We’ve been looking into Ephesians and taking a look at the armor of God, how vital it is that we would adorn ourselves in the armor of God, especially in this hour.  The apostle told us that, as we put this armor on and become very conscious of our warfare in the heavenlies, that we would then become aware that we’re in a position of no longer being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.  We’re not in a place where we are, as so many people tragically find themselves today, succumbing to and being overcome by the wiles of the devil, his cunning devices, the way that he’s wrapping false doctrine today.  So much of the church—the Bible says in the last days men will no longer endure sound doctrine.  They’ll go hunting for men that will tell them what they want to hear, and we see that in the church today.  They call it the seeker-friendly movement, et cetera.  But the reality is, in this last day, more than ever, we should be seeking sound doctrine for our own lives.

One aspect, and we won’t comment on it at length at this moment, but one aspect of that is the Apostle’s Doctrine.  We see the church, then, growing up, understanding there, as life was being infused into the church, that there was a personal regeneration, that coming to the knowledge of God, the enlightening of our minds in our own personal relationships with the Lord, and then there He was, baptizing us into His body, the church.  We have, as the church, this dual relationship.  We relate to Him as individuals, and we relate to Him as a community.  Doctrine applies to us in those ways, both individually and as a community.  We’re admonished here to put on this doctrine, or this armor, so that we would not be taken aside, deceived, in this last hour.  Then he says this, and it’s so vital for us, that once we’ve adorned ourselves in this armor, once we set out against the devil, against principalities and powers, and we saw in our last sessions how we do that.  We do it by warring in the heavenlies, resisting the devil, and the Scripture says, he will flee from us.  We have another aspect that I want to point out that is so vital for us in this last hour.  Paul went on to say that, as we continue to war against the enemy, as we continue to resist the devil, having done all to stand then, do what?  Stand.  Don’t give any of that ground back.

I want to talk about where we need to, as a community, protect ourselves from giving ground back to the devil that He’s delivered us from, and remind us how vital it is if we’re going to finish this course.  There is no guarantee that all of us in here this morning are going to finish that course.  Those that are probably least ready to finish the course are those that think, “Though everyone else is forsaking you, Lord, it’ll never happen to me.”  Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall.  The Scripture is so clear on the dangers of thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think.  That means, then, that if we begin to put less confidence in ourselves and more confidence in the Lord—because this is what faith is really all about, without faith we can’t please God—having an absolute reliance on the Lord working His will in our lives; amen?  We talked about that with the armor of God, and that we’re to pray.  We saw that what we’re to pray is the will of the Lord.  “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).  Amen?