SERMON: SUIT UP!
INTRODUCTION: A knight got ready for battle. He had his sword in one hand, his sheild in another, He had his feet covered in armor, on his head was his helmet, his waist covered with more armor, and the main part of the armor was in place, his breastplate.! Wow does he look impressive! He goes out to fight the battle, but on the way, he is not sure of where the army is, and he has not remembered what the king had said. He goes where he thinks is best, and along the way he is ambushed, but he is able to get adjusted and battles back, making little progress. He notices that something is not right, his armor is awkward and hindering as much as helping. This is soaking up more of his strength and his sword and sheild get heaveir faster than usual. Then he feels the blade of the enemy impale his body, and is as amazed at the wound as he is that a weopon could penetrate his armor! But too late does he remember what was wrong. Before he had been ambushed he had regretted not commicating with King to know where to go, When the ambush started had he regretted not gathering together with the army before leaving, but now his final mistake was together costing him dearly. The reaon the armor was awkward, and making it harder for him to fight was that he had forgot something not usually seen but extremely important - his chain-male! The suit of defence that covered his entire body under the armor! Without it he had undermined himself! The wound in the joint of the armor was going to finish him, even without the further advances of the enemy before him. If only he had stayed with his army, talked to the king, put on his chain male! We look and get all our armor on, our sword (of the spirit) is in our hand, our shield (of faith) is in our other hand. our feet are covered with preparation for the gospel of peace, on our head is the helmet of salvation, our loins are girded with truth. The breastplate of righteousness is set on. If only We would pray! If only we would see how important it is! For without serious prayer, our commincation with our King is weak, our unity in our church is strained and our chain-male is not there to cover us! TRANSITIONAL-STATEMENT: We need to understand the incredible importance of the weopon and armor of our greatest tool - prayer. Like the simple button that turns on the incredible power of a nuclear bomb, a simple discipline that connects us to the incredible power of the God of Creation!! It is the most powerful change agent we have! But to start the change, we need to suit up!! 1.PRAYER-OF-FAITH Lu 18:1 ¶ And he spake a parable unto them [to this end], that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Lu 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Point? that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;!! Notice His last statement, He equates faith with prayer. That if we slack in prayer we will slack in trusting God, and as we slack in faith we will find it harder to communicate with our Father. A slippery slope that is happening more and more! Lets not faint! Mr 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them]. Prayer is one thing, but ask that your that your faith increase with it, for an important part of our prayer's answers is contigent on your believing in God doing as much as it is in God doing!! His action is balanced on your faith, trust in Him. Knowing His will. Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Do you want to see Healing done? Sins forgiven? You need a certain kind of prayer. Prayer of faith. Like Jesus said, believe that it will be answered! Jas 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Here is another part of Prayer and the healing we need in our church and community...We need to be able to be secure enough with each other to confess our faults. To see repentance as a mainstay in our church. We fool ourselves, for we are ever a work in progress and therefore always being grown by God to embrace righteousness and overcome sin. Therefore you will always be struggling unless you continue in repentance with your brethren! Prayer is the gateway to unity, healing and victory! The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Lets be a church that Avails Much!! 2.CONTINUE Ro 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Neat way of describing what our prayers should be like... continuing instant... another way of saying persevere and regular. A mixture of both the long haul and freshness. 1Th 5:17 Pray contiually. A book I'm reading by Bob Beckett, talks of a time when His Prayer team would pray for something, until they felt it was enough..in other words they were bored. The Lord revealed they stopped at the wall instead of crashing through!!! Lu 6:12 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Col 4:2 ¶ Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; All night!! Continue, 5 minutes is continuing right?! The hardest part of prayer for most is the time amount. Continue in prayer...On your own, don't rush your prayer time, as a church lets not rush our prayer time. Continuing instant in prayer - Pray continually - continued all night in prayer to God - Continue in prayer . . . Get the hint? We need to be trained in prayer to grow in our communication with our Father! To grow in listening to our Commander! Ro 8:26 ¶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. The Lord gets personally involved in training us in intercession! We're never alone! Are you be willing to be trained to continue? Ac 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, The church began by His people continuing in one accord in prayer!! My friends, the church will only continue the same way. To continue to move, we need to continue in prayer. Matt 26:40 He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? I believe the Lord told me to open an opportunity for men's prayer on Thursday mornings @ 6am! I was going to set it up by first going on my own and then see what would happen. But I didn't commit. I remember that thursday, I woke up at 6AM! Fully awake and missed the point! Later it was 3AM. Than With this group from Westlock, the Pastor and I confirmed some things and with this book I'm reading it is drawing a fairly clear picture! So, from now on, with your help, the church will be open at 6AM - 7AM from Tuesday to Saturday to pray for our church and town! And By 9AM on Sunday. The opportunity is yours to continue! 3.ARMED Lu 22:45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. Why do we sleep? We will get enough rest in heaven, right now we have work to do and a battle to fight, Fox Creek is Depending on us!! When the church lacks in prayer it will inevitably fall into temptation. Temptation to personal sin, temptation to gossip, back bite, slander, . Mt 26:41: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak. The Devil wastes no time, when the covering is weak, he sets up snares for that weak flesh to rip a church apart! This church has succumbed to some temptations, and God is calling us to cover up, suit up!! Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; This comes at the end of the Spiritual warfare chapter, and gives you a hint as to how to suit up! If this is lacking then your trying to put the armor on yourself, and it won't work! 1Sa 17:38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved [it]. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved [them]. And David put them off him. David tried Saul's armor, man's efforts don't measure to God's tasks! Ghost and the Darkness - Rifle/lion/Val Kilmer...Also learn, that if go into battle without proving, first, your armor, your looking for trouble. Gung ho zeal is a good attribute, as long as it is peppered with much wisdom and submission. The training is something we will be focusing on soon, I will be asking you to pray about joining a new prayer team - Vanguard. If you feel called to intercession or and love prayer, this team is for you. We will be focusing on training in some prophetic prayer, mapping, intercession, spiritual warfare and the like. Understand this will be balanced with a push to work/serve alongside with praying. If your interested in Vanguard let me know: 1.SUIT-UP! Mt 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. How would you describe F.C.P.A.? House of worship?, Good works?, Preaching? Fellowship?, Prayer? Should be all, but prayer first and foremost to undergird the rest! Bulletin @ 9am? When the balance is lost, men's goal mingle with God's and self mixes with the Spirit and we turn God's house into a place of theivery, stealing not only by selfish want, but stealing away the power of God to work!! Mt 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. We have a harvest waiting in chains of the Devil. This town is so stuck in the mud of drugs, alchohol, lust, greed, fear and rebellion and we are the only ones with the 4x4's!! We need to pray that the Lord will both bring us more laborers, and that He will turn us into those laborers!! And the best way to get more laborers is to make the harvest into laborers!! Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; This is one way to do it! Prayers for those you don't like! Loving your town,church and neighbors! 1Ti 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Men, God is calling us to be the example! Mt 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Fox Creek will not be healed without this! M.A.S.H. -> Soul Hospital has been productive and will continue more so as we enter Armed. Its time to suit up!!
F.C.P.A. Web Pages:
Home Page
Writing Archives Page
Updates & Study Page
Entertainment Page