AT WAR (7): NONE TOO SOON (Ephesians 6:10-13) A fisherman in a small boat sees another man in a nearby boat

open his tackle box and take out a mirror. Curious, the fisherman asks what the mirror is for. The other man says, Thats how I catch fish. I shine the sunlight on the water, fish come up to the top, and I nab them. Does it really work? You bet it does. Well, Ill give you ten dollars for that mirror. Sure. The transaction is completed. The fisherman says, By the way, how many fish have you caught this week? Well, Youre number 6. Eph 6:11: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. The devil is like that fisherman, trying to reel us in with clever lies. Jesus said of him that he has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him (John 8:44). His defining characteristic is that he is a liar. He operates at one extreme or the other of truth, so lets look at four more pairs of lies schemes of Satan to take us in. E. God Desires Your Success Above All (A) Success. We may define it in terms of career, money, contentment, ministry, relationships, family life whatever. And theres nothing wrong with success. A sense of purpose is a good thing. The lie is that God desires our success above all else. When we become driven to succeed at any cost, by any means and at the expense of anybody, weve been had. Success is a by-product of Gods providence; it is not the end-all. Unfortunately, preachers are often the worst offenders. Many now routinely utilize human methods to produce great crowds as though numbers were the goal. Worst of all are the prosperity gospel preachers who make health and wealth the measure of your relationship with God. They quote the Bible to hook the unwary. Like Marilyn Hickey: "What do you need? Start creating it. Start speaking about it. Start speaking it into being. Speak to your billfold. Say, 'You big, thick billfold full of money.' Speak to your checkbook. Say, 'You, checkbook, you. You've never been so prosperous since I owned you. You're just jammed full of money.'" She justifies this as a word of faith. And if you cant make it happen, there is something wrong with you. She references Acts 19 where God so empowered Paul that cloths that touched him were used to heal the sick. Hickey has such prayer cloths, and she will send you one to put into your wallet or over your sickness. But
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theres a catch. It doesnt get divine power until you send it back along with some seed money; then it will heal whatever ails you. Im still looking in Acts 19 for the part where Paul charges for this service. So far all Ive found is Acts 8 where Peter rebukes Simon so severely for trying to make money off of healings that Simon pleads for prayer not to die. Peter didnt go for the prosperity gospel! John Avanzini is another so-called preacher who has reduced Gods Word to teaching about worldly success through making money. Benny Hinn says of Avanzini, "The wicked are piling up the funds, and I love the way, John teaches on this. He's the best there is when it comes to teaching you on how to get the wealth of the wicked. Man, I like it!" Beloved, when did we become so gullible? God doesnt need the wealth of the wicked! Did Jesus teach that we are to make ourselves rich off the wicked? That is Satans voice behind the siren song of success? God wants us to win them to Christ, not take their money. Worldly success is not Gods goal for you. His desire for our life and ministry is in I Cor 4:2, Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found successful? Is that what it says? No, it says, Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. Faithfulness thats Gods desire. Whether or not He gives outward success is His business. God is not obligated to respond in a prescribed way because I apply some magical formula. The assumption of prosperity preachers is preposterous. It makes man the master and God the slave. Did you ever look carefully at the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11? It talks about people like Moses, Abraham and Noah and events like the parting of the Red Sea and the fall of Jericho. Great men; great acts of God in history. Now, verse 32, And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life (What great things God has done). 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated 38 of whom the world was not worthywandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Isnt this a staggering picture? There they are, hanging side-by2

side on the wall of this Hall of Fame. Those who drove Cadillacs, lived in mansions and had miraculous healings, right alongside those suffered unspeakable hardships. Great human successes alongside total human failures. The common denominator? Verse 39, 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. The common denominator? All were faithful. And none received the ultimate promise. That comes in glory. Worldly success or lack of it -- is meaningless to God. Dont buy the lie. Its not your success God is after; it is your faithfulness. The ex-wife of TV evangelist, Richard Roberts one of the rah, rah prosperity boys summed it up eloquently: I know a lot of people were blessed and sincerely ministered to by what we sang on TV, and by what we said but the overall picture, I'm afraid, seemed to say, 'If you follow our formula, you'll be like us,' rather than, 'If you do what Jesus says, youll be like Him.' It was certainly more exciting to follow us, because the follow us was to identify with success, with glamour, with the theology that made everything good and clean and well-knit together. To identify with Jesus, however, meant to identify with the Cross. Faithfulness identifies with the cross. Not much worldly success there, but ultimate success in Gods eyes. F. You are a Failure (B) The other side of the success coin? You are a failure. You tried and failed; give it up. God is not interested in you. He cannot use you. You belong to the scrap heap of humanity. Ever feel that way? Its just the other side of the success syndrome. It is just as shameful to quit as a failure as it is to chase success as your highest priority? Listen God has no failures but He has a lot of bench-sitters who have bought the lie that they are useless. Notice I Cor 4:2 again, Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. Stewardship of Gods gifts is not a suggestion; it is required. Faithfulness touches His heart. The University of Chicago once received a million-dollar grant from an heiress who had been a student at Northwestern. Northwestern asked why she had not made such a gift to her alma mater. Her answer was simple, The people at the University of Chicago asked. You did not. How many times do we fail to ask people a simple question like, Will you go to church with me? or What do you think of Christ? God is looking
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for faithful. Dont buy the lie that you are a failure. You are only a failure if you have taken yourself out of the game. G. Things Are Necessary (A) If someone asked you in a non-church context, What would make you happy? how would you answer? What are you really living for? What is ultimate for you? If I could just make Vice-President or save up $500,000 or marry Joe or go on a cruise once a year then I would be happy. What is it for you? If that thing is more important to you than your relationship with Jesus, it has become an idol and you have succumbed to the lie That thing is necessary. Were like the guy arrested for burglary. The judge said to him, I note that in addition to stealing money, you took watches, rings and pearls. Yes, your honor, he replied. I was taught money alone doesnt bring happiness. He bought the lie -- thought things were necessary. Jesus said in Luke 12:16: And he told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? 18 And he said, I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. 20 But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Was Jesus against the things this man had gathered? No. That would miss the point. The problem was that the man had made those things ultimate! He thought they were necessities rather than luxuries. And the foolishness of his position was shown in the fact that overnight he would lose them. Its a lie of Satan. Things are necessary. H. Things are Bad (B) The opposite of that extreme things are bad. Didnt Jesus say so? And so a few, not many in our day, but a few go to monastic extremes to get rid of things or at least to avoid enjoying them. A few people have gone to extremes, joined monasteries, taken vows of silence, created communities cloistered against worldly temptations. But the Bible says in I Tim 4:4 says, For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. Do you see everything every thing created by God is good.
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God further instructs in I Tim 6:17, As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. God is not holding out on us. If He is first in our hearts, we can enjoy His gifts in the proper context receiving them with thanksgiving, sanctifying them by the Word of God and prayer. Do you see the wonderful symmetry of Gods teaching? Enjoy the gifts as they come your way! But dont idolize them! The Bible tells us in Eph 4:13 that God enables us to make money not so we can pile it up, but to share with those who are in need. The greatest joy is in sharing. A pastor once commented to John Jacob Astor that it must be nice to have the ability to help those in need. Astor, famous for avoiding charities, replied, One might have the ability, but not the disposition. He bought the lie and lost the joy. Things, relationships, abilities all are for our joy when accepted with thanksgiving, sanctified by prayer and shared from the heart. Dont buy the lie things are bad. True only if they replace God in our affections. I. A Little Sin is No Big Deal (A) A little sin is acceptable. It spices things up. Nobody likes a prude; nobody likes a goody-two-shoes. Come on. Everyones doing it! Dont be left out. Sex before marriage its natural. Youre not committed to anyone else, so whats the harm? Loosen up. Badmouthing the boss? He earned every comment he got and then some. Speaking harshly to my kids? They deserved worse. My grudge against old Sam? Listen, that guy stabbed me in the back. Of course I hate him. Who wouldnt? And someday, Ill get him back. That joke I told yesterday? Just boys being boys. No one took offense. Beloved its all the devil whispering A little sin is no big deal only, of course, he doesnt use the word sin. He just substitutes the word fun for sin and it all seems harmless. No harm; no foul! Whats the big deal? The big deal is our calling, Beloved. Want to know why people dont take our faith seriously? Its because we dont take our faith seriously. Listen to I Pet 1:14-16, As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. No sin; no excuses; no rationalizations; no compromise. Serious about our faith. In the days of Nehemiah, the people lost contact with Gods Word. They asked the priest, Ezra to bring the Book, read it and explain it which he did. The
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reaction of the people is recorded in Neh 9:2, And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. You see, our goal as a believer according to Eph 4:13 is to [attain] mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Our goal is to become like Him, not like them. Live for God and you wont lack for adventure. We miss so much because we are patterning our lives after the world instead of after Him. Any sin is a big deal. If it doesnt hurt anyone else, it hurts you and it hurts your Lord. J. Good is Best (B) Thomas Chalmers was a lazy, liberal minister in Scotland in the early 1800s. He once wrote a booklet claiming that a minister can get do his work in two days and then pursue other things like him, a professor of mathematics in the University of Edinburgh. But one day, God brought him up short. He realized he was not even a Christian and he gave his heart to Christ. God transformed him and prospered his ministry until he was one of the best-known pastors in Scotland. Years later a fellow-pastor, jealous of Chalmers success, waved the old pamphlet in Chalmers face and asked, Did you write that? To which Chalmers replied, Yes sir, I did. But I wrote it when I was strangely blind. . . . I had forgotten the shortness of time and I had forgotten the length of eternity. If the devil cant get us into overt sin, this is where he goes. He tells us that good is best and we buy it because weve forgotten the shortness of time and the length of eternity. So, we plan our vacations, take our leisure, lay up for retirement and enjoy life. With families close, money in the bank and pleasure in our hobbies, we are content. No sin there! Its all good! Except where is God? Where is the commitment to ministry? Where is the concern for the needy? Where is the compassion for family and friends who do not know Christ? When did now become all there is? We forget time is short; eternity is long. Like Esau, weve sell our birthright for one good meal. Anything wrong with a meal? Any sin there? Of course not not, that is, unless it leaves God out of the picture. Gods comment is found in Heb 11:16-17: that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. Esau was declared unholy for simply eating a meal. Why? He treasured the meal over the blessing of God. He thought good was best. He forgot the
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shortness of time and the length of eternity. Are we doing that? Is our life about us instead of about Him? K. Youve Got Plenty of Time (A) A modern fable: a revival broke out on earth and Satan was desperate to stop it. He announced a contest for the most demonic enticement away from God. Came the big day and Brother Brimstone stood up to present. He said, First, we pick our target, then we whisper in his ear, Tell me, Mr. Smith, how would you like to go to heaven when you die? Naturally hell say yes, so then we proceed, Well, all you have to do is accept Christ as your Lord. Naturally He will want you to stop drinking and carousing and youll have to drop that girl youve been seeing on the side . . . The other imps were on their feet Whose side are you on, anyhow? But Brother Brimstone calmly held up his hand to quiet them. Hear me out, he smiled. See after I tell him that I whisper in his ear, But you dont have to accept Him now -- just some more convenient time. Brimstone won. Has he used that one on you? Perhaps you are on the fence. You want Him, but you want your own way more and the devil is whispering, No problem. Some more convenient time. Now youre playing Russian roulette. Paul wrote in II Cor 6:2 to those who were awaiting a more favorable time, Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. It will never be better than now. In fact, now may never come again. Now is all you have. No one is promised even one more day! Even worse -- that desire to delay shows that you really do not value Christ above all, so the chances are slim that if you put it off you will ever come to Him at all. You are at a crossroads this morning that may very well be now or never. Hell is filled with people who said some more convenience time. L. Its Too Late for You Perhaps for you the whisper is coming in the other ear. Instead of some more convenient time, you are hearing, Its already too late for you. Its too late. The places you have been, the things youve done, the bitterness you have held against God. God would never accept you. Its too late. Is that true? Is it too late? Well, the bible hints at the possibility that one might reject the Lordship of Christ so many times and so emphatically that the Spirit of God ceases to call. But if you are asking the question, is it too
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late? then it is not too late. That question itself is generated by the Spirit of God. But, dear friend, dont turn away again. It is not your sin or failure or past that would keep you from Christ. That sin is exactly why He died for you. It is your continual refusal of Him that is the danger. It is not too late but tomorrow may very well be too late. Dont close your heart again. Lloyd Ogilvie, former chaplain to the US Senate, was lunching one day during his student days with a friend named Alastair. They had talked about Christ many times, but Alastair had consistently refused to submit to the Lordship of Christ, fearing what he would have to give up. This day they talked about grace and near the end of the conversation, Ogilvie took out his pen, placed it on the table and said, Alastair, you need to make a decision. When you decide to accept the gift of grace and commit your life to Christ, pick up the pen. Ten minutes went by as Alastair stared at the pen. Then 15, 20, 30, 40 minutes. A mutual Christian friend named Scott noticed the silent pair and came over. What are you two doing? he asked with a chuckle. Alastair replied intently, Im trying to decide whether to become a Christian. Sensing the intensity of the moment, Scott said, Why not do it now and get on with your life? And he walked away. Alastair returned to his silent contemplation, Ogilvie praying. Finally, Alastair thrust out his hand, grasped the pen and said, Now is none too soon! And with joy, he prayed to turn his life over to Christ. Beloved, now is none too soon. Its not too late, but a more convenient time will never come. Do it now; do it today; do it as you sit right where you are. Stop running from Him. Stop running your life. Dont be another stooge that the devil reels in with a shiny mirror. Open your heart to the most wonderful Master you could ever have. Come to Christ. Do it now. It is none too soon! But tomorrow could be too late. Lets pray.