Finally
Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.[1]”
I. Convinced
A. Friends
B. Family
II. Comforted
A. Continue
B. Concentrate
III. Controlled
A. Supremacy
B. Strength
Introduction: Last week we considered God’s speed. Before we finally acknowledge that God is sovereign, we believe that things happen when we are ready to act. It is so easy to forget that we were once not able to feed ourselves when we were babies. It is so easy to forget yet it is not possible to remember. Do you remember the day that you were born? How about that first thing that you had to drink? Do you remember that?
My first recollection was climbing up on an old rocking chair. How I got up there I do not know. How old I was I do not know. I only remember that there was a hand towel that hung in the kitchen on a round stick. Momma would change the thing often but it was a circle towel that hung there. I was on that rocking chair and I grabbed that towel and the towel came down and so did I. I must have been pretty loud because Momma and my siblings ran in to see me on the floor and they all had a fit about me and I cried more from the confusion than the hurt.
There were many recollections later but that’s the first thing that I can remember. How about you? What do you remember? Why?
Life is full of those recollections. Some are very scary and some bring laughter while others bring tears. They are all building blocks to what we are now. They are all the things that God has allowed to bring you to the place where He can use you. What you decide to do with those things is not up to Him. It is up to God to bring you to and through what He decides but it is totally up to you how to respond.
If you respond in His time, you will receive the blessing of being what He wants you to be on His timetable, otherwise, He might give you other opportunities but that one you decided against will never come again.
It is like that thing about dipping your foot into the river. The banks of that river might still be there when you decide to take another dip but the water you dipped your foot into the last time has flowed past never to be there again. Same bank, completely different river.
When will you finally decide to follow God? Have you done it yet? When you do, then you can rest in the assurance that He is whom He is and nothing and nobody will ever be able to comfort you like He does no matter where you fall from and fall you will…
Scripture: The scripture is Ephesians 6:10. When you have found it please rise to your feet for the reading of God’s written word.
Prayer: Please be seated
Message: Keep your Bibles open as we read Ephesians 6:1-9. “1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearinga threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.” [2]
Paul said all that to bring us to the point of finally. Now if you have gotten to this point in your life, can these things be. Now once and for all you are convinced. The first relationship mentioned is child to parent. If you honor your parents, even though they might have not always honored you, it will go well with you. That is the first commandment with the promise that you will live longer. Take that in a number of ways but I believe that a person who spends less time figuring out if their parents are worthy to be honored than time honoring their parents will be less stressed and therefore they will live longer. There’s that thing of who’s winning the goods or the bads again. God brought you through whatever He brought you through so that you would make righteous decisions. It was not so you could size up those who influenced you and judge them. Judgement is His job. He will do it one day.
Are you convinced that He has your best interest in His heart? Did He put you in the right family? Have you learned that friends are valuable and not something to be thrown away so easily? If you lose that friend for a while, don’t give up but wait. When they come back the friendship will be even greater. We have a hard enough time in this life to not have friends praying for us when the trials get tough. Job’s friends learned that though they nearly threw Job away. Job learned that too after He prayed for them and God gave him back greater than Job had before. And the children that Job thought he lost; they are all together now. Don’t you want that one day? The trial was very hard but finally, Job and his friends, though once convicted are now convinced. Are you finally convinced? What more will it take?
If God gave you the position of being a worker then work to make that one above you successful. Otherwise, you will spend useless time working against that one who God has placed to teach you; though it might be a hard lesson to learn.
We who work unto the Lord have a boss who loves us as nobody else can love. Those who are bosses or those who have bosses waste so much time trying to change those bosses. Sometimes the boss uses threating language to get the attention of the worker. I have had many threats as a worker from those above. They sometimes were valid threats. Have you ever heard something like this, “If you don’t give all you can give, this job might come to an end so do your best.” In the KJV verse 9 is translated “forbearing threatening.” That word forbearing is defined as moderating. In other words, control yourself when using threats to those who work under you. There might be a time that threats are right to use but be very careful of the threats you use on those who you depend on or they might be taken away from you. By the way, that’s not a threat. Use what you have been given wisely with moderation, in other words control yourself, because in the final analysis, it is God who gives all things, positions, possessions, everything. It’s up to God even though we think we deserve what we think we deserve.
Rest in the Lord? Who is your lord? When you finally understand that He is Lord, then you will be able to leave off strengthening yourself in an attempt to withstand that which life will throw at you. When you finally understand you must acknowledge that His strength is the source of your strength then you will find comfort in His strength. Then you can continue to concentrate on the most important thing in your life. Then you can concentrate on Him.
If you continue to concentrate all your attention on demanding attention for yourself, than you will never find comfort and you will wear yourself out for nothing. Be strong in the Lord because without Him there is no strength. Paul learned that finally. Through all the trials God allowed in Paul’s life finally Paul said, “13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. [3] Some translations use the word who there, after that word “Christ.” Christ who strengthens me does seem to be better language than Christ which strengthens me I guess. What was it that Paul was talking about in this particular statement though? Of course we receive strength from Christ. We wouldn’t have anything without Jesus. In that letter to the church at Philippi, Paul mentions all the trials he has been through and then finally he states, now that God has brought me through all these things, now, finally, I realize through the tests that I can withstand all that God allows me to go through. It is that knowledge, that truth, which strengthens my resolve, my faith, to continue. Now I no longer have to derive strength from any other source than Him because I am finally relying on His strength alone. Finally!
It is in the power of His might that I can withstand. Finally I have learned that. I can finally know that I have that faith in God alone. I am no longer controlled by the futility of seeking my own supremacy. I am no longer controlled by seeking to strengthen myself to the place that I can withstand things. No! Finally, now I know that I am here in the power of His might because He is mighty and I am not. Finally! Finally!
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against fleshb and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; [4]
Prayer:
Invitation: When will you finally allow the Holy Spirit to control you and put His armor on you? When will you finally understand that you cannot stand against the wiles of the devil without His armor?
It is not against the crazies that say crazy things that are against us and Him! It is the spirit that controls the crazies. It is a spiritual war. Without Him we can’t stand. Through Him though stand we will.
Above all what? Above all take the shield of faith! Faith in you? No! Faith in Him and His strength! Faith in His might!
With the shield of faith in Him you will be able to put out the fire that he throws at you which consumes all that is good which He has put into you and you will be able to continue as He continues through you. Take His helmet of salvation and the sword of His Spirit and watch out for each other and all the saints.
Finally? Are you ready for a revival? Finally?? Stand as we sing…
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Eph 6:10). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
a forbearing: or, moderating
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Eph 6:1–9). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3]ibid., Php 4:13–14).
b flesh...: Gr. blood and flesh
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Eph 6:10–18). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
