Sunday, July 22, 2012

Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare/Outline


Commentaries used:


Martyn Lloyd Jones; Great Doctrines of the Bible


S.Lewis Johnson; Systematic Theology


Kurt Koch; "Between Christ and Satan


John Bunyan; Pilgrim's Progress


Opening: Hebrews 5:13-14

Poem by Matthew Arnold: "Blood and Battles"

Paul counsels Timothy to "fight for the faith" (1 Tim. 4:1-3, 6:12, and 2 Tim. 4:7)

Satan's sin is unbelief, he thinks he can defeat God (Isaiah 14:12-15). Contrast to the humilty of our Lord in Phil. 2:5-11.

Genesis 2:1 - 3:5 God knew Adam would sin and did not catch Him off guard

Anti-Christ; Instead of Christ or against Christ (2Thess. 2:4)
Angelic conflict around us: 2 Kings 6, Daniel 10:12-13, Mark 5;1-13 (100% of demons believe that Jesus is the Messiah)


Satan and demons works

1) Counterfiet teaching; Jude, Matthew 13:37-38, 2 Cor. 11:13-15, John 13:26-27

2) Blinds minds/ decieves the world; 2 Cor. 4:4, 2 Thess. 2:10, 2 Cor. 11:3, Acts 7:56-60 and 8:1-4

3) Performs false miracles; 2 Thess.2:7-12, Matt. 7:22-23, Acts 19:13-16, Acts 16:16-18, Exodus 7:8-12, 1 Samuel 28

4) Tempts and accuses; Matt. 4, Luke 4, Mark 1, Zec. 3:1-2, Job 1-3, Matt.16:21-23, 2 Cor. 12:7-9



Luther "even the devil is God's devil"

Satan God's instrument; 1 Tim. 1:18-20, 1 Cor. 5:5


Closing

1 John 4:4

Revelation 12:7-12

Luke 10:17-18

Colossians 2:14-15





Thursday, July 5, 2012

What is a Boy?

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood we find a delightful creature called a boy. Boys come in assorted sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same creed: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to protest with noise (their only weapon) when their last minute is finished and the adult males pack them off to bed at night.




Boys are found everywhere—on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to.



Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them, and Heaven protects them.



A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair, and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket. When you are busy, a boy is an inconsiderate, bothersome, intruding jangle of noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a savage, jungle creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.



A boy is a composite—he has the appetite of a horse, the digestion of a sword-swallower, the energy of a pocket-sized atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the lungs of a dictator, the imagination of a Paul Bunyan, the shyness of a violet, the audacity of a steel trap, the enthusiasm of a firecracker, and when he makes something, he has five thumbs on each hand. He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines.



He is not much for, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime. Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can cram into one pocket a rusty knife, a half-eaten apple, three feet of string, an empty Bull Durham sack, two gum drops, six cents, a slingshot, a chunk of unknown substance, and a genuine supersonic code ring with a secret compartment.



A boy is a magical creature—you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can’t lock him out of your heart. You can get him out of your study, but you can’t get him out of your mind. Might as well give up—he is your captor, your jailer, your boss, and your master—a freckled-faced, pint-sized, cat-chasing, bundle of noise. But when you come home at night with only shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, "Hi Dad!"