Empowered by the Spirit: Standing Firm Against Deception

 

Summary

In Ephesians 6:10-13, Paul urges believers to be strong in the Lord and to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the devil's schemes. This call to spiritual vigilance is echoed in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, where Paul warns against quenching the Spirit. The devil's tactics are multifaceted, targeting both individual believers and the church as a whole. The history of the church, from its inception at Pentecost to the present, is a testament to the ongoing spiritual battle against these schemes. The Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus, is central to the life of the church, empowering believers to live out their faith.

The devil's primary aim is to disrupt the work of the Holy Spirit, either by driving believers to excess or by quenching the Spirit's influence. The first tactic involves pushing believers to extremes, leading to confusion and disorder, as seen in the Corinthian church. This can result in a focus on subjective experiences at the expense of the Word of God. The second tactic, more prevalent today, is quenching the Spirit, leading to a lack of spiritual vitality and power in the church. This is evident when comparing the contemporary church to the vibrant, Spirit-filled communities of the New Testament and periods of revival.

To avoid quenching the Spirit, believers must recognize the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence and allow Him to work within them. The Spirit enlightens, empowers, and fills believers with warmth, assurance, and love. A Spirit-filled life is characterized by joy, peace, and a deep love for God and others. Christians are called to live in the Spirit, allowing His fire to burn brightly within them, transforming their lives and drawing others to Christ.

Key Takeaways:

- The devil's schemes are aimed at disrupting the work of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives. By understanding the devil's tactics, we can better equip ourselves to stand firm in our faith and resist his attempts to lead us astray. [10:19]

- The Holy Spirit is central to the Christian life, empowering believers to live out their faith with boldness and clarity. Recognizing His indwelling presence is crucial for spiritual growth and vitality. [28:28]

- Quenching the Spirit leads to a lack of spiritual vitality and power in the church. By allowing the Spirit to work within us, we can experience the fullness of life that God intends for His people. [25:25]

- A Spirit-filled life is characterized by warmth, assurance, and love. These qualities not only transform our lives but also serve as a powerful witness to the world of the reality of Christ. [42:00]

- To avoid quenching the Spirit, believers must remain open to His leading and allow His fire to burn brightly within them. This involves a commitment to living a life that is guided by the Spirit and marked by love, joy, and peace. [44:30]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Introduction to Ephesians 6:10-13
- [01:09] - The Wilds of the Devil
- [02:49] - The Church and the Holy Spirit
- [03:50] - The Day of Pentecost
- [06:00] - The Work of the Holy Spirit
- [08:39] - The Devil's Objective
- [10:35] - Quenching the Spirit
- [12:11] - Excesses in the Spirit
- [16:19] - The Danger of Subjectivity
- [21:19] - Quenching the Spirit Today
- [25:40] - Recognizing the Holy Spirit
- [30:57] - The Fire of the Spirit
- [35:28] - Living in the Spirit
- [42:00] - Assurance and Love in the Spirit
- [45:57] - Conclusion and Benediction

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Ephesians 6:10-13
- 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Observation Questions:
1. What does Paul mean by "put on the whole armor of God" in Ephesians 6:10-13, and why is it necessary for believers? [00:10]
2. How does the sermon describe the devil's tactics against the church and individual believers? [01:30]
3. According to the sermon, what role does the Holy Spirit play in the life of the church and individual believers? [05:28]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the sermon explain the difference between quenching the Spirit and allowing the Spirit to work within us? [30:57]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the contemporary church might be quenching the Spirit compared to the early church? [25:25]
3. What are the potential consequences of focusing too much on subjective experiences at the expense of the Word of God, as mentioned in the sermon? [15:07]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there areas where you might be quenching the Spirit? How can you become more open to His leading? [44:30]
2. The sermon mentions the importance of recognizing the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence. How can you cultivate a greater awareness of the Spirit in your daily life? [28:28]
3. Consider the balance between spiritual experiences and adherence to the Word of God. How can you ensure that your spiritual life is grounded in Scripture? [15:07]
4. The sermon highlights the characteristics of a Spirit-filled life, such as joy, peace, and love. Which of these qualities do you feel is most lacking in your life, and what steps can you take to develop it? [42:00]
5. How can you actively resist the devil's schemes in your life, as described in Ephesians 6:10-13? What practical steps can you take to stand firm in your faith? [10:19]
6. The sermon discusses the danger of being driven to extremes in spiritual matters. How can you maintain a balanced and healthy spiritual life? [12:11]
7. Think of a time when you felt spiritually dry or lacking vitality. What changes can you make to invite the Holy Spirit to renew and empower you? [25:25]

Devotional

Day 1: Understanding the Devil's Schemes
The devil's primary aim is to disrupt the work of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives. His tactics are multifaceted, targeting both individual believers and the church as a whole. By understanding these tactics, believers can better equip themselves to stand firm in their faith and resist his attempts to lead them astray. The devil often seeks to drive believers to extremes, leading to confusion and disorder, or to quench the Spirit's influence, resulting in a lack of spiritual vitality and power. Recognizing these schemes is the first step in standing against them. [10:19]

Ephesians 4:27-30 (ESV): "And give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Reflection: Identify a specific area in your life where you feel spiritually attacked. How can you actively resist the devil's schemes in this area today?


Day 2: The Central Role of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is central to the Christian life, empowering believers to live out their faith with boldness and clarity. Recognizing His indwelling presence is crucial for spiritual growth and vitality. The Spirit enlightens, empowers, and fills believers with warmth, assurance, and love. By acknowledging and embracing the Holy Spirit's role, believers can experience a deeper connection with God and a more vibrant spiritual life. [28:28]

John 14:16-17 (ESV): "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."

Reflection: In what ways can you become more aware of the Holy Spirit's presence in your daily life? How can this awareness transform your actions and decisions today?


Day 3: Avoiding the Quenching of the Spirit
Quenching the Spirit leads to a lack of spiritual vitality and power in the church. By allowing the Spirit to work within us, we can experience the fullness of life that God intends for His people. This involves being open to the Spirit's leading and allowing His fire to burn brightly within us. A Spirit-filled life is characterized by joy, peace, and a deep love for God and others. [25:25]

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 (ESV): "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent decision or action where you may have ignored the Spirit's prompting. How can you be more receptive to His guidance in the future?


Day 4: Living a Spirit-Filled Life
A Spirit-filled life is characterized by warmth, assurance, and love. These qualities not only transform our lives but also serve as a powerful witness to the world of the reality of Christ. By living in the Spirit, believers can draw others to Christ and demonstrate the transformative power of the Gospel. This involves a commitment to living a life that is guided by the Spirit and marked by love, joy, and peace. [42:00]

Galatians 5:22-25 (ESV): "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit."

Reflection: Consider one area of your life where you struggle to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. What practical steps can you take today to allow the Spirit to transform this area?


Day 5: Keeping the Spirit's Fire Burning
To avoid quenching the Spirit, believers must remain open to His leading and allow His fire to burn brightly within them. This involves a commitment to living a life that is guided by the Spirit and marked by love, joy, and peace. By doing so, believers can experience the fullness of life that God intends and be a light to those around them. [44:30]

2 Timothy 1:6-7 (ESV): "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

Reflection: What is one specific way you can "fan into flame" the gift of God within you today? How can this action impact your relationship with God and others?

Quotes


The devil has only one Central object and objective and that is always to Mar and if he can to ruin the work of God that's what he did at the beginning in the fall God having made everything Perfect The Devil comes in spoils it and now here is this new creation here is this new beginning the start of this new Humanity in the Lord Jesus Christ the son of God who is the firstborn amongst many Brethren and of course immediately the devil came in his object is to Mar and to ruin this second this new Humanity as he had done with the first. [00:08:50]

The devil has fundamentally only one method he can vary his technique but the technique doesn't matter it's it's the method that really matters he can put on different guises he's a perfect actor he's a chameleon but that's not the point the thing is that fundamentally this is what he always does he always sends us from one extreme to the other that's his method and let's observe uh somewhat this morning as to how he does this with regard to this particular matter. [00:11:29]

One method therefore which he implies is to drive people to excesses with regard to the spirit and the doctrine of the spirit he comes to us and he says well yes that's right the Holy Spirit came upon the church and you see speaking with other tongues other languages working miracles doing this and that that's it you're you're meant to be like that and like that always and so he presses this he comes as an angel of Light and he preaches the doctrine of the spirit to us and He suggests to us that unless we're constantly in a state of rapture that we're not not Christians at all. [00:12:04]

The devil had succeeded in driving them to existence there was utter confusion there but of course it has not been confined to the members of the church at current there are hints about it it in other Epistles and the subsequent history of the church shows this very clearly those who were interested in that great period in the history of the church the Puritan period of 300 years ago will know that there was a great deal of trouble then during the time of the Commonwealth under Cromwell there were certain sections of the Puritan Movement who were attacked by the devil along this line. [00:13:18]

The result of all this of course is that they tend to lose any sense of discrimination acting on impulses acting on feelings acting on leadings acting on impressions in their honesty and they're always very honest people they're sincere people the devil doesn't try this on anybody except the most sincere people the people who are most anxious to be spiritual and to please God they're the very ones that he concentrates his WS upon and he tries to press them to these extremes they have no discrimination they act immediately. [00:16:42]

The devil has paid particular attention to this whole aspect of our life our relationship to the Holy Spirit here we are meeting on which Sunday anniversary of the day of Pentecost doesn't matter about exact dates the point is that we are thinking today of this great and momentous event when the spirit of God came down upon the church the thing that led to all that we read of in the acts and in the various Epistles the Fulfillment of our Lord's promise oh the devil has been particularly Keen here the whole history of the church shows it our individual experience is Illustrated almost endlessly. [00:10:35]

The state of the Christian church today is almost entirely due to quenching the spirit and when I say that I am including the whole of the Christian Church the Evangelical section as well as that which is not Evangelical I am asserting that the main trouble in the church today is quenching the spirit on what grounds do you make that assertion says someone well let me put it like this to you read your new testament read the New Testament description of the individual Christian and the New Testament description of the Christian church and then compare yourself in the church today with that. [00:22:40]

The Holy Ghost not only came upon the church on the day of Pentecost he dwells within us as Believers take again the way the Apostle put that so plainly to those Corinthians what he says in 1 Corinthians 6:19 what know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own ye are with the price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods the Holy Ghost dwells within us and he's in the church he is the Temple of the Holy Ghost. [00:28:38]

The Christian Life is a spiritual life it's a life governed controlled Guided by the Blessed Holy Spirit the fire of the spirit so I don't apologize for asking a question this morning are you and I living that life the devil's Chief object is to prevent our living that life and he's so successful that the average men out in the street and in the world looking at the Christian Church says of course I'm not a Christian what need is there to be a Christian I can't see much difference between a Christian and the man who's not a Christian. [00:33:30]

The Christian is a man who knows that God loves him he's amazed at it but he knows it he's melted by it he's moved by it and not only that he knows that he's a child of God As I said he knows he's a special object of God's care God pours his love upon him and into him and the result of this is of course that he in turn loves God and he loves the Lord Jesus Christ you can't have the fire of the spirit within you without loving God you not only believe in him you love him you not only believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you love him. [00:42:00]

The Christian spirit is a warm Spirit I'm not talking about some artificial appearance which looks like it you know how people are trying to make these electric fires look as if they're fire but it's not the same thing I'm talking about fire not appearance not paintings not some artifa the genuine thing in the man himself don't quench the spirit what does the spirit do well he not only gives warmth he gives as a part of this warmth and heat Assurance the man who's a true Christian filled with the spirit he knows that his sins are forgiven he knows that he's a child of God. [00:43:30]

The devil's chief aim is to get us to quench the spirit andas he's very successful how can we know then whether we are quenching the spirit or not well let me just ask a few questions before I close this morning what does the spirit do as far here are some of the things he does first of all he gives light light and understanding the apostles has already prayed for these Ephesians that the spirit may do this very thing for them he prays that the Lord of that the god of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of Glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of him. [00:35:20]

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Transcript
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