Practical Christianity 10
Luke 4:1-4
Prayer: Father, we live in dark days when so many call evil good and good evil, and so many professing Christians just go along with it. But we know that you have called all of us to this moment, to this battle, so please equip us now for the fight. Do not let us grow weary. Strengthen our arms; strengthen our hearts with Your mighty word and Spirit, in Christ name, Amen.
Introduction
We live in a culture careening toward disaster and destruction. We have been struck by madness that murders the unborn and castrates little boys and girls. The root cause of all of this has been our nation turning away from Christ. We bought the lie that secularism was possible, that our public square could be religiously neutral or agnostic. And having swept the house clean, seven demons have returned and filled our land. We are living in the ruins of that impossibility. Our once fruitful nation is become a barren wasteland full of demons. So as we face this reality, it must be said that our nation needs Christ, and those who know Christ must grow in Him. Growing in Christ is not an attempt to escape reality. Growing in Christ is the only way to actually live in reality. Christ is ultimate reality. Growing in Christ means fighting the devils in our land.
When anyone confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord and they believe that God raised Him from the dead, they are saved (Rom. 10:9). This offer is made to all freely and to their children: call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved (Acts 2:39, 16:31). And this is why all who believe and their households are offered baptism (Acts 16:33). This is what God calls becoming a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and the new birth (1 Pet. 1:23). This is all pure grace, received by faith, not by works, lest any man should boast, but it is the kind of work that God does in us that causes us to begin working and growing (Eph. 2:8-10). We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. We are saved in order to grow up as trees that bear good fruit (Lk. 6:43). And the kind of good fruit we are talking about are flourishing families, businesses, cities, nations, economies, sciences, and arts. We are talking about fruitfulness in every area of human life because it all belongs to Christ. But this kind of fruitfulness comes into conflict with all unbelief.
Therefore, after becoming a Christian, the task before us is growing up into Christ, growing into maturity, becoming fruitful in every way, and doing battle with the Devil. So this message is about that: growing in Christ and fighting the Devil and all His works.
Summary of the Text
We might be tempted to think that being full of the Holy Spirit might mean everything going easy in our lives, but here we see that it was just when Jesus was most full of the Holy Spirit, right after His baptism in the Jordan River, that the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Lk. 4:1). Being full of the Holy Spirit and having the blessing of God upon you means you are ready for battle. The same thing happened to Adam in the Garden: right after all that blessing, God allowed a dragon in the Garden. Having God’s blessing means you are ready to grow, but growing usually requires a struggle. Not only was Jesus being tempted by the devil, He ate nothing and was incredibly hungry (Lk. 4:2). This was a physical as well as a spiritual test and struggle. Now God had just proclaimed that Jesus was His beloved Son at His baptism (Lk. 3:22), but forty days in a desert and severe hunger can make anyone doubt or forget and the devil started there, tempting Jesus to doubt God’s Word and maybe just double check “if you’re really the son of God…”, suggesting Jesus turn a stone into bread (Lk. 4:3). But Jesus knew to doubt His Father would be sin, and He refused, quoting from Deuteronomy, that His life was upheld and strengthened, not merely by bread, but by the Word of God (Lk. 4:4, cf. Dt. 8:3). So we face the temptations of the devil in our finances, in our families, in politics, in our thoughts, in our friendships, on social media, and the only way to face these fights is by trusting our Father, trusting His word, and growing in Christ. Man does not live by bread alone.
And let me just add here: many of you are coming in for landing on the school year and looking forward to summer. And summertime can be a great blessing, different routines, vacations, etc., but let this message be a bit of a warning: don’t let your guard down. Don’t coast. Think of the summertime as an opportunity to be fruitful in somewhat different ways. More time as a family, more time for other activities, yay sunshine, but don’t be seduced by the devil into thinking that this is “me-time.” No, this time belongs to Christ. Your summer belongs to Christ. How will you redeem this time and turn a profit on this time for Christ? How will you do battle with the Devil this summer?
Six Steps for Growing in Christ
Growing in Christ is a lot like growing up. So how do you grow up? Eat well, get enough sleep, exercise, go to school, learn from your mistakes, work hard, etc. Then it just happens. Plants and trees grow this way also: sunshine, water, good soil, fertilizer, pruning, etc. So here are six steps for growing in Christ. This is not a mechanical check list; these are crucial ways you trust God and live by His Word. This is how you grow strong in Christ and fight the Devil.
1. Read your Bible: Many folks in our community do the Bible Reading Challenge, and it’s a bit like cross-fit for Bible reading. If you want to get in Spiritual shape, it really is a great blessing, and I commend it to you. But if you’re not in great shape, and you don’t have regular Bible reading habits, just start reading a chapter a day. If you’ve never read the Bible before, read the New Testament first and then start over in Genesis and read the whole thing. The key thing is regularity not quantity, but as you grow, you’ll want more. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2).
2. Pray: God is real. He created the Heavens and the Earth, and He made us in His image for communion with Him. Pray the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father…” Pray the Psalms – they are 150 inspired prayers that God loves to hear and answer. To be a Christian is to receive the Holy Spirit of adoption that means you have been granted the same sonship as Jesus Christ, and you are invited to cry out to God as your Abba Father (Rom. 8:15). What do you tell your father? What do you ask from your dad? God is your perfect Father.
3. Read the Bible, pray, and sing as a family: Men, you are called to be the spiritual leaders of your home. Husbands, wash your wife in the water of the word (Eph. 5:26). This is how you love your wife like Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25). Fathers, you are specifically required to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Dedicate a regular time to this and lead your family before the Lord. This can be very simple: read a little bit of Scripture, pray, and sing a song. When the kids are little, this can take less than 5 minutes; when the kids are older, it can grow.
4. Repent of your sins: This is the invitation of the gospel that Jesus Himself preached: “the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mk. 1:15). To “repent” means to turn around, to stop going one way and go the other way. The Bible describes this as putting off the old man and putting on the new man (Eph. 5:22-24). Stop lying and tell the truth (Eph. 5:25, cf. 5:28). Stop looking at porn and lusting, pursuing a wife and be faithful to one woman and the children she bears you (Prov. 5). Do not be drunk with wine/pot/drugs, but be filled with the Spirit, singing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the Lord (Eph. 5:18-19). Stop cursing and using filthy language, but let your mouth be full of thanksgiving, praise to God, and edification (Eph. 4:29, 5:3-4). Be anxious for nothing, but with thanksgiving, let your requests be made to God (Phil. 4:6).
5. Forgive those who have sinned against you: this is perhaps one of the central acts of repentance. The old, natural man is full of hatred, bitterness, and resentment (Tit. 3:3). And this part of the old man dies hard. This is why Jesus taught us to pray that God would “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The warning of Christ is clear: “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mk. 11:26). Bitterness is a root that will cause much trouble, and it defiles many families, churches, and communities (Heb. 12:15). Bitterness is a hurt that isn’t healing, isn’t fading. We forgive for the sake of Christ (Eph. 4:32). Forgiveness is paid with the “currency” of the blood of Christ.
6. Go to church, keep Sabbath, and tithe: “Going to church” means worshiping the Lord, and “worship” means complete surrender. When you become a Christian, you surrender in principle. This is what it means to confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord.” This means beginning to obey Him in everything. But two particular ways you demonstrate that complete surrender is by keeping Sabbath and tithing. From the beginning, God’s people have imitated God’s own rest, when He finished His work of Creation. Christians rest on the first day of the week because that is when Jesus finished His work of New Creation (Heb. 4:9). Sabbath includes fellowship, hospitality, and community. We do not live by bread alone, nor do we live in Christ all alone. We have been baptized into community, the body of Christ. So make a point to fellowship after church, and get together with folks. And lastly, we embody our full surrender with our tithes: we tithe, giving God ten percent of our first fruits, confessing that all that we have is from His hand, all that we have belongs to Him (Gen. 14:20, 28:22, Mal. 3:10). And if you haven’t been tithing and aren’t sure you can, start by simply dedicating a fixed percent: 3% or 5% and then see how God blesses you and work your way up to 10%.
Conclusion
As we face a chaotic and confused world full of devils and devilish forces and temptations, we must live by the Word of God. We must fight in the strength of God. And this means growing in Christ: read the Word, pray to Your Father, worship together as families, repent of your sins, forgive one another, fully surrender and dedicate your time and resources to God.
We do these things not as slaves but as sons who have been redeemed. We are not slaves; we have been set free to serve our king. By His grace, we are His armies. We have been baptized and given His Spirit, and you know what comes after that. When God is pleased with His sons, He sends them into battle. And these are your weapons. This is your armor. We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. We live in Christ, and therefore, we must grow in Christ and fight the devil.
Prayer: Father, please apply this message exactly where it needs to be applied. Encourage those who are already doing these things, and give them your peace and joy in the midst of the battle. Give strength and courage to those who know they need to address some of these things. Do not let us be fools who smile and nod and then walk out of here and do not change. And we ask for this in Jesus’ name…
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