The Church of Eleven22 - Belt of Truth: Stand Firm - Wk 2

Episode Date: July 21, 2024

As we dive deeper into our new series, “Stand Firm”, Pastor Joby teaches through Ephesians 6:14, John 8:-31-47 and John 14:6. We must remember the enemy knows our weaknesses. It’s not IF you’re going to be attacked, but WHEN. But the good news is we do not stand firm in our own strength, we stand firm in God’s. Are you fighting the lies of the enemy with the truth of God? - The Church of Eleven22® is a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Eleven22 is led by Pastor Joby Martin and based in Jacksonville, Florida, with multiple campuses throughout Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. To find out more about how God is moving at Eleven22, go to CoE22.com

Amen, amen, amen. I'm almost surprised you came back. Hey, if you got your Bibles, grab them. We're going to be in John 8. We're going to start Ephesus 6, then we're going to jump to John 8. I'd encourage you to go to John 8. I'll meet you there in just a minute.

We are in the second week of this series that takes us all the way to saturated, called Stand Firm. And the whole point is this, is that we are at war. Last week, I spent an hour yelling at you trying to convince you of two things. That we are at war.

It's an actual war. just because it's spiritual doesn't mean it's not actual, and that we have an enemy. And I got many, many emails. Some of you were like, thanks, pastor, for preaching the truth. And some of you were like, oh, my God, we need to tone down the rhetoric. And I thought, that was just the introduction. If you're on the tone down the rhetoric emails,

you're going to hate the rest of this series. And the reason that I use fighting language is because I'm preaching out of the Word of God. The reason I use war language is because that's the language the Bible uses, and God does not need an editor. And so what we do here is we just teach straight out of this book. And if you think we need to calm everything down, you need to wake up. That's what you need to do. And so you have an enemy, and the only thing he wants to do to you

is to steal everything that God has for you. He wants to kill you and everybody that means anything to you in your life. and he wants to destroy anything good that you have going that comes from God. That's the only thing that he wants to do. We are at war, and that is the language that the Bible uses. Now, last week, what we wanted you to know is that the war has already been won by the life, death, and resurrection, and promised return of Jesus. So we are called to fight, but our battle is not against flesh and blood.

Our battle is not against people. Our battle is not against politicians. Our battle is not against a group of human beings. No, no, no, no. Our battle is against the enemy himself and his principalities of the spirit of the air. And though we are called to fight, we don't fight like the world fights.

We don't chop ears off like Peter did in the Garden of Gassimini. No, no, no, no. That's not our battle. Your battle is not on the Internet. Your battle, our battle is against the enemy and we stand firm against the devil and his evil schemes. Today, we're going to talk about how to prepare for battle by putting on the belt of truth, and we live in a truth crisis right now.

I mean, you want to defang the word truth, put a possessive pronoun in front of it, like my truth. You don't have a truth. You have opinions, and they're like armpits. Everybody's got a couple and they stink. That's just true. You have experience, but truth just is. Colossus 2 says it this way. It's kind of a summation of last week's whole sermon.

Colossius 2.13, Paul says, And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross, He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. This is war, and I've got good news.

The war has already been won. But you better wake up to the war or you're going to get your tail kicked. You try to fight the devil in the dark and you're going to lose. And the truth of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ means that we can go get those places where he's whipping us and drag it into the light and stand in his victory. So how do we fight? Okay, again, the reason that I use fighting language, somebody sent me a, somebody, boy, I love these, right?

Somebody sent me an email, you're just an angry white man. Let's unpack that for a minute, you want to? I am a man. I am not confused by that, and my Bible says that we stand up and act like men. We're going to spend all next year on that, okay? I am white. What should be doing about it, man? I didn't pick it.

He picked it. I'm white. And I am angry at the, the schemes of the enemy, and I am here to fight on behalf of anybody he was a steal, kill, and destroy it. And so the Bible doesn't say, tone it down. No, no, no, no. The Bible says, wake up.

So, here's where the fighting language comes from. Ephesians, Chapter 6, I would invite you to download. We made an alarm. You can download it, you can set it as your alarm. If you're going to do that, share it with your spouse. Because it'll give you a heart attack when the thing goes off. Have you listened to it yet? If it freaks you out, if it's a little too early, you know what I mean?

then start out with, then just maybe listen to it in the car on the way to work or on the way to the gym or whatever. And it's just me trying to wake you up by just reading this passage. It sounds like this. Ephesion 6. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand

against the schemes of the devil. That word stand is a military term. It doesn't mean just like get out of your seat. It means get ready to fight. For we do not wrestle or fight to. of the death against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand

in the evil day, and having done all to stand firm, stand therefore, having fastened on, here it comes, the belt of truth. You see, if you're going to fight, you better, and you're going to stand, take a stand against the enemy, your feet better be on solid ground. And a part of what he is saying is, the solid ground on which we set our feet in to get ready to fight is on the truth of the word of God. This is how Jesus ended the sermon on the mouth. He started it with the gospel. That's what actually the beatitudes are about.

And he ends it with the gospel. He says, whoever life is built on the solid rock of the truth of the gospel, when the wind and waves come. How many even know the wind and waves are coming? The storms are coming. And when they come, if you're going. your life is built on the sinking sand of the promises of this world, then your whole life's going to fall apart and great will be the fall. But whoever's life is built on the truth of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

when the storms come against you, they won't be able to take you out because the solid rock is Jesus and he will hold you up. That's what he's saying. And so this idea to fasten or to put on the belt of truth, it means it's time to get ready in your newspaper thing that we gave you which is pretty cool I think that's cool there's a picture of the belt of truth here's a picture of what it looks like doesn't look like our belts it's very different it's not like the belts that we wear not like

my belt I have a belt look at this this belt so cool right here you can let me look at that man my friend beau made this for me and the belt in the first century the Roman belt held everything together and you hung your sword on it. I don't have a sword, but I do have a Glock, so that's where that hangs. And if that bothers you, let me just tell you this. If you like that First Amendment, you've got to have that second one to keep that first one. All right, that's just the thing. All right. So, that's why I get to do this. Anywho, I actually think what's going on here is there's a combination of two things going on. So Paul writes the book of Ephesians from jail, and he is changed to a Roman guard that he's actually going to lead to Christ. And so he is a firsthand eyewitness of

the way the Roman soldiers would be dressed, but he takes that. He's also an Old Testament scholar, a Pharisee of Pharisees, and Ephesians chapter 59 describes the Lord dressed as a warrior. And so he puts these two images together. Here's how Isaiah says Isaiah 59, 17, talking about Jesus who would come. It says, he put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head. And he put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. That word zeal means truthfulness. So not only do we stand on the truth of the Word of God, but we wrap ourselves in truth. That the belt in the Roman days, it held everything together.

It was a place for your sword, place for your money, it held the breastplate in place. It was the centerpiece. the way the way the King James says it is this gird up your loins with the belt of truth this is why we need modern translations

because nobody talks that way anymore I got a teenage boy and before he goes out I'm not like hey boy are your loins girded up you know that ain't good here's what it means you've seen the Chosen right or Jesus movies and you see the Roman soldiers

they'd run around in like choir robes tunics is what they were called which is fine if you want to flow around just on an average day in your tunic, that's fine. But if you got to fight, you got to gird up your loins. That means you've got to tuck in all the loose parts. Because if you're getting to fight, somebody can't take your dress and go, woo-hoo, put it over your head, and then you can't fight good.

You know what I mean? So you got to get ready, man. That's what this means. And so you strap that belt of truth. Here's what it means. I think the reason that Paul begins with the belt of truth is because Jesus is, I mean, because the devil is a liar and Jesus is the truth. And the moment we go to war, you can either wrap yourself up in the lives of this world

or you can wrap yourself in the person and work of Jesus. And Jesus says that Jesus is truth. John 14.6, Jesus says, I am the way the truth and the life. Not I know the truth, not I tell the truth, but I am the truth. And no one comes to the Father except through me. So to put on the belt of truth is to wrap yourself in Jesus ready for war against the enemy. And so in John chapter 8, Jesus has this fight really with a bunch of religious people trying to make up their own truth. And he's going to explain not only what the truth is, but who our enemy is, we're going to learn a lot about our enemy heel.

John chapter 8, actually John chapter 7 and 8 all happening in the same context. It's on the heels of this Jewish festival called the Feast of the Booths. And what they would do with the Feast of the Booths every year is everybody go camping. And everybody leave their house and they make these little lean-to huts and they'd stay in them for a few days. And what they were remembering is when Moses went to the Pharaoh and on behalf of God said, let my people go. And then they had to take off. They had to live on the run.

They crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. They get to the land of Cana. And there they are. And God himself leads them. as a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. So every night what they would do during the festival of the booze is they'd light these little candles and all of Jerusalem would light up.

So at the end of chapter 7 there's little candles lit all over the place and Jesus is like, oh, you won't light, I got you a light. I am the light of the world. And seven times in the gospel of John, Jesus is going to make these I am statements. Like I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth in the life, I am the good shepherd.

Seven times he makes these I am statements. And the reason that he's saying these I am statements is because he is claiming equality with the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. All the way back in Exodus chapter three, before Moses goes to Pharaoh, he's hanging out, working for his father-in-law, he's a shepherd, it's not a good job.

And he bumps into a bush that is on fire, but is not being consumed. He goes over to check it out, and God Almighty speaks to him and says, take off his shoes, because you're standing on holy ground, Moses, I'm going to send you to Pharaoh, and on behalf of me, I want you to tell him, let my people go. And after a little Moses gives some excuses, and then eventually he's like, okay, I'll do it.

But who shall I say sent me? And God says, you tell him that my name is, I am that I am. The Hebrew is just four letters. It's called the tetragram. The God's covenant name is Yahweh. It's supposed to sound like breathing. You breathe in, you breathe out. Yahweh, that the God of the universe is as close as your next breath.

You fast forward a few thousand years and they're saying about Jesus, who are you? And seven times the number of completions, he says, I'll tell you who I am. I am. That he is saying that he is completely and perfectly God. This makes the Jewish leaders very, very angry. John chapter 8, verse 28, this is the middle of the conversation that they're in. And so Jesus said to them, when you have lifted up the son of man, that means crucified him, then you will know that I am he.

He's claiming to be God. And that I do nothing on my own authority. But speak just as the Father taught me, and he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. As he was saying these things, many believed in him. And so Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

You ever heard that verse before? Politicians say it all the time. Don't trust the one that doesn't have the beginning part of that on. When they say, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free, Jesus didn't mean, I'm going to give you a set of facts, and the set of facts is going to give you understanding to the circumstances. What he is saying is, you abide in my word,

because my word is true, and you will know the truth of my word and the truth of my word will set you free. That's what he's talking about. So a part of what it means to fasten on the belt of truth is that you would do what he says, that you would abide in his word. You see, Jesus is the word, the living word,

and then he reveals to us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the prophets, he reveals the written word to us. You don't want to know the truth of God? He has given it to us in this word, and we are to abide in the word. stay close to the word read believe draw close to the word in an effort to draw close to him in a few weeks we're going to do a whole week on the sword of the spirit which is the word of god we'll talk about how the

bible can be used to fight back against the enemy but i need you to know the bible is not merely a collection of true things about history and theology it's more than that that truth begets truth this is god's word to you and to me. And I've told you this before, man, I don't know how to make you love something I love. But I love this word, and I want you to love this word. This is why every single week, if you come here, we just teach straight out of this word. First of all, I'm not smart enough to be like, hey, here's four ways for you to be a better version of you, for my experience.

If you ever find yourself in another church and they don't teach directly from this word, just say, hey, Martha, get your stuff, go get the kids, don't go back to that place. That's not a church anymore, okay? that we abide, stay close to this word, because, because if you're new to this, if you're new to this, you have like an artifact of the miraculous in your hand. You really do. You really do. That it's more than just a historical count of true things that happen. It is that, but it's so much more than that. In fact, 2 Timothy 316 says this, all scripture is breathed out by God, Dias Nustas, and profitable for teaching and reproof and for correction and training and righteousness.

Hebrews 412 says, for the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Not only do we read it, it reads us. Peter says this in 2. Peter 1.16, this is long, but hang in here. It says, for we do not follow cleverly divides myths when we've made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. We didn't make this up. He said, we saw this ourselves.

For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. Talking about the mountain of transfiguration. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed to which you will do well to pay attention

as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Knowing this, first of all, that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. You see, there are a couple of different ways to approach God's word. There's a bunch of people, and even denominations now,

that stand in authority over God's Word. And they're like, well, they just got a highlighter and some scissors and just clip out the part that they don't like. You can do that. You just hadn't submitted and surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I mean, by definition, when you say, look, I don't, I mean,

how are you going to tell me how to date? You don't even have a dating app. I know more than you. You could do that. You could do that. You're a fool, but you could do that. You just can't call yourself a follower of Jesus and then tell him to follow you.

The way we come to this word is we stand under the authority of the word, especially the parts that we don't like. Trust me, man, you read some stuff in here, and you're like, I don't like that. Me either, man. You know why? Because I want it my way. But you don't get it your way. The God of the universe is a good, good dad.

You ever look at your kids and tell them they can't do some things they wanted to do? Because you're a good parent. You ever make them do? some stuff they didn't want to do? Right, because you're a good parent. He is a good, good father, and everything he has for you is for you because he loves you. And how many of you have not loved you very well sometimes, right? He loves us perfectly every single time. And so he says, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. And they answered him, verse 33, we are all spring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.

How is it that you will say you will become free? And I think Jesus is like, how dumb can you be? We are at the festival of the booths. The parade you just finished marching in was to celebrate that you used to be a slave in Egypt, you dummy? What you mean you've never been captive before? Or, I mean, that's the book of Exodus. Have you not made it to Exodus? The second book, Genesis, Exodus.

Exodus means to get out of slavery. That's what you did. That's what the whole book is about. What you mean you've never been enslaved? Or have you not read Daniel? I know you hadn't read Daniel. I'm talking about these religious people in the Bible. The whole point of Daniel is that King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, comes in, takes over Israel and puts a bunch of them in Babylonian captivity.

That's what it's called. Then Nehemi comes back and builds the wall and Ezra reads the Bible. Don't you remember that? or third, look around. We live in Roman, occupied Jerusalem. Right now, you're enslaved to Rome. So you're O for three. Not only that, you are currently enslaved to your own sin.

You see, every single one of us were born into a kingdom, and your spiritual passport at birth declares that you are born into the kingdom of sin or the kingdom of this world. And Jesus came on a rescue mission. to rescue you out of the kingdom of darkness and transfer you into the kingdom of his glorious light. And not only that, this verse can apply to me and you too.

What is enslaving you? What is in control of you? Are you driven by this love of Christ that compels everything you do to live a life of freedom? Or, if you're honest, is there something less than that that you've allowed to take center stage in your life? like it could be even a good gift of God that you treat as God and that's a really bad thing

it could be like your work money comfort a relationship a hobby politics and that is actually center stage in your life and if that's the way you live you are enslaved to that thing and so they say we're all speaking Abraham we've never been enslaved by anyone verse 34 and Jesus answered them truly truly I say to you everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin Now he doesn't say everyone who sins, but he says everyone who practices sin. So there's two different ways here to talk about sin. He's not talking about what Paul talks about in Romans chapter 7, where in Romans chapter 7, Paul says, God, I want to love you and I want to walk into truth and I want to do good.

And even though I want to follow you and I want to obey you, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I do some things that I promise I'd never do again. Anybody, anybody ever done that? Yeah, of course you have, all right. But when you stumble, when you fall, when you sin, you fall onto the grace that saved you, you repent, confess your sins, and then God freely and graciously picks you up

and you can run to him instead of from him because of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is just the ongoing life of the believer, which is repentance. That's different than what he is talking about here is the person that habitually and unrepentantly lives a life of sin. In other words, you consistently look at God and go,

forget you, God, I do what I want. Now here's what's crazy. You could come to church every week and live like that, and I've got horrible news. You're not a Christian. And you may say, oh, it's a little judgy. It's real judgy. Jesus is real binary.

Jesus is real binary. He's heaven or hell? Those are the options. There's not like a spectrum. lost or saved there's not like an in the middle and I on behalf of Christ

would love you enough to try to clearly preach what the Bible preaches if you consistently try to redefine sin like why that word doesn't really mean that okay it's fun you can do whatever you want but when you do what you want you by definition

are Lord of your own life when you confess Jesus as your Lord that's it's you're turning over the rain and going, I do what you want, and you get to define the terms. If you consistently stiff-armed God and say, forget you, I do what I want, then by definition, you are your own Lord. And if that is the case, you are a citizen or a member of the kingdom of this world. But when you submit and surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, I'm not saying we get it perfect.

In fact, the whole point of the cross is that we need a Savior to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. but we are turning over the range of our life and saying, of course I sin and of course I stumble and of course I fall. That's why I need a savior. So when the enemy begins to whisper that I am a great sinner, I actually agree with him. You're right, but I have a greater savior. And because of his blood, he makes me a saint.

That's what happens. Then he says, the slave does not remain in the house forever, for the sun remains forever. In other words, you can't fire your family. Verse 36, so if the sun sets you free, you will be free indeed. So this Bible is not a list of rules to try to hold you down.

This is instruction on freedom. And if you want to review on what it means to be free in Christ, we did 14 weeks in the book of Galation, so you can review that. And that the gospel frees us, not to sin, frees us from sin, frees us from the penalty of sin,

the power of sin, the presence of sin. He goes on to say, I know that you were offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me because my words find no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my father and you do what you have heard from your father. These are like,

it's about to be fighting words here, okay? Jesus is saying, listen, we're citizens of different kingdoms because we have different fathers. My father's the kingdom of my citizenship and your father's the kingdom of yours. Verse 39, and they answered him, Abraham is our father.

And Jesus said to them, if you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did. Now, what's the works Abraham did? Abraham believed in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. That's the work that he did. Abraham was called a friend of God because he put his faith in God. Abraham believed that when God promised Abraham that through him, through his seed, through this promised son, Isaac, the whole world will be blessed. He believed that God always keeps his promises.

So when God said, take your son, your only begotten son. the son of your love up on this mountain and sacrifice him. He was willing to do it because he trusted God, because he put his faith in God. And so what Jesus is saying to these religious people is if you actually believed God, you would actually believe me. If you were actually sons of Abraham, then you would be sons of faith,

then you would put your faith to me. Verse 40, but now you seek to kill me. A man who has told you the truth that I heard from me. God. This is not what Abraham did. You were doing the works, your father did. Okay. Back to Galatians and then way back several years ago when we studied the book of Romans. The Bible, in Galatians and Romans specifically make it very, very clear that to be a son of Abraham, doesn't just, that was not just an ethnic or a genetic promise. Like just because your address is Jerusalem doesn't mean that you automatically get into heaven. It's a single file line when it gets to heaven. There are no group of

There's not like, all right, everybody in this area code just gets in because it's who your grandma is. No, no, no. God doesn't save last names. He only saves first names. And to be a son of Abraham means that you were a son of the promise or just like Abraham put his faith in God and that faith was counted to him as righteousness. Whoever believes or puts their faith in Jesus when he died on the cross somehow that counted for me, then he takes the full payment and penalty for our sin and we get credit for our credit for

for His righteousness and we get adopted into the very family of God, not because of what we have done or because who our grandmama and granddaddy was, but because what Jesus did for us, we are adopted into the family of God. That's what it means in the New Testament to be a son of Abraham. It's not about church attendance. I've told you this a million times. Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than putting your head in the oven makes you a biscuit.

That's not how it works. It's not from the outside in. It's from the inside out. This is what he's saying. And they said to him, bro, it's about to get mean right here. You don't even know this. You'll read by this if you don't know the Bible that good. And they said in, we were not born of sexual immorality.

They'd taken a shot at his mama. Because remember Mary wasn't yet married to Joseph when she got pregnant. She was only betrothed, right? And so I'm sure there's rumors going around in Jerusalem. And, bro, they started to make your mama jokes. Where I'm from, bro, you started talking about somebody's mama, you've got to gird up your loins because this. on like donkey gone.

You know? And what you're going to see is Jesus fights back. Jesus is a fighter. I hope you know this. One of the DMs I got there were like, we need to tone down the rhetoric and just love like Jesus loves. Fool, have you read your Bible? Jesus says, I come to bring

not peace but a sword. You understand? One day he made a whip. He walks into the temple and then he's tipped. So he comes over here, The Bible says he fashions a whip. The disciples are like, what you're doing? He's like, I'm about to show you what I'm doing. And he clears that joint out, okay?

You better read your Bible before you send me these emails about that stuff. They said, we were not born of sexual immorality. They're taking a shot. He's going to fire back here in about a paragraph. They say, we have one father, even God. And Jesus said to them, if God were your father, you would have loved me. For I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

Why do you not understand what I say? it is because you cannot bear to hear my word. According to Jesus. Now listen, this is very controversial these days. According to Jesus, you cannot divorce God the Father from God the Son. It is impossible to say, I love the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and I deny Jesus. You can't, because there is one God and three persons. And you say, you mean to tell me Jesus is the only way?

Hey, listen, man, I'm just a mailman. I don't write this stuff. If it was up to me, I would just call an all-skate. All right, everybody in, no problem. Wherever you're from, just get on the dance floor. All right? Believe what you won't. But I don't get to make the rules because I'm not the sovereign king of the universe.

Jesus himself says, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and just in case you don't know what that means, comma, and no one comes to the father except through me. And you're like, ooh, that's a little exclusive. Very exclusive. Like he's the only way. You see, the one thing everybody agrees on, every religion agrees on this, that like God is up there and we are down here. And we got to do something to bridge that gap. The difference is every other religion says we got to work really hard to get us from down here to up there. The good news of the gospel is the only message that says that God became a man and came on a rescue mission to come and get us and do for us what we could not do for ourselves and rescue us back to himself.

So while this is an exclusive claim, it's the most inclusively exclusive invitation you'll ever hear in your life. Here's why. Number one, everybody's invited. No matter what country you're born in, no matter what religion, your parents practice, no matter what you've done, how many times you promise you would never do it again, no matter who you are. Whether you were born in the choir at all or born in the crack house, it don't matter. Everybody's invited. Secondly, everybody gets in the same way. You see, there's no like carmic justice where some people get a head start and some people will never get in.

No, no, no, no, no. Jesus has made a way for anyone who would believe and everybody gets in the same way. And best part of all, and the price for admission has already been paid at the cross. When he says it is finished, if you believe it counts for you, that's what he's saying. And now Jesus is going to fight.

They said, we were not born of sin. sexual immorality. Verse 44. These are fighting words, I'm telling you. He says, you are of your father, the devil. Here's what he's saying, man. Oh, y'all only talking about mammas? Hmm, guess who your mama was sleeping with? The devil. Shot of penicillin ain't going to fix that, bro. You are of your father, the devil. And your will is to do your father's desires. Now, we're going to learn a lot about our enemy in these next few statements by Jesus. He was a murderer from the beginning. Listen, he,

if it seems a little aggressive right now, it's because we're at war, and I'm not trying to fight you. I'm trying to fight on behalf of you. The enemy only wants to steal, kill and destroy. That's all he wants to do. And anything that seems like fun

is just a trick to kill you. That's what it is, okay? And he does not stand in the truth because he lies, and everything that he says is a lot. and he lies to you all the time and if he's running his lips he's lying to you because there is no truth in him when he lies he speaks out of his own character again we talk about this a lot this is a dirty war this is a misinformation campaign of the mind he he gives us whispers and when you begin to

think thoughts you need to identify the author of the thoughts that you have there's only three options it either comes from god your father comes from yourself or it comes from the enemy. And he is a liar, and he wants you to believe a lie. The moment you begin to hear these things, like you'll never be loved, or you're condemned, then you need to know. Listen, you need to know.

Did that, that's coming from the author of lies. You see, part of your problem, part of your problem is you listen to you too much, and you're an idiot. I've got an email about that too. Quit calling people idiots. It's mean. Listen, listen. You only use the Bible word. All right, you're a fool. Idiot's a Latin word. It means the same thing that the Hebrew word, fool means.

Again, man, you got to study your Bible before you send me your emails, okay? They're your feelings. All right, listen. If it saves your life, I don't care if it hurts your feelings. You've got to quit listening to you so much. You got to quit. You got to start talking to you more. And don't use your words. Again, see previous comment, you fool. You got to use these words. Just you tell you what God says about you.

You were fearfully and wonderfully made. Your work's wonderful. Know that full well. You are more than a conqueror. You know how to know that. Therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That God dances or delights over his children. And every time you, listen, man, I get them bad.

I get the whisper so bad. The whispers of condemnation, the enemy, especially on the weekends, starts whispering that junk to me. Part of the reason I wrote, to Telestai right there is every time I start to believe it, I look right there and tell me what God told me, It is finished. And when he keeps whispering, you shouldn't do this. I'm like, you're probably right, but Jesus picked me, so you take it up with him.

I'm out, all right? You got to start preaching the gospel to you and quit listening to the lies of the enemy that he throws in your head. He does it over and over and over. He says, when he lies, he speaks of his own, out of his own character, for he is a liar in the father of lies. But because I tell you the truth, do not, you do not believe me, and then he's going to turn it on. Which one of you convicts me of sin? Crickets. Ain't nobody going to say anything.

If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. You see, they are believing the lies of the enemy. And many, many people that go to church believe the lies of the enemy.

It's a dirty war misinformation campaign. And there's at least three things the enemy wants you to believe that's a lie. He wants you to doubt the word of God, the worth of God, and the work of God. He wants you to doubt the Word of God. Think about the first thing he ever says to people when he shows up in the Garden of Eden.

He says, did God really say? And he wants you to think, because you got your associate's degree, that you know more than the almighty sovereign king of the universe and can stand an authority over the Word of God. Jesus is talking to some people that grew up studying the Bible, and somehow they couldn't see that Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 and over 600 prophecies

were about the coming son of God. They could smell the breath of God. They were that close to him and they didn't recognize that they were in the presence of God. Because they got wrapped around the axle of themselves and they only saw themselves

in the messianic prophecies and about what God was going to do for them so they missed it when he came to die on their behalf. So he tries to get us to doubt the word of God. He tries to get us to doubt the worth of God. There's actually three. two different ways he does it. One is he tries to get you to doubt you as God's creation

to think you're not enough. I mean, we live in a world right now that says if you're not beautiful, you're not lovable. And nobody can live up to the standard because it's all AI. It's not even humans anymore. It's all fake. And yet the Bible says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made that the works of God are wonderful and that you should know that full well. And he also, He also wants you to doubt his finished work on the cross. He wants you to walk out of here and by the time you get in your car, begin to question your own salvation, begin to think, well, I know Jesus died for all those good church folk I was sitting next to, but did that count for me?

And that is a tactic of the enemy. But the reality is that God has fully demonstrated his love for us and this, that while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us. He tries to get us to doubt the worth of God. If God really loved you, wouldn't he treat you better? How would he let you go through this pain? That's what he tries to get you to doubt. And therefore, is he worthy of your worship?

You see, the reaction, you know when we have those kind of ideas? We're like the thief on the cross, not the good one that we like that went to heaven, but the other one that railed against Jesus. Remember the attitude that he brought to the cross? He says, if you are who you say you are, save yourself and save us with you. Do you know how many people show up to church like that today? if you are who you say you are, then change my circumstances. But the reality is that Romans 828 says this.

Listen, I know we live in a broken world and it's painful, but the Bible says that God is at work in all things for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose. So I know that right now we see through a glass dimly, and it doesn't make sense, man. I don't know why she left. I don't know why he died.

I don't know. It hurts. It hurts. We live in a broken world. But Jesus came to make all things new. And one day when we passed from this life into eternity, He says he will wipe away every tear. And the thing that you will see when Jesus reaches out to wipe your tears away

are the nails that pierce his hand at the cross to demonstrate his love for you fully and finally. And one day when we get there, we'll be able to see, all right, God, you did it again. Somehow all of this was for your glory and you were at work. You see, he wants us to doubt the Word of God, the Word of God, the Word of God, and the work of God. In a few weeks, we'll come back to how you use the scripture to war against these lies that he lies to us with. Romans 12 says, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world. It's a building term. All right. Any of your poor concrete? I know everybody in Jessup knows what I'm talking about, maybe even Orange Park, Pontevideo. Anybody ever pour to you some concrete? You build a form. You build a form. You pour the concrete in there, and it takes the form of what you built. We live in a world that has a certain form, and the Bible says,

don't pour yourself in and take the form of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. So again, when we come back to the sword of the spirit, we please don't miss it, because we're going to identify some of the lies of the world and give you some it is written to combat it. In your newspaper, which is so cool, we printed some. some of the lies that people tend to believe. Here's a lie. I have screwed up my life so badly that I will never experience joy.

Lie. Another lie, I am stuck in darkness. Another lie, I am hopeless. Another lie, I am unlovable. Another lie. I am defined by my past. Another lie. My actions can cause God to stop loving me.

Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie. But we don't stand on lies. We stand on the truth of the Word of God. And again, it's not even just that he lies to you. individually and meet individually, but he also sets up a culture of lies. In the day that Paul was writing this, some pagans would get together and sacrifice their babies to a fake God thinking that they would be blessed. And we see that and they go, who would do that? That's crazy. Same people would participate in these weird sex rituals thinking that that's what freedom was.

And you think, no, would anybody do that? And today we call the taking of innocent life in the womb for any reason. Health care. It is a lie. And then the enemy doubles down on the lie and says, and if you ever bought the lie of the abortionist, whether you had the abortion or you drove her or paid for it, that somehow you are condemned forever, that's a lie. The good news of the gospel is, therefore now there is no condemnation for those who were in Christ Jesus. And when Jesus died on the cross, it counted for you two if you'll just believe. More controversy. Here we go. We live in a world that says, you sit there. We live in a world that says, across from what clearly is a boy and you are required to play along and say, no, that's a

girl. That's a lie. And listen, if you're that individual person, man, my heart breaks for you. God is not a God of confusion. And if you're confused, you need gospel help. And this church and Jesus wants to help you. And you are being used as a pawn by some people on behalf of the enemy to try to sow an ideology and a confusion in this world. Also, part of the lie of this world is, is if you don't buy into everything I believe, this world tells you me and you can't be friends. That is a lie because the good news of the gospel

is that the church is a movement for all people to discover in deep in a relationship with Jesus Christ. That we are united in him. Here's another lie. You won't clap at this one though because you do it. The lie is that the pursuit of happiness will fully and finally satisfy you.

You hear that groan? That's called conviction of the Holy Spirit. Another lie, that more stuff is worth sacrificing every relationship, starting with God and then going to your family. That's a lie. Another lie is there aren't all religions basically the same? I mean, aren't they all fundamentally the same and superficially different? That's a lie, man.

That is a lie. What pays for your sin? Only the blood of Jesus. That is it. In fact, there's this great story back in the 40s and 50s. C.S. Lewis was a professor at Oxford, Clive Staples Lewis. If your name's Clive Staples, they call you CS. And for some reason, his nickname was Jack.

I don't know why his nickname's Jack, but when you're as smart as he is, you call yourself whatever you want to. And so these professors of theology, who, by the way, typically know the least about the character and nature of God of anybody I've ever met. And these professors of theology were in this classroom doing this experiment where they were writing all of the things on a chalkboard that all religions hold in common. And their premise was that all religions are fundamentally the same and only superficially different. And so they were like 150 things up there like scriptures and worship and meditation and prayer and priests and all of these. We wouldn't disagree with any of those things.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, all religions have all those things. C.S. Lewis is walking down the hall and someone sticks his head out and says, hey Jack, come here and check this out. You see, we have proven that Christianity is no different than all other religions. They're all fundamentally the same and superficially different. What say you?

And he's the smartest guy that generation. So he picks up an eraser, and he walks to the middle of the board, and he erases it all out of the middle, and he takes the chalk and he writes as big as he can, the word grace, mic drop, jacks out. Because that

That is the difference. That it's not what we can do to earn a right relationship with God, but it's what Christ has done on our behalf that he came and got us. You see, the enemy only, only, only speaks lies. Verse 48, and the Jews answered him, are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? Like, what? No.

What are you talking about? Be careful, man. When the enemy knows that he's about to lose, he just starts calling names. Which, by the way, one of the names of the devil is called the accuser of the brethren. So if you haven't been accused by him lately, he may not see you as his enemy.

And, by the way, if you're a Christian and you, it's your sport online to accuse other Christians of things, you're playing for a team, but it ain't team Jesus. We have an accuser. He doesn't need any help. And so they say, aren't you a Samaritan and have a demon?

He's like, I don't have a demon, but I honor my father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. And then the Jews said to him, now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, if anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets died?

who do you make yourself out to be? Now, he's going to answer with a bunch of words, but basically he's saying, that's exactly what I'm saying. Here's how he says it. If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my father who glorifies me. Of whom you say, he is our God, but you have not known him.

I know him. We're going to come back to that. Because I want to ask you, do you know him? He says, I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.

He saw it and was glad. Jesus is talking about when he was in heaven. They're talking about Abraham, and he's like, bro, I've known Abe forever. I was in heaven with him, send him, did his thing. He came back, chatted with him for a while. He's pumped about me coming. So if you were actually a son of him, you'd be pumped that I'm here too. So the Jews said to him, you were not yet 50.

years old and you have seen Abraham and Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you before Abraham was what's that next line that brother say Yahweh and so they picked up stones to throw at him but Jesus himself Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple I love this he just feels like the the rabbi mind trick this is not the rabbi you're looking for and they're like what they're just standing around rock where to go makes me feel better I've preached stuff nobody's tried to throw a rock at me yet, only send me mean emails. That's fine. Bring them. Here's the point. This is big. Truth is not merely an idea or a set of ideologies that line up with reality. Truth is a person that created that reality. To know him is to know the truth. It's more

than aligning yourself cognitively with a set of doctrines and theological presuppositions. To fasten the belt of truth, to wrap yourself in truth, is calling on the name of the Lord, in your life to Jesus. Romans 1013 says, for all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. That does just mean you cry out, Lord, Lord, we'll look at that in just a second. It means you align yourself,

you submit and surrender yourself under the truth of reality that God is who he says he is, and he always keeps his promises, and he loves you in Jesus is the proof. And this is a prayer that has answered 100% of the time for all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

You see, the lies of the enemy do not change the truth, but it can trip you up and keep you from walking in the freedom that comes with the truth. C.S. Lewis says it this way in the problem of pain. He says, a man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word darkness on the walls of his cell.

And we got a bunch of lunatic scribbling darkness all over the place. I want to ask you this, do you know the truth? Not just true things about Jesus, but do you know him? If you come to this church long enough, I say the same things over and over enough that you will learn true things and you will even be able to pair it and answer questions with true answers. But that's not enough. Do you know him?

Jesus came on a rescue mission for you. And just like he called Lazarus to come out of the grave, he's calling you by name to go from death to life, to go from being an orphan in this world, to be an end. adopted into his family. Matthew 7, Jesus gives this scary prophecy for church people. Listen to this, Matthew 7, 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father. Later, he says the will of his father is to believe in Jesus.

And on that day, this means on the day of judgment, on that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name or cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name. Now, you would think if you prophesied, you'd be in, right? Any prophets in here? No, because you would have known I was going to ask you that question already, so you're not. You didn't do it. Any exorcists in the house? I've told you, I've never cast out a demon. Send a freshman home from camp one time. It's the closest thing I ever came to cast out a demon. Do many mighty works in your name. And then, will I declare to them, here it is, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Do you know Jesus? And if you say, well, I want to,

then you are really, really close. In fact, your desire to want to know him is a gift from God that he is giving to you right now. And if you say, well, how do I know him? Man, it's not easy to be a Christian, but it is very simple to become one. First and foremost, you admit it. You're like, I ain't got this, I need a Savior. And you believe, you believe that when Jesus died on the cross and he pushed up on his nail pierced feet and he said this truth of all truths, it is finished, paid in full, sin debt covered. And you believe that somehow, even if you don't have all the words to explain it, and you believe and you trust that when he did that, I think that counted for me. Then you see, you call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved. Gets answered 100.

100% of the time for the person that admits they're a sinner and believes on Christ. And I want to give you the opportunity right now to fasten around your life for the rest of eternity, the belt of truth, who is Jesus. I want to give you the opportunity to call on the name of the Lord to be saved. Will you bow your heads? Would you close your eyes? And if there is anybody here right now, don't wait till tomorrow. There is anybody here right now that is ready to call on the name of the Lord for your salvation.

then as an act of calling out his name, would you lift your hand as high as you can? And we'd just say, Father, here I am, save me. I am calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in this moment, I see hands all over the place. You are being saved. Our good and gracious Heavenly Father God, we thank you and we praise you, we love you. It's not a hand in the air that saves us. It's the life, death, and resurrection of your perfect, spotless lamb

who shed his blood on the cross. And what can take away our sin? nothing but the blood of Jesus. God, we thank you that you are truth. And God, we know that we live in a broken and conflicted world. And God, I thank you and I praise you that your message is not once we get ourselves cleaned up,

then maybe we can come apply to be in your family. But because of your great love for us, you have reached down, saved, and adopted anyone who would believe into your kingdom forever and ever and ever and ever. Amen. And God, as we walk out of this place, we're going to be eyeball to eyeball, nose to nose, with an enemy that wants to steal, kill, and destroy us.

God, would you constantly remind us that our battle is not against flesh and blood and that you have already won the battle? God, maybe we'd be wrapped in that truth that is you. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Church, would you please stand as we respond? The way we respond around here is an act of war. Because worship is war.

Every time we worship God, we're telling the enemy, I ain't worshipping you. When we bring our ties and our offerings, our first and our best, first of all, we're telling our money, I ain't worshiping you either. I love God, I'm going to use you money to love him. I don't love you and I'm going to use other people to get more of you. No, no, no, no. We also invest into God's army that advances his kingdom to the dark places all around this

world and we pray. Prayer is the power source for us to be able to walk in the truth that Christ provides for us. sing, let's bring, let's pray. Let's go to war.