Being prepared

Let's read in Ephesians, please. Chapter 6. Honestly could say I wish I was more prepared. Especially when I'm going to speak about being prepared.

Let's read in Ephesians chapter 6. And we'll begin at verse 10. Help us understand a little bit of the context here. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10.

Finally, my brother. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day having done all to stand.

Stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth. Having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

We often speak to those who are in their sins about being prepared. Preparing for the future. Preparing for eternity.

As you know when it comes to the Christian there is also a need for us to be prepared. Yes, it was recently interested in learning something about the formation of the new state of Israel. So the World War Two had just ended by a few years.

And we all know of the tragic sufferings of the Jewish people and their burden to find a place of refuge for themselves. There was a man amongst others who was leading that movement. And his name was David Ben-Gurion.

So it's the year 1948. And actually the British authorities are about to leave the land of Palestine and their Dominion in that place. And here are these Jewish people with a purpose of seeing a new Jewish state formed for them.

So in May of 1948 or thereabout Ben-Gurion with his cabinet of people. He calls into two men that were actually the leaders of the small army of 30,000 people that they had it at that time. And he told those two men I would like a list of things that you will need for your men.

So they came back with a couple pieces of paper a little bit later and they began to speak about bullets and pistols and grenades. Ben-Gurion, he tells them to leave again and come back when they know how many tanks they need and how many cannons they need and how many airplanes they need because he understood this there is war that is imminent. I think we can understand that even today those Arab nations that surrounded Israel at that time were not going to allow the formation of a new Jewish state and the very day that they proclaim themselves as a new and independent state those five Arab countries from around them would attack them Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan.

So those commanders in that army, they failed to understand something about being prepared. But Ben-Gurion, he knew that there was a war that was imminent against them. When we read here in the book of Ephesians the apostle Paul tells us that there is a battle that is already going on.

Of course, we live in this country with peace but as far as what Paul speaks of here, he speaks of a spiritual warfare. He speaks of the powers of darkness at this present time. In our responsibility as this according to what he says here is to be prepared to be fitted and of course he emphasizes this strength is not in ourselves, but it is in the Lord.

It is being prepared with what he would provide for us. So here we are as Christians as believers in 2015 and the question is this, are we really prepared? We come down to verse 14. I'm not going to go through all these things.

But in verse 14, he says stand therefore having your loins gird about with the truth. Why was it necessary to take up those long robes and tuck them into the belt? It was because they were getting ready for action. They were being prepared so they would not stumble.

They would be able to move freely. So here what Paul says is this, having your loins gird about with truth. When we think of the truth as a word of God has been given to us.

Are we really prepared with the truth? The truth is not going to make us to stumble. It is actually going to keep us from stumbling. You think of how Paul would write to Timothy.

He says in 2nd Timothy 2, study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. Most likely majority of people here would know this but that word study means to be diligent. It means that there is a preparation that is required.

I hope we all understand that preparation shouldn't be made while we are in the midst of battle or conflict or difficulties. But there is a need to be prepared for when difficulties come. So how diligent are we really at learning the word of God? We might know the traditions of men and how things have been done and passed down to us.

But you know, the emphasis here is this on the word of truth. Being diligent to study it to know it to be prepared. What is it? What is one of the things that the devil is going to attack with the very word of truth? To put into the doubt of sinners the word of God.

He is he is able to do that. Well, what about the minds of believers? You think of how he would speak of the need to be diligent in the study of the word of God. A workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.

And you likely heard me say this before but you know, there are men who have that tremendous rise responsibility to know the word of God. They are the shepherds of local assemblies. The men who are apt to teach you cannot teach until you know the word of God.

And I don't play a claim to be some great teacher. But I would like to encourage each one today, especially those that have responsibility. What the people of God need is not what I think or what we think.

But what is the word of God state? I appreciated what Mr. William McDonald said recently, you know, the word of God doesn't give us the answer to every circumstance as far as every scheme of things or all the things that could happen in the context. We couldn't be able to carry about the Bible if we had every scenario. But you know, there is enough in this book that will answer every question because our principles that God has given us to guide us even though he doesn't spell out every circumstance that might affect us.

And as we've already heard in our prayers and we're all conscious of this the difficult days that we live in how much discernment is needed for those that would lead and feed the people of God. There must be a diligence in the study of the word of God. Again in the next chapter of that same book.

He says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction and righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works. So here is a man of God being fully equipped. 1948.

They said there was 30,000 men in the Israeli army at that time and only 20 of 20,000 actually had the equipment that they needed. Do you know as far as as what we need us as believers as soldiers today. God is fully equipped us and the emphasis again is on the word of God.

How is it that the man of God is going to be thoroughly furnished? It's through the word of God. The divine inspiration of this book that we have before us assures us that God has spoken. It says all scripture is given by inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine.

Where does the teaching come from? As I've already made this reference is not to the traditions of men because we do it here or they do it there. Doctrine has its foundation in the word of God. You know, it'd be quite interesting to go around and ask people.

Why do we do what we do and see what kind of answers you get? You might take something so simple like this. Why do we break bread on Sunday? Somebody asked you that would you actually have an answer for them from the word of God? Where does teaching come from? It comes to the word of God, the things that we ought to do and then there is reproof. The word of God teaches us the things that are wrong, the things that we are doing wrong.

Not only that for correction is to help correct and it shows us what is wrong. It also shows us how to correct the things that are wrong. And it says for instruction in righteousness.

How is it that the man of God is going to be fully equipped? It is a word of God. Next we have in verse 14. It says is having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

As I've already made this inference, you know, the soldier is going to be best when he is well-prepared when he goes into battle. You know, a surprise attack is an awful thing because people they just aren't ready. They don't have everything at their hand.

When I read about this a breastplate of righteousness that which would cover the vitals and not often referred to the heart and our affections. The very first thing that comes to my mind is a man like Joseph. Joseph was actually a young man when he was sold by his own brothers.

If I'm not mistaken, he would have been in a house of Potiphar for about two years. And like we all know the story of that wicked woman, the wife of Potiphar. Who is seek to convince him to commit some immorality with her.

But you know, it doesn't say it only happened once but it was daily. You know that amazes to me to think of a young man like Joseph. You know, he didn't get ready for that circumstance when he got there.

But to think of the years likely with his father learning God and fellowship with God himself as we read in the life of Joseph that God was with him. But I think of a young man who had convictions. He had on the breastplate of righteousness.

He had a real fear of God and sinning against God. You know, it's quite a thing to think of our own children as they would go out into this world. Are they prepared? Do they have biblical convictions of their own? Not what mom and dad say not what other people have taught them.

But they in and of themselves that they might have real biblical convictions in all of our lives. Because there are circumstances that we might come into and the question is this. Are we really prepared? Do we have on the breastplate of righteousness to do what is right to be able to be protected? And then it says in your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel.

I take it that is well, it includes being prepared for gospel meeting, but I would take it. There's a lot more to it than just that being prepared or shot. It says having on those sandals of the gospel of peace.

You think of the need to be prepared. Do we really understand what the gospel is? Are we able to present a clear gospel message according to the word of God? I hope we don't just borrow phrases that we have heard preachers tell and that have been ingrained into our minds because we've heard them so often when I hope that we have a genuine appreciation of ourselves of what the gospel is if we are ever going to be able to speak to others. I'll just share something with you that I recently heard it wasn't actually here in this country.

It was in Central America that there was a wreck of a bus or a truck and there were many people that were injured and another bus come along and they stopped to try and help out the people that had been injured. And as the story goes, there was a young lady who professed to be a Christian and she come alongside someone who was agonizing who was obviously in the last moments of life. And this person asked them, how can I be saved? And afterwards she made this confession.

I didn't even know what to tell her. I would put a question mark whether that person was actually a Christian or not. But you know, I wonder other people today that claim to be Christians and could not tell someone who was in earnest how to be saved.

You know, it's easy to pass that off to the preachers when the preachers come then you can talk to the preacher and show them who are the preachers. You know, that ought not to be, Paul says we need to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel. Do we know enough of the word of God to be able to show people, to tell people what God says about being saved.

Do we know those terms the doctrines of salvation, justification, propitiation, substitution I hope that we do so it's not just being ready for gospel media I hope that we are ready when we get up to speak but Paul speaks of the need of being prepared and I'm not going to speak any more about that I'm not going to go through this whole list of the armor of God but let's read in Matthew chapter 24 Matthew chapter 24 and let's read here verse 45 Matthew chapter 24 verse 45 who then is a faithful and wise servant who his Lord has made ruler over his household to give them meat in due season likely could apply that very well to the shepherds of an assembly those who are responsible to give meat to the household but we'll just leave that as it is it says blessed is a servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing verily I say unto you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods but if that evil servant which shall say in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants to eat and drink with the drunken the Lord of the servants shall come notice in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour when he is not aware of and it says he shall cut him asunder and so on so we speak to the unsaved about being prepared for the return of the Lord Jesus and yet the question is asked as believers do we really live in expectancy of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus maybe we live our lives in such a way that we would give this understanding to other people you know we're really making our home here and we plan to be here for quite some time as Christians are we prepared for the return of the Lord Jesus you say of course we're all saved I hope you understand what I'm getting at here here is this servant he has given responsibility by his ruler who has gone for some season and he has soon coming back so there is a diligence while his master is returning yet the danger is this to say that he delays his coming and he begins to forget about the fact that he is actually going to come again here we are as believers in 2015 do we live our lives with this expectancy the Lord is coming you know it's going to have an effect upon us if we are actually anticipating his coming we've already heard about the lack of days ago attitude that we can have as you know to remind our hearts again in my own heart you know it does be good am I really prepared when the Lord Jesus comes am I going to be waiting to meet him with all the anticipation or will I actually be ashamed because I was not doing what he asked of me I was not fulfilling my responsibility that he had given to me when he does come and though he will take me home to heaven am I going to have to bow my head in embarrassment because I wasn't really expecting him to come when he did according to 1st John chapter 3 John writes those words verses 2 & 3 beloved now we are the children of God it thought not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him he goes on to say for we shall see him as he is and every man that hath this hope in him capital H this hope in the return of the Lord Jesus for us purified himself as he is pure so the life that we are now living is an expectancy that he is going to return and he is going to find me in this state or in this condition it's actually going to have a purifying effect on our lives when we anticipate his coming as John would say the more we anticipate his coming the more we ought to be prepared you know I can't really elaborate on this but you think of how the Lord Jesus would speak to the seven churches there in Asia and surrounded by that context as he is a constant reminder of his coming now I understand that before he comes to reign on this scene he will come to shake his church home but you know that should have been a motivating factor that the churches as the Lord Jesus would speak to them of their failures of the things that need to be made right even of the need of repentance in so many cases you know that ought to have an effect on us not only as believers individually but as local churches how will he find us have we strayed so far away from what he would desire from us that it might have an effect even on us as believers individually and collectively I think of Colossians Colossians chapter 2 you read words like this he speaks of being rooted and built up and established but that's not speaking about here on earth it's not putting roots down deep into this world about being established with the expectancy of being here for such a long time he speaks about being rooted and edified in Christ because in the next chapter he speaks about putting our affections on the things above where there isn't crisis seated on the right hand of God and as we consider a resurrected Christ we appreciate he is also the coming Christ and the more we appreciate his coming the more we will be pilgrim like in character and of course the comes to mind a man like Abraham dwelling intense having no permanent dwelling place and yet here we are so occupied with establishing our place here on earth and the things that we might have for a little while we've already been reminded the children of Israel you ever stopped to ask yourself why did they live in tents in the wilderness it's because they were just passing through we tell sinners so often we are just passing through we are here only for a little while but do we really live that out in our lives I thought it kind of strange the first time I heard this but somebody said you know some Christians are gonna go to heaven feet first when the Lord comes because they're grasping after the things that they're leaving behind pilgrim like in our character you know for a person who moves around a lot it's it's not a good thing to accumulate a lot of things maybe I shouldn't say this but when we were in Nicaragua and 2003 there was a table that was in the carpenter shop that was ordered and was never it was never paid for was never picked up and there was the outline of it because it wasn't finished it was a cedar table it was round and it had a pillar that was carved and it had feet that were carved and when I saw that I thought you know I'd like to have that so for $100 he finished it and sold it to me where's my table was actually in Kevin and Patty flats house because I couldn't bring it with me we didn't stay there we didn't stay in Nicaragua we didn't stay in El Salvador you know we might try and accumulate so many things but can we really take them with us what if our understanding is this the Lord Jesus going to come and he is going to very soon take us away from this scene we are just here for a little while it is going to transform our lives are we really prepared for the return of the Lord Jesus are we really prepared with the girdle of truth or our loins girded up with the truth our feet really prepared with a gospel that the Lord might help us to be prepared because the war is already raging as Peter is Paul would tell us here the powers of darkness the devil never sleeps and he never rests and how sad it is that we can be so ill prepared