It's All about Jesus: From Everlasting to Everlasting (Pt. 1)

(Pt. 1 of 2)

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”-John 21:25

Jesus Christ is distinct from any other person that has ever lived on the face of this earth. From His birth to His resurrection, Jesus distinguished Himself as being uniquely different from every mortal man and every false god. When we study who He is, His life, and ministry we discover that He is at the center of creation, the author of salvation, and will one day establish His kingdom in the earth and all men will bow before His throne.

Most people’s knowledge of Jesus typically begins with the season we are celebrating with their first exposure to Christ being the story of His birth. However, Scripture teaches us that Jesus was on the scene long before Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men made His coming legendary. In Revelation 22: 13 Jesus made this very telling statement:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Jesus’ declaration communicates that He didn’t simply emerge out of the blue, but rather has eternally existed. Moses, the great man of God from the Old Testament, declared in Psalm 90:2:

“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

It is interesting to read in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John how the writers choose to introduce Jesus to us. Matthew and Luke introduce us to Jesus at his birth. Mark introduces us to Jesus at the beginning of his earthly ministry. John introduces us to Jesus according to his eternal nature:

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”-John 1:1-3.  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”-John 1:14.

Before he came and made his dwelling among men, Jesus was intimately involved with creation:

“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together”-Colossians 1:16-17.

 You and I are a part of that creation. We were not a byproduct of creation, but rather we were a planned part of His divine plan; chosen by Him to be His people before anything else was formed:

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”-Ephesians 1:4-5.

Knowing we would be created with the free-will to either accept Christ or reject Him, God also planned out our redemption. His plan to save us was not something He thought up on the fly; rather Jesus coming to die for our sins was planned out at the very foundation of the world. The Apostle John describes Jesus in Revelation 13:8 as “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.”

Jesus did not become the Lamb of God at Calvary; He has always been the Lamb of God from everlasting to everlasting.

 

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt. 10)

(Last in series)

 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”-Ephesians 6:18-20.

The key to taking a stand against evil is to understand how we must be equipped to enter the fight and then showing up where the battle will be won.

Ephesians 6 tells us that the battle against wickedness does not begin in the classroom, the boardroom, or in the legislature. The battle is fought in prayer. In order to stand against evil, without attacking people, we must take the fight where the actual battle can be won. Rather than belittling one another, attacking each other personally, and allowing our differences to devolve into shouting matches; we must take our struggle to the rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:11-12 declares: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

However, before blazing into prayer; we must be equipped with the full armor of God: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes fitted with the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit.

Our enemy knows the power and effectiveness of a praying man or woman of God. In fact, he will do all that he can to distract and dissuade us from praying. If he cannot busy us or devalue the importance of prayer in our lives; then he will attack us personally.

That is precisely why we must be fully equipped before stepping into prayer. Each piece of armor provides an important layer of protection; additionally each piece of armor that we put in place enhances our ability to pray effectually.

Effectual and effective prayer is rooted in truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, and faith. It is deployed from our mouths like a mighty sword to accomplish the will of God.

However, the battle will never be won if we do not show up where the battle is being waged. We must show up in prayer if we are going to take our stand on the piece of ground we have been assigned to defend.

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt. 9)

(Part 9)

 “Take the helmet of salvation and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”-Ephesians 6:17.

The sword carried by the Roman soldier was the one piece of armor designed to be an offensive weapon: a double-edged sword designed to penetrate and slice causing both external and internal damage.

To understand the application of the Sword of the Spirit we first need to distinguish it from the Belt of Truth. Both articles of the armor are heavily associated with the word of God.

The Belt of Truth deals with our understanding of God’s Word. It is an intimate knowledge of the entirety of scripture that our whole value system is built upon. The Word of God is described for us in the Bible two ways: as the logos and the rhema. Logos is the entirety of God’s written word. Rhema is the spoken word of God, which is living and active. Both of these are seen in action in Matthew 4:5-7:

“Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God, he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Notice how Satan takes scripture and uses it out of context in an attempt to entice Jesus off the path of obedience. In each instance, Jesus recognized that Satan was mishandling God’s Word and maligning the truth because he had an intimate knowledge of God’s Word in its entirety-the belt of truth. Upon recognizing that the Word of God was being misused; Jesus utilizes the Sword of the Spirit when he responds to each attack by speaking “It is written” and proclaiming the Rhema-spoken Word of God into that situation. Rhema, as the word of God, is not that which is simply believed; but that which is spoken. In fact, Rhema is a Greek word that describes something that is spoken. Therefore for the word of God to accomplish the will of God it has to be released:

 

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”-Isaiah 55:10-11.

It is when we speak the word of God that we begin to wield the Sword of the Spirit. We can believe what His word declares; but it takes faith to begin to speak out what we have accepted as truth.

It is important to remember however that the spoken word must be rooted and birthed from a consistent diet of the logos (written entirety of scripture). 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us that we must study to show ourselves approved; rightly dividing the word of truth. Doing so prepares us to address wickedness without attacking people.

Notice when Jesus confronted Satan; he matched him with the word of God. He did not attack his character or reduce himself to name calling. When you have rightly divided truth you can speak it with authority and power without being demeaning or abusive. In this way we employ the word of God most effectively.

 eHeHHHHHHDDDhh

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

 

 

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt.8)

(The helmet Pt. 2 of 2)

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness; a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.”

                                                                                                Titus 1:1-3

Just as the neck supports the head; so our hope of eternal life supports our faith and knowledge in Christ Jesus. The helmet of salvation protects our understanding of God’s great and precious promises. Without this piece of the armor, the enemy along with life itself, can diminish or rob us of our knowledge of them.

In order to guard against this, we must protect what we allow to penetrate our minds. The presence of the helmet in Paul’s list of armor tells us that our minds should not be open to anything and everything. The helmet protects us from being drawn away and misguided by the various teachings and ideologies of deceitful men:

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and the craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”-Ephesians 4:14.

James, an early church father, called this being double-minded and declared in James 1:8 that a double-minded man is unstable in all he does. So it is imperative that we protect our mind and thought life from the enemy’s attacks.

Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that we are to have the mind of Christ. However, because of our fallen nature, we must have our old sinful mind renewed:

“Do not conform any longer to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is; his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”-Romans 12:2.

This transformation process is two-fold. First we must take captive those thoughts that do not conform to the new mind we have in Christ:

“We demolish arguments and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”-2 Corinthians 10:5.

If it is contradictory to the Word of God or communicates something contrary to the will of God; that thought must be taken captive and brought under the obedience of Christ.

 

Secondly, we must then fill our minds with what is good, righteous, and edifying:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”-Philippians 4:8.

Satan understands that if he can control what you think about; he can control you. Knowing this, we must keep ourselves firmly seated in Christ and guard what comes into our minds if we hope to stand against the Devil’s schemes.

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt. 7)

(The helmet Pt. 1 of 2)

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

                                                                                                            Ephesians 6:17

The helmet worn by a Roman soldier was their most expensive piece of equipment and served a very obvious purpose; to protect the head and neck from receiving a fatal wound. One blow to the carotid artery would cause a man to bleed out. One blow to the head would fracture a man’s skull leading to death.

We see an example of man’s vulnerability in battle, when he fails to properly secure his helmet, in Judges 9:52-53:

“Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.”

Without the helmet of salvation securely in place we are extremely susceptible to the enemy’s attacks.  By carefully examining Paul’s writings we see that he understood this and declared it to God’s people. He began by using imagery found in Isaiah 59:17 in his depiction of the armor of God found in Ephesians 6:

“He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head, and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped himself in zeal and a mantle.”

He then carried the narrative into 1 Thessalonians 5:8 where he writes:

“But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

Paul’s writings address both of the aforementioned areas of vulnerability: the neck and the head. The neck provides two essential functions to the body; it provides support to and gives direction to the head. 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11 defines this spiritual helmet as the hope of salvation.

As believers we receive tremendous hope and encouragement by focusing on the sacrifice Jesus made to give us life and on His soon return; which is the goal of our salvation. This hope works like a helmet to protect our minds from discouragement and despair. Before we came to Christ we did not have this hope:

  

“Remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”

                                                                                                                        Ephesians 2:12-13.

This hope provides the basis for our faith in Christ.  Just as the head rests on the neck; so our faith rests on hope.

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt. 6)

(Part 6)

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”-Ephesians 6:16.

The shield of a Roman soldier was an impressive piece of weaponry in size and construction. The shield was designed to be large enough to protect a soldier’s entire body when crouching behind it. To ensure the shields were lightweight and able to be carried long distances; they were constructed of wood and covered in animal hides. Before entering a battle; these hides would be moistened so to quench the fiery arrows that would rain down from the walls of the fortress or high ground they were attempting to occupy.

Unlike the belt, breastplate, and shoes that are put on; the shield was a piece of the armor that was to be wielded or taken up. It was positioned out in front of a soldier to protect him from projectiles aimed at mortally wounding him. Paul likened this shield to a believer’s faith.

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 states:

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

In very simple terms; faith is taking God at His word! Faith when raised up will cover us spiritually from the flaming darts of doubt, unbelief, and temptation. The shield of faith does not keep the arrows from coming, but stops them in their tracks and neutralizes the damage they are meant to inflict.  This makes faith a key component in obtaining victory.

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”-1 John 5:4.

This overcoming faith was not designed to be a parade prop or wall art. Faith is a spiritual weapon given for us to employ on the battlefield.  Just as the Roman soldier’s shield was meant to take the blows meant for the man; so faith is designed to take the blows meant for us. When raised up to defend their position the shield would deflect the assault away from the soldier; however the soldier would still feel the weight of the force upon him, but he would not be destroyed. 

Paul makes reference to this imagery in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way our so that you can stand up under it.”

The arrows of temptation are bound to come, but we can stand up under the force of them when we are brandishing the shield of faith. When we do not keep our faith out in front of us, we must bear the brunt of the attack. This makes the shield of utmost importance.

Soldiers took care to ensure that their shields did not become worn and brittle by daily applying a fresh coat of oil to the hides. In like manner, we too must maintain our faith. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith cometh by hear; hearing by the Word of God.” If our faith is strengthened and made strong by hearing the Word of God; then we must daily be applying the Word to our lives in order that our faith will be resilient enough to quench the fiery darts.

Even when the enemy fires accusations, manipulates truth, and attempts to distract and dissuade us from the sufficiency of our faith; when we are well rooted in the word we will not be moved off our mark.

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt. 5)

(part 5)

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”- Ephesians 6:14-15.

In combat the ability to stand your ground is essential. One slip or misstep could prove fatal; therefore a soldier’s shoes became an essential element of their armor. A Roman soldier’s footwear consisted of a sandal firmly bound by straps to the soldier’s calf, ankle and foot. In addition the soles of the shoe were studded with small spikes to prevent slipping.   

The Apostle Paul must have recognized the importance of the soldier’s shoes as evidenced by Ephesians 6:11, 13, and 14; where three times he instructs the Ephesian believers to stand firm. The repetition of this idea demonstrates that standing firm is essential for spiritual victory and that there is a real danger of losing one’s footing. Because our footing is so important to our victory, God made provision for us by equipping us with feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

If our feet are to be fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, what then is the gospel of peace? The gospel of peace is the good news that God brought peace (between Himself and mankind) through the death of his son and offers it to sinners who put their faith in Jesus Christ:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into the grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”- Romans 5:1-2

This position is a defensive one. When the enemy attacks our position by attempting to undermine our peace, we are reminded that the grace in which we now stand was purchased for us through Christ’s blood. When the enemy attempts to bring division and separate us from the peace of God, we are reminded that the peace we enjoy was not generated from our own abilities or desire; but secured for us by Christ’s sacrificial death:

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace who made the two one and destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”-Ephesians 2:13-14.

Nevertheless, this piece of armor was designed to do more than protect our territory; it was designed to take ground. Once we are securely fitted with the peace that comes from our faith in Christ, we ought to then be ready to take that same message of peace to others who are lost without it. The Prophet Isaiah declared:

“How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”-Isaiah 52:7

The message we carry is not simply a nice little story designed to make people feel better. We carry the gospel of Christ; the power of God unto salvation:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”-Romans 1:16.

We are carrying a weaponized message that can destroy Satan’s stronghold on people’s lives. Satan is keenly aware of this and works to constantly bring the battle to us through temptation, sin and compromise; so that we do not carry the gospel of peace into his kingdom.

We take the battle to him when we storm into the lives of people bound by sin, who need to hear the life giving message of God’s peace, available through Jesus Christ, and proclaim freedom to the captives!

 

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt. 4)

Part 4

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with feet fittede with the readiness that comes fromthe gospel of peace.”-Ephesians 6:14-15.

When examining the armor of God, it is important to remember that each piece is constructed by God for battling a spiritual enemy. This is evidenced in no other piece of armor more than the breastplate of righteousness.

The breastplate of a Roman soldier was affixed to a man’s chest primarily to protect his heart. The heart is a prime target. If you can strike the heart, you can stop your opponent dead in his tracks. This is true not only in the physical realm, but the spiritual realm as well.  

The spiritual heart of a man is the inner soul and spirit of a man. It is a person’s center for spiritual, emotional, intellectual and moral activity. Speaking of the heart, Proverbs 4:23 states:  “Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” This passage reinforces the necessity of protecting and keeping our heart healthy. We must guard our hearts above all else because if it becomes compromised it will jeopardize our confidence before God.  Nothing can compromise our hearts faster than condemnation.

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.”-1 John 3:21.

Condemnation is Satan’s primary weapon to rob you of the confidence that comes from knowing Christ. The Apostle Paul recognized this in Romans 8:1-2 when he wrote:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

The breastplate, created to guard our hearts against the arrows of condemnation, is constructed of the righteousness of Christ. Righteousness, simply defined, is to have right standing with God; justified and free from condemnation. It is not a righteousness of our own, but that which is imparted to us by God through faith:

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, 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 is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”- Philippians 3:8-9.

Our own self-righteousness is no match for the penetrating power of condemnation. To attempt to maintain our confidence utilizing our own righteousness would be akin to rushing into battle wearing a breastplate that we’ve constructed out of cardboard:

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away”-Isaiah 64:6.

The confidence we have to stand against Satan’s accusations and condemnation is not afforded to us through our own self-effort, but through Christ’s willingness to take on sin so that we may be clothed in righteousness:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”-2 Corinthians 5:21.

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe and without it being seated securely in place we will lack the confidence needed to face our spiritual enemies.

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

 

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt. 3)

Part 3

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

                                                                                                            Ephesians 6:14-17

Before we can effectively defend our ground we must understand how the armor God has provided for us functions. The short and simple answer is this: Armor is put on for protection! This means that each piece of armor is significant in what it protects and how it protects.

So we want to begin our discussion on the full-armor of God by focusing, on what I believe to be, the single most important piece of armor provided and that is the belt of truth:

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”- Ephesians 6:14

For the ancient Roman soldier this leather belt wrapped around his waist and was fastened securely into place by a buckle. The leather straps draping the front of the belt provided protection to the soldier’s vital organs: kidneys and liver.

However, the loin belt also had another very important function. The loin belt held all the other pieces of armor in place. Without it, everything would fall away or apart. The Apostle Paul referred to this belt in Ephesians 6 as the loin belt of truth. Truth, for every born-again believer, is the most important element of our armor. Like the Roman belt it ought to encircle our lives and be securely fastened as not to be moved. Truth cannot be a shifting part of our armor. Instability in its security will cause vulnerability with every other area.

So what is truth? Jesus defines it this way:

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”-John 17:17

Truth is not our opinion, not what is culturally acceptable, and not what is politically correct. Truth is the word of God! The unchanging, unfailing Word of God!

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”-Psalm 119:105

It is this truth that David spoke of in Psalm 51:6: “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” In fact Jesus told his disciples in John 8:31-32: “If you hold to my teachings you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Truth is essential to victory! As a believer, you cannot live victoriously without the word of God having an active central role in your life. When we cease to read and apply the word of God on a daily basis it is only a matter of time before we fall to pieces spiritually. Our ability to appropriate and understand the rest of our spiritual armor rests on our knowledge of truth.

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

 

 

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt.2)

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

                                                                                                            Ephesians 6:13

It is every Christians’ responsibility to show up in the battle against wickedness! Ephesians 6:13 instructs that each of us are to put on the full armor of God and stand our ground against evil. This means that each of us is to show up fully equipped to engage the enemy and fight alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ.

In ancient Rome, no soldier went to the battlefield without being fully armed and dressed for battle. The Roman legions were an imposing and impressive force. The sight alone of these well trained and properly equipped soldiers would send chills up the spines of their enemies. 

This was no ragtag army. They each carried with them everything they needed to win.

Does the enemy we face see us as an impressive and imposing force? Does Satan tremble when he sees the people of God? Or are we just a ragtag army? Ragtag armies were recognized as being ill-equipped. Some had armor, others did not. Some carried a sword, others did not. Some had shields, others did not. This meant that each soldier had an area of vulnerability, which left the army open to defeat.

How then should we be dressed to face our enemy?

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

                                                                                                Ephesians 6:14-17

Each of these pieces of armor play a vital role in our war against wickedness and each of us must put on the entire armor if we are going to be effective in battle. Author Rick Renner in his book “Spiritual Weapons to Defeat the Enemy” made this observation:

“God has not left us naked before the enemy. He has provided us with spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counter-attack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us. God knows that in or for us to successfully fight the unseen powers that have been marshaled against us, we must have His special supernatural power that He has provided for this fight.”

We must then appropriate the armor God has provided for us and then stand our ground; because when we do not show up to fight we forfeit the ground we have been assigned to defend!

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

This is War!!!! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt.1)

"Finally, be strong in The Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."
                                                                                                                         Ephesians 6:10-11

As I read that passage this week I was struck by Paul's instruction to the Ephesians. He told them to be strong in the Lord, put on the full armor of God, and take their stand against the devil's schemes. Whether you want to believe it or not, we are in a battle against evil. This is not a war being waged on foreign soil that we watch from afar and can escape by changing the television channel. It is being waged in our hearts, homes, marriages, schools, governments, churches and communities.
It is a war that is inflicting heavy losses and countless casualties primarily because believers are deserting the battle. Why? Because we have failed to teach God's soldiers how to stand against evil without attacking people:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms."
                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                               Ephesians 6:12

How do we stand against the wickedness and evil in our world when it is being carried out, embraced, and supported by our friends, families, classmates and co-workers? How do we maintain our integrity and stand firm in our convictions when we are being maligned by a culture that opposes our moral and biblical worldview.

Our biggest struggle in this war against wickedness is being able to separate the evil being done from the person who is subjecting us to it. The battle becomes personal. We attack each other by belittling, humiliating, and demeaning each other even though, and this passage is clear that, our battle is not against flesh and blood!

Satan loves this!

As long as we are attacking each other we are not taking the fight to him. The primary reason we don't take the fight to him is that we have no idea what waging war against evil looks like and consequently have become ill-equipped to fight that way:

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

                                                                                                       2 Corinthians  10:3-4

Instead of taking a stand against evil; we fight the way the world does. We attack and kill each other rather than taking the fight to Satan's doorstep. We are at war, but before we engage the battle we need to be equipped!

Making Room for Prayer (Pt. 3 of 3)

(Part 3 of 3)

“And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.”

                                                                                              

                                                                                                   Mark 11:17-18

Beware of becoming religious! The response to Jesus’ declaration to restore prayer to the spiritual life of Israel was swift. Unfortunately, the response was not one of repentance and vowing to return prayer to its proper place, but instead Jesus’ plea was met with a rebellious response housed in the form of religious indignation.

If fact, the religious leaders response to Jesus’ emphasis on prayer was the classic retort of many who are unwilling to repent of their sin; kill the messenger! They would rather kill Jesus before they would toss out those things that were occupying their lives; causing them abandon prayer as a vital component of their faith.

So it is with many people today. They would rather ignore the scripture, redefine faith, belittle pastors, and degrade the church before they would toss out those things in their lives that have caused them to abandon prayer as a vital component of their faith.

Their actions speak volumes to the real depth of their spiritual maturity. In fact, in my opinion, our time spent in prayer is a better indicator of our faith in God than our praise could ever be. Praise demonstrates our appreciation and thankfulness towards God. Prayer communicates our dependency on Him.

By eliminating the place of prayer, the religious leaders of Jesus day were proclaiming that they had stopped depending on God. They had no problem praising God and offering up adoration, but they abandoned the discipline that expressed a dependency on Him.

Armin R. Gesswein once said, “If you want to see how popular the church is, attend Sunday morning worship. If you want to see how popular the pastor is, attend Sunday evening. If you want to see how popular God is, attend the prayer meeting.”

How about you? Have you abandoned the place of prayer? What is occupying the time that you spend in prayer? Do you attend the prayer meeting at your church? Does your church even have prayer meetings?

It is time to toss over some tables and drive some things out so that we can once again make room for prayer!

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

Making Room for Prayer (Pt. 2)

(Part 2)

“Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!” Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.”

                                                                                                Mark 11:9-11

One thing that caught Jesus’ attention when he entered the temple was that the passion he had just heard in their praise did not carry into their place of prayer. If the only gauge we used to measure spiritual maturity was praise, we would assume that the people were spiritually healthy. However, upon reaching the temple’s outer courts, Jesus was shocked when he observed that the place of prayer had been hijacked and was being used as a marketplace. This obvious discrepancy is what led to his addressing the fig tree in full view of his disciples.

“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.”

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                      Mark 11:12-14

People who praise without making room to pray are like a fig tree in leaf that bears no fruit.  A person whose life is devoid of prayer will eventually, spiritually speaking, wither and die. Why?  A lack of prayer demonstrates an absolute lack of faith in God.

We pray because we believe that we serve a God that cares about us and our needs. To abandon prayer demonstrates a faith in self, lack of need for God, or the belief that He cares little about our needs. As we begin to demonstrate greater and greater trust in ourselves, we will abandon the place of prayer in our lives. The lack of prayer in our lives is communicating just how much value we truly place on it.

By overturning the tables and running out the money changers, Jesus was establishing the importance of prayer:

“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “My House will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of robbers.’”

                                                                                                            Mark 11: 15-17

Jesus was reclaiming and restoring what was being robbed from the people, by expunging those things that were occupying its space. If you abandon the place of prayer, it well get occupied with something! What’s occupying your prayer time?

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

Making Room for Prayer (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.”

                                                                                                            Mark 11:11

What was it that day Jesus was so curious to see? In the opening verses of Mark 11 we see Jesus entering into Jerusalem. He is led in, riding on donkey, with scores of people spreading out their cloaks, waving palm branches, and praising God. They believed that their Messiah had finally come.

However, upon reaching the Temple, Jesus entered into the courts of the gentiles and found a disturbing sight. What used to be a place designated for the gentiles to come and pray and worship God had been turned into a marketplace.

What Jesus heard when he triumphantly rode into Jerusalem is not what he witnessed when he entered the temple; the passion he heard in their praise was not evident in other areas of their faith.

The next day as they were traveling back to Jerusalem from Bethany, Jesus and his disciples passed a fig tree:

“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.”

                                                                                                            Mark 11:12-14

The tree appeared to be vibrant, alive, and growing from a distance; but upon closer inspection it did not bear any fruit.  Jesus’ experience in Jerusalem the day before was remarkably similar. They nation of Israel appeared to be vibrant, alive, and zealous for God; but upon closer inspection they were not bearing fruit.

Once past the throngs of praising people, past the beautiful edifices, and ornate temple aesthetics; Jesus discovered that the gentile’s place of prayer had been renovated into a farmer’s market!

The marketplace occupying their place of prayer made it impossible for them to pray and worship there. So Jesus went to work:

“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?” But you have made it a den of robbers.”

                                                                                                            Mark 11:15-17

The people valued praise, but did not value prayer. How often is this scenario being played out in our lives? We make room for praise, but leave no room for prayer.

What have you set up in our life that is robbing you of your time, place, energy, or ability to pray?  Perhaps it is time to start overturning some tables!

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com

Loaves and Fishes

(Part 3 of 3)

“The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth; no sign will be given to it.” Then he left them and got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.”

                                                                                                                        Mark 8:11-13

Beware of a Pharisaical Spirit! As Jesus met the needs of the people; a religiously charged or super-spiritualized attitude rose among the religious leaders. Apparently the feeding of four thousand people with only seven loaves and two fish was not enough of a miracle for them; they needed a sign from heaven.

Jesus, concerned that His disciples may be influenced by these contaminated attitudes, addressed His disciples in Mark 8:14-15:

“The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

However, instead of gleaning what Jesus was attempting to teach them; all the disciples could focus on once again was their lack!

“They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

                                                                                                            Mark 8:16

The disciples had brought only one loaf of bread; and even though Jesus had just demonstrated what he could do with just a little; they looked at the little they had and declared “we have no bread.”

“Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand: Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes that fail to see and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

                                                                                                Mark 8:17-21

Jesus instruction to them had nothing at all to do with the bread! Jesus was teaching them that having little will never hinder a move of God, but a wrong spirit most certainly will.

Compassion is not about having the resource to meet the needs of the suffering; it is about having the desire to meet the needs. Some of you need to pray that God will fan the flame of compassion in your hearts to meet the needs of others. Others need to give thanks for what you have been given and begin setting it before the people. While there are some that need to abandon a pharisaical spirit  in order to see the miraculous work of God in meeting the needs of others.

Loaves and Fishes

(Part 2 of 3)

“By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and by themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

                                                                                                Mark 6:35-37

At times the greatest obstacle to compassion is our own reluctance. This reluctance often emerges as we are tainted by people that have abused the system, taken advantage of us, or continually take while giving nothing. We are left with the lingering uncertainty of whether the need was real or contrived making us suspicious of every future need we encounter.

However, this is not the only reason we fail to demonstrate compassion. Sometimes we fail to demonstrate compassion because we don’t see what we have to offer as enough to make a dent in the problem, so we hold back even the little we have been given.

Jesus addressed this problem with one simple question:

“How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

                                                                                                Mark 6:38

He did not ask “How many loaves do you need?” He asked “How many loaves do you have?” When the disciples returned with five loaves of bread and two fish; Jesus demonstrated two important truths: give thanks for what you have and then set it before the people.

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them.”

                                                                                                Mark 6:41

The first thing that Jesus did when the disciples returned was to give thanks for what they had been given. Everything we have comes from Him. Instead of focusing on our lack, we should be rejoicing over what God has put in our hands; regardless of how much or how little it appears to be you and me.

Then Jesus said to them, “Set it before the people.” Take what you have and give it to those who need it. One thing I noticed in both passages was that Jesus never prayed for God to multiply the loaves and fishes. He gave thanks for what they had and started passing it out; that’s when God stepped in and provided the increase.

What God proved that day was that He can do amazing things with what we have in our hands; regardless of how much or how little it may be, if we are obedient to share it with those in need.

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/