Alright, good morning everybody.
Let's turn in our Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 2. Now in this account,
let me give you a little background. King Saul is dead and David has
taken the throne in Hebron. He's not yet gone to Jerusalem.
He just became the king. But Saul's general, Abner, he
didn't want to bow to David. And so he set up Saul's son,
Ispacheth, to be the king over Israel. And he persuaded everybody
in Israel to bow to Ispacheth rather than David. Well, Joab
is David's general, and so Abner comes with his soldiers to Gibeon,
and Joab comes with his soldiers. So you got some Abner soldiers,
the children of Israel, and you got Joab's and his men, the children
of Judah, David's men. And Abner tells them, now let's
get up and let the men play before us. It was some kind of sport.
And they got up, but it was a trick. As soon as they got up to play, Abner's men laid hold of Joab's
men and they just about all killed each other. But David's men came
out a little on top there, but it says there in verse 18. So
that's the setting. And when that happened, Abner
fled. He took off running. And it says here in verse 18,
2 Samuel 2.18, And there were three sons of Zariah, Zariah
was David's sister, and these were her sons. These were David's
nephews. Joab, that's David's general,
and Abisha, that's the one who volunteered to go with David
to sneak into Saul's camp, and he wanted to kill Saul, but David
wouldn't let him, but they stole a cruise of water. And then Asahel,
now the story is about Asahel, verse 18. And Asahel was as light
a foot as a wild roe. He could run fast as a wild deer.
And Asahel pursued after Abner. And in going, he turned not to
the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. He was
young, he was fast, and he wanted to get Abner. And he could just
picture the glory he would get for killing this man Abner or
at least taking him captive. Verse 20, Then Abner looked behind
him, and he said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am. And Abner
said to him, turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left,
and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his
armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.
And Abner said again to Asahel, turn thee aside from following
me. Wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? How then
should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? Abner was an older,
experienced general. And he tried to persuade Exahiel
to turn aside and take the armor of one of these young soldiers
so he could have some armor to fight with. And Abner didn't
want to slay Exahiel, but This young man kept coming after him.
He wouldn't turn aside to the right hand or to the left from
following Abner. Verse 23, Howbeit he refused
to turn aside, wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear
smote him under the fifth rib, so that the spear came out behind
him, and he fell down there and he died in the same place. Asahel
had too much pride and too much zeal to turn to the right hand
or to the left. He drew closer and he got closer
and Abner probably let him draw a little closer and the old seasoned
general just stuck the end of his spear out and caught him
under the fifth rib and went through his liver and out his
back and killed him. Verse 23, and it came to pass
that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died
stood still. Our subject this morning is zeal
without armor. Zeal without armor. I want to
show you Asahel's zeal and then we'll see the work of grace for
us and the work of grace in us. First of all, Asahel gives us
an example of us. This is an example of all of
us by nature. All of God's elect and just like
the rest of this world, as we come into this world by our first
birth, we're zealous, we're zealous, just like he was zealous. And
due to our sin nature as God's saints, we need to be on guard
even now about this. Asa had confidence in his ability. He could run fast and he had
confidence in his ability that he could overtake Abner and he
could conquer him. He was full of pride. He could
just see himself getting this man and coming back, you know,
the victor. Now read these words with me
carefully, verse 19. It says, In going, he turned
not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
Verse 21, And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right
hand or to thy left. Lay thee hold on one of the young
men, and take thee his armor. But Asael would not turn aside
from following him. When you see words like that
repeated in Scripture, It's a good thing to focus in on those words
because they're there for a reason. God put them there for a reason.
Now, if Asahel would have known something about God's Word and
been familiar with his family's history, which he probably was,
if he heard those words turned to the right or to the left,
this would be what he would probably have thought about. In Joshua
chapter 1, if you want to look there, Joshua 1, This is the
word of the Lord to Joshua when he was delivering the children
of Israel into Canaan. This was the word of the Lord
to Joshua, verse 5. The Lord said, There shall not
any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life,
As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail
thee nor forsake thee. Now look at verse 7. Only be
thou strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do
according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee.
Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou
mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. You see that? Don't
turn to the right hand or to the left. That's what Abner told
Asahel to do. Turn to the right or to the left
and take you some armor. Now, until the Spirit of God
makes us understand what it means to turn not from the law, until
the Spirit of God makes us understand what that means, We'll do what
Asahel did. The picture here of what Asahel
did. We'll run. We'll run. Thinking we can overtake the
law or that we can fulfill the law just like Asahel thought
he could overtake Abner. Thinking we can conquer our sin,
that we can establish a righteousness for ourselves. We want that glory
just like Ezra Hill thought he could conquer Hapner and he wanted
that glory of doing that. We think we can establish the
law and we want that glory. Brethren, this is what the Lord's
got to teach us. When the Lord said that to Joshua,
Joshua was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Moses couldn't
take him into the promised land because the law can't take us
into glory. Joshua, whose name means Savior,
whose name is Jesus, He took His people in. And that's a picture
of Christ. Christ alone did the Law. Christ
alone came and turned not to the left or the right, He fulfilled
the whole Law of God. That's why He came forth, to
fulfill the whole Law of God for His people. And when God
gives us understanding to hear the Law, He makes us to know
that we're guilty. We've not kept the law. That's
what the law was given for. Romans 3 says it was given to
shut our mouths and declare us guilty. And the Lord teaches
you that Christ is the righteousness of the law. He fulfilled it for
his people. And he gives you faith to believe
unto righteousness. You trust Christ and the righteousness
of Christ is imputed to you. But turn over to Romans 10. But
until the Lord reveals this to us, we'll be like the Pharisees. The Pharisees had a lot of zeal. They were proud and they were
confident, just like Asahel was proud and confident he could
overtake Abner. They were proud and confident.
They were establishing their own righteousness. Now listen
to what the Lord gave Paul to write, verse 1. Romans 10.1. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear
them record, they have a zeal of God. Just like Isaac had that
zeal, running, running. They had a zeal of God, but not
according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
Christ. See that? Christ. Christ is the
righteousness of God. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. They were ignorant. that God sent His Son to be the
righteousness of His people. God sent His Son to fulfill the
law. They were ignorant that the law
all along had been bearing witness that Christ is the righteousness
of the law. He's the interminating point
to which God brings His child when He makes you hear the law.
The law was our schoolmaster unto Christ to bring us to Christ
that we might be justified by the faithfulness of our Lord
Jesus. And it says here, They were even ignorant of what the
law demanded. It says, Moses describes the
righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth
those things shall live by them. There's over 600 commandments
in the law, not just 10. And you got to do them all perfectly
with no sin whatsoever. That's the only way you can live.
That's the only way you can live. But the righteousness which is
of faith speaketh on this wise. Look down at verse 8. The word
is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is the
word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness. And with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The Pharisees
were full of zeal to overtake the law, to fulfill it, to establish
it. Just like Asahel was full of
zeal to overcome Abner. But it was zeal without knowledge.
They were ignorant of what the law said about them. They were
ignorant of who they were. They didn't even know what sinners
they were. Brethren, we fell in Adam. We fell in Adam. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners. Everybody Adam represented was
made a sinner. That's why God imputed sin to
us because Adam made us sin. God didn't give a law between
Adam and Moses. And Romans 5.13 says, nevertheless,
he said, death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that
had not sinned after the similitude of Adam. They didn't have a known
law and didn't break a known law like Adam did. How was God
just to impute sin to them? Because in Adam all have sinned. That's how it comes. God only
imputes what a man's been made by a prior act. You know why
God imputes righteousness to His people? When He brings you
to believe on Christ, you know why He imputes righteousness
to you? Because by one man's obedience, Christ Jesus shall
mean to be made righteous. He makes His people righteous.
We were ignorant that Christ is the righteousness of God.
Now, just like Asahel was proud, and he was too proud to turn
aside and take that armor. That was us, brethren. We were
too proud to confess we needed some armor that we didn't have. We run the race, and this is
something we need to be sure we get as believers. We run the
race set before us. The Lord said, run the race.
We're running the race just like Asahel was running. But the scripture
says, Ecclesiastes 9.11, the race is not to the swift, nor
the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor yet
riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill. In other words, It's not us. It's not us. When God sanctifies
us, God makes us look to Christ alone. He turns us to Christ
alone. He grows us in the excellency
of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he's our righteousness
and he's our holiness and acceptance with God. Asahel, what he was doing here,
was if he could kill Abner, he's going to establish himself in
the kingdom of David. He's going to get a promotion
in the kingdom of David. And that's what the Pharisees
were trying to do. That's what we were trying to do by nature,
was we were trying to fulfill the law to establish ourselves
in the kingdom of God. in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus,
running to establish ourselves. Now, I want you to turn back,
turn to Isaiah 59. I want to show you the work of
grace. Isaiah 59, I want you to see
the work of grace. Now, unlike Asahel, our Lord
Jesus, when God sent His Son into this world, the Lord Jesus
came and He took flesh, and as the righteous servant of God,
representing all God's elect, Christ was full of zeal. He was
full of zeal. But it was zeal according to
knowledge. He's wisdom. And he put on armor. Look here, verse 16, Isaiah 59,
16. He saw that there was no man,
wondered that there was no intercessor, therefore his arm brought salvation
unto him, and his righteousness it sustained him. For he put
on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon
his head, and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and
was clad with zeal as a cloak. Like a coat. of armor. Asahel's
name means God made. That's what his name means, God
made. And our Lord Jesus Christ came
down, the Son of God, who is one with God, he came down and
he took a body made for him. He took a body that God had made
for him in the womb of the Virgin. He humbled himself and he became
the righteous servant of God. Only two men ever started their
life out without sin. That was Adam, the first head,
and Christ Jesus, the last Adam. And God set them up to represent
all who would be born of them. Adam represented everybody that
would be born of him. That's the simplest way I know
how to put it. All mankind. Because all are born of him.
Christ represents all those that he shall make to be born of him. And the Lord Jesus was clothed
in armor. It says he put on righteousness
as a breastplate. Now be careful and be sure to
get this. We don't put on righteousness. We're going to look here in a
moment about the armor of righteousness. We don't put on righteousness,
this armor of righteousness, the same way Christ did. You
know how Christ did it? He did it by fulfilling the law.
He did it by obeying God in perfection for his people. That's how he
did it. The way that he brings you to
put on the armor is he gives you faith to rest in him as your
righteousness. He robes you in righteousness,
in the armor of righteousness, making you know it in your heart.
He put on a helmet of salvation upon his head whenever Satan
fired his arrows at our Lord Jesus. Our Lord looked to the
Father in perfect faith, trusting God His Father, trusting Him
and the covenant that the Father had made to Him. You know, when
He makes you put on the helmet, we're made to look to Christ
our strength. We're made to look to Him. He
said the only way you quench the fiery darts of the devil
and of the wicked is through faith in Christ. It's Christ
quenching them. It's Christ making you know in
your head and in your heart making you to know that you're His and
He's made you righteous and no charge will stand. That's what
He has to make us know. That's what's going to protect
your head. Christ put on the garments of vengeance for clothing. Christ came to take vengeance
on the devil for His people. He came to crush the devil's
head for His people. He came to take vengeance on
all His enemies. to deliver all his people from
all our enemies. Now listen, he did that. He crushed the devil's head.
On the cross, the devil bruised his heel, but he crushed the
devil's head. You know how he took the power away from the
devil? He took all the sin of his people away. The devil's
got nothing to accuse us with. But we don't put on the garments
of vengeance for clothing. He gives you faith to trust Christ. He said vengeance is mine. You
trust Christ to work judgment. He was clad with zeal as a cloak. His zeal was not like Asahel's. Asahel's zeal and the Pharisee's
zeal was zeal without knowledge. Our Lord Jesus is wisdom. He
put on zeal. He was zealous. He said, I must
be about my father's business. And he was never turned from
his father's business. And at the very end, knowing
that all things were accomplished, That's when he said, it's finished. And he yielded his spirit to
the Father. That's right. And he didn't just
do that for himself, he was doing it for, he didn't do any of it
for himself. He did it for God his Father,
to declare God the righteousness of God. that He's just in the
way He saves sinners. He fulfilled the law. The law
was poured out on Christ in the room instead of His people. He
declared that in Christ, God's the justifier. That's all of
God. Everything's of God. He honored
His law. We're going to see that in a
second hour. Look over at Isaiah 9. I want you to see verse 7.
We're talking about zeal here now. Look at this. Isaiah 9. Verse 7, this is speaking of Christ. Verse 6 says, He is the child
born, the Son given. The government, let's read it,
the government should be upon His shoulder. His name should
be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government,
it's on His shoulder now. The government of God's Kingdom,
the government of saving His people is all on Christ's shoulder. And of the increase of His government
and peace, there should be no end. upon the throne of David
and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this." You see that? He put on zeal
as his armor. And he said here, the zeal of
the Lord of hosts will perform this. In 2 Kings 19.31 it says,
Out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant And they that escape
out of Mount Zion, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall do this."
He is going to save all His elect remnant. The zeal of the Lord
of Hosts. Now, lastly, I want you to go
back now to our text and I want to see, that's the work of grace
for us. Christ came, fulfilled the whole
law of God for His people. But He did it. He had zeal with
wisdom. He trusted the Father. He trusted
the covenant promise the Father made to Him, went to the cross,
bore the sin of His people, bore the curse in our room instead,
and justified all His people from the curse of the law. He
accomplished that, brethren. He accomplished it. Now, that's
the work for His people, but we're lost. We come into this
world and it's nothing for a man to take on religion. And we all
by nature think we understand something about God. Think all
you got to do is pick this book up and read it and you can know
God. It's got to be revealed. Christ has to be revealed by
the Spirit of God. We have to be born again. We
have to be born again. And so now look, the Spirit of
God What he's gonna do, when the Spirit of God, through this
gospel, he's gonna make us, we're doing all our running, all our
running. We're either just running for
the world and all we can get in the world, or if we were in
religion, we were running, trying to justify ourselves and make
ourselves acceptable to God, just like Asahel was running.
The Lord's gonna send this gospel to his child, he's gonna send
the Spirit of God, and he's gonna make you stand still. And here
is how he is going to do it. Verse 23, ìIt came to pass that
as many as came to the place where Esahel fell down and died,
they stood still.î They came to that place where this man
had died and they saw him and they stopped in their tracks.
They stood still. John 17.1, it says there, as
many as came to that place stood still. John 17.1, Christ is praying
to the Father, and He said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy
Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee, as Thou has given Him power
over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many
as Thou has given Him. And this is life eternal, that
they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the
earth. I have finished the work Thou gavest me to do." Christ
was not killed like Asahel was. Christ wasn't killed. Christ
laid down His life. He went as the spotless Lamb
of God. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane
and submitted to the Father just like He promised in the Covenant.
He submitted to the Father and the Lord laid on Him the iniquity
of all His people. And the Lord Jesus Christ went
to the cross and He was made a curse in place of His people. God justly poured out condemnation
on Him. in the room instead of everybody
he represented. You know what that was for? That
was to satisfy the death penalty that you and me were under, that
all his people were under because we sinned. Now if somebody died
the death penalty and satisfied that demand of the law, the law
is not going to demand that again. The law is not going to amend
that twice. It's been done. It's been accomplished. And that's
what Christ accomplished for His people. It's not about whether
you think this is fair or not. It's fair alright. It's God saving
some when He could have damned everybody. It's about the righteousness
of God. It's about God's glory. And that's
what Christ came to manifest and that's what He accomplished.
As many as the Father gave to Christ. That's who He died for. That's who He justified. So now
the law demands they have to be brought to this place and
behold Christ on that cross and made to stand still and trust
Him. And He's going to bring every
one of them to the place where they're going to see Christ crucified
and He's going to make His people know that He laid down His life
in their room instead. He's going to make you know it
personally if you're His. Just like He did to you that
believe. And you're going to behold, He was speared with the
spear of justice like Asahel was. We're running, trying to overcome
the law, but when you behold Christ has finished the work,
that Christ is the righteousness of God, that's when we stand
still. They came to pass that as many
as came to the place where Christ laid down His life and died,
stand still. This is what Hebrews 9.14 says. I can support that with Scripture.
This is what Hebrews 9.14 says. It says, it points back to those
ceremonial cleansing of that red heifer. That ceremonial cleansing
of the red heifer, in the law God said if you touch a dead
body, even if you don't know it, if you walk over a grave
and you didn't know there was a grave there, if you're drinking
some water and a little bitty microscopic organism is in there
that's dead, you're defiled. And the picture is to show you
that you couldn't move without being defiled. I mean, the way
God made that law, it made it so whatever you did, you're defiled. That's us, brethren. We defile
everything we touch. We are defiled. But the Lord
took this red heifer, spotless, never a yoke bent on it, and
He said, slay that red heifer. And He made this solution, the
blood and hyssop, that He would take the hyssop and they could
sprinkle it on the person that was defiled and he'd be clean.
And here's what it pictured. In Hebrews 9.14, He said, He
said, if the blood of bulls and goats sanctified to the purifying
of the flesh, if they did that ceremonially in the flesh, just
outwardly, typically, He said, How much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? In other words, when the Spirit
of God brings you to see Christ laying down His life and the
Spirit makes you know He did it for you, That blood of Christ,
seeing him shed his blood and justify his people, purges your
conscience to stop trying to run to work the law and please
God and makes you stand still and believe the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what his blood does for his people. And the Hebrew writer
said, if any of those sacrifices had of cleansed the people, if
any of them would have truly purged their sin, they'd have
stopped offering those sacrifices. Because the conscience, once
purged, has no more remembrance of sin. But in those sacrifices,
they were brought to remember their sin every year. And when
the Spirit of God purges your conscience, the Lord makes you
know there's no more offering for sin. Sins put away. It's done. He makes you know
there's therefore now no condemnation. Sins put away. You've been made
righteous in Christ. And when he makes you know that,
you stop working to try to gain God's favor and try to gain a
reward with God or whatever it is men are working for by their
mercenary heart. You stop doing that. And now
you believe Christ and now you want to do whatever you can do
for the Lord Jesus in His kingdom because you want to. Because
of what He's already done for you. Because He already redeemed
you. Because He already justified
you and sanctified you. You just want to do whatever.
You want to honor Him in your life. You want to walk before
Him. You want to be pleasing to Him out of gratitude for what
He's done for you. We stop running and we stand
still by believing on Christ. Romans 9.16, He said, It is not
of him that willeth, it is not of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. This thing is by mercy, brethren.
We are made to hear the law speak what Abner spoke to Asahiel.
Look back there at verse 21. It's what we made. The law says
this to us. The Spirit of God makes you hear
the law and this is what the law says to you. Turn thee aside. Lay thee hold of one. Take thee
his armor. That's what the law makes you
hear. Turn to Christ. Lay hold of one. Take his armor. Turn thee aside from following
me. Wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? You mean
the law really does teach us that? Galatians 3.24 says, the
law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might
be justified by faith. But after that faith has come,
we are no longer under the schoolmaster. He brings you to rest in Christ.
See, the curse is removed, you accepted of God. Now go with
me to Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. It takes the Spirit of God to
renew our minds, to turn us to Christ. And listen, He keeps
working this work in you. We, for some reason, we keep
wanting to run without armor. We keep wanting to try to fulfill
the law ourselves. We keep wanting to try to do
something of ourselves. And the Lord has to keep reminding
us You're not saved by your work, you're saved by Christ's work.
But here's what, when He renews you in the mind, and renews you
in your heart, and makes you seek Christ, that's what happens
when you hear the gospel preached. This is what the Spirit commands,
verse 10, Ephesians 6, 10. Be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might. You see that? Not in your might,
in His might. Put on the whole armor of God,
that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places. were foretaken
to you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand
in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with truth." Christ said, I'm
the truth. Christ said, I'm the truth. Look
to Christ. This is what He's telling you.
having on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate
of righteousness is Christ our righteousness. It's Him making
you know He's your righteousness. Making you know it in your heart
to protect your heart from falling away. He said be strong in the
Lord and empower His might. This is all the Lord. He makes
you put the armor on, and he's the armor. He says, and your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. What
did the psalmist say? He said, he brought me up out
of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and he set my feet
upon a rock. and He established my goings.
Christ is that rock. Verse 16, Above all, taking the
shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked. Faith, trust, and Christ to quench
the darts. Take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Be in God's
Word, not just reading the Word, but looking for Christ, and hearing
Christ, and believing on Christ, and following Christ. Praying always. We're totally
dependent on the Lord to do this for us. Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. They say I wanted
the glory. But from the day the Spirit gives
you faith, the Lord teaches you that 1 Corinthians 1.29, no flesh
shall glory in His presence. Him that glories, let him glory
in the Lord. The Lord does it all. He does it all. God said,
I won't share my glory with another. He said, I will not. I tell you
what the offense of the gospel is, is that. The offense of the
gospel is God won't share His glory with you. And men want
some of the glory. When men hear this gospel, what
makes them angry and what makes them start crying out unfair,
unfair is they want some of the glory. And God said, I won't
share my glory. But when he gives you a new heart,
you want him to have all the glory. Asahel was glorying in
His speed. When we start to glory in the
gifts Christ has given us, and we'll do this, this is how deceitful
our sin nature is. When the Lord gives you spiritual
gifts, we will start to glory in the gifts when it's all of
the Lord, when He did it all. So the Lord speaks in power to
your heart. He says what He said in Jeremiah
9.23. Let not the wise man glory in
his wisdom. Let not the mighty man glory
in his might. Let not the rich man glory in his riches. Let
him that glorieth glory in this, that he knows Me, God said, that
he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord which exercises
love and kindness and judgment and righteousness in the earth.
For in these things I delight, saith the Lord. And you know
what he does? He teaches you advice. He consoles
you with this gospel. And he puts this armor on you
by the Spirit, renewing your mind. And you see, oh, if he
hadn't done this for me, I would have ran right into the spear
of the law. The law would have smoked me
to the ground if I hadn't heard Christ and stood still and believed
on Him by His grace, by Him revealing this to me. I would have died.
And when He makes you, strengthens you over and over, the more He
does this for you, the more you console and strengthen your brethren
with nothing but this Gospel of Christ. The weapons of our warfare are
not carnal. They're mighty through God to
the pulling down of strongholds. I want to end with this reading
to you, this lyric to this song that Joseph Hart wrote. Now listen
to this. Gird thy loins up, Christian
soldier, Lo, thy captain calls thee out. Let the danger make
thee bolder, War in weakness, dare in doubt. Buckle on thy
heavenly armor, patch up no inglorious peace, let thy courage wax the
warmer as thy foes and fears increase. Bind thy golden girdle
round thee, truth to keep thee firm and tight. Never shall the
foe confound thee while the truth, and that's a capital T, while
Christ the truth maintains thy fight. Righteousness within thee
rooted may appear to take thy part. In other words, you might
think righteousness in you or by you may take your part, but
let righteousness imputed be the breastplate of your heart.
Shod with gospel preparation in the paths of promised tread. You got his covenant promise.
That's what shods our feet. Shod with the gospel preparation
in the paths of promised tread, let the hope of free salvation
as a helmet guard thy head. When beset with various evils,
wield the Spirit's two-edged sword. Cut thy way through hosts
of devils while they fall before the Word. Get in this Word and
hear what God says and trust Him. But when dangers close or
threaten, and thy soul draws near to death when assaulted
sore by Satan, then object the shield of faith. Fiery darts
of fierce temptations intercepted by thy God, there shall lose
their force in patience, sheathed in love and quenched in blood.
Though to speak thou be not able, Always pray and never rest. Prayers
are weapons for the feeble. Weakest souls can wield it best. Ever on thy captain calling,
make thy worst condition known. He shall hold thee up when fallen,
or shall lift thee up when down. Brethren, be zealous for God. Paul said that. He said be zealous
for God. Be zealous for spiritual gifts,
He said. Be zealous for good works. Run
the race set before you as one that runs to win. Be zealous. But be zealous to do all trusting
Christ alone, Him alone. When you become weary, remember
this, He gives power to the faint, to them that have no might. Do
you have might in you? Do you have ability in you? then
you are disqualified for any help from Christ. Scripture says
He gives strength to the weary and to them that have no might,
He increases strength. I pray the Lord make us put that
armor on. Christ the Lord. Amen. Our gracious
God and our Father, we thank you for this word. We pray, Lord,
you bless it to our heart. Cause us to rest in Christ and
trust Him alone. Lord, if you'd be pleased to
reveal this in the heart of one of your lost sinners, we pray
that you bring them to behold Christ crucified and stand still. See the work is finished and
trust Him as you robe them in this perfect, seamless armor
of your righteousness. We thank you, Lord, that all
the works are finished by Christ. Be with our brethren that are
sick and not able to be with us this morning. And we pray
for our brethren everywhere that you send forth the gospel and
power this morning through your preachers. We thank you, Lord,
for free mercy, free grace, the great price it cost your dear
son. Oh, how we thank you for Christ
Jesus. In his name we pray, amen.