Monthly Archives: September 2013

Sunday – September 22, 2013 “The Armor of the Helmet of Salvation”

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September 22, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

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

You do not need to look long nor far too quickly see man’s present condition in sin and the devastating results of our fallen condition. It is a condition against which mankind is completely helpless and there is no personal resource we can bring to correct our deficit. In spite of the world’s expectation of a “new society” where we can bring about peace and prosperity, the entire globe remains shattered by the ravages of sin locally, nationally and internationally. However, the Bible speaks of God’s gracious plan to provide a solution to man’s problem- salvation.
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our study of spiritual warfare and the armor of God and find the personal application you need to stand in these last days. This Sunday we examine “The Armor of the Helmet of Salvation”. Join us at 8:45 for worship from the heart and teaching from the Word.

Word On Worship – September 22, 2013 Download / Print

Ephesians 6:14-17
“Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.   And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

You do not need to look long nor far too quickly see man’s present condition in sin and the devastating results of our fallen condition. It is a condition against which mankind is completely helpless and there is no personal resource we can bring to correct our deficit. In spite of the world’s expectation of a “new society” where we can bring about peace and prosperity, the entire globe remains shattered by the ravages of sin locally, nationally and internationally. However, the Bible speaks of God’s gracious plan to provide a solution to man’s problem: salvation.

Salvation is the greatest theme in the Scriptures. It covers all of time from eternity past to eternity future. It relates personally to every single human being who has ever existed, without exception. It not only affects humans, but the entire creation and also has ramifications for the angelic host who look upon earth. It is the theme of both the Old and New Testament. It is personal, national and cosmic and it centers on the greatest Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. The term salvation encompasses the entire work of God by which He seeks to rescue man from the cost and the consequence of sin and bestowing upon him the wealth of His grace which includes the provision for abundant life now and eternal glory forever.

In all other religions around the world, salvation is a work done by man for God. This is what makes biblical Christianity different from all the religions of the world. From a biblical understanding we learn that salvation is of the Lord; it is the work of God for man and Christ’s shout of victory affirmed this truth.  The fact that Jesus Christ died does not in itself save men, but it does provide the one and only sufficient ground upon which God in full harmony with His perfect holiness is free to save the vilest of sinners, including you and me. This is the good news of the gospel and our privilege to proclaim to the world.

Salvation is the deliverance, safety, soundness, restoration and healing of God graced to His creation by faith. In theological terms, salvation is the major doctrine of the Bible which includes redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, repentance, faith, justification, sanctification and glorification. It is the ultimate question of man and the greatest gift that can be given. The salvation we celebrate this morning is the work of God rescuing man from his lost position. But what is more is salvation is also the description of someone who has been saved and has become vitally renewed and made a partaker of the inheritance of the saints.

Sunday – September 15, 2013 “The Armor of the Shield of Faith”

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September 15, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

The Armor of the Shield of Faith from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Faith is a gift from God. And like so many other gifts of God, we have a responsibility to appropriate it and grow in it. So how do we grow in faith? The key is to grow in the object of our faith, namely Jesus Christ. Faith is only as good as its object. You can have the strongest faith in a rickety bridge and have it collapse under your weight in spite of your strong faith. Or you can have a weak faith in a strong bridge and it will hold you up along with a semi truck that rumbles along beside you. The right way to have a strong faith is to know the engineer who built the bridge. You knowledge of the bridge and its builder would increase your faith in the bridges ability to hold you up, even though it may go over a frightening chasm below. The bridge, not your faith in the bridge, gets the glory.
Join us this week as we see why the shield of faith is the ultimate weapon in the armor of God. And may our Father increase our faith for the glory of His Son.

Word On Worship – September 15, 2013 Download / Print

Ephesians 6:14-17
“Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

In 1947, a rumor spread that the Ford Motor Company would give a new Ford in exchange for every copper penny dated 1943. The rumor spread like wildfire, even without the internet or email, and Ford was flooded with requests for information about this incredible giveaway. But as you might expect, it turned out to be nothing more than a hoax. The U.S. Mint confirmed that in 1943 they minted over one billion pennies out of a combination of zinc and steel due to the need for copper in World War II, but none were minted out of copper.

There has been another rumor going through out the human race for centuries that people can go to heaven based on their good works. But that too is a hoax. The fact is there are no works made on earth that are acceptable in heaven because all of our works are tainted by sin. The only righteousness that will gain entrance into heaven is the work of Jesus Christ, graciously given to sinners who come to Him by faith. Our eternal destiny depends on our understanding that we are justified not on the basis of our moral behavior, but by faith in God who credits righteousness to people apart from their works.

Faith is a gift from God. And like so many other gifts of God, we have a responsibility to appropriate it and grow in it. So how do we grow in faith? The key is to grow in the object of our faith, namely Jesus Christ. Faith is only as good as its object. You can have the strongest faith in a rickety bridge and have it collapse under your weight in spite of your strong faith. Or you can have a weak faith in a strong bridge and it will hold you up along with a semi truck that rumbles along beside you. The right way to have a strong faith is to know the engineer who built the bridge. Your knowledge of the bridge and its builder would increase your faith in the bridge’s ability to hold you up, even though it may span a frightening chasm below. The bridge, not your faith in the bridge, gets the glory.

We need to put our faith in action. As we act in faith and see God’s work, our faith is strengthened to trust Him the next time we are at a crossroad. We need to be careful not to misapply His promises. John the Baptist in prison was confused because he thought that if he were the Messiah’s forerunner, and Jesus was the Messiah, then he should not be in prison. Jesus assured John (Matthew 11:2-11) that He was the Messiah. But that assurance did not mean John got out of prison alive. Even if God’s will is our earthly death, we can glorify Him by dying in faith as we look to His promise of eternal life.

Sunday – September 8, 2013 “The Armor of the Gospel of Peace”

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September 8, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

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

From my experience, I do not think that Christians experience the full peace of God and as a result we are vulnerable to the attack of Satan. As I look around I see so many who live in fear and anxiety. Parents who are anxious about their children, families who are anxious about their finances, and churches anxious about their programs and facilities- anxiety appears to be a staple of day to day life. We speak on Sunday about the sovereignty of God but our anxiety about the day to day tasks of our lives often conflict with the tenants of our faith and the character of God.
Join us this Sunday as we examine the spiritual armor of the gospel shoes of peace as we continue in our study of Ephesians 6 and the armor of God.

Word On Worship – September 8, 2013 Download / Print

Ephesians 6:14-15
“Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE…”

From my experience, I do not think that Christians experience the full peace of God and as a result we are vulnerable to the attack of Satan. As I look around I see so many who live in fear and anxiety. To parents anxious about their children, families anxious about their finances, and churches anxious about their programs and facilities – anxiety appears to be a staple of day-to-day life. We speak on Sunday about the sovereignty of God but our anxiety about the daily tasks of our lives often conflict with the tenets of our faith and the character of God.

Peace is something God has accomplished in Jesus Christ but it is something the Christian must pursue. The question we must be answer is how does the Christian pursue peace? Our pursuit of peace must begin at the cross and cause us to return to the cross continually to consider its ramifications in our life. We must make peace a priority and a guiding principle that governs our conduct. We must focus on the character of God and His sovereign plans and purposes. We must recognize He gives us peace in the midst of adversity and suffering. We obtain peace the same way we obtain all of God’s gracious gifts to us: as gifts of grace by faith.

True peace comes from delighting in God. He is our salvation and our security and peace is the result of rejoicing and resting in Him. Peace is the fruit of pursuing unity and harmony while graciously enduring the weakness and faults of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We find peace through prayer as we petition Him to meet our every need and then trust Him to do so. Peace comes when we refuse to allow our hearts and minds to entertain thoughts which fall short of truth and righteousness. Peace comes when we put into practice what we know to be true and have pondered in our hearts.

Peace comes from God and God alone. Peace comes through Jesus Christ who made peace between God and man. He is the One who gives us true peace and enables us to stand in the midst of Satan’s schemes. Inner feelings of peace are not proof that we are in the right, but being in the right is the basis for peace. May we all find peace in Him by trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. For it is by His righteousness that we have fellowship with God and each other.

Sunday – September 1, 2013 “The Armor of Righteousness”

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September 1, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

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

Satan is the great hypocrite. He is the advocate of unrighteousness incarnate and when we have failed to live the righteous standard for which we have been called is the first to accuse us before God. Day and night he accuses men before God, but not just any men- the saints themselves. How is it that the prince of unrighteousness can accuse the righteous before God, day and night? The Scriptures make clear the assault of Satan is not only against the righteous (saints) but attacking righteousness. That is why the breastplate of righteousness is so essential to the Christians armor.
Join us as we continue our study of spiritual warfare and the armor God has given to every believer. This week we examine “Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of Righteousness”.

Word On Worship – September 1, 2013 Download / Print

Ephesians 6:13-41
“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. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS …”

Satan is the great hypocrite. He is the advocate of unrighteousness incarnate and when we have failed to live up to the righteous standard for which we have been called, Satan is the first to accuse us before God. Day and night he accuses men before God, but not just any men – the saints themselves. How is it that the prince of unrighteousness can accuse the righteous before God, day and night? The Scriptures make clear the assault of Satan is not only against the righteous (saints) but is also attacking righteousness. That is why the breastplate of righteousness is so essential to the Christian’s armor.

When we sin, Satan is quick to accuse us because that is his nature. Our defense against such accusation is found in the breastplate of righteousness. It is in Christ’s righteousness that we stand. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, little Christian meets Satan shortly after receiving his armor. In the enemy’s attack on Christian, Satan hurls his accusations reminding Christian of his failures to live up to his name. He reminds him of his wickedness, how he fell into the Slough of Despond and how he left his roll behind him when he rested too long. Bunyan understood how well Satan attacks the Christian. It is our sins that condemn us and it is Christ’s righteousness that saves us. Even when the evil one accuses us, it is only the imputed righteousness we have in Jesus Christ that allows us to stand.

Satan looks for points of weakness where he can capitalize. The devil recognized the attitude of Peter regarding suffering and prompted him to rebuke the Lord Jesus and try to turn Him from the way of the cross. Satan recognized David’s pride and led him to count the number of the Israelites that were his to command. He took advantage of Judas’s greed and frustration to gain power to control his life as an unbeliever. And the adversary recognized the tainted motivation of Ananias and Sapphira that filled their hearts so as to lie to the Holy Spirit. From the most righteous to the wicked, we all are attacked at our weakest point.

Our enemy watches for any sign of weakness and then capitalizes on it. To give into sin through the weaknesses of the flesh is to give Satan an inroad into our spiritual lives. While sin causes a gap in our armor, Righteousness provides no openings for Satan, no handles for him to get a grip on our lives to pull us back. Righteousness is a part of our defense because the best defense is a good offense. By the filling of the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to press forward in righteousness against the unrighteous charges of the evil one.