Our Bible reading for today is found in Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. We take our reading from the tenth verse of the chapter. Ephesians chapter 6, verse number 10. Let's hear the word of God. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. I want you to notice that it does not say, finally, my brother. This is not written to an individual. There are times whenever we read this, when we read the Gospel of Armour, we think that, well, this is for an individual child of God. And yes, it is as such. But Paul is writing here to the church in Ephesus, and he says, as the church finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and as the church in Ephesus put on the whole armor of God, that ye may 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. Wherefore, take on to you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the hamlet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, watching her unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, and for me, that utterance might be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, of which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." We'll end our reading there at the end of verse 20. Let's keep God's Word open, bowing in prayer, seeking God's help, not only for the preacher, but for you, the hearer. that God will have a message for your soul today. Our loving Father, we thank Thee for the instruction within Thy Word. We are aware, dear God, that we need to hear from Thee. We are aware, dear God, that at times our hearing can be dull. Yet, Father, You say to the churches there in the book of the Revelation, He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the church. We pray, O God, that we might hear the voice of the Lord today. O God, we pray to Thee that Thou wilt turn our hearts to heaven. We pray that the world, O God, in all the clamour that the world would bring into our minds, thinking about last week and now, O God, a new week, and all of those pressures and deadlines that are coming, O Lord, these things would clamour our minds. But we pray that every thought would be brought into captivity. Lord, that each heart might be open to God. Lord, come and help this preacher. O God, we take Paul's prayer to be my prayer. O God, that I might know utterance in the Spirit, that I might know what it is to open my mouth boldly and to make known the mystery of the Gospel. O God, come and help us. Fill us with Thy Spirit. Infuse power, dear God. Grant an unction from heaven, divine anointing. Lord, come and minister to each soul and heart. Cheer us, we pray, and strengthen us in our faith. May the word of God be the blessing. May the word of God find a resting place in every wearing heart. We pray this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. In our study together concerning the Church of Jesus Christ, we have considered together the Church as Christ building, the Church as Christ's bride, the Church as Christ's family, the Church as Christ's body. Today we want to draw this little sub-series of messages to a close by considering together the Church as Christ's army. If you haven't been sleeping through the service, I'm sure you guessed that maybe from our opening hymn. We've been singing about soldiers of Christ. Our reading is about the army of God. And so we want to speak about the church as God's army. And in that picture, we see of this truth concerning our Savior, that Christ is leading His church to victory. Christ is leading His church out of and into victory. Now, although the word army and church does not stand side by side in the Word of God, the Bible does use military terms to denote the warfare that the church is engaged in behind enemy lines in this sin-cursed and wicked world. Within the Word of God, the Christian is referred to as a soldier, the believer, is exhorted to fight the good fight of faith. We're said that we're more than conquerors through Him that loved us, and we're assured that through Christ we have the victory. The church in heaven, those saints who have entered their eternal reward, are referred to in Christian literature as the church triumphant. But the church here on earth of which we are a part of, is spoken of in terms of as the church militant, the church triumphant in heaven, the church militant on earth. It was Bishop J.C. Ryle who said the history of Christ's true church has always been one of conflict and war. The church militant, Christ's army is engaged in a battle. We're engaged in the battle for souls. We're engaged in the battle for the truth. We're engaged in a battle for righteousness. And today, we want to consider some issues that surround that very battle that the Church of Jesus Christ is engaged in as Christ's army here on earth. As we consider then the church as an army and the battle in which she is engaged. And I want you to notice in the first place the arena of the battle, the arena of the battle. Every battle has its corresponding battlefield, a location where the forces of opposing armies engage in the fight. For the church, that battlefield is here on earth. While heaven is the place where the sword of conquest is laid down and replaced by the palm of victory, earth is the battlefield where the battle is joined between the forces of light and the forces of spiritual darkness. John Bunyan in Pilgrim's Progress, he speaks about God bringing Mr. Valiant for the truth to the river of death. He stood there on the shore and he looked towards the celestial city. And as he did so, Mr. Valiant, for the truth, he was said and he was heard to say these words. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage. My courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me to be witness for me that I have fought his battle, who will now be my rewarder. Bunyan then writes, as Mr. Valiant for the truth passes over the river of death, that all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side. Bunyan in his depiction of death for the believer showed that it's only a death river that we set down the sword. It's only a death that we lay down the sword and hand it on to the next generation of Christians. It's sad to say that many a believer has capitulated to the enemy's attempts to lure them away from the battle, so that instead of recognizing this world as a battlefield, such ones see this world as a playground. A playground. Many of God's people have chosen To forget the words of our Lord Jesus Christ whenever He said in Matthew 10 verse 34, Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. This world is a place of spiritual warfare. And we need to remember that, that this realm in which we call home is really the devil's terrain. Today, the church in this world is behind enemy lines. Believer, this world is no playground. It's no playground. It's a battleground. And you'll be very quick to learn that truth. If you're living the Christian life that God intended you to live, the Christian life, you'll realize that this world is a battleground. It's not long after you're saved that you'll come face to face with the foe. Your switched allegiance to Jesus Christ the moment of your conversion has made you the prime target for the devil and all of his forces. We must therefore, as God's children, we must be careful, ever watchful, constantly alert that the God of this world does not lull us to sleep. We must be careful that we don't slip into ease or be enticed to lay down our spiritual weapons. But like Timothy, we must endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ. We must remember that no man that woreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this world, that he might please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And so this world is the arena in which this spiritual battle takes place. And we must never forget that as God's children. We are in battleground, behind enemy lines, and we must not fall asleep spiritually as the army of God. The battle rages around us with the souls of men and women, and we must be found at our posts lest the enemy come in. We must not be bribed by the enemy. We must be alert to him. I'm sure you've all seen pictures of the Great Wall of China. What a marvellous sight it is. They say that it is the only man-made thing on earth that can be seen from outer space, the Great Wall of China. Well, whenever that was built, the Chinese authorities were confused because they had built this gigantic wall. And yet, it seemed to be time after time, the enemy was able to encroach into China and try and steal territory from that nation. And eventually, they found out the reason. They realized that there were guards standing at those little gate houses, and they were bribed by their enemies to allow them in through that wall and allow them to get into China. They had it where capitulated, or they had lined up with the enemy and allowed the enemy to encroach into the land. And there are many in God's family, God's army, and they're just like those gatekeepers. They allow the world into the church. They've lined up with the enemy in their worldliness and in the way that they live. And we must be careful. in the church of Jesus Christ to be at our post and remain loyal and true to King Jesus. And so this world is a battleground. It is the battlefield. Now, since the army of Christ is engaged in a battle, we must then ask or answer this question, who is the enemy? And so that's our second thing that we want to consider, the enemy Christ's army engages with in the battle. The enemy that Christ's army engages with in the battle. Knowing your enemy is a key element for any army to be successful in its military operations, strategic intelligence, reconnaissance concerning the foe is needed in order that the army is best equipped for the conflict. Well, can I say that the Bible is our intelligence report concerning our enemy in the church of Jesus Christ. Because the Bible tells me in this strategic intelligence report that our enemy is not one another. Our enemy is not our fellow brother, and it's not our fellow sister in Jesus Christ. Our enemy is the devil, Satan, the accuser of the brethren, the father of lies, the angel of life, whatever terminology, whatever title you want to use, the enemy of the church of Jesus Christ is the devil. That's our enemy. Ever since the fall of man in Eden's paradise, the seed of the woman has always been at war with the seed of the serpent. It has always been that way. It is that way today, and it will continue to be that way until the Prince of Peace comes to this earth and inflicts the final death blow to the kingdom of darkness. In Christ's ascension back to heaven, Satan, as it were, turns his hostile intentions against Christ, who was the head. off the church, and he turns his attention, and has turned his attention upon the body, the church of Jesus Christ. Now, whenever we speak about the foe, whenever we speak about the enemy of Christ's church, there are two mistakes that we can make when considering Satan as her foe. The first mistake is this. We can make too much of her foe. We can make too much off the foe. In actual fact, we can give and make so much of our foe that we almost attribute the status of deity to the devil. But as God's children, we must remember that the devil is not omnipotent. He is not all-powerful. And we must remember that he is not omniscient. He does not know all things, and he is not all-wise, and he is not omnipresent. He isn't everywhere present. And so we must not attribute deity to the devil. That belongs to God alone. And so there are times when we consider the foe that we can attribute or we can make too much of him. But the second mistake that we can make is that we can make too little of him. We can make so little of him as so that we are unaware of his schemes. And we do not take his schemes against the church seriously. Peter speaks about our foe. Let's turn to it. We want to speak about our foe just very briefly. First Peter, chapter five. First Peter, chapter five, the verse number eight. This is the intelligence report heaven has given to us. This report about the enemy. First Peter, chapter five and the verse number eight, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Now, what intelligence can we glean about our enemy here? First of all, I want you to see the devil's personality, the devil's personality. The Church of Jesus Christ, the devil is not a force. He's not an influence in this world. He's not, as it were, a power in this world. No, the devil is a real entity. How do I know that? Well, whenever Peter refers to Satan here, he does not say in the verse number 8, Our adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom it may devour. Though the Spirit of God, He uses a personal pronoun. He, seeking whom He may devour. He's a person. The entity. He has a personality. And because He is a personality, He then has attributes of being a personality. Let me explain. We read of Him being angry. In the book of the Revelation, 12 verse 17, we read about him having desires. In Luke 22 verse 31, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. We read about him possessing a will in Isaiah chapter 14 verses 12 to 14 and 2 Timothy 2 to verse 26. And so there are the traits of personality that Satan has. Therefore, Church of Jesus Christ, the devil is not to be thought of as the world would have you to think of him, a little cartoon character with a red cloak, a pitchfork and a teal and horns on his head. That's not the devil, but the devil is a real entity. He was one of the created angels. Most likely the one that took the highest place in the hierarchy of angels before they fell from their first estate, before they rebelled against God, desiring to take the throne from off God. Satan led that rebellion in heaven and took a third of the angels. And God said, Jesus Christ said in the Gospels, I saw the Satan. I saw him falling as lightning to the earth. He is a real entity. The devil's personality. Notice another thing about the devil from this verse. Notice the devil's power. His power. That thought is brought to us by the title or by the image that is shown by Peter here. How does he describe him? Does he say, be sober, be vigilant, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a cat or as a lamb. Or as a nice puppy. Doesn't say that. Says your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, a roaring lion. The lion is the king of the jungle, the king of the jungle. What power there is within a lion whenever it gets its prey, pulls it to pieces, rips it, tears it, kills it. There's power within that lion. And throughout the Word of God, there are different titles ascribed to Satan that bring to our mind his power. He's described in Ephesians 2, verse 2, as the prince of the power of the air. Look, chapter 11, verse 21, he's spoken of as the strong man, armed. John describes him in the book of the Revelation, 12, verse 3, as the great red dragon, having seven heads and tail horns and seven crowns upon his head. All of these descriptions give us the idea of the power of our enemy, a power that is second only to that of the Godhead. Fellow soldier of Jesus Christ, we must not underestimate the power of our enemy, but we must not overestimate it either. We have already said it. He is not omnipotent. He is not all-powerful. That attribute, that characteristic, that trait, belongs to God alone. The devil's personality, the devil's power. The third thing, the devil's purpose or program. What is his program? What is his desire? What is his purpose in the world? Note the verse. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a rowing line, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. That's his purpose. And I say to you that the devil's purpose for this church, his desire for this church, his plan for this body of believers here in Portland alone, Free Presbyterian Church, is to disrupt and to disturb and to destroy the work of Jesus Christ in this community. He cares not about the churches in this town that are dead, have no gospel. He's no concern. He's already won them over. They've already been conquered by him. But his desire is to destroy this church. That's his purpose. And so we must not cozy up to him. We must not be ignorant of the devil's devices, but bless God, though His purposes are to destroy us, God's purpose is to defend His church, and He will. He will protect His church. We need to pray that God will do that in these days. In these days of modernism and liberalism, and when everything else goes in the church of Jesus Christ, we need to be careful that we don't allow the devil a stronghold in this church. May God alert us to His schemes and His plans and His devices. But may we ever remember that there is a foe. The foe is at hand. Let us be alert. Let us keep on the watchtower. Well, there's a third thing I want you to consider as we consider the church as an army. I want you to think about the church's artillery for the battle. The church's artillery, artillery for the battle, the apostle Paul remarked in 2nd Corinthians, chapter 10. I'll read it for you. 2nd Corinthians, chapter 10, verses three to five, for though we walk in the flesh, We do not war after the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. The army of Jesus Christ. is not to face this world and fight the forces of darkness with fleshly weapons, the weapons that the world would use. Rather, Christ's army is to employ the spiritual weapons to combat the foe. So then the question arises, well, what weapons are at my disposal as the Church of Jesus Christ and as a member of Christ's Church? What are these weapons? Well, we read about them in Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6, it lists for us the weaponry, the armory of God. Some of these weapons, they're offensive weapons. Some of the weapons are defensive. But each is a weapon, a weapon for the child of God. Think about it. Think about that there, the word verse and verse number 14. Think about the weapon of truth. I tell you, truth is a great weapon. It's truth that sets men and women free. It's truth that counteracts heresy when it comes to the Church of Christ. It's truth that counteracts the falsehoods that are peddled by false prophets in this land and by false teachers in this land. It is truth that sets us free from ignorance and error. Truth is a great weapon. May truth May we, as the Church of Jesus Christ, buy the truth and sell it not. Truth. There's another weapon, righteousness. I tell you, Christ's righteousness is the answer to this world's unrighteousness. It's a weapon, the righteousness of Christ. What about the gospel of peace? It's gospel peace that sinners look for. It's the gospel of peace that subdues that heart that is at war with God. It is the gospel of peace that will subdue you under the reign and kingship of Jesus Christ today. If you're not a Christian, it is the gospel of peace. It's a weapon for God's people. Yes. And what about the weapon of faith? Faith is a weapon that counteracts unbelief. Faith is a weapon that counteracts all our misconceived ideas about God. It's that which paralyzes the Church of Christ's unbelief. And so we come against it with faith, the weapon of faith. What about the weapon of salvation? What better way to counteract the enemy of the Church by robbing him of his prey? And seeing men and women, boys and girls at it, to the church of Jesus Christ, and then what about the weapon of the Word of God? It's quick, it's powerful, it's sharper than any two-edged sword. Ah, some churches despise the old sword. Some churches have demoted the old sword. Some churches have decommissioned. The old sword. But bless God, we can say like David said, referring to Goliath's sword, there is none like it! Give it me! The old sword. The Word of God. I tell you, whenever the church deploys these weapons, no foe can stand in its way. When they deploy the weapon with prayer and with the help of the Holy Ghost, then nothing can stand in her way. Just a little side issue, a little side thought. Did you notice that each of those items in the Christian armor, each item speaks to me about Jesus, of Jesus Christ? He is the truth. John 14, verse 6. He is our righteousness. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30. He is our peace. Ephesians 2, verse 14. He is the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12, verse 2. He is our salvation. Matthew 1, verse 21. He is called the Word of God. Revelation 19 and verse 13. In other words, the Church of Jesus Christ is to put on Christ. Put on Jesus Christ and face the foe. That's what we're to do. We do not face the foe in our own strength, but we face it in His strength. Oh, may God help us to go forward in these days. We can go forward on the promise of God given to His church. Isaiah 54, verse 17, no weapon. that is formed against thee shall prosper. And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is off me, saith the Lord." Bless God, no weapon forged in hell or earth will come and prosper against the Church of Jesus Christ. Bless His Holy Name. There's another thing I want you to notice about the church as an army. The fourth thing, I want you to notice the one who goes before the church into battle. The one who goes before the church into battle. In every spiritual battle that we face as Christ's army, we need to remember the words of Jehaziel to Jehoshaphat and to Judah. They're recorded for us in 2 Chronicles 20, verse 15. The battle is not yours, but God's. The battle is not yours, but God's. As Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones remarked, we are never to forget that we are individual units in a great army. We are not fighting some personal private war. We are simply individual soldiers in a great army which is fighting a great campaign. In other words, the real, the ultimate issue is not so much my fight with the devil, but God's fight with the devil. It's not my fight with the devil. It's God's fight with the devil. And it is God who accompanies His church into battle. How do I know that? Because He's called the captain of their salvation. Hebrews 2, verse 10. He heads up His army as she faces the foe. Is that not the case? Whenever God came to His army, In the days of Saul of Tarsus, whenever he waged war against that New Testament fledgling church, what did Jesus Christ say to him on the Damascus Road? He said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Not them, me. Christ identified with his church in the midst of the battle that Saul of Tarsus led against that early New Testament church. He was with her. in the battle. You see, our king, our great commander-in-chief, the captain of our salvation, he does not act like King David acted. Whenever he stayed at home in Jerusalem, whenever he enjoyed ease in Jerusalem, when his armies went into battle, when the kings went forth to battle, our commander-in-chief is not like King David. Rather, Christ as our captain is at the forefront of the battle. As one of old put it in the sternest fight, he is always conspicuous and there is no weary march that he bids us tramp in which he does not foot it at our side. You shall never climb so high that you will not find the footprint of the crucified there, nor shall you be called to descend even into the depths of the sea, but you shall find that he has been thereto, for he leads us always as the captain of our salvation. On the 12th of June 1944, six days after the D-Day landings in Normandy, A young American lieutenant named Richard Winters led his men to the outskirts of a French town of Caritan. As the officer in charge of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division, he was tasked to clear that town of its German aggressors. It would be a small battle in comparison to the battles that would rage there along the Normandy coast, but it did play a significant role in the ousting of the Nazis eventually from France. As Lieutenant Winters led his company towards the town, history records that the company came under fire from a German machine gun. Winters then automatically and instinctively dove for cover into the ditches either side of the road. The success of the mission that had been entrusted to him was now in jeopardy. What were they going to do? What happened next proved to be the turning point in the battle for that town. Lieutenant Winters got up from the place that he was hiding and he stood in the middle of the road and with bullets whizzing past him, he started yelling at his troops to get up out of the ditches and to engage the enemy. His words, coupled with his heroic action, motivated those soldiers to get up and to fight and to eventually gain a decisive victory over the Germans. We would applaud Lieutenant Winters for his courage. We would applaud him for what he did that day. But can I say to you that the Church of Jesus Christ as one who is infinitely greater than Lieutenant Richard Winters, leading us into battle. He is a war-decorated soldier whose record is second to none, who has lost no battle, has won every victory and every fight that he has ever engaged in, and he is one who continues to go forth with his church going forth conquering and to conquer, it is Christ who leads us into victory. From victory on to victory, his army he shall lead. And every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed. So, child of God, whatever battle you're in today, I don't know what that battle is. Maybe a battle of despair, battle of sorrow, a battle in the family, outside of the family, whatever battle you're in today, I want you to see your Saviour going before you. I want you to see Him as He takes the field. I want you to see Him as He engages with the enemy. I want you to see Him as He'll secure the victory for you, because since God before us, who can be against us? And that brings us to our final very brief thought, and it's this, the secured outcome for the Church's battles. The secured outcome for the Church's battle. Though the battle be fierce, and though at times the ranks be thinned out, and though at times morale is low among Christ's troops, the victorious outcome has already been secured by Christ's work there on Calvary's cross. We know that many promises point to the ultimate victory of the church. Let me give you a few. Matthew 16, 18. I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. In other words, hell is retreating today. Hell's retreating, not the church. Hell's retreating. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 1 Corinthians 15, 25, He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet. That speaks to me of victory. He's going to bring all of our enemies under His feet. The last verse, Revelation 7, verse 9, And after this I beheld, though a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands." You know the palm leaf? The palm leaf was that which the Grecian and the Roman athlete waved whenever they were crowned the conqueror at the athletic tournament. They waved the palm leaf. It showed and identified to all the arena who the victor was. And you see that palm leaf? It was also used by the Roman conqueror who came out of the battlefield with there the prisoners of war behind him. And what did the Roman citizens do as they welcomed in their champion? They took down palm trees and they waved it. Here comes the victor! Here comes the victor! And bless God, every child of God on that final day, what will we have in our hands? We'll have the palm of victory! We will. He's bringing His church from victory into victory. Bless God. Church of Jesus Christ. May God be pleased to rise His troops today. May God be pleased to rise us His troops today, and may each of us enter the fray knowing that it is He that goes before us and that final victory is secure. I end with the words of 1 Corinthians 15, 57, But thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless God, I'm on the winning side. What about you? Are you a Christian? Have you enrolled into God's army? Are you a soldier of Jesus Christ? Because if not, ultimate loss and ultimate defeat will be your portion. But for each child of God, Christ, Christ has given us the victory. May God encourage his troops today, and may the church militant go forward and claim new territory from our enemy. Let's unite in prayer, please. Loving Father, O God, there are times when we feel, dear God, that there's nothing but defeat around us. Yet, Lord, we're assured that as soldiers in Thine army, that, Lord, that Thou wilt, O God, bring us into victory. O God, we pray that Thou wilt stir the troops. We pray that each individual will be found at the post the place where God has enlisted them to. We're asking of Thee, Father, that we might, O God, be alert of the foe that rages against us. And, Father, that You'll take us, Father, O God, and take from our minds this thought that this world is a playground for us. That You'll help us to realize that there's a battle raging, and we need the Lord to go with us. And we pray that He will. And He'll tread down our enemies. And Father, that thou wilt get thyself a name as the mighty conqueror of souls and hearts. Will God answer prayer? Be with us now. And part us with thy blessing. We pray this in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Amen.