Monthly Archives: August 2013

Sunday – August 25, 2013 “Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of Truth”

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August 25, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of Truth from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Jesus Christ is the truth. When we turn away from the truth we are turning away from Him. As important as the other garments are, the foundation of all of them is truth because that is who Jesus Christ is. He is the way, the truth and the life. Being rooted in Him is what prevents us from being taken captive by philosophy or empty deception. He is also what we are to grow into, with Christ being head over all. The world is constantly changing, declaring new fads and fictions to be the truth because someone wrote a book or spoke at a conference. We do not live in such a shifting landscape as so many do in this generation. We live completely secure in the bedrock foundation of Christ’s truth. Join us this week as we continue our series on Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God as we look at “Girding Our Loins with Truth”.

Word On Worship – August 25, 2013 Download / Print

Ephesians 6:14
“Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH…”

We all dress in a certain order. We begin with our ‘foundation garments” because other garment will be layered over them. Usually we finish with putting on our shoes, because putting our pants on after our shoes proves to be very difficult. The armor of God is to be put on in a certain order as well, and the first step is to gird our loins as we prepare for spiritual battle. In the Bible, the girding of the loins is the first step but it also prepares us for further action. As Peter wrote, we are to “gird our minds for action” as we act like the One who called us (1 Peter1:13-16).

Truth is the grid through which all information can be filtered. It gathers up the loose ends of information and processes and conforms it all to legitimacy and goodness. James reinforces the importance of truth in our salvation when he wrote in James 1:18 “He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.” It is by the truth that we are sanctified and brought to maturity in Christ. The question we must be able to answer then is how do we arrive at truth? Is it based upon our experience, the rules of society or even the laws of government? Or does truth come from a different source altogether? The line we use to measure truth is the question that must be answered before we can rightly chart a course for our decision-making.

Christ prayed for His disciples in the upper room in John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” Any decision we make on what is good or right for a situation or response must be seen through the grid of Scripture. The human response is to measure good or bad by how it benefits us. But the Word of God calls for us to die to ourselves and our interests, to subject ourselves to the government and to love others as we have been loved by God. The truth is the basis for Christian unity that builds up and edifies the church. This is completely opposite to the world’s way of thinking and is only learned through the truth of Scripture.

Jesus Christ is the truth. When we turn away from the truth we are turning away from Him. As important as the other garments are, the foundation of all of them is truth because that is who Jesus Christ is. He is the way, the truth and the life. Being rooted in Him is what prevents us from being taken captive by philosophy or empty deception.  He is also what we are to grow into, with Christ being head over all. The world is constantly changing, declaring new fads and fictions to be the truth because someone wrote a book or spoke at a conference. We do not live in such a shifting landscape as so many do in this generation. We live completely secure in the bedrock foundation of Christ’s truth.

Sunday – August 18, 2013 “Why Christians Must Fight (Part 2)”

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August 18, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Why Christians Must Fight (Part 2) from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Word On Worship – August 18, 2013 Download / Print

Ephesians 6:13
“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

Misconceptions in warfare can have devastating effects. Each person in a military unit is trained for specific tasks and functions; many seemingly unrelated to the task at hand, but when put together, they operate with precision and effectiveness. The Lord has designed His Church to operate in such a manner. Just as “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12) and has also gifted each in the Church to function seamlessly together for a unique purpose; we have also been equipped with the full armor of God to stand firm.

When we hear the term “spiritual warfare,” we assume it is about going on the offensive, not standing firm in defense. Those who want to take the attack to the enemy do not understand Satan’s power or God’s plan. It is not we who will defeat Satan, but our Lord Jesus Christ. Our duty is to resist Satan in this evil day, not remove him. I know in many churches songs are sung about running Satan out of town on rail, but the Bible does not speak of spiritual warfare in these terms. However, the Scriptures have much to say about our standing fast in face of the schemes and attacks of our enemy until our Lord returns.

We are to stand — in essence remain still — because God is the One who wins the battle. In the Book of Revelation the saints who are the “overcomers” do defeat Satan’s plan by our spiritual might. In fact, the many of them will lose their lives at his hands. Satan’s final defeat will not come from the hands of the saints, but from the hand of the Lord as we are told in Revelation 20:9-10 “And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” In spiritual warfare the battle is the Lord’s and the command of our Father is to stand still and watch Him win the victory.

The Christian’s defenses are directly tied to the gospel. They are truth, righteousness, the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the word of God. Our deliverance from Satan’s power and our defense from his attacks are found in Jesus Christ and Him alone. In the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord we will find the power for our defense and the reality of our deliverance.

Sunday – August 11, 2013 “Why Christians Must Fight (Part 1)”

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August 11, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Why Christians Must Fight (Part 1) from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Paul concludes the Book of Ephesians with the clearest definition of the spiritual war that we find in Scripture. Most assuredly there is a spiritual battle to be fought and without utilizing the weapons God has provided, we will find we are hopelessly underpowered. Our study into this topic over the next few weeks will inform us on what those weapons are and why they are so essential to the battle we fight. These are weapons designed by our Heavenly Father which best repel the attacks of Satan. Join us this week as we begin a new series on Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God.

Word On Worship – August 11, 2013 Download / Print

Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle 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.

Paul concludes the Book of Ephesians with the clearest definition of spiritual war that we find in Scripture. Most assuredly there is a spiritual battle to be fought and without using the weapons God has provided, we will find we are hopelessly under-powered. Our study into this topic over the next few weeks will inform us on what those weapons are and why they are so essential to the battle we fight. These are weapons designed by our Heavenly Father which best repel the attacks of Satan.

Many come to faith in Christ without ever realizing they have now stepped into a battlefield. We are told of entering into every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) but we hear very little about the commencement of a great struggle against Satan and his forces. With few exceptions, our enemies are invisible to the human eye, but are very real indeed. They take on many names: rulers, powers, world forces of this darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. I doubt we can fully understand the variety and number of forces which oppose us and if we did, many might lose heart. But the armor we have been given has been designed to prevent us from being devoured and for our stand against these assaults.

It is true that the days we live in are evil and we must be careful how we walk in this world if are to make the most of the days God has given to us. But we know from Scripture that for as bad as things seem today, they will get worse. Man continually hopes that things will get better, and that is reflected by many in the Church who falsely assume that Christ will return when we have prepared the world for Him by our good deeds. The Bible is very clear in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 and Revelation Chapters 12 and 20 that satanic opposition will only increase until the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for the final destruction of Satan and his hosts. This will require the Christian to be a vigilant warrior, prepared for the schemes of the enemy in order to stand in these, the final days of confrontation.

I am excited you are here to join us in this new study of spiritual warfare and the armor of God. This will not be a study about taking the war to enemy, for that is Christ’s job. Our task is defensive, not offensive. It is our duty to resist the devil, not remove him. From the Scripture, my prayer for us in this study is that we will stand because God is the One who wins the battle. Satan’s ultimate defeat is not at the hand of the saints, but from the hand of God. May we learn the victory is the Lord’s and our part is to put on the full armor of God and stand!

Sunday – August 4, 2013 “All’s Well That Ends…Well?”

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August 4, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

All’s Well That Ends…Well? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

The ending of Mark’s gospel often raises more questions than it answers. In terms of Easter passages, it is the road less traveled. We want the details of the resurrection seen in the other gospels, to experience the emotion of Mary meeting her Lord or the satisfaction of Jesus reunion with the disciples. Was Mark being clumsy or just deeply unsatisfying with his ending? Mark’s gospel has been incredible in its power and its subtlety, but does that mean there are no lessons to be learned from Mark’s unique stopping place?

Word On Worship – August 4, 2013 Download / Print

Mark 16:7-8
 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.” They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The ending of Mark’s gospel often raises more questions than it answers. In terms of Easter passages, it is the road less traveled. We want the details of the resurrection seen in the other gospels, to experience the emotion of Mary meeting her Lord or the satisfaction of the reunion of Jesus with the disciples. Was Mark being clumsy or just deeply unsatisfying with his ending? Mark’s gospel has been incredible in its power and its subtlety, but does that mean there are no lessons to be learned from Mark’s unique stopping place?

There is no narration in any of the gospels about the resurrection, only the aftermath. Whether it is the response of the religious leaders to the report of the Roman garrison about the body disappearing or Jesus meeting up with the disciples and the restoration of Peter, none of the gospels tell us what happened at the resurrection other than the tomb was empty. The prophets said death could not hold Him, Jesus promised that God would raise Him and the angels proclaimed that God has done exactly this. But for those at the tomb this Sunday morning, the only evidence they have is an empty grave with the command to go to Galilee to see Him. The question that must be answered is a question of faith: How can we find Him?

The angels do not tell the woman: “Surprise! He is here.” Instead their message is go and tell. Tell Peter and the others He has gone on ahead of them to Galilee. Yet, Mark does not write of any reunion with the earthly form of Jesus, no tears of joy or hugs of comfort. We are only told of the fear of the women and their fleeing from the empty tomb. But people respond to the Lord in fear throughout the gospel of Mark. The disciples were afraid when Jesus calmed the storm. The people of Gerasenes feared Jesus power to cast out demons and restore a man to his right mind. Not to mention the eleven at the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. Humans have been deaf, dumb and afraid to know God’s glory throughout the story.

How do we treat the empty tomb? Is it our Wailing Wall that we visit every year at Easter? Have we become like the women? — leaving the sanctuary in haste and afraid to speak to anyone about the resurrection evidence? Consider what Mark teaches us and consider how the words of the angels should cause us to move forward, not retreat in fear. All we have is the news that Jesus has been raised. If any want to see Jesus for themselves, they must go to where He leads. For the disciples, that was Galilee. If today we ask where is Jesus, Mark tells us the answer. Jesus is always ahead of us, leading us on to new lands. Jesus is to be found when we are obedient to His commands.