Message Recap – 8/20/10 – Fight!: Part 5

If you're just joining us, we are in the middle of a series called Fight! We've been talking about fighting with the wrong weapons or the wrong war. You can check out previous messages in the series here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

The theme verse for this series is found in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Tonight we are talking about a very powerful weapon: the Word of God!

Pastor Dan tends to think about things a lot, and to have an opinion about stuff. And, like most of us, he tends to trust in his own ideas and opinions. He trusts in his own knowledge to win the day. He often uses his words as weapons. For example, “I'm right! Why won't you listen to me?!?” Or have you ever heard someone say, “I've been thinking about it and I think...” Usually nothing good follows that phrase.

The truth is an opinion is not powerful. Why? Because everyone has an opinion, and no two people have the same one. Or maybe you're one of the few people who doesn't really have an opinion on most subjects. Maybe you don't know what to say to preach the Gospel.

Both things are powerless because they both rely on your own words, opinions and ideas. Your opinion is not God's Word, it's your words! If you don't have an opinion, you still need to get God's Word!

In this country, people fight with words all the time. Tune in to CNN for proof of this. People will argue over anything. But our words are not powerful when they come from us. Disclaimer: Our words are powerful when we are speaking over our lives in faith or in doubt. We're talking about arguments here.

Take a look at what Hebrews 4:12 says about the Word of God:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

God's word penetrates! It cuts through attitudes, doubts, arguments intentions, thoughts; you name it! God's Word is a powerful weapon!

Here are some examples from Jesus' life of God's Word in action:

Matthew 4:1-11 - Satan was challenging Jesus on important things, but God's Word cut right through his attempts to twist Scripture.

John 8:1-9 - This was supposed to be a trap for Jesus, so that whatever He said they would find it wrong.

Matthew 22:15-46 - Here are several times when people tried to trick Jesus with a tough question. In all of those cases, Jesus saw right through their question to the intended trap, and answered to the real issue.

Now check out John 14:9-10. God was speaking through Jesus – it was God's Word that cut through the traps and arguments that were trying to catch Him.

God's Word can help you, too! When you are in a situation where no matter which answer you choose it's going to bring trouble, God's Word will speak the truth.

Ephesians 6:17 is where the armor of God is described. It says, Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Word is a weapon!

God has given us two kinds of Word. There's the written Word; the Bible. Just just like any other weapon, you have to practice with it and train with it! You need to learn how to use it or it is powerless. Memorize it, speak it, follow it, live it.

The second kind is spoken Word. This is what God speaks to you; in a specific verse, through a prophecy, or while you're worshiping – when God speaks to you, He's giving you a weapon.

But so often when God speaks we say, “Oh, that's cool!” And we stick the weapon up on the shelf. We don't use it, we don't practice with it, we don't fight with it! It's time to put that weapon to use – dust it off and start firing that weapon! When facing temptation, when struggling with anger, depression, or whatever you're fighting!

The great evangelist Reinhard Bonnke said, “God's word in your mouth is just as powerful as God's word in God's mouth.” The same Word that created the whole universe is just as powerful in your mouth as in God's!

God's word is effective; it heals us, rescues us, overcomes evil! When you're in a situation that you don't know how to get out of or what to say, your words will not be enough. But God's Word is living, active, sharper than a sword. It cuts through arguments, tricks and traps. It brings hope, it sets the captives free, brings forgiveness, life, and peace.

Stop using your own opinions and start using the Word of God as a weapon!

Message Recap – 8/6/10 – Fight!: Part 4

If you're just joining us, we are in the middle of a series called Fight! We've been talking about fighting with the wrong weapons or the wrong war. You can check out those messages here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The theme verse for this series is found in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Imagine, if you will, a jungle. It's really hot and extremely humid. There are soldiers walking through the jungle, in enemy territory. Among the soldiers there's a grizzled veteran with a nasty scar. Then there's also a new recruit, fresh out of training. They are hacking through the thick jungle, when they finally find a clearing – the new recruit rushes forward, when the veteran stops him short and pokes the ground, which sinks to reveal a nasty hole with sharp spikes at the bottom.

We'll get back to that later, but keep the mental picture in mind.

Have you ever been hurt, betrayed, offended or stabbed in the back? Is there someone you just can't stand? Do you ever lay in bed at night going over and over in your head what come-back you should have come up with? Maybe every time you think about that certain person it just makes you angry. We've all been there – hurt by someone.

This week we are talking about using forgiveness as a weapon. Forgiveness doesn't seem like a weapon – it seems like a terrible, useless weapon. But remember, we're not fighting against people, we're fighting spiritual forces!

Let's look at Romans 12:17-21:

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Forgiveness thwarts the enemy's trap! We are in a war, and we're in enemy territory. It's filled with traps laced with nasty spikes! Forgiveness destroys those traps!

Grudges are traps. When we start planning revenge or holding a grudge, we're setting our own trap! Taking revenge only traps you, not the other person. When you stay mad at someone, you are the one in prison, not them.

Overcome evil with good.

When you forgive, you break the power of offense over your life – you win!

Check out Matthew 18:21-35. Like the man in that parable, you may feel that you are owed something. But guess what? You owed much more, and God forgave you! Your sin was a huge debt, and God forgave all of it!

When we don't forgive, we rob ourselves of Christ's forgiveness. Jesus said, “When you don't forgive, you aren't forgiven.”

The reason we covered the Cross early in this series is because everything comes back to the cross – to sacrifice, to resurrection power, to us taking all that we are and surrendering to Him. Giving it all to Christ is the answer!

Sure, you can make the person pay, you can exact the perfect revenge. But it still won't satisfy, it still won't bring you peace. Give it to Christ!

Offense is like an infected wound. If you let it go it will just get worse and worse. You have to go to Christ to cleanse it! It's called a root of bitterness. Unless you take it to the cross, it destroys your life.

Offense is like a seed. If you plant an acorn today and go dig it up tomorrow, it's pretty easy to get out of the ground. But if you try to dig it out in 20 years, it will be extremely difficult because it has put down roots. Offense is like that! It takes root, spreads and takes over your life!

Maybe you aren't mad at anyone now. That's great! But at some point in your life, someone will do something to you that you will need to forgive. You have to understand that unforgiveness is a trap, a nasty, spike-lined pit!

How do you forgive? It's a process – it takes time. Every time thoughts of anger and unforgiveness come up, you pray for the person, you forgive them, you ask God for help. It might not happen overnight, especially if your acorn has been in the ground for awhile. But keep at it!

Forgiveness will keep you from falling into the enemy's trap – it's a powerful weapon that will help you win the battle!

Message Recap - 7/30/10 - Fight! Part 3

We are in the first few weeks of a new series called Fight! We've been talking about fighting with the wrong weapons or the wrong war. You can check out previous messages in the series here:

Part 1

Part 2

The theme verse for this series is 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

The war that we're fighting starts inside; in our own minds, hearts, spirits, ideas and moments of doubt. Those are the major battles. We have to learn how demolish the arguments that come from within. Arguments like, “God isn't real. Jesus doesn't love you, you've never going to amount to anything.” You have to learn to fight against and demolish those things before you can move on to external battles. The fight starts within ourselves.

We've already talked about some wrong weapons to fight with (logic, reason, willpower), and a right weapon: Surrender. The Cross is our greatest weapon against darkness. Now we'll look at another right weapon.

Sometimes we don't realize that our weapons are weapons; they don't look like weapons. In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus says: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Love is a weapon. And a battlefield, but that's a whole other story. Love as a weapon doesn't seem like a weapon. Especially if you're trying to fight against people. But we're fighting against spiritual principalities, not people! You will always have enemies – someone who you don't get along with, who just rubs you the wrong way.

The saying Jesus mentions, “Love your neighbor, hate your enemies,” is not outdated; people still say it today. For instance, any current action movie send the same message.

And guess what? Most people follow it. But if you want to change the world, you have to do something different that what the world does! You can make a difference if you don't follow the world's formula. Love can change the world! It sounds cheesy, like some romantic comedy, but we're not talking about that kind of love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8 gives a description of the love we're talking about.

The biggest problem with that whole definition of love is that... well, it's impossible! We can never attain that – we fail!

Luckily for us, the love doesn't have to come from us. It's a gift from God. Even though it's impossible in our own effort, God gives us the gift of loving people beyond our ability! Check

out 2 Timothy 1:6-7: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Fear doesn't come from God. Timidity doesn't come from God. But He has given us a spirit of love! God wants to give you the kind of love that 1 Corinthians 13 talks about. The kind of love that's impossible for us – that's patient, kind, never proud, etc, etc. It's only possible through Christ.

When we hear the word love the wrong impression can come to mind. We think of romantic love – a mushy card on Valentine's day. But that kind of love won't change the world. Or we think of brotherly love – football team camaraderie. But that won't change the world either.

We have to understand what real love is because Christ's Love fights! When He healed the sick, it was out of Love. When He taught the crowds, it was out of Love. When He blessed the children, it was out of Love. When He rebuked Peter – Love. When He drove out the money changers in the temple – Love. He said some really blunt things to the Pharisees – out of Love! Some of those things are not what we think of as love.

Christ's Love is a love that puts others first, no matter what. There are a lot of misunderstandings about what friendship really is. When a friend tells you she is thinking of committing suicide, you don't support her in the decision – you tell her parents, a teacher, anyone who can help her. You stop her from going through with it! Love isn't afraid to make a tough decision, to ask a tough question! Christ's Love stands for truth while it's laying down its life. True Love doesn't just enable sin; Love lays down its life and speaks the truth into people's lives. It's not weak or wishy-washy, it's not merely “tough love” like Dr. Phil. It's love that puts others first in every way and stands up for the truth, for what's right, for what's Godly.

That kind of love fights! It demolishes strongholds and arguments and takes every thought captive.

Galatians 5:22-25 says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Living in love starts with surrender to Christ. It starts with crucifying our passions and desires and receiving the Love of Christ. It's the only way to get His love in you! It's not just a one time thing – each time we surrender we are re-equipped with Christ's Love!

Fight with Love!