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  A NEW CALL TO ARMS
  by David Legge
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the need for a new call to arms in the
church, focusing on the importance of spiritual warfare, unity in
Christ, and the power of prayer. It highlights the historical impact of
revival in Ulster and the transformative potential of the gospel to
bring about lasting change. The speaker challenges the church to rise
up, put on the armor of God, and engage in the spiritual battle with
faith and prayer, rather than relying on politics or worldly systems.

Duration: 1:01:22

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the need for a new call to arms in the church,
focusing on the importance of spiritual warfare, unity in Christ, and
the power of prayer. It highlights the historical impact of revival in
Ulster and the transformative potential of the gospel to bring about
lasting change. The speaker challenges the church to rise up, put on the
armor of God, and engage in the spiritual battle with faith and prayer,
rather than relying on politics or worldly systems.

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CONTENT
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Okay, can you hear me at the back, yes? Well, good evening to you all,
and thank you for coming to this last session. I want you to turn in
your Bibles with me, please, to where I believe the Lord would have us
begin tonight, and we're going to be looking at many scriptures this
evening. I feel the Lord has led something on my heart to close the
conference, and so we're turning to Romans chapter 13, please, Romans
chapter 13.

And if there was a title for my message tonight, it would be, A New Call
to Arms, A New Call to Arms. So we are looking at Romans 13, please, and
beginning to read at verse 11. Paul writes, and do this, knowing the
time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now our
salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand, therefore let us cast off
the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk
properly as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness
and lust, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. Let us pray, and
as your head is bowed, please do pray for me.

Paul said, pray for me, that I may speak as I ought to speak, with
boldness, and I need your prayers tonight. So please pray for me, and
pray for yourself, and pray for us all, and pray for this land. Oh
Father, Holy God, Abba Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus.

We thank you for everything that he is, and all that he means to us, and
all that he has done for us, all that he's doing for us, all he will do
for us. Oh God, we are overwhelmed when we think of the Lord Jesus, your
beloved Son, the one in whom is all your delight, the darling of your
bosom, and we pray that tonight we will be drawn closer to him, and the
drawing closer to him would have an effect on everything around us in
our environment, the people that we rub shoulders with, not just in our
churches, but in our communities, in our workplaces, our schools, and
universities. In this land, oh God, we want to make a difference.

We want to be salt and light. We want to make a dent, a mark for Christ
in this day, and our generation. Lord, before it's too late, we cannot
praise you in the grave.

Oh God, let us do something while it is yet day. Oh God, come tonight.
Lord, we're listening for your voice.

We long to hear from heaven. Lord, we long that you would speak from
heaven with a message, a message from God himself. Lord, let us hear it.

Of his ears to hear, and eyes to see, and hearts to receive with
meekness the engrafted word of truth. For we ask these things in the
precious, mighty, strong name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Now, as I'm sure you're well aware, I count myself as an Irishman, but
I'm also an Ulster man, and I come from the province of Ulster, and if
you're not familiar with the Irish provinces, there's Ulster, Munster,
Leinster, and Connacht, and I'm from the northern province of Ulster,
and we, this year, have celebrated the 150th anniversary of the 1859
revival in Ulster. Many churches and Christian organizations have been
commemorating and celebrating, rightly so, the fact that God, so many
years ago now, God moved in mighty revival, and estimates are that
around about a hundred thousand souls, in a very short period, a period
of years, were swept mightily into the kingdom of God. And I have to say
to you tonight that whilst the province of Ulster needs revival, is in
dire need of revival, and the church is in decline, it is depleting
spiritually and morally and numerically, there are still the remnants of
revival in Ulster.

And Belfast, the city in which I was born, is one of the most, if not
the most, evangelized city in the world by square mile. When Billy
Graham visited Windsor Park football stadium in the 1940s, at which my
own grandfather was converted, he said out of all the places in the
world that he would not want to go to hell from, it would be Belfast,
because they had such a witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ for so
many years. And like many of the histories of revival, revival history,
wherever the locality or jurisdiction might be, shows that revival among
the church, God's people, greatly affects a nation.

And our nation is still affected up in the north. Edwin Orr, one of the
greatest authorities on the history of revival, claims that the
evangelical awakening right throughout the 18th century saved the nation
of Britain from the revolutionary experience that ravaged the continent
of Europe at that time. Documented historical fact.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, of course, an English evangelist,
it is thought defeated Voltaire, the French philosopher, and Dias. His
preaching of the gospel, the consequence awakening, pushed back the
forces of darkness. It was equally true that the period of revival
across America, at that same time in the 1800s, saved the USA from the
godless French philosophy that had influenced almost every college by
the close of the 18th century.

Just to give you an example of how bad things were in the States, at
Princeton Theological Seminary, Dr. Green records that he knew of only
two professing Christians among the students. Two professing Christians
among those who were training for the office of ministry, supposedly. In
the College of William and Mary in Virginia, it is said that that
college, and I'm quoting, was a hotbed of French politics and religion.

And almost certainly the period of revival saved America from the
tragedy of the worst elements of the French Revolution that affected
Europe. In my own province of Ulster, we have a very bloody history.
Indeed, the island of Ireland has a very bloody history going back 400,
500 years.

I was driving down to this conference from County Armagh and going
through the hills, the valleys, and mountains of South Armagh on that
beautiful day that it was on Friday morning. I was struck by the wonder
of God's creation and yet also struck by the depravity of man because
those hills and valleys of South Armagh are stained and drenched in the
blood of innocents. And yet God came and God even stayed the hand of
evil men whilst we have a very bloody history.

It could have been oh so much worse if it wasn't just for God's general
grace, but the awakening of God in our nation. I'll give you one
example. In 1920, going long past the 1859 revival, again the Northern
Irish state, the province of Ulster, was in chaos.

Fear and uncertainty filled the minds of people and the politicians, as
they still seem to be, were at their wit's end as to what to do. Murder
and mayhem seemed to rule the province. But for the Christian, there was
hope.

And that always must be our clarion cry as the church. No matter how
down we get on ourselves and conditions and circumstances around us, we
must remember that we have the treasure within earthen vessels. We are
the one who has hope and where there is God, there is hope.

God raised a man by the name of WP Nicholson. He was a rough, crude,
uncouth individual if ever there was one. But he was God's man and he
was used to preach Christ to the nation in a language that people
understood.

My grandfather worked in the shipyard in Belfast and I'm told that my
great-grandfather helped build one of the four funnels of the Titanic.
Now, it wasn't his fault. It went down.

At least, I don't think it was. I think it had something to do with an
iceberg in the Atlantic. But the men of the shipyard, rough working-
class men, were affected by the preaching of WP Nicholson.

They understood what he was saying about sin and about salvation to such
an extent that God moved mightily. So much so that the restitution and
repentance in the life of those men meant that they brought back to the
shipyard many tools and implements of their trade that they'd stolen.
But they brought back so many that they had to build a new shed on the
shipyard and they called it Nicholson's Shed.

And people kept returning so many stolen goods that they had to tell
them, stop bringing them back. We have no more room to hold them. But
that's what happens when when God moves.

But greater than stolen goods returned in 1920, a civil war, a potential
civil war in Ulster was turned back because of the grace of God in
revival. As I've already said, we've been celebrating the 150th
anniversary of the 1859 revival and as a result there was a dramatic
reduction in the crime rate in the nation. The following statistics from
Dr. William Gibson's history of the 1859 revival entitled The Year of
Grace indicates the effect that revival had on public morality.

And I'm quoting him, he says, the number of prisoners for trial in the
quarter sessions for County Antrim in October 1859, six months after the
commencement of the revival, was exactly one-half of that of the
previous year. Cut by 50% at the Ballymena quarter sessions held in
April 1860 after the revival had been in existence for over a year in
that locality, there was not one single criminal case on the records.
Not one.

A coal reign magistrate, that's a time the very north coast of Ireland,
a magistrate there declared, quoting him again, when I look into the
calendar for the last three months I find but one new case which is in
some respects very unimportant. I am greatly struck at the appearance of
this. So small is the number of cases I formerly had calendars filled
with charges for different nefarious practices, pocket picking and
larcenies of various sorts.

How is such a gratifying state of things accounted for? It must be from
the improved state of the morality of the people. I believe I am fully
warranted now to say that to nothing else than the moral and religious
movement which commenced early last summer can the changes be
attributed. Indeed a Roman Catholic magistrate in the county down
affirmed that the wholesome moral results produced throughout the
community was due to the religious movement and expressed his wish that,
I'm quoting him, that it would extend over the whole country and
influence society to its lowest depths.

That is what happens when God really moves in revival and that is what
we need. We sang tonight revive us again. You know we need God to revive
us again in Ulster and we need God to awaken and revive in the south as
well and we thank God for what he's done in the past.

I thank God and we should praise God for what he did in 1859, for what
he did in 1920 and any other year where he's blessed in grace. But do
you know and are you aware that when God comes in revival again it will
be different than 1859 or 1920 and the mistake that we often make is we
expect God to do the same thing over again and perhaps we even want him
to repeat himself but God is the God of the new thing and he will do a
new thing for a new generation and often the new thing that God does
upsets the church and some in the church oppose God's new thing and it
is often those who think themselves most biblically literate who oppose
the new thing that God is doing and we must be sure not to fight against
whatever God is doing or about to do but one thing is certain we need
God to do something. Do we not? But while we need God to do something
there's something for us to do.

I'm a firm believer that revival comes from God it's a sovereign act of
God but as he must blow the wind we must set our seals to be ready to
catch it and I believe the setting of the seals to catch the wind of
revival is often the preparation for God to revive in a sovereign act
when he sees his people getting right with him. Judgment must begin at
the eyes of God and we must look to ourselves and we have been looking
to ourselves. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying tonight I'm not
saying the conditions in the church are always directly related to
what's going on in society in other words I'm not saying the problems in
Ireland or the problems in Ulster or the problems anywhere in the world
are the fault of the church but what I do know from the Word of God is
that we are meant a salt and light in this world to make a difference.

We are meant to have an influence for good and for God and I want to
challenge you today and challenge my own heart in my nation here of
Ireland and wherever you are from what influence do you have? I want
this message to be a wake-up call a new call to spiritual arms to be
ready. Do you know that you are a soldier? A spiritual soldier. Turn
with me in your Bibles to 1st Timothy chapter 1 please and we're going
to look at a number of scriptures this evening.

1st Timothy chapter 1 1st Timothy 1 verse 18 this charge I commit to you
son Timothy according to the prophecies previously made concerning you
that by them you may wage the good warfare. We are fighting now praise
God we are fighting from victory not for victory. We've read the last
chapter of the book and praise God we win for we are in the lamb and yet
the theater of operations to use a military term is down here and we are
playing out the battle though we are in victory we are still called upon
to fight in the victory like the children of Israel as they possess
Canaan the land was already theirs it was promised to them but they had
to put one foot in front of the other and they had to fight.

You understand how much God sees you as a spiritual soldier if you turn
to chapter 6 of 1st Timothy we see this again verse 12 fight the good
fight of faith. We are spiritual soldiers in a spiritual battle. Turn
with me now to Ephesians chapter 6 Ephesians 6 and verse 12 Paul says
again for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against
principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this
age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places and I
believe that there is a demonic hierarchy there and that is what we
wrestle against as Christians that is the battle that we are in it is an
unseen battle and therefore you need the eyes of faith to perceive it.

A further description of this battle is found in 1st Peter 5 and verse 8
you don't need to turn to it but Peter says there be vigilant be sober
waken up for your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour. The devil is not interested in the world he
has the world he's interested in the church he's interested with you
Christian. We are spiritual soldiers in a spiritual battle and therefore
we have spiritual weapons.

Turn with me to 2nd Corinthians please 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal not fleshly but mighty
in God for pulling down strongholds casting down arguments and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Our weapons are
not the weapons of human warfare but spiritual weapons where am I going
with all this? Well friends I want to say this very bluntly and I might
be shot down for it but the church of Jesus Christ throughout what
should have been her illustrious history has been shamed by the fact
that she has turned often to politics often to the establishment and the
institutions of society to wage her warfare and even to the sword in the
name of Christ rather than using her spiritual weapon. Really what I'm
saying is the church must be aware of politics.

Do you agree with me? Now please don't misunderstand me politics can
bring reform and often good reform and we've seen men of God who have
realized that for nations such as slavery and so on freedom brought to
slaves in the United Kingdom and further afield and praise God for it
but we must understand that politics will never bring revival and
conservative evangelicals neo-conservatives in America need to waken up
to this fact that through legislation and through lawyers you will never
change a nation you might influence it I'll give you that and I'm not
saying that as a Christian you should not be involved in politics I
can't tell you that I have no right to tell you that but when Christians
try to use politics or try to use the legal system to bring some kind of
move of God they will always fail it seems today with some that our
influence with God doesn't matter but with the politicians we know and
the lawyers we know rather than the God we know and the Bible says that
them that know their God shall do exploit. Now I want to say this from
my heart there are certain political positions that may equate with what
we believe as Christians but it is impossible I believe it even is
sacrilegious to pin political or even national colors to the gospel of
Jesus Christ and it has been done for years it has been done in my
nation it has been done right across the globe right across Europe. Now
listen the gospel ought never to be politicized the gospel ought never
to be racialized the gospel ought never to be nationalized and isn't it
interesting that the Lord the Savior of the world never engaged in
politics does that not say something oh yes he spoke to it he referred
to it he commented on it but he said my kingdom is not of this world
else my servants would fight the disciples did not engage in politics
did they miss a trick Paul the great apostle didn't involves himself in
politics indeed he said Philippians that his citizenship was heavenly
and Peter the Apostle said that he was a pilgrim and a stranger in this
world.

Now we are to be responsible and obey the government and the laws of our
land it is an ordinance of God and we are to respect them and we are to
see if God and sovereign providence has allowed those to rule over us
who do rule over us and we have a right to use judicial processes but
this is what I'm saying tonight we are not obligated to become an
integral part of the system but more than that we must rid ourselves of
this perception that we can use the world system to bring revival or to
bring a godly or a lasting change. John says that this world system
listen to how he puts it lies in the lap of the wicked one and I think
that that is evidenced and manifested in the corruption that we see in
politics right throughout the world. Think about it politics is a system
of compromise decisions are made on the basis of what is expedient of
what what works pragmatically rather than what is right what is moral
what is just politics whilst it may have good uses is only a band-aid
over the cancer of sin and fallenness and depravity in this world the
gospel is the answer the only answer you believe that.

Turn with me to 2nd Timothy please again in chapter 2 this time. If we
believe that the gospel is the only answer for our nation's soldier the
spiritual soldier in the spiritual battle with spiritual weapons Paul
says 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 4 no one no soldier engaged in warfare
entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him
who enlisted him as a soldier. You not be bothered with those things you
understand your enrollment as a spiritual soldier and your eyes of faith
to see the spiritual battle that we are engaged in with the emissaries
of evil and you understand the not carnal fleshly but mighty spiritual
weapons that we have to pull down the strongholds of Satan in Jesus name
you'll not bother with any secondary or lesser things.

Remember the Lord Jesus said in one occasion let the dead bury the dead
you know what that really means let the unregenerate people get on with
unregenerate things if you follow me my king. Seek first the kingdom of
God and all these things will be added unto you the gospel is the answer
we are spiritual soldiers in a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons.
I want you to see now from Ephesians 6 if you will turn back to it with
me that we have spiritual armor I know that this is elementary to some
of you and you've heard this many many times before but there may be
those here that don't know it or have forgotten it or have lost the
effectiveness of the armor that God has given them.

Let us read this passage together Ephesians 6 and verse 10 please.
Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might
put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the
wiles or the schemes of the devil for we do not wrestle against flesh
and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers
of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness 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. Stand
therefore having girded your waist with truth having put on the
breastplate of righteousness and having shod your feet with the
preparation of the gospel of peace above all taking the shield of faith
with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked
one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which
is the Word of God praying always with all prayer and supplication in
the spirit being watchful to this end with all perseverance and
supplication for all the same.

I haven't got time tonight to do an exposition of the armor of God the
penalty of God but let me sum it up very briefly like this this
spiritual armor that has been given to us through the precious shed
blood and resurrection of the Lord Jesus that we are to put on by faith
and accept through grace it is necessary because there is a battle for
the mind that's why you need a helmet the devil wants to take your head
off you know why he does it by your thought like the battlefield where
Satan wages is the mind and if he can get into your mind he will get
everywhere that's why we put on the helmet of salvation which teaches us
what we are who we are in Christ and what we enjoy as an inheritance in
heavenly places seated with him and you've got to understand who you are
in Christ the counteract the lies of the devil the truth sets you free
you see but there's a battle on for your mind what do you put into your
mind what do I put into my mind there's also a for the heart that's why
we need a breastplate of righteousness the vitals are here in the the
chest cavity and we we need spiritually our emotions and our soul to be
protected but it's also not only a battle for the mind and a battle for
the heart for out of the heart of the issues of life but it's a battle
for truth there is a such a war waged and I think this is Satan's
primary strategy to attack the truth where it's the literal truth of
God's Word revealed in Scripture or the truth of who you are in Christ
or whether it's to lie to your mind and plant seed thoughts so that you
will get distracted and start thinking foolish things about yourself
that God says is not true but we are to guard ourselves with the belt of
truth now you know what that means not that we hold the truth in our
hands in our Bible but the truth holds us battle for the mind a battle
for the heart a battle for truth and there's a battle on for souls
that's why we're to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of
peace how beautiful are the feet of him that brings good news tidings of
peace and we are to be ready at all times to give an answer to any man
and take the gospel where Christ calls us I look further at this this
armor because not only does it tell us there's a battle for the mind a
battle for the heart a battle for truth a battle for battle for souls
but it tells us how this battle is to be fought it is to be fought by
faith taking therefore the shield of faith is to be fought with the
Bible not just believing God which is faith accepting what God has said
and standing upon it but using the Bible as an offensive weapon and here
the Bible is spoken of as a two-edged sword the sword of the spirit
which is the Word of God now the literal Greek word used for word there
is not the same as in John chapter 1 logos which is spoken of our Lord
Jesus Christ as being the expression of the mind and heart of God as
God's only begotten Son but here the word is Rhema which means the
spoken Word of God the weapon we are to use in this path is to speak the
Word of God but the final piece of armor is prayer John Bunyan describes
it as all prayer all types of prayer and brother Paul earlier was
hinting at that but it's not just about intercession it's not even just
about dialogue various types of praying always constant prayer all types
of prayer and supplication in the spirit it must be spirit wrought and
spirit inspired prayer being watchful watchful prayer persevering prayer
supplication for all the Saints comprehensive prayer and every soldier
is required to be in communication with headquarters but prayer is
number seven in the armor of God and you know number seven is the number
of perfection the number of completeness and in other words we could go
into the Bible with all the armor of God on but if we are not praying
we're in trouble because prayer brings God onto the battlefield now look
at 1st Timothy with me please 1st Timothy let me show you how this is we
don't need politics 1st Timothy chapter 2 verse 1 and 2 therefore I
exhort first of all that supplications prayer intercessions and giving
of thanks be made for all men for kings and for all who are in authority
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence there it is prayer brings God to the field even in
international and national affairs you believe that is it reflected in
our lives if we believe it I don't think the church certainly in Ulster
and in Ireland as a whole is realizing the power of prayer do you have
an evangelist friend who wrote a number of lines about the power of
prayer and I just want to read them to you tonight he said Abraham
prayed and lot was spared Isaac prayed and Rebekah conceived Jacob
prayed and Esau was pacified Job prayed and trials were ended Moses
prayed and Amalek was defeated Joshua prayed and was found out Samson
prayed and strength was regained Hannah prayed and Samuel was born David
prayed and sin was cleansed Solomon prayed and wisdom was given Elijah
prayed and fire descended he prayed again and the showers fell Hezekiah
prayed and invaders withdrew Jonah prayed and was given another chance
Daniel prayed and lions were muzzled Nehemiah prayed and a king listened
Peter prayed and was saved from drowning a publican prayed and went home
justified a thief prayed and went to paradise Paul prayed and sight was
restored Stephen prayed and saw the Lord Cornelius prayed and was told
what to do John prayed and gained a vision of the future the Apostle
James prayed and his knees became callous Payson prayed and the
floorboards were worn Baxter prayed and steam to study walls with
praying breath Knox prayed and monarchs trembled Nick Sheehan prayed and
Scotland wept Susanna Wesley prayed and presented Britain with her her
two sons Luther prayed and dispelled the darkness of centuries
Zinzendorf prayed and started world missions Savarola prayed and
Florence was purged Tyndale prayed and a king's eyes were opened Bunyan
prayed and received light in prison Rutherford prayed and saved souls in
Anwar Muller prayed and orphans were fed Hudson Taylor prayed and
missionaries sailed to China William Booth prayed and the poor entered
the kingdom Chalmers prayed and the cannibalism died out in the South
Sea Kerry prayed and widow burning was banned in India Gladys Healwood
prayed and orphans were adopted Jonathan Goforth prayed and swayed
Mancuria John Hyde prayed and won souls daily for Christ Reiner prayed
and influenced more missionaries than Indians Mary Schleser prayed
maintaining can do anything David Livingstone prayed and died thus on
his knees and he ends the poem by saying this all these also worked hard
preached wrote traveled and poured out their lives for Jesus but they
had at least one thing in common they prayed and left a legacy of
achievements that illustrates the truth more things are wrought by
prayer than this world dreams of and greatest of them all Jesus prayed
and continues his intercession today hallelujah you believe more things
are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of I would suggest to you
that the church to a large extent has given up on prayer there is a need
for a new call to arms as soldiers spiritual soldiers in a spiritual
battle with spiritual weapons wearing spiritual armor we must dress for
battle that's what we read in our reading at the very beginning in
Romans chapter 13 and verse 12 we are to put off the works of darkness
the works of the flesh we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ the armor
of light this armor of God being a soldier of the cross demands
consecration but the problem is in times of prosperity and upon peace
it's easy for the army that is the church militant to put down its guard
and go off the offensive and even off the defensive we must say as we
look into the Bible and into history must I be carried to the skies of
ease while others fight to win the prize and seal through bloody sea it
was in times of prosperity that Israel forgot their God read the book of
Judges you see the cycle there prosperity came and they fell into sin
and idolatry and God chastised them by sending oppressors and then they
cried out for mercy and it seemed they repented and it wasn't long when
God delivered them with the judge that they returned back to their sin
and maybe you find yourself in that cycle I tell you the church finds
itself in that cycle what we need to do is what that nation failed to do
in the book of Ruth we read of a little family of them elect was the
head of the home and he took his wife Naomi his two sons and daughters-
in-law and in a time of famine in the house of bread that's what
Bethlehem means they left the house of bread and went to Moab a picture
of the world but you know what they should have done they should have
stayed where they were and asked the Lord what is wrong for if my people
which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my
peace and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven
forgive their sin heal their land we need to stay where we are not run
for this solution in politics or law or wherever the church growth
movement we need to just stay where we are in the midst of the death and
the famine and cry oh Lord why what a wake-up call is needed are we
living a soldier oh praise God we are promised ultimate time the Word of
God teaches us that very clearly our wicked spiritual forces we have a
promise that they will be defeated the Lord Jesus told his own disciples
behold I give you power to trade on serpents and scorpions and over all
the power of the enemy and nothing by enemies shall hurt you not only do
we have ultimate victory and triumph over wicked spiritual forces but
even over the severest afflictions in our lives all said who shall
separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or
persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword in all these things
we are more than conquerors through him that loved us even victory over
worldly attractions whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world and
this is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith and we have
victory promised over all satanic powers it says in Revelation 12 and
verse 11 that they overcame him that is the devil by the blood of the
lamb the devil hates the blood of the lamb and the word of their
testimony now my friend we need to ask the question are we making a
difference where God has placed us in our community we can't make a
difference that will be meaningful and lasting for the kingdom of God
through law through politics through influence in the flesh it must be
of the Spirit I was reading John Piper not so long ago and he he was
referring to Martin Luther King civil rights movement in the United
States and and I know that many of you might disagree with some of his
beliefs and certainly his actions politically and I've been espousing
that we don't need to use politics but John Piper was referring to how
Martin Luther King jr. was charged as being an extremist now this was
his reply this was his reply and he was true and right in his reply and
I'm quoting him he says was not Jesus an extremist for love 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 was not Amos an
extremist for justice let justice roll down like waters and
righteousness like an ever flowing stream was not Paul an extremist for
the Christian gospel I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus was
Martin Luther not an extremist when he said here I stand I can do no
other so help me God John Bunyan when he said I will stay in jail to the
end of my days before I will make a butchery of my conscience and
Abraham Lincoln thus this nation cannot survive half-slave and half-free
here's how Martin Luther King jr. concluded his remarks the question is
not whether we will be an extremist but what kind of extremist we will
be will we be an extremist for politics civil rights no for the gospel
and then all these things shall be added unto us and then of course
Luther King delivered a powerful call to the church which rings true
today as it did 40 years ago and whatever you think of him what he said
was right there was a time when the church was very powerful in the time
when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for
what they believe in those days the church listen was not merely a
thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion it
was a thermostat that transformed the more age of society but he said
the judgment of God is upon the church of his day as never before and if
today's church does not be a capture the sacrificial spirit of the early
church it will lose its authenticity forfeit the loyalty of millions and
be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 20th
century Martin Luther King jr. of course in 1963 August the 28th he
stood before the Lincoln Memorial and gave his most memorable speech I
have a dream that one day the Red Hills of Georgia the sons of former
slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down
together at the table of brotherhood I have a dream that my four
children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by
the color of their skin but by the content of their character now listen
to me tonight whether you agree with his politics whether you agree with
a civil rights movement whether you agree with with his religious
convictions whether you agree with his morality you've got to agree that
his dream was a great one and it is the ecumenical dream to a certain
extent and often with many people in the ecumenical movement which I
have no sympathy with whatsoever and oppose they have a sincere desire
to unite divided humanity the tragedy is politics can't do it government
can't do it civil rights can't do it ecumenism can't do it they don't
know how to do it but the greater tragedy is the church knows the church
has the answer but the church isn't doing it this is so close to my
heart I want you just now and I'm almost finished to turn to Ephesians
chapter 2 this is God's plan for the church Ephesians chapter 2 and I
want to read from verse 11 now watch carefully God's plan for the church
therefore verse 11 of Ephesians 2 remember that you once Gentiles in the
flesh who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision
made in the flesh by hands that at that time you were without Christ
being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the
covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world but now
in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the
blood of Christ we were Gentile unless you're a Jew here tonight the
Gentiles have no claim on the God of Israel and yet now there's a new
message in the new covenant in the gospel of Christ in the New Testament
to the world indeed it was God's plan all along the through Israel there
would be a light to the whole world see that in the book of Jonah and
here's how God did it verse 14 for he himself Christ is our peace who is
need both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation having
abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments
contained in ordinances so as to create in himself here's God's plan one
new man from the two thus making peace and that he might reconcile them
both to God in one body through the cross thereby putting to death the
enmity and he came and preached peace to you who were afar off unto
those who were near for through him we both have access by one spirit to
the father now therefore you are no longer strangers hallelujah and
foreigners but fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the
household of God having been built on the foundation of the Apostle and
prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the
whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the
Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place a
dwelling place of God in the spirit what was God's plan listen one new
man a new people a new people free from the divisions of nationality
race culture language united in Christ now sometimes certain churches
have to exist because of linguistic barriers but we must be very careful
that we reflect the vision of God that all men would be united in Christ
can this really happen today yes I'm God wants it to happen you imagine
what it was for the Jews with all this history what it meant for them to
accept the Gentiles the Jews had the true and living God Yahweh the Jews
had the Old Testament covenant the Jews had been given the law the Jews
had the promise of Messiah culturally and socially the Jews had
circumcision they had the food laws they had the purification rituals
and all those were designed to typify the fact that the Jews were set
apart from other people in holiness unto the Lord think of the racial
hurdles the Jews had their bloodline going right back to Jacob to Israel
and because of that verse 11 and verse 12 tell us categorically that we
are foreigners as Gentiles we are outcasts we are aliens so what
happened between verse 11 and 12 so that we see in verse 19 through to
22 there is reconciliation what made the difference read with me verse
13 now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near
by the blood of Christ he himself is our peace he's broken down the wall
of separation he's abolished the curse of the law of the commandments
that were against us he's reconciled us to God he has made one body
verse 16 through the cross putting to death the enmity and he preached
peace to you who were far off he is brought near that's a mighty vision
and it's God's vision and he says in chapter 1 and verse 10 this is his
plan that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and
which are on earth in him so that now there is neither Jew nor Greek
there's neither slave nor free there is neither male nor female for you
are all one in Christ that was God's vision how do we measure up for
years and Ulster the gospel was wrapped in a Union Jack maybe in your
country the gospel has been wrapped in stars and stripes there's some
other identification or association you realize how contaminating that
influence is to the cause of Christ do you realize that the atheists are
still talking about the Crusades that's how damaging it is Mahatma
Gandhi was a Hindu but he admired the Lord Jesus Christ and he often
quoted from the Sermon on the Mount and a missionary by the name of
Stanley Jones on one occasion met with Gandhi and he asked he said Mr.
Gandhi though you quote the words of Christ often why is it that you
appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower and Gandhi replied
oh I don't reject your Christ I love your Christ it's just that so many
of your Christians are so unlike your Christ and apparently Gandhi's
rejection of Christianity grew out of an incident that happened when he
was a young man practicing law in South Africa he had become attracted
to the Christian faith and he had studied the Bible and the teachings of
Jesus and he was really seriously exploring becoming a Christian and so
he decided one Sunday to attend a church service and as he came up the
steps of the large church where he intended to go a white South African
elder of the church barred his way at the door and said where do you
think you're going copper that is a pejorative term a derogatory term
the man asked Gandhi that question and Gandhi replied I'd like to attend
worship here and the church elder snarled at him he says there's no room
for covers in this church get out of here or I'll have my assistants
throw you down the steps and from that moment Gandhi said he decided to
adopt the good he found in Christianity but he would never again
consider becoming a Christian if it meant being part of the church I
have a dream my dream is that the people of this island would be united
in Christ and it's not just a dream amen it's not just a dream it's
God's vision but there is a call to arms from the mouth of babes there's
a call to arms we have something to do are you AWOL absent without leave
are you a deserter are you hiding it's high time to away the night is
far spent put off the works of darkness the works of the flesh put on
the armor of light Jesus Christ onward Christian soldier looking on to
Jesus who has gone before let us pray as every head is bowed and we
don't want to rush you don't want to rush when we're in the presence of
God why would we want to rush when they're in the presence of God and I
know some of the things I've touched on might be seen as controversial I
don't know I don't care all I care is what God what his mandate is what
his revelation is the call to the church to rise to their inheritance to
walk worthy of the calling you've been conscripted by grace to fight in
the victory and we have God's promises with God behind us in his
purposes and I'll tell you Ireland is open as never before they're
disillusioned in the north with politics they're disillusioned in the
south which the legend and they need Christ who will tell them you will
go you will rise it's not arms of the flesh but of the spirit and take
the field for Jesus will you volunteer today would you open your heart I
used to sing to the tune Irish eyes are smiling Ireland need to see this
eye is so green and so fair Oh father I know that this word has been
here and there and everywhere but I'm just trying to discharge the
burden in my heart I trust that it is of you and your spirit Oh God and
me if Lord you please may ignite a fire from Dublin that will spread to
Bantry Baltimore Donegal Cork Coleraine Caroline Oh Lord let there be a
fire will breathe a trail for Christ in Ireland Lord we would not be
proclaimed we love our land but Lord we long that the nation's
represented here that either in localities or nationalities that there
would be mighty moves of God Lord you've done it before but we're not
letting you to do what you've done before we're looking for you to do a
new thing thing that will be for our generation that will meet their
needs that will answer their questions will satisfy their deepest
longings that we believe are after God and they don't know it Oh God
have mercy oh that you would rend the heavens and come down that you may
put your divine footprint on this isle so-called land of saints and
scholars Oh God where the saints today where the scholars of your word
Oh God pour out from the windows of heaven revival on island and may you
move from the south to the north to a needy hard-hearted people may the
missionaries come from here to there to bring healing not political
settlements but holy ghost blood-bought eternal life healing in Jesus
name we pray amen

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/rP1C9AmUeU8.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/david-legge/a-new-call-to-arms/
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