As the guests enter, they sit down on chairs, and water is brought to them, with which they wash one hand. After this the cup is taken, when each speaks the blessing over the wine partaken of before dinner. Presently they all lie down at table. Water is again brought them, with which they now wash both hands, preparatory to the meal, when the blessing is spoken over the bread, and then over the cup, by the chief person at the feast, or else by one selected by way of distinction. The company responded by Amen, always supposing the benediction to have been spoken by an Israelite, not a heathen, slave, nor law-breaker. Nor was it lawful to say it with an unlettered man, although it might be said with a Cuthæan (heretic, or else Samaritan), who was learned. After dinner the crumbs, if any, are carefully gathered - hands are again washed, and he who first had done so leads in the prayer of thanksgiving. The formula in which he is to call on the rest to join him, by repeating the prayers after him, is prescribed, and differs according to the number of those present. The blessing and the thanksgiving are allowed to be said not only in Hebrew, but in any other language."
Indeed, the controversy was long and bitter between the schools of Shammai and Hillel on such a point as whether the hands were to be washed before the cup was filled with wine, or after that, and where the towel was to be deposited. They were a religion that spent all its energy on trivialities. With Jesus' emphasis on spiritual purity within through grace it was only right that He would publicly and openly set aside ordinances of man which diverted thoughts of purity into questions of the most childish character.
Knowing this background, we can understand what bitter thoughts must have filled the mind of the Pharisee, whose guest Jesus was, when he observed His neglect of the cherished rite. It was in an insult to himself, a defiance of Jewish Law (not Mosaic Law), and a revolt against the most cherished traditions of the Synagogue. Once witnessing that Jesus didn't wash, according to the rabbinic tradition, the Pharisee shouldn't even sit with Him at the meal.
And so, to the Pharisees, Christ makes one of His last appeals. Although it is a rebuke, it is more so an appeal to salvation.
Luk 11:39 But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.
Luk 11:40 "You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
Luk 11:41 "But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.