Becoming
a WARRIOR (not a Wimp) for ChristPastor Reb Bradley
I. God’s view of the single Christian
1 Cor 7:32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the
A. They are potentially God's most
____________________For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12
B. They are to be ________ those older and younger
1 Tim 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
II. What is the difference between a WARRIOR and a WIMP?
A. Mat 25:20-21; 9:37-38 A warrior lives
_______________Mat 25:20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
Mat 9:37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
B. Mat 25:25; Luke 6:44 A wimp isn't
__________________Mat 25:25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
Luke 6:44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.
III. What happens to the army whose warriors are not in the battle?
They
IV. What are the traits of a Christian warrior?
A. vs 32 A warrior is concerned with accomplishing
2 Cor 5:15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (Rom 14:8 John 6:38)
B. vs 32 A warrior is preoccupied with ________ the Lord – in _________________
aresko
, ar-es'-ko; to make emotionally lifted up or excited EXTRA TIME = SERVICEThey don’t use their extra time for pleasure & fun – taking it easy before responsibilities of marr
Rom 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Cor 5:9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Eph 5:10 and find out what pleases the Lord. (1 Thes 2:4; 4:1; James 4:4; 1 Pet 4:3-5)
C. vs 34 A warrior is devoted to the Lord in ____ as well as in ______
Rom 6:13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (1 Cor 6:18-19; 1 Th 4:3-5)
D. vs 35 A warrior is _____________in devotion to the Lord
Potential for distractions – divided interests
2 Tim 2:3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. (2 Cor 11:3; Luke 16:13)
V. What keeps warriors from being dangerous?
A. They do not ________________ high calling, so fail to __________
Prov 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.
Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
B. They _______________ which keep them out of the battle
What is Satan’s basic goal for you -- keep you spiritually INEFFECTIVE
1 Pet 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
2 Cor 2:11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
VI. What are the traps which render warriors ineffective, and how can they be overcome?
A. vs 32 A warrior is concerned with accomplishing God’s goals
The Traps:
1. Judges 2:12, 17 Satan wants to ________your values_– to draw you into__________
Num 33:55 "'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.
2. 2 Pet 2:19 Satan wants you
________ to_another_______Luke 4:5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
2 Peter 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
The Solution:
1. Stop making yourself ____ by _______ your ____ for the _____
Num. 33:51-56; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; James 1:27; Gal. 6:7-8
2. __________ the "pagan altars" in your life. Determine: What ______ you?
Num 33:52; Jud 2:2; 1 Pet 4:3-5; 1 Cor 10:7,14
B. vs 32 A warrior is preoccupied with pleasing the Lord
The Trap: Satan wants you to live to ______ the Lord
Eph 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
The Solution
: Live to put a _____ on God’s_____ -- not a _________2 Cor 5:9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Eph 5:10 and find out what pleases the Lord. (Also 1 Thes 2:4; 4:1)
C. vs 34 A warrior is devoted to the Lord with his body as well as his spirit
The Trap: Satan wants to ______ you _______ by keeping you _______________
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Purity is the _________ of a warrior ________________Eph 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
1 Th 4:3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;
The Solution:
1.
_____ anything which ___________2 Tim 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (Rom 13:14; Job 31:1; Eph 5:12, 4)
2. Treat all ______ just as if they were your ____________________Purity is defined by God as that of a relationship between a brother and sister
1 Tim 5:1 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
Absolute purity pas hagneia: pas hag-ni'-ah; completely and thoroughly chaste and clean
D. vs 35 A warrior is undistracted_in his devotion to the Lord
2 Cor 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
The Traps:
1. Satan will distract you with the_wrong __________– ________ at home
Eph 4:26-32; Gen 3:4-5
2. You will be distracted by ______________________
1 Cor 7:9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
The Solution:
1. When alienated from family, refuse to be ______ Stay on the __________
2. Don’t entertain __________________ for one you will not _____
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The GOAL: To make it to marriage without giving our heart to another’s spouseã
Don’t win the heart of one who will be another person’s wifeE. vs 32-35,26 A warrior understands his calling and lives for the battle
The Trap: Satan
Rev 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
The Solution:
1. Plan for and prepare your
_____ to be ________ by the worldActs 14:22; Phil 1:29; 1 John 3:13; Matt 10:22; 24:9; Luke 21:12, 17; 11:49; 21:12; John 15:19-20; 16:2; Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Peter 2:21; 2 Tim 2:3-4
2. Get a
____ & get into the_______ à Live for _______ – not for ____Judges 3:1-2; 2 Tim 4:1-2; 1:6-7; 1 Tim 4:14-16
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1 Cor 7:32-35 God declares the purpose of the teen years to be ______________ã
In America we view the teen years as the time for the most ______________________