June 1, 2015 · 9:13 am

Ephesians – Putting on the Gospel of Peace

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Putting on the Gospel of Peace

May 31, 2015

Ephesians 6:14-15 – Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

So far we have looked at the armor of God and have reviewed the following pieces of the armor. First, we looked at the belt of truth to understand that we must walk in truth and not in the lies that are being continually perpetrated by the evil one. Last week, we looked at the breastplate of righteousness. In this we saw that God has forgiven us and has made us righteous through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Today, we will move to the next piece of God’s armor required for spiritual battle. Today, we will look at putting on the shoes of the gospel of peace.

Once again, we see in this passage a practical illustration of a common aspect of life in Paul’s day. The church at Ephesus understood the necessity of wearing shoes in their day and they understood visually what it meant for the warrior to wear shoes in battle. In battle, there were many issues that the soldier might face that made it necessary to wear protection on their feet. It might be the heat of the sand. It might be the jagged rocks and other sharp debris found in the soil. It might be something as simple as a twig or some other shard that would penetrate the foot and cause pain. Without proper protection there was also the possibility of a strain or sprain that could sideline the strongest of warriors, distract the warrior, or cause him to be ineffective in battle. For the warrior to be effective, it was critical for the soldier to wear protective shoes on his feet. This was critical as the soldier’s shoes allowed the warrior to step freely without fear in the face of battle. 

It is interesting that doctors have reported that the most neglected parts of the body are the feet. Rather consciously or not, too often, we neglect to care for our feet until there is a problem. One of the best methods to care for the feet is to wear the right type of shoe. For the warrior his sandals were made of layers of leather up to 3/4 inch in thickness and were studded with hollow-headed hobnails. In other words, they were like cleats. The shoe of the warrior covered not only the feet but also covered the leg to about half-way up the calf and at times up to the knee. The shoes worn by the soldier were secured by leather straps or leather laces. The purpose of his shoes was to protect his feet and allow him to grip the turf underneath his feet. The result was he had greater ability to stand his ground in battle.

In our society, we have a different view of shoes. For us shoes are more of a fashion statement than they are a mode of protection. In fact, it is noteworthy that a Consumer Reports National Research study found that women in America own an average of nineteen pairs of shoes while 15% of women surveyed stated that they have thirty pairs of shoes or more. Additionally, according to Glamour Magazine, the average woman will purchase 469 pairs of shoes in her lifetime. This will total more than $25,000 being spent on shoes in one’s lifetime.

In looking at our text, we find that the shoes discussed here are more than physical shoes, they are spiritual in nature. When dissecting this verse we find that the actual Greek translation of this passage would be, “Let the shoes of your feet be the Gospel of peace, to give you a firm footing.” Stability comes by being fitted with the Gospel of peace.

Another interesting concept of this passage is that there is a call to readiness. This insinuates that the soldier does not wait for the battle to put on his shoes. He puts on the shoes long before the the battle begins. Spiritually, the idea that is communicated is that we must be ready for battle by having our feet shod with the gospel. That is we are ready for battle because we have the gospel in us.

These words have a faint echo of words spoken by Paul and by Isaiah. Listen to Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:17. Paul stated And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Isaiah complimented this thought when he stated How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns (Isaiah 52:7).

To understand the Gospel we must understand that the Gospel is the good news. It is the good news that brings peace. For some who read Paul’s letter it seems strange because the question is posed “how can we have peace in the midst of the battle and warfare?” Why is this? The greatest reason for this peace is that the enmity between God and man was overcome. As believers, we have chosen to fight on the side of God and therefore God is no longer our enemy. Conversely, if we fail to accept God’s gift of salvation, we are in essence fighting against God. Think about it. If choose not to accept Christ, you are in essence fighting against the God who created the heavens and the earth, the God who called fire down from heaven, and the God who sent a storm to redirect Jonah’s life. This is the same God who opened the earth and swallowed the rebellious children of Israel. I am not sure about you but I do not want to be on the opposite side of God.

When I was in Junior High School in Bridge City, Texas, I was regularly picked on by some of the older students. I wasn’t the only one as these bullies chose to pick on anyone smaller than them. One day, I was pressed up against a locker in the hallway of the school by one of the bullies when I heard this deep voice from behind the crowd. I looked up and it was my cousin’s boyfriend. He was the starting all American linebacker for the varsity football team. She had shared with him how these kids were bullying the younger kids and he came to our rescue. He grabbed one of the kids and held him by the collar with his feet dangling off the floor and said a few choice words to him. It was something like “You mess with my friend, you miss with me.” You see in life we have been bullied by the evil one, but on the cross Christ took the enemy by the throat and said “you mess with my friend, my child you mess with me.” Through the cross we have been repositioned from a state of enmity to a state of friendship and partnership.

Listen to what Paul proclaimed in Romans 5:1-5. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The good news is that through Christ we are on the right side of the battle. It is for that reason that Paul calls this the Gospel of peace. When you think about it, peace is an interesting emotion in that we can have peace about some things and yet be anxious and fearful about others. Very few of us experience a general peace about life and still fewer have a peace that reaches the inward man. And yet that is the purpose of Christ’s peace.

I love what Dallas Willard had to say in this regard. He said “Even in the case, through no fault of my own, there must be a struggle between me and others, there does not have to be a struggle within me.” He continues “I may have to resist others, for some good reason, but even so I do not have to make things come out right. I am not the one in control of outcomes. I do not have to hate those whose course of action I resist, or even get mad at them, and so I can always be at peace within myself as well as towards others.” He continues by saying that the greatness of God and the love of God forms my peace, and at the same time my love and my joy. Job of old had many worrisome questions in the midst of his troubles but when he beheld God they simply did not matter. That is why Isaiah could honestly proclaim You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you (Isaiah 26:3). Look at the parameters established here. You will be in perfect peace when your mind is on Christ because you trust Him with everything in life.

Nothing in this world can destroy my peace or rob me of peace even though in our world today there is so much that can steal our joy and peace. The economy is still fragile. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are shootings and murders taking place daily. The drug epidemic has escalated and is getting worse by the day. The moral fiber of America is being shredded on a daily basis. But with all of this, I am reminded of what Jesus spoke to His disciples. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you. ’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I’ (John 14:27-28).

To understand this we must understand that the Gospel of Peace cannot and must not be separated from the author of peace who is also the author of Gospel. To have real peace, we must come to know the real giver of peace. His name is Jesus. He came so that I could live a real life. Not some legalistic or false spirituality kind of life but one filled with God’s love and His peace. I do not know about you but I yearn for that kind of peace and that kind of life. It is available to us as we put on the shoes of peace.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,

May 24, 2015 · 5:58 pm

Ephesians – Breastplate of Righteousness – Getting To the Heart of the Matter

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Breastplate of Righteousness – Getting To the Heart of the Matter

May 24, 2015

Ephesians 6:14-15 – Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

Last week we looked at the belt of truth and the need to be have the truth of God in our lives so as to establish the security that comes from having the belt of truth firmly secured. This week we will look at the breastplate of righteousness. In this study, in regard to the breastplate, there are three elements that must be considered. First, we must consider the breastplate itself and how it is used. Secondly, we must consider the idea of righteousness and what that means to us. And, thirdly, we must consider the idea of the heart and its relationship to this discussion.

In regards to the breastplate itself, the breastplate was a defensive weapon that guarded and protected the vital organs of the warrior. The heart, the lungs, the diaphragm, and the major arteries were all protected by the breastplate. In particular, the breastplate covered and protected the heart. In essence, you might say that the breastplate protected the very life of the warrior because if a sword or spear were to penetrate this area of the body, or an arrow was to find its way around the armor, it would mean certain death or at least it would mean a serious wound that could disable the warrior. Without the breastplate being properly secured, the warrior would be vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. The fact is no self-respecting soldier in his right mind would ever go into battle without his breastplate being securely fastened.

For the warrior, the breastplate was usually a suit of mail, metal, or heavy cloth that was layered to provide the necessary protection he needed in battle. In our modern day, we would think of a bullet proof vest or an umpire’s vest as a comparable piece of protective gear. It is also noteworthy that while some have suggested that the breastplate only covered the front area, the reality is that the breastplate most often covered the front and the back of the body.

For the believer, Paul states that their breastplate is the breastplate of righteousness. This would mean that righteousness is a necessary element that is required for our spiritual protection. But what is righteousness? Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, suggested that in regard to understanding righteousness mixed messages are often presented. One such message which is presented by today’s media is that righteousness is a negative attribute. It is something to be avoided. It is perceived to rigid, unbending, and out of touch. But the Biblical definition of the word means something so different. In fact, two words are used for righteousness in the Hebrew which is carried over into the Greek. The first Hebrew word means to be straight. This word carries the idea of meeting the specifications of another person. In other words, it is to measure up or to meet a standard. The second Hebrew word means to be right with someone. It means to be presentable. It carries the idea of passing inspection by someone who is significant in our lives. It is to be pleasing and to attempt to please that person so as not to be ashamed. Specifically the word righteousness means to meet the specifications that God calls us to which pleases the one who calls us.

With that in mind let us look what righteousness means for us today. First of all, to understand righteousness, we must understand the righteousness of Christ. On the cross, two things were accomplished on behalf of the believer through Christ’s death. First of all, the believer received forgiveness of sin. On the cross, Christ took the penalty of sin for us and placed it upon his shoulders. He died that we might live. Through the cross we are forgiven. We all know this aspect of the cross, but, sometimes we miss the second aspect of the cross. Not only do we have forgiveness of sin but He also gives us righteousness positionally. In other words we are accepted as righteous even though we are not perfect because of the work of Christ and our faith in that work.

Paul in Philippians 3:8-9 speaks to this reality. Hear Paul’s words. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. You see it is not our righteousness that matters, it is Christ’s work on the cross that fulfills the righteousness requirement in me. While I may not be perfected yet, Christ sees me as righteous. I trust that you can grasp these two powerful truths. I am forgiven by Christ and I am seen as being righteous because of what He has done.

Secondly, we must understand the Christian’s righteousness. Though we are positionally seen as righteous, we must also work out Christ’s righteousness in our lives. This work is known as sanctification. David Jeremiah stated that someone has defined the work of sanctification as becoming in practice what we already are in position. In other words, it is not enough to be positionally righteous but we must also live righteously. We must understand that the act of living righteously is not some automatic pilot that we turn on and off. While we can be in a state of righteousness positionally but fail to live righteousness out practically. It is like being a pastor positionally but not live or act like one. For this reason, we can be a believer and still struggle with addictions. We can be a believer in Christ and struggle with anger and truthfulness in our lives. But, this is not the reality that God seeks or desires of us. The goal of pursuing righteousness is to align our positional righteousness with our practical righteousness.

John understood this when he penned these words. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. The determining factor of our pursuit of righteousness is evidenced in how we practice our righteousness. Paul states in 1 Timothy 6:11 that we are to pursue righteousness. We pursue righteousness so that there is a balance between what He has done on our behalf and what we are to do. We live as righteous people because we are not longer sinners but saints. Because we are not perfect we continue to pursue righteousness.

The third aspect of righteousness is that it is a consistent righteousness. The wording of this verse proposes the idea that we are to continually put on the breastplate of righteousness. If we are to effectively battle against the forces of the enemy we must not forget to put on the breastplate of righteousness. To fail to do so is a formula for certain failure and spiritual injury.

The fourth idea is that we must make it a habit to be righteous. What we practice we become. What we strive for we will accomplish. We begin to change the course of our lives by practicing the art of righteousness. Our nation can begin to change if we begin to practice righteousness and right living. We can see our families change if we begin to understand our righteousness not only positionally, but also practical righteousness.

There is one more element to the breastplate to be considered. It is just as important to know what the breastplate is as it is to understand why it is worn and what it protects. The breastplate as noted is specifically worn over the heart. The warrior knows that if the enemy can reach the heart with his weapon that he can snuff out the enemy’s life. Biblically and physically the heart is the seat of our emotions and the seat of our affections. Jeremiah knew this when he proclaimed that the heart is wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 19:7). What Jeremiah was saying is that the heart cannot be trusted. That is why we need the breastplate of righteousness. It is protect our emotions and affections. The writer of Proverbs understood this when he wrote Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23). The heart must be protected because it is the life spring of everything we do.

To walk in righteousness we must fall in love with Christ all over again. Our affection must be squarely focused on Him. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37). How is your love for God? The sad indictment of the Church at Ephesus was that they lost their first love. They abandoned the very principles that caused them to be  great church. As we walk in true righteousness, we understand that our affection must be on Him. If we do not set our affections on Him we will perform and act to look righteous, but our hearts will be far from where they need to be. It is here the idea of legalism is best evidenced and if we are not careful legalism will trump righteousness.

How important is it to protect our emotions? It must be a priority in in our life. Why is this? The Bible tells us that where our treasure is there our heart will be also. The treasure of our hearts determines our priorities. What we treasure will motivate us to action. For those that golf, you may be tired and weary but your love for golf will motivate you to play the game no matter what. It will motivate you to spend money on nice clubs and the right attire. We need the breastplate of righteousness to protect and guide our hearts toward the right actions in our lives. We are in a battle for our souls and wearing the breastplate of righteousness is one of the steps we must take to secure our history.

On this Memorial Day let me close with a quote from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Let us resolve that Christ did not die in vain. Let us resolve that we will have a new birth of freedom that transforms us and positions us for great things in God because we are dressed for success.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

May 17, 2015 · 4:38 pm

Ephesians – Belt of Truth – Getting It to Together

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Belt of Truth – Getting It to Together

May 17, 2015

Ephesians 6:14-15 – Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

This morning we continue to look at the idea of dressing for success by putting on the whole armor of God. It is to be noted that Paul begins this passage with the command to stand. The term standing expresses the idea of not giving up any ground that has been gained, especially by way of Christ’s victories in our life. When watching football, you will hear the commentator say that the defense is taking a goal line stand. What they are saying is that the defense is setup to stop the advance of the offense whose desire is to cross over the goal line for a score. This is the idea of standing and standing strong. It is to position ourselves so as not to give up any territory to the evil one. Many a football game has been won and lost from this position. The word also expresses the idea that when we have done everything we know to do, we keep standing against the schemes of the enemy to avoid his advancement in our lives. We don’t give up and we don’t give in. While not inclusive let me give you a couple of thoughts here. We give up ground when we believe the lies and half truths spoken to us and about us. We give up ground when we live with unconfessed sin. We give up ground when we continue to rehearse and live in the past experiences that have brought us pain and hurt. And, we give up ground when we give into the temptations that come our way.

In this passage, Paul begins to describe the armor that is necessary to take this stand. The first piece of armor in Paul’s list is the belt of truth which is fastened around the waist. To fully understand what the belt of truth is, we must understand the use of the belt in Paul’s day. First of all the belt was used to secure the tunic or the robe of the warrior. This was necessary because the tunic or robe was a long loose fitting garment. If not secured, the tunic would impact the ability of the soldier to effectively do battle as it would get tangled in the soldiers legs or in the armor itself. If this occurred, the soldier’s ability to fight the enemy was diminished and his focus would be on the problem with his armor and not on the ability to fight.

The second purpose of the belt was to secure the rest of the armor. The belt was that piece of the armor that tied everything else together. Without the belt, the armor would not fit properly. The result would be a lack of protection for the soldier because there was the potential of vulnerable spots being exposed. Without the belt being in place during a fight, the soldier might find himself in an awkward state as he would have to hold his tunic, or clutch his armor with one hand, and fight with the other. Such a situation would expose the soldier to the tactics of the enemy.

In this passage, Paul is relating to a well known visual for the Ephesians so that they could grasp the spiritual application of the principle. Paul emphatically states that we must put on the belt of truth. We have discussed the belt but we must also understand the meaning of the word “truth.” The word for truth is “althaea” and it speaks to both the intellectual aspect of truth as well as the attitude of truthfulness and integrity as a character trait. Truth, therefore, is not just the accuracy of specific truths held by a person but it is also the quality of truthfulness. This simply means that the Christian is to not only have an understanding of truth intellectually, but the Christian must be truthful in every area of their life.

The best way for me to illustrate this is with a story that is found in Chuck Swindoll’s book Growing Deep in the Christian Life. In the book, Chuck tells the story about a man who bought a bucket of fried chicken for himself and his date one afternoon. However, when the fast food restaurant gave him his order, they inadvertently gave him a bucket of money from the day’s sales instead of the fried chicken he ordered. After driving to the picnic site, he sat down with his date to enjoy some chicken when they discovered that instead of chicken, they had been given over $800! Once they saw the error, the man quickly took the money back to the store, because he considered himself to be an honest man. As you might imagine, by this time the manager of the restaurant was frantic. The man who had taken the money got out of his car, walked into the store to return the money. He became an instant hero. The manager was so thrilled. He was so thrilled in fact that he wanted to call the newspaper to have them take a photo and have this real life hero’s story published. The manager being excited was quick to compliment the man on his honesty. However, the man was also quick to respond “please don’t do that!” Then he leaned in and whispered to the manager, “You can’t do this because the woman I’m with, is another man’s wife.” The moral of the story is that the belt of truth must be applied to every area of our life and not just to some areas for it will expose us to the tactics of the enemy who will use such an opportunity to attack and destroy our testimony and our life.

As with the soldier in battle, we must secure the belt of truth around our waist. This is needful because for the believer the belt of truth brings security. You see when a believer does not have the belt of truth in place we will be vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. We will walk in fear because we are not dressed for success. Conversely, when the belt of truth has been secured, the believer in Christ will be complete, stable, and ready for every battle. The fact is, when the arrows of deception are flying around and unjust accusations explode around us, we need the truth and we need the truth of character to keep us from falling apart.

Spiritually, we must understand that security and truth is found in the Word of God and that real security is only discovered when the word of God comes alive in our hearts. This is the idea represented by Paul in this passage. To be secure, we must bind the word of God to our hearts. We will be ineffective in our walk with Christ if we are not allowing the word to transform and change us. If our character is not being changed by the truth of the Gospel, there is a good chance that we are not fastening or putting on the belt of truth. Without the belt of truth, we end up living an inconsistent life. Without the belt of truth, we will be entangled with issues and problems that will hold us back and trip up us. We will in essence be trying to hold onto the issues of life and fight a battle at the same time.

In our current culture we do not have to look very far to see that biblical truth is no longer a viable concern in most lives. In fact, truth is no longer valued as the basis of one’s actions or thinking. Too many live as if anything goes. Rather than fastening on the belt of truth, society rejects truth. |And the sad commentary is that many churches and believers today are also rejecting truth. The result is that the acceptable boundaries of God’s word are being moved and reestablished. As a result, society has become unstable. It is interesting to note that people who have forgotten the belt of truth in their life often scratch their heads wondering why life is filled with confusion and why there is such evil in the world.

A second idea is that the belt of truth prepares us for battle. Peter confirms this in 1 Peter 1:13-16. Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy. The word used in this text for “prepare” is the same word in Ephesians for “fasten.” It gives us the sense of preparing for battle. In Peter’s case, we prepare the mind and in Paul’s case we fasten the belt of truth to our inner most being. Notice that Peter calls the follower of Christ to not conform to the passion of one’s former ignorance, but live as one who has been called to holiness. Peter understands that our passions are not always based in truth. We can never measure the validity of truth by virtue of our feelings or our emotions. Our feelings can come and go and they can change so quickly. Feelings and emotions are most often based on our circumstances and the environment that we are experiencing at the time. Truth does not change, while one’s feelings continue to ebb and flow. The point is, we must always let truth dictate our actions and not our emotions.

Jesus also recognized the need for being prepared when he stated the following. “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks (Luke 12:35-36). What Jesus is communicating is that we must be continually dressed for action as we do not know when we might engage the enemy. The children of Israel before leaving Egypt were called to prepare themselves as well. Moses wrote. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover (Exodus 12:11). They were to eat and work but they were also to be prepared for the Exodus. As believers, we must put on the belt of truth so that we are prepared to face whatever battle, temptation or concern comes our way.

Finally we must understand that the belt of truth is more than just head knowledge! In John 8:31-32 we find that Jesus said to the Jews who had believed 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. Here is a point that must be made. The factual reality of truth does not free anyone. We must know the truth and properly apply the truth into our lives. It is the truth properly applied that sets you free and not the truth itself. Notice the key here. It is the abiding in the word of God that allows us to fully know the truth and it is that truth that sets us free. Therefore, truth rightly applied is the source of our freedom, our stability, and our victory. We too can experience the freedom, stability, and victory that comes from having the belt of truth fastened and by rightly applying the truth to our lives.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as ,

May 11, 2015 · 7:45 am

Ephesians – Dressed for Success: Wearing the Whole Armor of God

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Dressed for Success: Wearing the Whole Armor of God 

May 10, 2015

Ephesians 6:13 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.

I have entitled this message “Dressed for Success, Wearing the Whole Armor of God.” This may seem like a strange Mother’s Day message, but I hope you see where I am going with this before too long. Scientific studies have shown time and again that what one wears effects their attitude, how they respond to life, and how they respond to those around them. One study completed a number of years ago showed that one’s attitude about life and their personal concept of self is changed depending on the clothes they wear. For example, people were asked to wear white lab coats who normally did not wear such coats. What they found is that the subjects who wore the lab coats tended to speak more intelligently, carry themselves more professionally, and act as if they had something important to do. The only difference was what they wore. Spiritually, dressing for success in this world by wearing the whole armor of God is critical because it sets us apart and it positions us for greatness in the kingdom of God.

As we look at this passage this morning, let me, by way of reminder, review what we looked at last week as we focus our thoughts particularly on moms, today. First, as we noted last week, we must realize and moms today, specifically, must realize we have an enemy. He is a real foe and he has a real desire to take us out. As a mom, he desires to neutralize your role as a mother, a wife, and whatever other roles you may serve.

Secondly, we must remember that the battle we face is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. These forces include but are not limited to mindsets about motherhood, thoughts that hinder our growth, reminders of our failures, regrets about decisions, missed opportunities, forgotten dreams and so on and so on. The enemy is good at reminding us of what we have done wrong and where we have failed. These schemes present a real and present danger, if we do not counter them with the whole armor of God.

Thirdly, Paul in our text, today, challenges us in verse 11 to take up the whole armor of God and in verse 13 to put on the whole armor of God. When we leave the house, none of us would leave half dressed, or at least any sane person would not do so. What Paul is saying is that we need to put all of the armor on before we begin our day. To forget to do so, sets us up for an unnecessary assault from the enemy. You see just wearing one part of the armor is insufficient to sustain the attacks of the enemy and it diminishes our ability to be victorious over his schemes.

The first thing to notice about the armor of God is that it is God’s armor which He has supplied for our use. As many of you know, I have joined the Selbyville Fire Department. I finally went on my first call with them on Tuesday. I must admit, I answered the call in part because I was curious about the call, as it was the house fire across the street from where we live. When I arrived at the station, my first assignment was to dress for the fire. I put on my gear before I got on the truck. I had on my boots, I had on the fire suit. I had my the helmet and gloves with me in case I was needed to pull a hose or help carry anything to assist the firefighters who where fighting the blaze. Without the suit, I would be setting myself up for injury. The second idea presented in this illustration was that I was assigned a set of gear by the fire department. It is not my gear, it belongs to the Selbyville Fire Department, but I have the privilege of using it. In fact, it is mandatory for me to be dressed for action when we respond to a fire or car accident. We too need to realize that the armor of God has been given to us by God for our use against the enemy. But unfortunately, the armor of God has been too underutilized to have any effect in our lives.

The second thing about the armor is that it has to be put on. God has given it to us but, we must utilize it for it to be effective. The armor does not do us any good unless we put it on. The fire suit would not help me if it were still at the fire station or on the truck. By the way, the way Paul words this means that putting on the armor of God is a choice we make. The armor does not just appear on us. We are not somehow magically clothed but the command is to take up and put on the armor. We must choose to be clothed in the armor God has provided. We can also choose not to be clothed, but we will suffer the consequences if we make such a choice.

So why is it necessary to put on the armor. To be honest, it is necessary because it is a matter of life and death spiritually. One of the things we learned last week is that the enemy loves to create an atmosphere where we are weakened and we begin to believe the lies that he has spoken to us. He also uses his schemes to attack us in other ways. Without the armor of God, we are more prone to an attack than without it. Let me give you some examples.

First of all, we are more prone to attack when we are tired. This is why I believe that after we are dressed for battle, Paul states that we are to stand firm. When we are tired, we can make bad choices and we can respond negatively to things that would not usually bother us. It is when we are tired that our minds often run amok. We begin to believe things and feel things that are not true. When we are tired, upset, or exasperated we are more easily offended. It is for that reason we must put on the helmet of salvation and the belt of truth. On a side note, sometimes the best spiritual warfare we can do is take a nap.

Second, we are prone to attack when we are alone or we experience loneliness. Note that we can be in a crowd and still feel lonely. The enemy loves to isolate us and separate us so that we feel alone. The enemy knows that we are more vulnerable when we are alone or the feeling of loneliness comes over us. In the wild, the predator knows that it must isolate its prey to kill it. Our enemy also loves to isolate us. So, when you are walking through a difficult season be careful and do not isolate yourself. The fact is we need each other. In this regard, remember that we are a part of an army of believers who make up God’s army.

Third, we are more prone to attack when our expectations have not been met. When this occurs, we can begin to feel that we are a failure and that we or the people in our life are not what they ought to be. The problem is that we begin to try harder and worker harder to be a success or to solve problems. It is not wrong to have expectations, but there is a problem when we allow unmet expectations to control how we respond to others and how we react to circumstances in our life. It is here that Paul commands us to have our feet shod with the gospel of peace. One aspect of peace is contentment. When we serve God and dress for success, we will live in contentment and we will have our hearts filled with gratitude.

Fourth, we are prone to attacks when we begin to compare ourselves to others. The fact is we will always find someone who is more beautiful, skinnier, more popular, more intelligent, richer, who have better kids, someone with a better husband and so on. If allowed, this will cause us to be ungrateful and to lack a heart of thanksgiving. We must understand that each of us are a creation of God. We have been formed and shaped in His image. I can guarantee you that many of those you compare your self too are also comparing themselves to others, as well. And if the truth be known, they are not as great as you think they are. For this reason, we put on the breastplate of righteousness that protects our heart and how we feel about ourselves.

Fifth, we are prone to own the lies and half-truths the enemy presents us. As we said last week, we believe the lies that we are not good enough or smart enough. We believe that God does not love us. We believe that we are not a good parent, a good spouse, or a good friend. We beat ourselves up without merit, but we must take these thoughts captive to the glory of God. That is why we put on the helmet of salvation and the belt of truth so that our thought life will be surrendered to God and that the basis of our decisions and our emotions are in truth and not half-truths or falsehoods.

Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 had this to say. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. So how does the armor of God play a role in all of this? To be dressed for spiritual success means that we are clothed with the armor of God which is truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the word of God and the power of prayer. How powerful are these tools? They are mighty and powerful. They have the ability to counteract the forces that are at play against us. Rather than being neutralized, we in turn neutralize the effects of the enemy’s tactics, schemes and plans he has against us.

When we wear the whole armor of God, we can be assured that no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 54:17). But remember, it is our choice to be dressed for success. So today, take up and put on the whole armor of God and dress for success. It is worth it.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , ,

May 4, 2015 · 7:36 am

Ephesians – Be Strong, Get in The Game

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Be Strong, Get in The Game

May 3, 2015

Ephesians 6:10-12 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. For we do not wrestle 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.

Tony Evans in his book, “Victory in Spiritual Battle” tells the story of a painting that hangs in the Louvre in Europe that is entitled “Checkmate.” If you looked at the painting, you would see two characters playing chess. On one side of the chessboard is one player who resembles the devil. He is seen sitting in confidence that he has won the game. On the other side of the board is a frightened, scared young man. Sweat covers his brow and on his cheek is one solitary tear. The game is obviously drawing to a close and the winner appears to have already been decided.

But one day, there was a chess champion who visited the art gallery. As he paused to look at the painting, he was captured by the two figures in the painting. He also began to study the game which was being played. The champion stood before the painting for some time before he asked the curator if he had a chess board. After the champion insisted on finding one, the curator finally emerged with one. The champion immediately began to duplicate the game on the board as it was in the painting. He then began to finish the game by making a move and then countering that move with the move the devil would have made in order to avoid checkmate. He then made another move and then another. Each move put the devil on the defensive. Eventually, the champion cried out with relief and joy… “I did it, I did it!” The champion in that moment turned to the painting and proclaimed, “Young man, your enemy miscalculated a very important move. I uncovered it, and as a result, you don’t have to lose! You win!”

Let me tell you something this morning, Paul has looked at the chess game called life. He has looked at all of the moves possible and he is proclaiming through the final words of Ephesians that we win and that we do not have to live a defeated life any more. There have been some calculated moves that have taken place to put the enemy on the defensive and to neutralize his power over us and with that we are victorious.

As we look at this Scripture, we must first understand that we have an enemy that is out to destroy us. He not only wishes to destroy us and but to also neutralize our effectiveness in the culture in which we live. The enemy will use our past experiences, the false teaching we have received, the personal wounds and hurts we have received to accomplish this. But, it does not have to be that way. The great news is that we have power over any and all of our enemies.

Paul understood this principle. It is for that reason Paul calls us to “be strong in the Lord and to be strong in the strength of his might.” The word used for strong is “endunamousthe” which means “to endue with power, to become able, or to have strength.” The literal interpretation of the passage is “Be empowered with God’s strength.” The root of endunamousthe is “dunamis,” from which we get the word dynamite. The idea presents by this word is that the power of the dynamite is inherent to the dynamite itself. This means the power is not revealed until the fuse is lit or it is exploded in some way. It has to be used for its power to be recognized.

By using this word, endunamousthe, Paul is saying that we have already been given an inherent power that resides in us and is ready to be used. That power must be exercised in order to be effective. We must use this power to overcome the darkness and the evil that is all around us. How is this possible? It goes back to the passages at the very beginning of the book of Ephesians where Paul details the benefits we have received as believers in Christ. He, Christ, has given us everything we need to overcome the obstacles of life and the forces exerted by the enemy against us. Through Christ we have been given spiritual blessings and have been equipped with spiritual weapons for battle. We have an enemy, but we also have great weapons in our arsenal to bring victory.

Secondly, we must understand this battle is a spiritual battle. This war is waged in the invisible, spiritual realm. Paul, for that reason, assures us that this battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers in the heavens. While the battle is spiritual, the results of the battle are revealed in the physical realm. You cannot see the warfare, but you certainly experience it, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Therefore, the battle you face is not against your neighbor, your spouse, coworker, child, or even the weakness of your flesh. The battle is against the spiritual forces that fight against us. Be assured of this, the enemy will use people, emotions, experiences, circumstances, and thoughts to pick a fight.

Thirdly, we must be aware of the schemes the enemy uses. The battles that go on inside of us are must often motivated by the schemes of the enemy who desires to destroy us or at least neutralize us. Someone has correctly said, “if you are having a spiritual battle, then you are in a good place. That means God wants to use you and that the enemy is attempting to thwart the work you have been called to.”

If you know anything about sports, especially football, you will know that coaches and players spend hours pouring over films of the teams that they are about to play. They want to know their opponent and they want to know the plays their opponent will use against them. Paul gives us the assurance that we can be prepared for the enemy’s schemes. But we must recognize them.

The first scheme used by our opponent is lies. Remember, there is no truth in the devil. He is the father of a lie and his greatest asset is the untruths and half truths we begin to own. He knows if we own it, we will accept it as truth. What are some of the lies presented? He uses one single failure in our life to make us believe that we are a total failure. He gets us to believe that God’s silence is a sign that God does not love us any more. The enemy will convince us that we have sinned the great sin and there is no hope for us. He gets us to believe that forgiveness is for the other person and not us. He convinces us that the negative experiences we have are normal and there is no hope for change.

A second scheme used by the enemy is accusation. Accusation is just another step in the scheme of lying. You know how this works. We feel we are not not good enough! We feel are not pretty enough! No one likes me! Everyone hates me! I can’t change! I can’t control my anger! You are a loser! You are a bad father or mother! You are not worthy of God’s blessings. The accusations go on and on and are the echoes of a thousand perceived failures but it does have to be that way.

A third scheme used by the enemy is false hope or as I like to call it a counterfeit vision of the future. The enemy uses this one in subtle ways but it is very powerful. He might communicate to you that its ok if you sin because no one will ever know. If you ever make a decision with this thought in mind then I can tell you that it is a wrong decision that will negatively effect your future. He will lie to you that one affair will not hurt you. He will lie and give you false hope that Christianity is a farce and that you are missing out on the fun in your life. He will say its ok to live however you want to during the week but act holy and righteous on Sunday.

Remember when Jesus was on the mountain top after He spent 40 days in the wilderness. Satan came to Him to offer him the world if he would bow to satan. Jesus was being tempted to accept a counterfeit vision of the future (Matthew 4). But there are a couple of problems here. One, Jesus already owned the whole world. He created it. So satan was offering something he could not give. Secondly, if Jesus had succumbed to this temptation, He would have lost much more than what He would have gained by rejecting satan’s offer. Know this! Whatever the enemy is offering, he will not be able to pay up. Whatever you may gain in following the vision the enemy gives you, in the long run you will lose much more than you gain.

Let me bring this closer to home. This week we have seen the unbelievable pictures and video coming out of Baltimore. The distorted vision of the future for some agitators and rioters was misdirected. Homes were destroyed. Businesses that were the life blood of the community were looted and burned. A senior center that had been needed in the community was burned to the ground. A CVS that originally did not want to be in the community, but agreed to come after the community worked with the corporation, has now been burned and destroyed with the potential of the corporation pulling the store out of the community for good. The very thing many were fighting for was destroyed in a matter of minutes. So how is that vision working out? But there was another vision we saw as well. On Tuesday morning after the bulk of the riots were over, we saw members of the community with brooms and garbage pails in hand cleaning the streets, removing debris, and starting to rebuild hope. There’s is a hope for the future. But that is how the enemy works in our hearts. We fight the wrong battles and invest in the wrong future vision.

As we have noted, the the problem of giving into the enemy’s schemes is that we give up what we already possess and we lose much more than we gain. But there is a battle plan. Over the next few weeks we will review the game tapes and see how we should be ready for battle. Are you ready? Let’s go! The game has already been won. All we have to do is dress up and get in the game. We can yell checkmate for he is a defeated foe. Amen! PTL!

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

April 26, 2015 · 9:22 pm

Ephesians – Upside Down Authority Turned Right Side Up

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Upside Down Authority Turned Right Side Up

April 26, 2015

Ephesians 6:1-9 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

As we look at this passage, we see that Paul echoes several truths. First, children are to obey and honor their parents. This is a direct reference to the fifth commandment in the Old Testament. In this command God instructed children to honor their parents. It is also noteworthy that obedience to this command brings with it a blessing. The reward of obedience is that it will go well with them and they will live long in the land. In other words, they will have a good life. Paul on the other hand commands fathers not to exasperate their children but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In other words, parents are to disciple their children and not just punish them.

Paul also refers to the slave and master relationship. In our modern culture, this can easily be used of the employee and employer relationship. Paul begins this portion of scripture with a challenge that employees are to obey those over them with reverence for their position and with a sincere heart. These actions were to be carried out as if they were serving Christ directly and was motivated by the desire to please Christ. Just as the command for children to obey their parents came with a reward, so does serving those over you willfully and sincerely. What is the reward? They were to receive back from the Lord what they had given to others. In essence, they were to reap what they had sown. Paul then commands the masters, or in our case employers, to do the same to their employees. They were to stop using threats as a means to motivate those working for them because the reality is that they serve and must answer to the same God.

We see Paul’s heart here, but as we look over the landscape of our current culture, we find that the concept of respect and submission to authority has deteriorated, drastically. This is in part because we are living in an independent, self-focused society where everyone believes they have a right to lead and govern themselves. The result of such a lifestyle is that submission has been exchanged for selfishness, false pride, and arrogance. Submission to authority has been exchanged for personal autonomy which leads a person to believe they are morally independent and self-directing. The work ethic of our forefathers has been traded for entitlements and give always. The result is that people now feel they can do anything they want to, they do not have to answer to anyone including God, and they are entitled to what others have without working for it in the same way.

This is not a new issue as we find that the nation of Israel had also rejected the idea of respecting the authority that had been placed over them. In this case, it was God Himself. On two occasions we find the saddest of all commentaries in the Old Testament. Listen to these words. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes, (Judges 17:6). This phrase is repeated at the end of the book as well. (Judges 21:25). Rather than submit to God, they chose to follow their own desires, plans, and opinions. Sadly, this same storyline could be written of this generation. Not only do we have a nation where disrespect and a rejection of authority is the norm, we have also rejected God.

To make matters worse, in the world of psychology, we have been taught that to discipline our children may result in wounding their fragile psyche and may do unrepairable damage to their little spirits. Dr. Spock who wrote the book “Common sense: Book of Baby and Child Care” changed the face of parenting forever. What he set in motion diminished the ability of modern parents to properly discipline their children. The following quote referenced Dr. Spock’s work. Parents began to feed self-indulgence instead of instilling self-control – homes were becoming child-centered. As parents elevated children’s “freedom of expression” and natural cravings, children became more outspoken, defiant and demanding of gratification. In fact, they came to view gratification as a right. Authority and respect in the home was diminished. For this reason, it is no longer culturally accepted to discipline or spank our children. How sad that is.

This environment of diminished respect and submission has been carried over into the workplace and for that matter into every part of life. Because self-gratification has become a right, those who have been brought up in this environment are now going to work and are struggling to hold down jobs because they have issues in taking orders and submitting to those leading them. Their feelings are hurt when they don’t get the promotion they want or they have to do things on the job they don’t like or enjoy. Their self-esteem is stunted when they are disciplined or required to work a certain number of days or keep certain hours in a day.

But God’s intent has been and still is vastly different from the world’s view on this matter. The passionate follower of Christ has been called to a higher walk. As I have noted before, I do not believe it is accidental that Paul began the discussion of submission in Ephesians 5:21 with the phrase that we should “submit to one another out of reverence to the Lord.” It is not a coincidence that Paul then moves to the husband and wife relationship which is followed by the relationship of children to parents and parents to children. And he closes with the idea of the employer/employee relationship. Though it is not expressly noted, the idea presented is that when parents are in right relationship to one another and to the Lord, they will more likely have children who are in right relationship with the parents and with God. A child who witnesses a stable environment of love, respect, and discipleship is more likely to be engaged on the job and will learn respect for those who they work for and work with. God’s ultimate desire is to see His followers respecting and honoring one another.

So what are the lessons we learn here? First, we learn that submission and giving honor is a choice. Paul says it is the right thing to do. In the story of Adam and Eve, we find they chose to reject the authority of God who created them. They chose instead to submit to the serpent’s authority which was based in false hope, lies, and a counterfeit vision of the future. Paul calls children to obey and to submit to their parents. Paul calls servants and employees to submit to their bosses. The fact is, we must choose to honor and to obey our parents. We must choose to submit to the leadership that is over us in Christ, because we are called to do so and there is a spiritual blessing and a reward in doing so.

As is the pattern of Paul, he gives us both sides of the equation so that a full understanding  might come to the passionate follower of Christ. He addresses the antithesis or the flip side of the coin by noting that parents, namely the father, must not provoke their children to anger. Too often parents are more concerned about punishing the child rather than growing them in Christ. When the child is punished, too often it is because we are angry, perturbed, or our selfish expectations have not been met. Instead of correcting a problem, we are simply exasperating our children. We also exasperate our children by living a duplicitous life. As passionate followers of Christ, may we choose to submit and honor those with whom we are connected.

The second lesson is that as parents and leaders, we must understand that to get respect we must give respect and live in submission to others. In other words, we must model these principles. As moms and dads, do our children see us honoring our spouses? Do they see us honor our parents? Do we honor God in the way we live? Do we honor others or do we take them for granted. As employers, do we honor God with our business? Do we treat our employees with grace or are we demeaning and demanding on the job. As employees, do we take advantage of our bosses? Do we gossip behind their backs and belittle them? How we treat them is our choice. What we model though is what we will get in return.

The third lesson is that all of us submit to someone’s authority. Notice the words of Paul. The same God served by the employer is the same God who the employee serves. This brings me to the point that I made earlier. Too often, we want people to honor us and respect us when we ourselves are not respecting God’s word or submitting to God our Father. We want others to respect us and submit to our leadership but we ourselves are not willing to submit to others. We are all under someone’s authority whether we like it or not. The person you are called to submit to may be flawed but we are still called to submit and honor the position. The fact is, we are all flawed. We all make mistakes but that does not negate the call to respect and submit to those over us and to respect and honor those we work with. That is God’s calling to us.

As we close, is there an area of your life where you are struggling with submission and respect? Do you honor and submit to one another? Do you respect your spouse? What about your parents? What about your children? Do you respect your boss? Do you respect your employees? God’s will in all of this is that we would honor God by honoring others. So be it! To God be the glory!

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , ,

April 13, 2015 · 1:27 pm

Ephesians – What Kind Of Lover Are You?

Peninsula Community Church

What Kind of Lover are You?

April 12, 2015

Ephesians 5:25-33 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

I have entitled this message “What Kind of Lover are You?” The purpose of the title was chosen in part to grab people’s attention but to also emphasize the key word in this passage which is love. Language has always been an interesting tool of communication. What and how we communicate often varies depending on what region or area we live in or where we were raised. Think about it. Depending on where you were raised you will order a soda, a pop, or a coke at a restaurant. You will eat a hero, a hoagie, a grinder, or a sub.

The problem with various languages and dialects is that if we do not understand the language we will miscommunicate with others. I can illustrate this in a very personal way. In 1995, I had the privilege to lead a mission team to Morelia, Mexico. While there, I was trying so hard to learn the language and communicate the best I could in Spanish. At the end of dinner, one evening, our host asked if I were still hungry. In my feeble attempt to reply in Spanish, instead of using the word for hungry which is HAMBRE, I used the word for man which is HOMBRE. So, I ended up saying “This was so good that I am no longer a man.” Needless to say, the host and those around the table got a good chuckle at my expense.

As we have noted before, the Greek language was a wonderful language as specific words were used to define specific actions or ideas. By properly defining these words we can understand what the Bible is communicating in a more precise manner. The key word in this passage is love, but if we interpret the word love only through the template of the English language, we can misunderstand what love in this context means. The reason is that the word love is used for almost anything and everything. In regard to the word love in the Greek language, there are three primary words for love. There was the word PHILEO which is brotherly love. There was the word EROS which is a sensual or sexual love. And then there is AGAPE which is the love initiated by God and it is a love that is self-sacrificing. Agape is the word that is used here in this passage. Paul was intentional about using the word Agape and not PHILEO or Eros. He wanted us to love with a love that only God could create and reveal.

In thinking of agape love, the first idea to be considered is that agape love is a sacrificial love. Paul states “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” He left the splendor of heaven to come as a humble servant to give Himself as the sacrifice for our sin. To live in agape love, we must place not only our wife’s needs before our needs but other’s needs as well. This does not mean that we are not concerned about our needs, it means that we are not self-absorbed with our needs. Paul describes this sacrificial love in Philippians. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:3-8). Jesus’ love for the church is graphically represented through His death on the cross. Our love for our spouse will be best demonstrated through the sacrificial giving of ourselves to them. To be sacrificial means we consider our spouses ideas and we listen to her concerns and then do our best to fulfill those needs where possible. So, are you a sacrificial lover?

Second, agape love is a caring love. Paul proclaims that as the man cherishes and nourishes his own body, he must nurture and cherish his wife. To nourish something is to feed it. This is accomplished by feeding our spouse on every level: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It means that we are aware and considerate of her feelings. The second idea presented by Paul is that the man is to cherish his wife. The word cherish carries the idea of warmth or kindness. It is used of a mother who holds her baby close to her body. It is the idea of being gentle and caring. When our spouse is wounded or hurt emotionally, spiritually, or physically; we must nourish and cherish them back to health. This is not the time to say to her suck it up and get over it. It is also not a time to ignore her or minimize what she is experiencing.

I have in my hands a violin. Suppose for a moment that this is a Stradivarius violin. I read recently that an original Stradivarius violin just sold for more than 10 million dollars. Let me ask you, how would you treat this violin especially if it were a valuable Stradivarius. Would you toss it around? Would you hand it off to others and let them play with it? Or, would you cherish it and care for it because you realize you have something of value in your hands. Well let me say this; our spouses and loved ones are more valuable than any violin made by human hands. They are a creation of God and that makes them highly valuable. We must therefore treat them as the valuable gift they are. So, are you a caring lover?

Thirdly, agape love is a committed love. This commitment is implied in the fact that Paul states a husband is to leave his mother and his father to cleave to his wife. The two are to become one flesh. They are to be committed to each other. We must understand that commitment is much more than sexual purity even though that is critical. To understand commitment, we must understand that it must be a realistic commitment. Two people on their wedding day may seem to be so perfect but the fact is they will have problems and they will encounter issues after they are married. A true commitment remains steady regardless of what is happening in the marriage. This commitment is also a growing commitment. Our commitment does not run on auto pilot. It must be nurtured. We must also understand that this commitment is a total commitment. We don’t hold anything back. We must include our spouses in every major decision we make. We are a team. So, are you a committed lover?

Fourth, agape love must be demonstrated. Agape love can only be known by the actions prompted by it. We are to love others as we love ourselves. For men, Paul is not suggesting that we learn to love ourselves as much as he is pointing out that men generally already love themselves pretty well. You see it is not the content of our love that matters as much as it is the intensity of our love. Think about this for a moment. What if we approached loving our wives with the same intensity we approach our golf game, our love for hunting, sports, other leisure activities, or our jobs? Would it make a difference? You bet it would. We need to understand that our words and our promises can be worthless. It is our actions that make a difference. Commit to love and keep that love burning bright. So, are you a committed lover?

Fourth, agape love is an engaged love. To be engaged means we seek to protect our spouse and shield them from things that would harm them or cause them to walk in sin. We are not to be passive observers in this process but we are be connected and engaged. The story of Adam and Eve is a reminder of this need. Do you remember who received the word from God? It was Adam. Adam communicated God’s purpose and plan to Eve but, when it mattered most, he left Eve in the lurch and she succumbed to the temptation brought by the serpent. What do you think would have happened if Adam had been the man he should have been and stepped in when the serpent was tempting Eve? This world would certainly be a better place. One way to do this is to establish an atmosphere that leads our spouse toward sanctification and holiness. This is not something that is forced but it is modeled and lived out. We must be engaged in our relationship with our spouses. Our wives especially need to know we are engaged. So, are you an engaged lover?

As we bring this to a close let me ask you. What kind of lover are you? Are you a sacrificial lover? Are you a caring lover? Are you a committed lover? Are you an intense lover? Are you a lover who is engaged? By doing these things you will not be perfect but you will enhance your relationship and strengthen your marriage. Christ was all of these things and more to us. He charted the course for us and He made the way possible for us to become the kind of lover that builds and not destroys. He modeled what it means to be sacrificial and not self-centered.

Before we pray, let me tell you that each of you are a creation of God. You have been bought with a price. You are valuable. No matter where you fall in the love spectrum, you can begin again and start over. That is the beauty of the risen Lord which we celebrated last week.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 5, 2015 · 2:55 pm

The Risen Christ – His Peace, Power, and Purpose

Peninsula Community Church

The Risen Christ – His Peace, Power, and Purpose

April 5, 2015

John 20:19-23 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

I am sure that most of you have know the Easter story but let me give you a bit of an overview. You will remember that just a week before the resurrection Jesus had entered the city of Jerusalem with people proclaiming His kingship (John 12:13). You will also remember that what .? ..had begun as a joyful, celebrated moment in time quickly turned to a riotous, chaotic and deadly event (John 19). From that triumphal entry on Sunday until Thursday of that week, Jesus met with his disciples and gave them final instructions. He encouraged them to not be troubled by what was about to happen. He wanted them to know that He would live again (John 13-17).

By Thursday of that week, the Jewish leaders had been able to trump up charges and were able to rouse the crowd to cry for Christ’s crucifixion. For the Jewish leaders, they were jealous of the notoriety that Jesus was receiving and they were afraid that He was going to unseat them from their positions of power. Their response was to trump up charges against Jesus and to excite the crowd to press the Roman officials to have Jesus arrested. It is interesting to note that the Roman officials had a better sense of what was going on than the religious leaders of the day. Pilate, the chief magistrate of Jerusalem for the Roman empire, had to confess that he found no fault in Jesus (John 19:11). And yet he succumbed to the pressure of the crowd to arrest Jesus and then have him ultimately crucified.

While the crowds turned against Christ, the disciples promised their loyalty and that they would be with Him until the end. The loudest of all was Peter who defiantly stated that there was no way that he would ever deny Christ (John 13:36-38) and yet within hours of that defiant statement he had denied Christ not once but three times (John 18). He had turned his back on Christ. After his death, Jesus was buried but the disciples were not found by Jesus’ side or at His tomb, they were found hiding behind locked doors. They were trying to put space between them and the people who had killed the one they loved and they had promised to follow.

In the story before us today, we see Jesus showing up where the disciples least expected it. He showed up right where they were. In this story, we find three things that Jesus did for this band of rejected and fearful followers. The risen Lord showed up to give them peace. He showed up to give them power. And He showed up to give them a purpose and a reason to live.

Lets look at the first of these. Jesus came to give them peace.  As noted before rather than being out front in support of Jesus, the disciples were behind a locked door because they were afraid. Fear for them was a very real emotion. As we know, fear can be expressed in many different ways. Fear grabs us and in so doing it strangles our hopes and dreams and it can rob us of peace.

What did they fear? For one they feared retaliation by the Jewish leaders which would result in their death. They were afraid that they would be identified as one of the followers of Jesus. Now before you judge the disciples too harshly remember that we can all fall into this trap. For us personally, we can be afraid that people will know us for who we are. We hide our true self from others and we hope no one finds out who we really are. For some of us, we live in turmoil because we are afraid that people will discover the real us because we know people will not like who we are. So we hide behind a wall and we put on masks to hide our real identity.

Secondly, they were afraid of what the future held for them. Without Jesus, could they continue in the quest they had been called to? Could they continue to hold onto the truth that He preached? How could they be effective in their mission at this point? Their leader was dead and so was their vision for the future. Before we judge the disciples too harshly, may I remind you that we too can be afraid of what the future holds. This is especially true when we believe our security has been snatched from us. Because of fear, we can make wrong choices about the future. Because of fear, we will either play it safe and lock ourselves away or we will take unwise risks that ultimately sidetrack us from accomplishing what we are suppose to do.

But notice what Jesus did. While they were sequestered behind locked doors, Jesus showed up and stood among them. He proclaimed these words not once but twice. “Peace be with you.” Think about this for a moment, Jesus was crucified, laid in a borrowed tomb, and then rose on the third day. Instead of going to the Jewish leaders or the Roman governors, he went to His disciples. Their spiritual and emotional health was more important to Him than His proving who He was in that moment. Jesus was not about exacting revenge or about proving a point, He was about extending love and grace and He was about giving life to those whose life had been sucked from them by the week’s events.

We should note that Jesus suddenly appeared. He just showed up. He suddenly showed up to make a difference in them. In that action, Jesus communicated so much, not in words as much as by His actions. He was coming to them at the point of their fear. He was communicating that I am not going to wait for you to get your act together. He was communicating that He was not going to wait for them to have enough faith to overcome their fear. He came to help them and to restore their faith and to assist them in overcoming their fear.

And here is the truth in this. The risen, living Jesus is still doing this, today. He comes when we cry out to him in our fear. He helps us. For me I have called to him a thousand of times: “Jesus please help me.” And he has come near with the promise: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). He will do this for you too, if you receive him into your life for who He really is.

Secondly, Jesus came to give them power. In this passage, Jesus makes a profound statement. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. By way of receiving the Holy Spirit, we have the power to release others from the wrongs they have perpetrated against us. Here is what Jesus is communicating to us, if you have someone in your life that has wronged you and you continue to hold that over them, the effect on you will be one that is negative and it’s effects are strong.

You see, we are not responsible for how others respond to forgiveness but we must be in a place where we release others who have wronged us. I believe that in essence Jesus was calling on them to release those who had perpetrated the acts of the last few days. The disciples needed to do this for themselves. Forgiveness is the most powerful action that we can take. By not forgiving others, we become obsessed with revenge and getting even. It impairs our ability to look forward to what is ahead because we are locked into the past with all of its hurts and the pain that comes from other’s sin and actions against us. Jesus was saying the locked door of the room was nothing to be compared to the locked door of their heart. The key to unlock the door was forgiveness. This was the power that Jesus want them to have. It was the power of a freed heart that could honestly seek love and not anger.

Thirdly, Jesus came to give them purpose. Jesus’ word to them was that He was sending them out with a purpose. At this stage, the point is that He did not give them a specific plan or destination, but that would come later. Why was this important? Too often when people fail us or their actions are less than admirable we tend to write them off. Jesus did not do that. He came to them. He loved them in spite of their actions or their deeds. He let them know they were still valuable to Him and to the Kingdom of God. You see one of the lies that has been communicated to us way too often is that we have committed too great a sin. We have acted so badly that we will never be forgiven or that we can be used of God. Or, we may feel we have rejected Christ and turned our back on Him too often. Let me clear that up  for you. Are you ready? Listen to me. There is nothing that you can do that will turn Jesus off or cause Him to reject you. There is no sin too great that He cannot forgive. There is no act too great that He will not restore you. He has a plan for you. He has a purpose for you. Jeremiah said it best. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

So what does this mean to us this morning? It means that Jesus will come to us to set us free from our personal fears. Today, He is whispering those words if we will only listening. Today, He is holding out His hands to you as the crucified, risen Lord. Those hands want to hold you and let you know it will be ok. Secondly, He wants to empower you through the power of forgiveness that releases you from those that deserve our outrage and our revenges

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

March 30, 2015 · 6:24 am

Ephesians – Submission

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians 5:22-24 – Honoring God in Our Relationships 

March 29, 2015

Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

I love the way Paul deals with things in the church. There are times where he illustrates a principle by using one idea to teach another and then there are times where he pulls no punches and he goes right to the heart and the core of a matter. In this passages before us today, the marital relationship is one of those subjects.

There is no doubt that this particular passage is one of the most controversial texts in the Bible. It is one of those passages that has been abused, misused, and taken out of context way too often. The problem is that this one passage has been used as an isolated scripture to define a set of theological boundaries that was never intended by God. In doing so the rest of the Bible and other pertinent passages that shed light on this subject are not considered in one’s analysis of this passage. And, the sad part is that it does not have to be this way. So today, we will look at what the passage says, why the passage says it, and what the passage does not say.

As with every passage in the Bible, we must understand a few things in order to grasp the purpose, the intent, and the meaning behind the passage. In this particular passage, we must understand the language Paul used, the culture into which he was speaking, and how we should interpret this passage into our modern culture. We must also be careful and not bend the text to the culture, but rather we are to bend the culture to the text.

So what does the Bible say here? To be honest, it is a straight forward text. It states that wives should submit to their husbands as if they are submitting to the Lord. There is no debate here and there no argument to be had. It is rather clear that God is saying that women should submit to their husbands but let us define the whole picture of how that relationship will look because submission is just one side of this marital relationship coin. To not consider the other side of the coin is to miss the totality of what God’s intent is here.

For many in our current culture, this seems like a strange command that wives should submit to their husbands. It is a strange idea to so many, especially in a day of radical feminism and the wussification of men in this culture. Not only is this a strange idea today, but it was a strange idea in Paul’s day, but for different reasons. In Paul’s day, women were considered a commodity. Prostitution was an acceptable trade and was very rampant in Paul’s day. Those who were enticed into such things were used, abused, and then cast to the street when their partner had no more use for them. Slavery was also very common in his day. While men would honor the command to be the husband of one wife, they would have many slaves and/or mistresses. And the fact is that too often men would treat their wives like slaves. To make matters worse, the husband could divorce their wive for any reason. She might burn the toast. Forget to iron his shirt. You name it. This was all that was needed for a divorce from the male perspective. The result was the wife had no home, no income, and no safety. She had no rights or social standing.

It was into this culture that Paul spoke these words. Because of the culture, and their experience, I am sure the women of Paul’s day grimaced at this command. How could they submit to those who abused them and thought of them as a commodity? It seemed to be an impossible task. But when we understand that there is blessing in following the path that God has laid out before us, we find that it is not impossible. The women of that day would submit but they were doing so with a slave mentality and not as a willing partner in the relationship. They did so because they were forced and not because they were honoring God. Paul was saying in essence this has to change.

To understand Paul’s command we must look at the fullness of the passage and understand that Paul was calling for change on both sides of the equation and not just the female’s side. He wanted passionate followers of Christ to live differently and act differently in the marriage relationship. He wanted them to live a life of respect and a life where love and respect were given. He wanted them to live a life where there was a mutual submission to one another as seen in Ephesians 5:21. God’s desire was that would submit not as a slave but as one who did so they would submit to Christ and in honor of Christ.

Paul’s desire through the leading of the Holy Spirit was to establish a life where women were valued, protected, and loved. It was God’s desire to establish a culture where the command of loving one another was fulfilled. God’s intent was not for man to master his wife but to love and respect her as a creation of God in the very image of God. Think about it. Why would a loving, caring, and godly woman not want to submit to a man who loved her, respected her, and provided for her emotional, physical, and yes her spiritual needs? Listen to Jesus’ own words A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The fact is this passage applies to the marital relationship as well as the other relationships in our life. When you combine Jesus’ words with Paul’s command to submit, what we have is the greatest act of love a wife could show her husband. She was not to strong arm her husband, or belittle her husband, or coerce her husband into doing anything that he did not believe in. She was not to usurp his leadership. She was to trust and respect him. In the DNA of a man there is built the need to feel respected and honored by those who love him, especially his wive. That is God’s plan here. The desire of God is that the wife would respect and love her husband.

While we understand what submission is, let’s take a moment to understand what submission is not. First, submission does not mean that women should be treated as a commodity to be traded but rather they are to be valued as a creation of God. Women are not a thing, they are prized possessions. I would submit to you that this is one of the greatest problems with pornography and the sexual exploitation of today is that it reduces a woman to a thing rather than  as a beautiful creation of God.

Second, while women have been created as a help mate to the man, submission does not mean that the female is subservient to the male as they have been created in the image of God. Do you know what that means? It means that we are equals in the sight of God. It for this reason that He chose a rib and a toe bone. He chose a rib and not a skull bone. It also means that sometimes our spouse will have a greater sense of finances and purchasing decisions than we do. It means that sometimes they will have insight into an issue that we do not have. True submission means that we honor and respect others. This means we honor and respect our wife’s ideas and opinions. I am indebted to my wife because she has insights into things that I do not have. If I had thwarted some of her opinions, I would have paid the price of wrong decisions.

This also means that she is not a door mat. Submission does not mean that the wife waits on the man hand and foot while he goes his merry way and never considers her needs or desires. The fact is we are to serve one another. One of the things that I have found is that when I seek to honor Michelle and meet her need, there is a reciprocal response from her. I bless her, she blesses me. Now let me hasten to say that a wife should not submit so husbands will love them but because are being obedient to God’s command and the respect the husband needs. Notice I said needs and not deserves. Submission is to be enacted regardless of the husband’s response.

Third, submission cannot be forced or coerced, it is be entered into willingly and lovingly. Forced submission was never God’s plan. That is bondage and slavery. The problem too often is that wives are forced to submit to a husband that has not learned to submit to God or others. Listen to the scriptures. Obey your leaders and submit to them (Hebrews 13:7). Submit yourselves to God (James 4:7). Submit yourselves to one another (Ephesians 5:21). The idea here is that too we want others to do what we ourselves are not willing or ready to do. It is also the refusal to force the spouse to do things they are uncomfortable with. For example, I have heard of men that felt their wife should have sex with them any time they wanted regardless of how the wife feels or her emotional state at the time. That is selfishness and barbaric rather than being loving and kind.

Fourth, submission does not mean that the wife sits idly by while her husband makes all of the decisions or not address issues in the home. A husband and wife must be a team that works together. That is why the man is called to leave his father and his mother and to cleave to his wife. They are to become one. It is into that relationship that we are called relationally.

As we close, let me say this about marriage and the covenant relationship. What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy. If you want to be more like Jesus, there is no better mechanism than marriage. Being married forces us to face character issues we might never face, otherwise. Submission takes humility. It also takes a lot of prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit. As a wife, look to Jesus as an example, and reflect His love and self-sacrifice as you lovingly choose to submit to the husband God has placed in your life.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

March 16, 2015 · 11:23 am

Ephesians – What are You Drinking?

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – What are You Being Filled With?

March 15, 2015

Ephesians 5:18-21 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Paul in this verse defines two outcomes that are a result of how we live and what we live life for. In this passage, Paul defines one style of living that provokes responses and brings outcomes that diminish the individual while the second style of living provokes responses and brings outcomes that builds the individual.

The first style is defined by Paul as being drunk with wine which leads to debauchery. To understand what this means, we need to understand the term debauchery. It is a term we don’t use today. At least I don’t hear it. However, the term “debauchery” was a common one in Paul’s day and is defined as “excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.” It represents the one who is living a lifestyle where they have lost all control and have cast off all legal and moral constraint. When indulging in this lifestyle, there is a tendency to lose control of one’s mental, emotional, and spiritual capacities. Have you ever noticed that one who is drunk says and does things they would not do under normal circumstances? Too often one in a drunken stupor does things that they regret later (lampshade on the head, reckless driving, crude language, and disgusting acts).

This idea of drunkenness was one of the critical issues of Paul’s day. It was not uncommon for people to get drunk and then have unrestrained orgies as a result of their drunkenness. It was also common for those who participated in such things to do so in a spiritual context. They believed that they were somehow connecting spiritually to those with whom they were involved. In essence, in Paul’s day there was a reliance on drunkenness and false spiritual concepts. As a side note, we must clarify that this particular verse is not a prohibition on drinking wine but on the excesses that lead to drunkenness and recurring immorality.

While this may characterize the unbeliever, this is not so for the passionate follower of Christ. This style of living was not an acceptable in Paul’s day and it certainly is not acceptable today. Why is this? It is because we are to be ruled by a different authority and a different power. The problem with being drunk is that the individual succumbs to the control of a different power.

To contrast these two lifestyles, Paul turns his attention to the lifestyle of one who is being filled with the Spirit. Paul states Do not get drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit. Basically Paul is saying don’t live an uncontrolled life but live submitted to the One who controls us in a most positive way. To fully understand what Paul is communicating here, we must have some understanding of the Greek language in Paul’s day. In the Greek language different verb tenses more clearly define the words used. For example, if the tense of the verb was past tense then the action occurred in the past and would not occur again. If the verb was in the present tense there was an ongoing action occurring. The action may have initially occurred sometime in the past but it was to continue in the present. It stands to reason then that the future tense was an action that would happen in the future.

In understanding the present tense verb in the phrase “be filled” we know that Paul is not only commanding us to be filled with the spirit but to be continually filled with the Spirit. We must recognize that this is not a one time event but it is an ongoing process. While there is certainly an initial filling of the Spirit, at the time of the new birth, we must recognize that we must continue to stir up and be renewed in the spirit that is in us.

In contrast to being drunk with wine, we are to continually be filled with the Spirit which means we are being controlled by the Spirit that results in a different outcome. Being filled with the Spirit is living every moment as if you’re standing in the presence of Jesus Christ. The problem that exists is that we can begin live in such a way that we are not even aware that the Spirit has been leaking from us. The story of Samson highlights this problem. Now granted, I know this is an Old Testament story prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit but the basics of the story are the same. Samson did not lose his power overnight even though the final event had been the cutting of his hair. You see he had been leaking the spirit of God from his life slowly. But then he woke up one morning and he had been changed. Miles McPherson the pastor at the San Diego Rock Church stated “The Holy Spirit is a person. He has a mind and He lives in you. Stay filled with the Holy Spirit, because the devil will trick you into thinking that being drained (of the Holy Spirit) is normal.” Therefore do not be drained but be filled. And as we are filled, we overflow into others lives, naturally.

Paul now moves to defining a set of characteristics that speak to the kind of life exemplified by one being filled with the Spirit. The first of these characteristic is that they worship together. We do this by addressing one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. This does not mean that we live life as an operetta or as a musical but rather we live out the words of these songs in our life and our actions. Our lives become a song of praise to the Lord. You see this is why we worship together as believers. We come together to proclaim the glory of God. Why? It is because God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). There is no greater way to praise God than singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together with His people. Listen to the Psalmist who said Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name (Psalm 30:4). Fifty-eight times in Psalms the word sing is used of praise to God. Thus the one who is Spirit filled will join the body of Christ in joyful and exuberant worship of God’s mighty acts.

The second characteristic of being filled with the spirit is that they have worship in our hearts. Paul states that we are to sing and make music in your heart. While it is important to worship God outwardly, it is just as important to have worship in our heart. You see outwardly we can do a good job of faking it but it is hard to fake what is in the heart. By making music in our hearts, we rejoice in all that God is doing. A heart filled with music exudes joyfulness and praise. For those who walk in joy have the sound of music in their hearts. Have you ever met that person who always has a tune on their lips or you hear them whistling a melody where ever they go no matter what is happening in their life? Making music in your heart signifies that the Holy Spirit has a hold on you and that He is an integral part of your life.

The third characteristic of being filled with the Spirit is that they live a grateful life. The greatest testimony of being filled with the spirit of God is a heart filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. This passage suggests that we can praise God and give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see a grumbling spirit is not compatible with the Holy Spirit. The strongest negative characteristic of the Children of Israel, in their journey through the wilderness, was that of a grumbling spirit but a Spirit filled believer is not a grumbler. They are filled with thanksgiving and praise. You see a grumbler complains about their leaders, the music, the food, the church, the people in the church, their neighbors, and their jobs. Most often the one who grumbles is not trusting God or the Spirit within them.

The fourth characteristic is that they submit to one another. To submit to one another is to honor and respect one another. Submission brings liberty and not bondage. It means to willingly place oneself under another as under the Lord. Too often this word submit has been used by some to mean that the one submitting is a door mat and must give in no matter what. To force someone to submit is not submission at all. That is bondage. In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul defines submission as Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The comparison to be noted here is that there are times where one who claims to be filled with the spirit becomes aggressive, brash, and self-assertive but that does not illustrate the power of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. The Holy Spirit is a humble spirit and those who are filled with the Spirit will be guided in meekness and gentleness. This is critical because it not only exemplifies a life of being filled with the Spirit, it also exemplifies the life of Christ. Thus the idea of submission means that we treat each other with respect and love. You see to truly submit to one another is be aware that we can learn from one another and understand that each person has something to offer the relationship. To submit means we recognize one another’s gifting and abilities.

As we close, let us be reminded that we are to be continually filled with the Spirit. Throughout our walk there are things that will cause the Holy Spirit to leak from us. The issues of life, the busyness of work, the craziness of family, and the nature of everyday life cause us to be weakened. The question therefore is “How do we continue to be filled?” We continue to be filled by living in the Word and by maintaining a life of prayer. We continue to be filled by filling our hearts with worship. We continue to be filled when we give what we have in the Spirit away so that we recognize the need to continue to be filled so that we have more to give away. It is worth it because we will have a song in our heart, we will live a grateful life, and we will understand how to submit to one another. That is what it means to be a passionate follower of Christ.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,