Spiritual Warfare & King David's Journal

Sunday 07/02/17

Series: Doers of the Word

Message – Spiritual Warfare & King David’s Journal

*** There is NO video this week only Audio ***

Spiritual Warfare

One of the reasons why many of God’s children are ill-equipped for spiritual warfare is because the two greatest parts of our spiritual armor require passion and devotion.

The apostle tells us, AND ABOVE ALL TAKE the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith… but these are not found in the world but in intimate communion all exchange between us and our Lord… and to borrow a quote from a Tozer prayer, “the world is too much with us”.

Spiritual warfare is not neat and clean. It is only out of ignorance or laziness that we blame all our hindrances on the devil. This is no more than a sidestepping of the real issue. We do not long for and pursue intimacy with our God and THAT is our greatest enemy.

Spiritual apathy Is defeat… It Is death.

A clear and simple definition for what IS spiritual warfare might be helpful here.

Spiritual warfare is anything which challenges the advancement of God’s rule in my HEART.

You need to hear this – NOTHING, AND I DO MEAN NOTHING, challenges the advancement of the rule of God in our hearts more than indifference!

This is why our Master made much of love…

Matt. 22:35-40,

“35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Gal 5:14,

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

James 2:8,

“If you really carry out the royal law prescribed in Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.”

Why do these last two passages focus on our love for our brother rather than the clearly greater issue of loving the Lord Our God with all her heart? Well this, like so many other things in Scripture, are hidden in plain sight. So that only those who truly have eyes to see will see it. While those who would treat it lightly and with cavalier hands it will remain hidden because the truth and beauty that is God cannot be revealed to flesh and blood.

The scriptures tell us that no one who does not love his brother and sister whom he can see can claim that he loves God who he cannot see… and whoever loves God love’s those who are begotten of God. [1Jn. 4:20]

But why is this true? The issue of loving God and the issue of loving those that he has begotten seem, on the surface, as separate and individual things. God is perfect and therefore our logic tells us he is easier to love… whereas our brother and our sister are still very rough around the edges and are therefore much harder to love.

Why do we cherish drawings made by children we love…. especially those they specifically share with us? Is it because their artwork is so perfect and beautiful? No.

Is not their artwork rough around the edges?

Our love for what comes out of them is because it is an expression of their heart not because what comes out of their heart is in itself perfect. So it is with loving God and loving his children. The loved one is exactly the same thing as loving the other.

It’s all a heart issue you see… If God had simply wanted obedience for obedience sake then He would have never cut a new covenant with the blood of the incarnate Word of God. The law, outlining what obedience required in behavior would have been enough, had that been the goal. But that wasn’t what God ever had in view.

Gal 3:21,

“Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law.”

Rom . 8:2-5,

“2 because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
3 What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering,
4 in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those whose lives are according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those whose lives are according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit.”

Is there a connection you can see between this and being a doer of God’s Word?

King David’s Journal

Psalms 63 ~

“1 A Psalm of David When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.”

Psalms 40 ~

“1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
9 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know.

10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.

11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!
14 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who seek to destroy my life; Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor Who wish me evil.
15 Let them be confounded because of their shame, Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!”
17 But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.”

We will pick up here next week…Blessings!

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. If you do not know Him, please use our ‘Contact Us‘ page and reach out so we may have the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Neither money nor attendance at our church will be mentioned.

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Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!