Fighting Back: Marriage, Part 2 - Hope and Peace
Audio
Video
Sermon Notes
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Key Points:
- We are strong in HIS Mighty Power. Our strength is limited, His is infinite.
- Satan schemes against us.
- Our real enemy is behind the visible.
- His Truth counteracts his lies. (pay attention to capitalization)
- In Christ, we are in “right standing” before God. Legal Freedom
- The Gospel delivers the Peace that keeps us rock steady & ready.
- Faith prevents the damaging penetration of the enemy’s arrows.
- In Christ, we are in “right relationship” with God. Relational Freedom
- The Word of God is our defense and our offense.
- Prayer is the connective tissue between heaven and earth.
You can fight with one another or you can fight for one another it really is your choice…which choice will you make?
Hope Defined
Culturally - to want something to happen or be true – wishful thinking
Old Testament - confident expectation
New Testament - Jesus is unveiled as our Hope.
Hebrews 6:19
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Jeremiah 29:10-14
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Jeremiah 33:19-22
19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”
Jeremiah 32:15
“For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”
Jeremiah 32:27
“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
Peace
James 3:17,18 (Message)
17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community [read marriage] that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
Goals of Dating
- Minimize differences and maximize similarities
- Hide faults
Building A Peace-full Marriage
- Do the hard work to understand and appreciate each other.
You can take a free DISC test at https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/
Dominance
Describes the way you deal with problems, assert yourself and control situations.
Influence
Describes the way you deal with people, the way you communicate and relate to others.
Steadiness
Describes your temperament - patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness
Compliance
Describes how you approach and organize your activity, procedures and responsibilities.
Don’t spend your marriage trying to change one another – spend your marriage understanding and appreciating one another.
Building A Peace-full Marriage
Keep Mining the Depth of Love
The Depth of Love
1 Corinthians 13:4-6
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Love has the capacity to understand, repent and forgive.
Loves role in peace…
1. Love Works to Understand
James 1:19,20
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
2. Love Repents
3. Love Forgives