A Thanksgiving Prayer by Dr. Peter Marshall

Our Father in Heaven,

If ever we had a cause to offer unto Thee our fervent thanks, surely it is now, on the Eve of our Thanksgiving Day, when we, the people of this Nation, are comfortable, well fed, well clad, and blessed with good things beyond our deserving. May gratitude, the rarest of all virtues, be the spirit of our observance.

Let not feasting, football, and festivity end in forgetfulness of God. May the desperate need of the rest of the world, and our own glorious heritage, remind us of the God who led our Fathers every step of the way by which they advanced to the character of an independent nation.

May the faith and conviction of George Washington be renewed in us as we remember his words:

...there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exits in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained...

For if we do not have the grace to thank Thee for all that we have and enjoy, how can we have the effrontery to seek Thy further blessings? God, give us grateful hearts.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

From the Senate of the United States - November 26, 1947
Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain

When Wrestling is Real

When commenting on Ephesians 6:12 Matthew Henry wrote:

Our enemies strive to prevent our ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings, and to obstruct our communion with heaven.

We find that this is true. Our enemies would do all within their power to distract us from "setting our minds on things above" so that we are overwhelmed with the things of this earth. If we are going to fight the good fight then we must be prepared to engage the enemy in combat and we must know how to overcome them and their tactics.

The first step in preparing is found in Ephesians 6:12 where we are told that we are locked in hand to hand combat with the enemies of the Kingdom of God. We "wrestle" against them, and here, unlike on the television, the wrestling is real! But we need to be sure that we know who we are fighting. Understanding who the real enemy is will help us stand against them and overcome them in the course of this lifelong battle.

This week's sermon, taken from this text, explores the truth about our enemy and explains how it is that we successfully combat their plans and schemes in this fallen world.

(click the message title below to download or listen to this message for FREE)

The Rulers of Darkness
Ephesians 6:12

III. The Rulers of Darkness – Eph 6:12

A. Wrestling is Real

1. We wrestle...not (we do wrestle) – we are at war
2. Combat, hand to hand
3. “To throw a man down by deceit and craft, to supplant and trip” (Calvin)
4. Today, wrestling is often fake or theatrical. In NT times it was often a matter of life and death.

B. Know Your Enemy

1. Not Flesh and Blood

a. An enemy not human, not physical, not of this world
b. An Enemy not threatened by any mere human power or ability
c. Who the enemy is not:

How often do we forget that God says in His Word, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay."? And so when we are persecuted or attacked verbally, emotionally, or physically for our faith we have as a first response the desire to fight back - to strike out against the person who has hurt us. That is another point of confusion brought on by the true enemy of our souls. We fall for the lie that we are fighting against lost men and women!

As a result then we use our words and actions to hurt them and drive them back - and then we wonder why the reject Christ so openly!! Have we forgotten that those who would engage us in this warfare and attack us are themselves in bondage to sin, slaves of unrighteousness, and children of their father the devil? This is what Jesus said to the Pharisees. In calling them a "brood of vipers" He was saying that they are the offspring of Satan - they are, as it were baby snakes, children of their father, the Devil.

But these people are not the enemy we are to engage in warfare. We should seek to rescue them - to preach and witness and love and encourage them. The Bible is so clear. Bless those who curse, pray for those who spitefully use, do good to those who hate. And yet our natural response is to fight. Then we see we are at war but we are fighting the wrong enemy! We think that those in bondage should be hated and reviled just as they hate and revile. But these are the very people we should be loving with an unconditional self sacrificing love.

2. Principalities

a. Gk: arxas
b. ruler, office of authority, denotes organization and domain, sphere of influence
c. Rom 8:38; Col 1:16; 2:15 – a created thing under God’s authority

3. Powers

a. Gk: edzousias
b. ruling power, the right to act, domain in which power is exercised
c. 1 Peter 3:22 – subject to Christ

4. Rulers of Darkness

a. Gk: kosmokratoras skoutas
b. world rulers over darkness
c. Eph 5:8; Luke 22:53; 1 John 5:19

5. Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness

a. Gk: pneumatika ponarias
b. wicked (sick, virulent, evil) spirits (in the spiritual realm)
c. 1 John 3:10; James 1:21

C. Our Defeated Foe – Rev 12:11

1. Prophesied - Gen 3:15
2. Temptation Resisted – Luke 4:1-13
3. Demons Cast Out – Luke 4:33-36; 11:20; Matt 10:1
4. His Works Destroyed – 1 John 3:8
5. Fulfilled at Christ’s Death – Col 2:15; Heb 2:14

D. Dealing with Demons – 2 Cor 10:1-6

A Message about Methods

Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The word "wiles" is the Greek word methodia, which we might also translate "methods". Have you ever given much thought to the methods that the devil uses to trap us and tempt us?

This Sunday's message was taken from this text and we spent some time looking at the methods the devil uses against us and ways in which we have been equipped to stand against the devil and resist his schemes.

Here is the outline and a link for the audio for this sermon online available to listen or download for FREE.

The Wiles of the Devil
Ephesians 6:11

A. The Necessity of Strength – 1 Samuel 17

1. Be Strong
2. Be Brave

B. The Reality of War

1. Gal 5:17
2. Rom 8

C. Strategy and Tactics

1. The Big Picture
2. The Daily Grind

a. Put On – Rom 13:14; Eph 4:24; Col 3:12-14
b. Stand – the theme

D. The Methods of the Enemy - ABCD

1. Accuser of the Brethren
2. Bait - Gen 3:6; 1 John 2:15-17

a. Doubt God’s Word
b. Deny God’s Word
c. Disobey God’s Word
d. Appealing to Our Fallen Flesh – James 1:14-15

3. Confuse
4. Deceive

E. Application – We have been given the Armor of God. Are we using it?

Set Free

Two new sermons from Jonathan both touch on being set free. The first finds a jailor set free from the captivity of sin and the second finds a boy bound to the altar to be sacrificed set free as God provided a substitute.

The Jailor Set Free - Acts 16.16-34

The Philippian Jailor was a hardened man. He'd seen it all, but nothing prepared him for the conduct of two Christians thrown into the foulest depths of his prison. Paul and Silas had not only preached the gospel, but they lived in such a way that it was hard to doubt their sincerity. Dramatic events follow as God intervenes in the situation, and the Jailor asks the well-known question 'What must I do to be saved?' Do you know the answer to this question? Are you like the Jailor, thinking that the Christians are the captives and you are the free one? He soon found out how wrong he was!


The Lord Will Provide - Genesis 22

Here we examine one of the best-known passages in the Bible, as Abraham obeys the Lord and offers up his only son Isaac as a sacrifice, only to be stopped at the last moment, with a ram being provided for the sacrifice in Isaac's place. We consider how hard it is sometimes to do as God commands. We also ask 'What could God do with us if only we would obey Him?' Most importantly we ask 'Are we like Abraham?' - Are we willing to rest in the knowledge that the Lord will provide? Are we trusting in the fact that He HAS provided full and free salvation in His Son Jesus Christ?

If You Dare

You can visit http://www.ravenhill.org/mp3.htm and listen to sermons by Revivalist Leonard Ravenhill.

Warning - not for the faint of heart or those prone to hear but not do!

~pw

Saul and Paul; Isaac and Ishmael

New messages from Jonathan are now available online to listen to or download for FREE:

Title: Destination Damascus? – Acts 9:1-22

Series: Evangelistic Ministry

In this message we examine the well-known account of the conversion of Saul - who became the Apostle Paul. He set out for Damascus intent on doing what he thought was God's will - but God had other plans. Do we know conversion to Christ like Paul did? Do we think we are pleasing God when in fact we are offending Him?


Title: Isaac and Ishmael - Genesis 21

Series: Genesis

Isaac is born to scenes of great joy. Sarah tells how the Lord has made her to laugh - how He has filled her with joy. Has God filled you with joy because of His promised Son Jesus Christ? What do you do with the joy God gives you?

Back in the Saddle Again

Finally! After only preaching once so far this year God has made it possible for me to resume preaching His Word and I preached today from Ephesians 6:10 a message titled The Power of His Might. Here is the outline:

I. The Power of His Might – Ephesians 6:10

A. Finally, My Brethren

1. The Worthy Walk (Eph 4)
2. Walking in Love (Eph 5:1-7) be imitators
3. Walking in Light (Eph 5:8-14) you were darkness
4. Walking in Wisdom (Eph 5:15-21) be filled with the Spirit
5. Walking in Family Life (Eph 5:25-6:4)
6. Walking at Work (Eph 6:5-9)

B. Be Strong

1. In the Lord (through Christ)

a. I can do all things (Phil 4:13)
b. Our consolation abounds through Christ (2 Cor 1:5)
c. We are heirs through Christ (Gal 4:7)
d. We come to the Father only through Christ (John 14:6)
e. Without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5)

2. In the Power of His Might

a. He is all powerful (Luke 18:27)
b. He is called Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
c. Not Will Power, but the Surrender of our Will (Luke 9:23)

1) Gal 2:20 – we have been crucified with Christ
2) 2 Cor 5:17 – we are a new creation in Christ
3) Eph 4:24 – we are a new man, created in righteousness and holiness

C. Examples

1. The Presence of God’s Power

a. The Plagues in Egypt and the Exodus
b. The Conquest of Canaan (Jericho)
c. The Fire on Mt. Carmel

2. The Absence of God’s Power

a. The Golden Calf
b. The Defeat at Ai
c. The Flight from Jezebel

D. Application – More Than Conquerors (Rom 8:37)