The Girdle of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness 1.      The girdle (belt) of truth Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, In verse 14, the first piece of armour is having your loins girt about with truth i.e. the first piece of equipment is the girdle of truth. Why did people need a girdle?  Men in Paul’s time did not wear trousers such as we wear today.  Today, you could have understood that they needed a belt. In those days men’s clothing was loose fitting and quite long.   And if a man was going to do anything that demanded free, active movement, the first thing he had to do was to get his long, loose clothing out of the way. And he did this by doing what the New Testament calls ‘girding up his loins.’ He would lift the clothing and fasten it around his loins with a girdle so that his legs from the knees downwards were free to move. Then he could do whatever else he had to do after that. So very logically the first step is to put on the girdle (or belt). Now the girdle represents truth. You could say it is the truth of God’s Word, but you will find that God’s Word, but it is even more basic. It simply means the plain truth. Truth means being honest. It is being real. It is putting away all our posturing and all our insincerities with which affects some religious people. This is the common problem amongst certain religious people which is called insincerity. Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” which is hypocrisy. The word hypocrite is the Greek word for an actor. The actors of Jesus’ day had a small selection of masks (4) they could put on during the play but never appeared in with their actual face but only a mask reflecting the part being played. Derek Prince said that there were many masks being worn in the church of today with most denominations have their own mask!   What Paul is saying here “Take the mask off and stop acting. Be real. Tell it like it is.   How can we stand in the battle without a girdle, when we try to move, we will trip over our garments and get no further. So, the first essential requirement is put on the girdle of truth, which means we need to be real and be truthful in every area of our lives including in church! 2.      Breastplate of Righteousness Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, v.14 Having on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate protects the heart. Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.   Everything we experience in life originates out of our heart. What you have in your heart will determine the course of your life. If your heart is filled with bitterness, unbelief, and fear, it is going to cause your life to go wrong. But if your heart is filled with faith, peace, and love, your life will take the right course. You need to guard your heart with all your strength. In the New Testament, righteousness is a condition of the heart, not of the head. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. (KJV). Notice the breastplate in  1 Thessalonians 5:8 is faith and love yet in Ephesians 6:14 it is righteousness .  That is consistent for the following reason. In the New Testament righteousness is faith  which worketh by love see  (Galatians 5: 6) In Christ Jesus neither circumcision avail anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love . So the basic righteousness of the New Testament is faith working by love and it is a condition of the heart. Romans 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness (KJV). There is a difference between believing with the head and believing with the heart. Believing with the head is mere mental acceptance of truth and often leaves a person unchanged in the way that they live. But when we believe with the heart, we believe unto righteousness.  It changes the way we live. And so Paul says we need to protect our heart with the breastplate of righteousness which is faith in the heart working by love. This means that we need to check our motives regularly! Amen Personal Prayer Next time in Part 3 we consider the Gospel of Peace (shoes) and the Shield of Faith.

Our Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians 6:10-18 Whole armour of God When we become believers, we soon discover that we have come into a battle! It is the spiritual battle between God with his holy angels versus Satan with his armies of evil spirit beings. We need to understand how to survive in our spiritual battles. The whole armour of God is a metaphor in the Bible (Ephesians 6:10-18) that describes the protection available to Christians in our spiritual battle. It is more than a metaphor since it actually describes spiritual realities. Here are 4 things you should know about the full armour of God. 1. The whole armour is the expression of your full trust in God and what He has done for you through Jesus Christ 2. The Armour of God is receiving and applying everything that God has done for you. This is explained in Ephesians chapter 1-5. 3. Your victory in spiritual warfare was secured at the cross of Jesus Christ and his blood that was shed there (Rev. 12:11). 4. Examples of spiritual attacks on believers might include things like the temptation to sin, doubting your faith, or feeling like you are not good enough to share God's word etc. The Bible says that such attacks originate by Satan and his evil forces and are directed at the believer’s mind. The Background to our Spiritual Warfare Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places… The church is engaged in a spiritual war, and its enemy is Satan and a host of unseen angelic and celestial enemies whose power vastly exceeds our own. With a few exceptions, our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition. These celestial enemies come in various forms, as is suggested by the variety of terms used by Paul to identify them: “rulers” these are the 5-star generals, “powers,” “world forces of this darkness,” “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.   In this war Satan employs a variety of strategies to oppose and to defeat the Christian.  Paul does not speak of one single “scheme” (wiles KJV), but of his many “schemes” (plural), likewise, there are different parts of God’s armour that we must put on to counteract each scheme of attack.  Satan’s opposition against the church is not a frontal attack, but a sneaky attack through intrigue, deception, and trickery, so we must remain prayerful and alert (Eph 6:18, 1 Peter 5:8). Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Because of verse 12, which is Satan’s kingdom in the heavenlies, we need take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand. Paul says there is going to come an evil day, an evil day comes in the life of every one of us. Whether we stand or not depends on whether we have the defensive equipment (armour) we need. And then Paul lists the armour, and it is taken from the battle armour of a Roman soldier of his day. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The believer’s armour has 6 main parts. Girdle of Truth Breastplate of Righteousness Gospel of Peace (Shoes) Shield of Faith Helmet of Salvation Sword of the Spirit The armour of God is an illustration in the Bible that reminds Christians about the reality of spiritual battle and describes the protection available to them. Each piece of armour has a distinct purpose and is a means of defence against temptation and evil. Jesus Christ has provided each piece of armour to protect Christians. But we still need to put the armour on!  Paul having been chained to Roman soldiers for several hours every day whilst in prison would have had lots of time to draw the analogy from the soldiers’ armour. There are six parts of armour which we will look at in order and some detail armour as we proceed. Please note that all these 6 pieces are defensive although the sword of the Spirit can be used to some extent (arm’s length) to attack the enemy. Amen Prayer In Part 2 We begin to consider each piece of our armour in order and in detail.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone Most of us at some time in life will experience some form of rejection. Family or so-called friends might decide to terminate their relationship with us under various circumstances. We might feel let-down, bewildered and angry that people can be as unkind, but it is a lesson unfortunately we need to learn in this world. Even when we go for a job interview or some selection process for sports or team ventures, we might be rejected. In all these forms of rejection we must be humble, forgiving and fight any tendency towards bitterness. This what Jesus Christ himself experienced. The one people in the world who should have known who and what the Son of God would be like, were the Jews. But when He came to them, most of them including their secular and religious leaders rejected and dismissed Him as an impostor. He was the precious stone which the builders rejected yet he was and still is the most important stone in the building known as the church, that is the cornerstone! The corner or cap stone is usually laid at a ceremony in honour of a new building. All the other stones fit in around the cornerstone. So, is there someone whose judgement that we can trust? When we look at people we can be so influenced by external things, such as their appearance, demeanour, dress sense, personality etc. But when God considers a person, He looks right into their heart. A clear example of this was when the Lord sent Samuel the prophet to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as King over Israel. Read Mark 11:25 John 1:11 1 Peter 2:6-8 1 Samuel 16:6-11 Samuel considered each one of them from the natural point of view, how tall or handsome that they were. But God makes it quite clear in 1 Samuel 6:7 that He is interested in a person’s heart. The inner qualities not the external are much more important. So, what does this mean in practice for us in our day to day lives? Firstly, when we are rejected and put down, our loving heavenly Abba Father is always there to remind us of our true value, which is that you are valuable and precious to Him. So much so that He gave His only begotten Son… John 3:16. The world’s value system is superficial and dangerous. Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light! Do not trust outward appearances, Jesus told the Pharisees that they were white-washed tombstones, white on the inside but inside dark and horrible, full of dead men’s bones! Secondly, we must ask the Lord for discernment in all the appropriate areas of life . The wrong choice of a marriage or business partner can easily ruin someone’s life. Running with the wrong crowd of friends has also caused much unnecessary suffering and grief in some lives. We can take a good example from the disciples after the resurrection when they gathered to choose a replacement for the traitor Judas Iscariot . They prayed indicating that only God Himself truly knows what is in a man’s heart and therefore they asked the Lord to show who His choice for the vacant position was. The Lord then spoke to the hearts of the disciples and they chose whom they believed that the Lord had already chosen . In conclusion, no matter what people say or do to you, God will always love you and never let you down. Since only God truly knows a person’s heart , we must ask Him to guide us in all our decisions involving people. We might not always get the answer we want or like, but we can console ourselves by the knowledge that the Lord’s choice will always be the right one ! Amen Personal Prayer

What quality should our care be? All our care/ministry for others should be excellent! Question: Why should our ministry both to and for God be excellent? Answer-The first and foremost reason is that our God is the most excellent God. Psalm 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] your name in all the earth! who has set your glory above the heavens. The Lord our God has an excellent name and He is worthy of our very best. Question: why does it matter what we offer to God in terms of our ministry. Answer: All through the Old Testament God made it clear that whatever was offered to him in sacrifice should be without spot or blemish. The book of Leviticus has dozens of sacrifices specified but all without blemish. Lev 19:2 This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. In the New Testament, Ephesians 2:5 Jesus will present his Father God with a glorious church not having spot , or wrinkle or any such thing ; but that it should be holy and without blemish . Jesus offers only excellent ministry to his father . We should copy Jesus. In other words anything that we give to God whether spiritual, material or service it should be excellent in every way. We should never offer anything that is a reject or substandard or second quality nor damaged in any way, Everything we offer to God should be excellent in nature, not defective in any way, not sloppy, ill prepared or executed. For example, if you have three weeks, three days or just three hours to prepare a bible study, God will give you the grace to make up the difference in what you can achieve. However if you have plenty of time we honour God by making excellent preparations. This applies at work too! Obstacles to caring ; sometimes the people we care for look terrible or they have an unpleasant smell, they may be aggressive, unhelpful, unwilling to share and often ungrateful. There but for the grace of God go I. Prayer: Lord, help us to offer excellent care to our fellow human beings which is pleasing to you. Help us to see the poor through your eyes. Amen. In Part 5 we consider the cost of caring

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood... Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood In various places in the Bible we catch glimpses of the unseen spiritual realm. A good example of this is found in 2 Kings 6 when the King of Syria send soldiers to capture Elisha and his servant. 2 Kings 6:14-17 There is also a fascinating story over in Daniel 10 in which Daniel has been praying and fasting for three weeks or so.  Daniel 10:12-14 In this chapter we find angels battling through with the answer to a man`s prayer. In the New Testament a passage which gives us great insight into the spiritual realm is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; The bad news is that the heavenlies [1]  are teeming with a huge host of organized malignant spirits who hate God and his people. The good news is that Jesus Christ has completely defeated them with his victory on the cross, and by his resurrection and ascension. Colossians 2:9-15 Verse 15 ; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.  By His victory [2] , Jesus has made it obvious that these evil spirits were powerless to prevent his resurrection, and because of this, this verse shows us that we should not fear death as he is able to resurrect each believer in turn. He has also given us a full suit of amour [3]  to stand against the devil, which in essence is just living a deliberate holy lifestyle. So, as we are in a battle with these wicked spirits (they are the ones who stir up persecution and write the scripts that set the standard for what goes in society), we must continue to struggle against them and their influence on individuals and groups. But let us not forget that Jesus disarmed them by taking away their ability to put the fear of death into God`s people and hence we can stand against them and bring in God`s will into any particular situation. Amen Personal Prayer Explanatory footnotes [1]  The church is engaged in a spiritual war, and its enemy is Satan and a host of unseen angelic and celestial enemies whose power vastly exceeds our own. With a few exceptions, our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition. These celestial enemies come in various forms, as is suggested by the variety of terms used by Paul to identify them: “rulers ” these are the 5 star generals , “powers,” “world forces of this darkness,” “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.  In this war Satan employs a variety of strategies to oppose and to defeat the Christian. Paul does not speak of one single “scheme”, but of his many “schemes” (plural), likewise, there are different parts of God’s armour that we must put on to counteract each of them. Satan’s opposition against the church is not a frontal attack, but a subversive attack through intrigue, deception, and trickery, so we must remain prayerful and alert ( Eph 6:18, 1 Peter 5:8) . [2]   Victory with the devil under our feet Psalm 110:1The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool  for your feet.” Victory over demons Colossians 1: 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Victory over sin and the ability to pull down strongholds 2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. [3]  When we put on the armour, we are putting on Christ. Of course, the whole armour of God is describing a day-to-day lifestyle lived in the knowledge of all that God has provided to protect us. Please note we should always be praying. Sometimes we can extend the shield of our faith over others, what do you think?It is imp ortant to remember that when we put on the “full armour of God” we are putting on Christ (Rom. 13:14 ) Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ( Eph 4:23 ) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Our protection against Satan’s attacks is assured only when we take up the full  armour of God. Satan’s schemes are many, and he attacks us at any point where we are weak. Our armour must be complete. We cannot pick and choose what parts of the armour we prefer, but rather we must put all of it on. We must be completely equipped, or we will be vulnerable to his attacks. Amen Personal Prayer

How do we express our care and to whom? This scripture tells us what is important to Jesus and those situations where we ought show his love and his care. Matthew 25: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘ Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. ’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Ask yourself if you are a sheep or a goat. It is interesting that neither the sheep nor goats were aware of doing good or evil in the context of showing care . Also please note just how much Jesus identifies with the poor and vulnerable. Who do the sheep target? They feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the foreigner or outsider, visit the sick and those in jail . How can we do this today in our times and context? Philip’s story - out on the street a beggar (homeless person) asks Philip for money- Philip thinks that he sees something familiar about the tramp. Suddenly recognises him as a former rugby player and police sergeant! What happened to this man? Well it was a tragic story, his wife died, he hit the bottle, lost his job, lost his house – now living on the street and begging! Always remember this, that there but for the grace of God go I ! What resources may be required in caring for the poor? Time, material resources, sympathy, empathy and counsel-Practical help-Sharing faith-Mindful of them in prayer. Prayer: Lord, show me how I can let your love flow through me expressing care to my fellow human beings. Amen In Part 4 we consider the question of what quality should our care be?

Why should we care about our fellow humans? Modern atheistic scientists tell us that humans are in an unimportant species, found on an insignificant planet in an obscure part of the cosmos. What do you think the implications for a single human life are? However this is not what Christians believe... Matthew 22:17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “ So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. ” Genesis 1:26-27 ( Our keynote scripture) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” There is no clear consensus on what the image of God (or its theological term ‘ Imago dei’ ). Christians of various types think it might include 1. Humans are like God in that we are spiritual and rational beings and exercise free-will choices. 2. Humans are like God in being able to f orm complex relationships. 3 . Humans are like God in being able to perform functions e.g. managing the planet and its resources which in some way represent God on earth. All 3 views have their strengths and weaknesses but together might reflect the different ways that humans reflect the image of God. However what is clear and agreed by the majority of Christians is that the ‘ Imago ’ confers significant importance onto human kind since the ‘image’ was not conferred on any angelic beings or any type of animal. The importance of the image of God is that it causes every single human being no matter how degraded or fallen, to still bear in some way the image of God the Creator . This inspires many including myself to want to help the poor. Whilst we are not necessarily important of ourselves the image of God shows us we are important to God by bearing a ‘family’ resemblance . The depth of God’s love and care was shown in the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This confers importance on us. Prayer; Lord teach us to see of fellow human beings in the way you see them , as valuable and precious souls made in your image. Amen In Part 3 we consider How do we express our care and to whom?

Why should we care? Welcome to our new 5 part mini-series 'Who Cares Wins' with apologies to the British SAS motto 'Who Dares Wins'. Q. Who cares? A. God cares. God Himself is a carer, we know this from reading the Bible; John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Did you notice that there is a connection between loving, giving and caring? God cared enough to become one of us, to live, to die and to break down every barrier between us and offer an unending relationship with Him. Matthew 10: 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. God cares about the small details, pervasive in depth care for each human being. Jesus expresses his loving care this way: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” John 13:34-35 . Jesus gave us a special duty of care towards our fellow believers which includes all your church family. However, there is a wrong kind of care; 1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety (cares) on him because he cares for you. God does not want you to be burdened down with worry but rather to put all your cares in a barrel and roll them over to Him and take both hands off! Who cares? The church of Jesus Christ cares for the vulnerable in various ways; For the widows and orphans. For the hungry and thirsty. For the naked. For the addict. For families (including children) including those needing counselling For people with learning disabilities. For sick people including those with mental health issues For the elderly (dementia sufferers) and for the homeless. Everyone in your church fellowship should care for your brother and sister and that includes your leaders! Who cares? We do. Who cares? I do. Prayer; Lord teach us to love like you love, Lord teach us to give you give like you give and Lord teach us to care like you care. Amen

Total commitment to the Lord We now consider what it means to be totally committed to the Lord. It can be summed up in these verses.   Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Loving the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul and all your mind means we are to be totally committed with our whole being to the Lord in the following ways: To the Lord personally and to His commandments and will. Loving your neighbour as yourself means being as totally committed to your neighbour's wellbeing as to your own. The sea captains of old were so committed to their ships that when the ship sank, they went down with it. Marriage without commitment will not last. A sports team without commitment will not be successful. A business without commitment is unlikely to succeed. What about your church fellowship? We must commit ourselves to the Lord and to each other for our fellowship to succeed. Learning Points If you want anything to succeed you must invite the Lord into it. When we commit our ways to Him, and keep trusting, it will happen. When we commit our works to Him, our plans will be established. Remember the examples of commitment from the bible e.g. Noah Remember committing usually starts with a prayer, and we keep trusting until the result comes c.f Philippians 4:6-7. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God ; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Always remember to consult the Lord before starting any battles, projects, or campaigns. Loving the Lord with your whole being expresses our total commitment to him. Loving our neighbour as ourselves shows that God’s love is in us and moving through us. Amen Personal Prayer

Everything we need to know for the marathon of the life of faith The Race of Faith This message is a word of encouragement for us in our Race of Faith! Our key scripture is from Hebrews 12:1-3 which tells us that we are in a race, but not a race in the sense of racing to work or to the shops to get that item we forgot. Our race is a lifelong race of faith which is a marathon not a sprint! Since our context is the book of Hebrews, we will recall that the two of the main themes of Hebrews (unknown author):  1. Jesus Christ is elevated as superior to anyone and anything else, in order to show that he is worthy of our total trust and devotion. 2. All believers are challenged to remain faithful to Jesus despite persecution. This helps us to keep our reading of the scriptures in context. Hebrews 12:1-3 1.Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking* unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3.For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Our race of faith that began the moment we asked Jesus into our lives, whom the author of Hebrews calls both “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” So, the race we are running requires. v1 So like any athlete, we will need to be disciplined; to stay focused and to make sacrifices in order to finish the race in the way Jesus intends us to. The race we are running is the race of faith that began the moment we asked Jesus into our lives, whom the author of Hebrews calls both “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” So, the race we are running has: ✓a starting line, where Jesus is present (coaching us for the race ahead / firing the starting gun) as the pioneer of our faith ✓and a finish line, where Jesus is waiting for us (cheering us on) as the perfecter of our faith. ✓And on top of all that there is a prize (eternal life) that will help us be serious in running our race to finish it well. Obstacles in our Race of Faith Hebrews 12:1 …let us lay aside every weight , and the sin which so easily ensnares us… a.      Weights: are otherwise legitimate things that hinder us in our race towards God b.      Sin c.      Losing the plot Let us consider these three points; — First, There are hindrances on our race which are not necessarily sins. Secondly, If we would run, we must put aside these. And lastly, If we would put them aside, we must look to Christ. The Greek word "ogkos" refers to a weight or burden, suggesting that believers must identify and eliminate distractions or hindrances in their spiritual journey. As we all know too well, life itself will provide us with plenty of obstacles along the way, distracting us with all that the world wants to offer us - things that seem more appealing and alluring. This could include our amusements, entertainments, pastimes, and hobbies etc. Self-examination is required. And then there is outright sin - the sin in our lives holding us back, entangling us as if somebody had tied the shoelaces of our running shoes together when we weren’t looking, it's sin that comes to entice us with the promise of something more gratifying or rewarding, but in the end it’s real aim is to disqualify us completely and take us out of the race. In the meantime, perhaps some of us will not have even realised we are actually in a race, wondering why everything is so tiring and why we have not progressed in our faith as we would have hoped to; others will be running at a good pace, calm, focused on Jesus for the distance. We must keep our eyes and focus on Jesus otherwise we might lose the plot and not finish our race of faith. Amen Personal Prayer In Part 2 we find the tremendous encouragement that the Lord has provided for our race of faith.

God has provided all the encouragement we need to succeed The Race of Faith Encouragement in our Race of Faith The writer of Hebrews in 12:1 tells us that “… since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses …"  Have you ever wondered who this great cloud of witnesses might be? Sometimes people today assume, that this cloud are those who have died who we all know family, friends, and acquaintances, and they are watching us from above ... but this is not what the Bible tells us. The "great cloud of witnesses" mentioned here are actually those first introduced to us in Chapter 11 of Hebrews. The ones who have run the race before us, living lives of faith and dependence on God, until they crossed the promised finish line.  We might picture the scene that we toward the end of our marathon of life have entered the last few laps of the race and entered into the stadium for the grand finish. The life examples of these heroes of the faith cheer us on to complete our race of faith by giving us encouragement to finish. Who are these heroes of faith in the Book of Hebrews Chapter 11? Here are some examples. Abel: First Martyr in the Bible. ... Enoch: The Man Who Walked With God. ... Noah: A Righteous Man. ... Abraham: Father of the Jewish Nation. ... Sarah: Mother of the Jewish Nation. ... Isaac: Father of Esau and Jacob. ... Jacob: Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel. ... Joseph: Interpreter of Dreams. Many others; see verses 30-40… Every person named and some not named in Hebrews Chapter 11 give different examples of from their lives of faith by which they served and glorified God. Let us now consider why their names are recorded in the scripture. They were all fallible people just like you and me. Because they all put their trust in God and watched Him do amazing things - in God’s eyes they are all champions Today, we all are running that same race of faith now, in whatever way God has called us to serve Him, so let us stay faithful as they stayed faithful! Amen Jesus’ Race of Faith Hebrews 12:2 looking* unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,  and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Run the race of faith like Jesus did! The scripture says Jesus went to the cross for you and for me, despite the shame and humiliation he chose to run His race, He kept His eyes on the prize. “Why?”  verse 2 says, “for the joy set before Him” He saw the prize! His prize - He completed His mission to save us sinners (you and me) and to accomplish the will of His Father, and He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hallelujah! Encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith. Profiting from our trials  James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. In James 1:2-4, we as followers of Jesus in the race are encouraged to stay the course: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." More encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith. Look to Jesus  … and win the prize! Let us make Jesus our only prize, our aim, our life.   Colossians 1:18 says that He is to have first place in everything . We are to set our eyes on Jesus always - confident in the knowledge that there is no better trainer who could have prepared us, no better coach who could be cheering us on, and no better champion gone before us and waiting for us at the finish line to catch us, than Jesus himself! Yet More encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith.  1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. God always provides an escape hatch when we are tempted. Sometimes we need to ask the Lord ‘where is the escape hatch from this temptation’? So with the help of the Holy Spirit let us stand on this truth - God does not abandon us because we have weaknesses. He works through our weaknesses because He knows we are a work in progress.  Learning Points for our race of faith 1. We are in a life-long race of faith which is a marathon. God has surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses whose lives are an example to us. 2. We must set aside all our hindrances, weights, and distractions –anything that takes our eyes off Jesus. 3. We must repent and forsake all sins that would hinder our race. 4. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times in the race until we run into his arms at the finish line. Amen Personal Prayer   Materials Consulted Jacky Wilson: Blog Post ‘Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses' www.psalmonesermons.com Derek Prince: Commentary of Hebrews 11 and 12 YouTube. David Guzik: Hebrews 12:1-4. YouTube. Alexander MacLaren: Weights and Sins (Hebrews 12:1) Blue Letter Bible Commentary.

Romans 11:1-36 Daddy God has not forgotten His kids in Israel It was always God’s intention to bring together a remnant of the Jews and a proportion of the Gentiles into one family through Jesus Christ. This chapter outlines the process through which God has led the Jews and Gentiles to get them to becoming one family. The Remnant of Israel 11:1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me” [a] 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” [b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. Despite the disobedience and hard-heartedness of most of the Jews yet God has not totally rejected all Jews for all time because they were His special treasure, and His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Paul speaking as a Jew himself from the tribe of Benjamin says ‘absolutely not’ [1] . Paul shows that he himself is living proof that as a direct descendant of Jacob’s son Benjamin and as a true blooded Jew, elect and chosen by God, that he is indeed one of God’s special remnants in Israel. Paul goes on to give further evidence that God is not finished with all of Israel but always preserves a remnant. He reminds his readers that even when Prophet Elijah thought that he himself (unlike those killed by Jezebel) was the only godly man left in Israel. It was then that the Lord reminded him that He had 7000 true believers in hiding. So too with Sodom and Gomorrah and Noah’s ark etc. So how do you get to be one of God’s remnant, well it is His call of grace and there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn or deserve it. 7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.” [ c ] The Jews always sought to achieve right standing with God through keeping the Law and of course were unable to do so. Only the elect remnant of the Jews achieved right standing with God through faith but the others, the majority in some ways were hardened by the influences of God. Paul now gives examples of this hardening from Moses and David. Moses spoke of a spirit of stupor that produces mental and spiritual apathy that was still working on the unbelieving Jews in Paul’s day. 9 And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.” [ d ] David continues a similar theme in Psalm 69 where he invokes curses on all who hate his belief in and close relationship with God. Such people would be filled with moral and spiritual blindness. David implies such people deserve their fate. God hardens those who harden themselves. Ingrafted Branches 11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! So does this mean that once a Jew had hardened himself and was in turn hardened by God then they were absolutely doomed and with no way back? Paul declares absolutely not [2] ! Since the Jews had rejected the gospel then God bringing good out of evil rolled out His offer of salvation to the Gentiles. Abba Father planned to make the Jews jealous of the wonderful relationship with God that the Gentile converts were now beginning to display. God was using this ‘tactic’ as blessing to the Jews to bring them to their senses. Only God can bring good out of a great evil. The Jews' sin opened the door for the rich gift of salvation for the Gentiles bringing the spiritual riches of life in the Holy Spirit to the elect Gentiles. Surely the day will come when all the spiritual riches of life in the Holy Spirit will come to each remnant of the House of Israel i.e. the elect Jews. 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy ; if the root is holy, so are the branches. Paul turns his attention to the Gentile Christians in the congregation telling them he is delighted to have them as the main thrust of his ministry but with the bonus of knowing that as God worked through the Gentile Christians this might well stir up the interest of some Jews and hopefully lead them to Christ. Even those Jews who had hardened themselves against the Gospel might in some way driven by envy to embrace what God was already doing with the Gentiles. In the same way as a cake or a plant are a holy offering to the Lord, they represent the whole harvest or tree as far as God is concerned. God is not finished with the Jewish remnant. 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches , he will not spare you either. Paul cautions the Gentile believers to humbly remember that Israel was the natural tree and only because God allowed some Jewish branches to be broken off was it possible for some Gentile believers to be grafted into the tree. Paul is warning the Gentile believers against pride and is telling them, ‘remember it is the Jewish natural olive tree they have been grafted into. God deals with sin irrespective of our ethnic origin. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God : sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! Paul warns the Gentile Christians to keep the faith and continue to walk in the kindness God lest they come under God’s discipline. He then turns his attention back to the unbelieving Jews and says that if they turn to God in faith then it is possible for them to be grafted back into the natural olive tree. When the elect Jews repent and turn to God, they will fit into the natural olive tree more easily than the Gentile believers since they were previously reared on the soil of Judaism. All Israel Will Be Saved 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not think you are superior: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way [ e ] all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is [ f ] my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” [ g ] The story so far is that the unbelieving Jews have stumbled and fell with the result that God had the Gospel preached to the Gentiles. The elect Gentiles got saved and this somehow drove the elect Jews to turn to Christ in line with God’s plan. Once the God appointed numbers of Gentiles have been saved then God’s focus will return onto the full remnant of the elect Jews coming to salvation though faith and all that remnant will be saved. All Israel will be saved is interpreted in different ways by different people. The most widely accepted theory is that most Jews living in the end times when the full number of the Gentiles having been already converted, will then be saved. Critics of this view point out that it is hard to believe that only Jews living on the earth at that time will be saved. Also the Greek does not support a time frame interpretation. They think Paul was looking at his day and beyond when he wrote this. The idea of a time of mass conversion of the Jews does not fit well with other things Paul wrote. Calvin’s theory : ’All Israel’ refers to the total amount of saved people throughout history i.e. both Jews and Gentiles. It seems unlikely that @All Israel’ should include the Gentiles. A third theory ; held by various theologians [3] that ‘All Israel’ means the grand total all elect Jews throughout the ages. My own preference is for this theory. Jesus Christ a true Israelite came to set mankind free from the bondage of sin and bring them into God’s wonderful salvation through His wonderful New Covenant. 28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now [ h ] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Paul explains that the unbelieving Jews became God’s enemies so the Gentiles could be saved. Then in turn when those Jews who are elect are provoked to jealousy by seeing the Gentiles saved then they become (no longer enemies) friends of God. The gifts and call of God on lives are never lifted off by God. God has remembered His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Daddy God has it all under control knowing just when and to whom to pour His mercy onto. Doxology 33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and [ i ] knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?” [ j ] 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” [ k ] 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Paul’s heart and soul are filled awe and joy at seeing the wisdom of God’s plan for all His elect people through time. God’s plans and thoughts are beyond even the best human mind. Almighty and amazing God is no man’s debtor, nor does He need any man’s advice. All our salvation comes from God and Him alone and it is He who must receive all the glory for this forever. Amen Footnotes: [a] 1 - [k] 11 Romans 11:3 1 Kings 19:10,14 Romans 11:4 1 Kings 19:18 Romans 11:8 Deut.29:4; Isaiah 29:10 Romans 11:10 Psalm 69:22,23 Romans 11:26 Or and so Romans 11:27 Or will be- Romans 11:27 Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9 (see Septuagint); Jer. 31:33,34. Romans 11:31 Some manuscripts do not have now. Romans 11:33 Or riches and the wisdom and the Romans 11:34 Isaiah 40:13 Romans 11:35 Job 41:11 Footnotes [1] - [3] [1] Meganoito ; Good heavens no! That is the Greek way of expressing a strong negative wish, may it not come to be, good heavens no. Or as Ken Boa puts it; your premise is correct, but your conclusion is wrong! [2] ibid [3] H Bavinck, L Berkhof etc. as quoted in pages 381-382 W Hendriksen’s Commentary on Romans. For full text for printout and access to other chapters please click below https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/romans-11-1-36