Synopsis: This message is designed to challenge each Believer to establish God's priorities in life and to adequately prepare themselves to defeat the enemies of their future life by dressing for success! The last in this 4 part series on Dealing With The Enemies of Life, the listener will find that success is often wrapped up in doing what God says, when He says it, just because He said it. You too can defeat sin, satan and your own selfish appetites by using the tools and strategies God has made available to the Believer.
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Our success is wrapped up in doing what God says, when He says it, just because He said it.
Whatever attacks any of these things is the enemy of our future life. Just like Eve in the Garden of Eden, her enemy succeeded in getting her to question God, His Word, His authority and His intent.
Dealing with and defeating the enemies of our future life demands we establish priorities and dress for success. Our enemies are watching us.
While you are turning to Matthew 22, let me recap a bit.
Key Scripture: Psalms 18 New Living Translation
17 God delivered me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
18 They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest, but the LORD upheld me.
Thus far this series has taught us that God made a way for us to deal with:
1. The Enemies of Our Past Life
This is the life we lived before we were born again, before we received salvation by grace through faith in Jesus.
In Part One of this series we learned that God gave us two essential elements to defeat the enemies of our past life.
1. The Blood of the Lamb - The Blood defeats the damning power of sin
2. Water Baptism - Water Baptism is deliverance for the Believer but becomes a grave to the enemies of our past life.
In Part Two we began surveying:
2. The Enemies of Our Present Life
We realized that once saved, the Believer continues to encounter new enemies with new challenges and new temptations. We learned the difference between God removing the yoke of sin from our shoulders and then, destroying that yoke so that it can never be placed on our neck again.
We found God made it easy for us to get right with him by simply and sincerely asking for His forgiveness. However, once forgiven it is necessary for the Believer to rebuild the walls of security and keep the door of sin closed against those enemies which are familiar with us and constantly seeking to re-capture us.
Then in Part Three we continued dealing with those enemies of our present life. We studied how to defeat the temptations of this present life by: filling ourselves with the Word of God; clothing ourselves with the armor of God; and by developing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
We also detailed steps which could be taken to regain control over sin and reclaim the ground lost when we fall into the devil’s trap.
It is certain that the devil acts like a roaring lion walking around looking for those whom he can devour but we have been given weapons and strategies to combat and defeat sin, satan and our own selfish appetites. Part three of this series taught us those strategies.
If you missed one or all of these previous messages, you can catch us by listening to them at www.churchonline.tv or go to cotr.com on the web and access this archived series by following the links.
Today we begin Part 4, Dealing With:
3. The Enemies of Our Future Life
What if, as some theologians say, we go to heaven and spend our eternity with our bucket filled only as full as we fill it while we are here on earth. Perhaps it’s true!
This would answer the question about eternal rewards and heavenly crowns. The Believer who does more for God on earth gets more in heaven and those who do less, get less. This is a very reasonable and just scenario.
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (NKJV)
It sounds like the simple and eternal message of sowing and reaping.
Turn with me to Matthew 22 NKJV
Matthew 22
1 ¶ And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:
2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
3 "and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
4 "Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."‘
5 "But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
6 "And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
7 "But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9 ‘Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’
10 "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
12 "So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
13 "Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."
One of the greatest enemies of our future life is:
Misplaced Priorities
Being too busy to respond to the call of God … whether it be:
Detours
Deceptions
Distractions
A second enemy of our future life is being Improperly Dressed for heaven’s affairs.
First lets talk about Misplaced Priorities
We read in Matthew 22 that God made a wedding feast for His Son, Jesus, and His Son’s Bride, the Church …
3 "and (He) sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
4 "Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."‘
5 "But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
It is evident that these people were in some way committed to God and therefore He had some justified claim on their time and their attention. After all, He called them servants.
Also notice that even though they were God’s servants, He nonetheless was courteous to them by inviting them instead of insisting or making a harsh initial demand.
This is often what we see in graceful, thoughtful, caring leadership. Godly leaders appreciate and respect their servants’ time and their many ordeals of life and the leader deeply hopes that they too are appreciated and respected in return and that their suggestions are followed without hesitation, complaint, resistance or resentment. However, this is not always the case.
Look at the three things noted in verses 3, 4, & 5 about the servants.
1. Unwilling to Participate
2. No appreciation of the critical timing
3. A different set of values than those of their King
Aren’t these the same things families still attempt to teach their children during the formative years.
1. Children should always be willing to obey their parents. This sets them up for success in future life dealings with employers and superiors in every arena.
2. Even when it comes to meal time, when it’s time to eat, it’s time to eat. Timing is critical and timing is often determined by other things and not by our own comfort or desire. Our future success often depends on nothing more than timing.
3. There are many things more important, more valuable than just what we may want to do in our moment. There will always be other things we want or need to do, but it may not be our call and it’s not always all about us and what we want to do.
In a parallel account, the Gospel of Luke records some of the reasons why these servants were too busy to invest in their future life.
Luke 14
16 Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,
17 "and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’
18 "But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
19 "And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
20 "Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
21 "So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’
22 "And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’
23 "Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 ‘For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’"
It seems a sad thing to me that God has gone to such great lengths to provide for us. He has given us tools and strategies to defeat the enemies of our past life, our present life and our future life.
He has given us:
1. The Blood of The Lamb
2. Water Baptism
3. The Word of God, The Armor of God & The Fruit of the Spirit to Defeat Temptation
4. Forgiveness of Sin by Confession and Repentance
5. A Hedge of Protection to Cover our Weaknesses
6. Continuing Encouragement to Stay Willing, to Discern the Times and to Understand the Importance of His Call on Our Life.
Yet there is one more thing God had provided for us.
Remember we read in Matthew 22 about the wedding garment.
11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
12 "So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
13 "Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."
I told you that there were two main enemies of our future life.
The first was, Misplaced Priorities
The second was, Improper Dress
Dealing with and defeating the enemies of our future life demands we establish priorities and dress for success.
In Matthew’s parable of the
What is that wedding garment? How can we make sure we leave this earth wearing one so we won’t be that one found to be improperly clothed on that great day and be casts into hell?
Look with me in the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. (KJV)
The wedding garment is the garment of salvation which is given to all who are washed in the Blood of The Lamb.
Revelation 19
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
A Wedding Garment and a Willing Heart will defeat the enemies of our future life.
Having the right priorities and dressed for success.
We get this garment when we are born again and it’s better than a superman suit. It’s indestructible and everlasting. Our robe of righteousness might get dirty from sin, but forgiveness will cleanse it and it will be as white as snow once again.
So, in the end, we must all be saved by the Blood of the Lamb, become strong in the Word, obey Him and live right. Then we will defeat every enemy of sin, satan and self, both now and forever.
Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord, Messiah, Savior and Friend?
Have you asked God to forgive you of your sins?
Are you protected by the Word of God which you know to be true?
Do you have a willing heart to obey God?
Are His priorities your priorities?
Pray with me now!
