We praise you our God, you are great,
to be feared, no one is like you.
We thank you, we praise you.
Thank you that you have blessed us with
so much rain, and that today we have
such lovely sunshine.
And Lord, may it be the same spiritually,
that the seed of your word will be
able to grow well because of the rain
and the sunshine you sent into our hearts.
Amen.
Now we'll turn to the Lord's word.
Ephesians chapter 6.
And verse 17 will be our text.
But we'll start reading from verse 10.
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in
the strength of his might.
Put on the full armor of God, that
you may be able to stand firm against
the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness, against
the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places.
Therefore take up the full armor of God,
that you may be able to resist in
the evil day, and having done everything, to
stand firm.
Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with
truth, and having put on the breastplate of
righteousness, and having shod your feet with the
preparation of the gospel of peace.
In addition to all, taking up the shield
of faith, with which you will be able
to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the
evil one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the spirit, which is the word
of God.
Read so far.
We've read quite a few verses.
But I'd really like to speak just about
one thing.
In verse 17.
Take and use the sword of the spirit,
which is the word of God.
These days I was happy I got an
opportunity just to have a time where I
wasn't busy with people all the time.
It was a time where I could pray
and read.
I had a wonderful time.
I can't understand it when people say, well,
they're so lonely they've got nothing to do.
Because what a wonderful opportunity it is when
you are alone and you can spend time
with the Lord and pray and studying His
word.
It's a time which is like gathering firewood,
where you get it together and then you
can keep a fire burning for a long
time.
You get so many sermons that you can
prepare that you feel like you could go
out and preach for a long time.
Our brother from Alaska told us and encouraged
us to grow there where God has placed
and planted us.
Some people don't know what that means.
To stay in a place and grow there,
in that place where they are.
They are like people with ants in their
pants.
They are always looking for the next place
to go to.
If you're in a place where you see
the sun for two months at a time,
or whether you're in a place where it's
dark for many months, or whether you're in
a place where you see the sun every
day, no matter where you are, you need
to grow.
These days, Uncle Ernie and Auntie Jenny, that's
Carol's parents, came and brought me a book,
something which I had known about or had,
but I hadn't looked at it.
And so I took it and I read
it.
And eventually I just laughed.
And then I thought, well, today I'd like
to speak about the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God.
Many people...
Many people, they give their lives to the
Lord, dedicate their lives to the Lord.
They make that once-off decision, but then
they don't grow, they don't continue.
Why is that?
And a person should actually stand firm.
Now, we should continue in the faith.
We should grow in the faith, as our
brother has said.
And how shouldn't we be able to grow?
Where our sun is the sun of God
that shines in our lives, surely we should
bear forth even greater fruit, much bigger.
And then we don't have just sun for
two months in a year, and even if
it is continuous sun, we've got this wonderful
heavenly sun.
How then shouldn't we be growing?
And then it says we must put on
all the armor of God, so that we
will be able to resist the devil in
the evil day, and stay firm and standing.
But oh, so many Christians, they are blown
over by the slightest little thing that comes
across their path.
And we should be like David, even though
we are small.
We should be able to resist and overcome
that Goliath, the devil in our lives.
But many Christians are almost like a Goliath,
big in their own right, but then a
small little thing comes and knocks them down
and overcomes them.
Let me just share a little bit about
Jonathan Goforth and his wife.
His wife wrote the book.
She had been married to him 49 years,
and after his death she wrote the book.
And then also relates a bit about her
life as a child.
She was born in 1864, 6th of May.
Now when she was 12 years old, she
was in a service.
They had a campaign in that place.
And there was a minister that came to
hold services.
And the preacher preached on John 3, verse
16, and he really preached with fire.
And at the end he made an invitation
and said, Who wants to give their lives
to the Lord?
Who wants to accept the Lord Jesus?
And she says she got up.
And others got up too.
But she got up, she said, I want
to confess the Lord.
She says after the service when she went
home, someone said to her, but you're actually
stupid.
You're a real fool.
Do you really think that the Lord Jesus
will have accepted you?
And again and again she heard this.
You say you've accepted Christ, but has he
accepted you?
You see the devil.
One young person said to me, you know,
it's like this.
When I'm in the service, it's as if
God is speaking to me in such a
real and direct way.
And I want to live for him and
serve him.
But when I go out the church, it
just disappears.
Now just think then of this child, just
12 years old, so young.
When she got home that night, when she
slept, she slept the next morning, she got
up very early.
The first thing she did, she took her
Bible.
And she took her Bible and she went
through it.
And she went and she was looking for
a verse that would give her the answer
to this thing that was troubling her.
This question, yes, you've accepted Jesus, but has
he accepted you?
She was
in great need.
She had committed her life to the Lord,
But the devil came and snatched up that
seed like those birds that snatch up that
newly sown seed And she was filled with
doubt Lenga, neno, twelve years, ya tati pepele,
ya pene, ya pene, ya funda Oto mais
a funda, kuchohane, six, verse thirty-seven And
this girl, this child, took the Bible and
looked and looked And then she got that
verse in John, six, verse thirty-seven That
he who comes to me I will in
no wise cast out And
that strengthened her and encouraged her That she
said, Lord, so that's true, if we come
to you, you will most certainly not cast
us out See, she had committed her life
She gave her life to the Lord and
then the devil came with all this doubt
Saying, oh, that's just a joke, that's not
real You just say so, but it doesn't
really happen, the Lord won't accept you Then
she said, Lord, I have no doubt that
you will come to me And you will
come to me, and you will come to
me And you will come to me and
you will come to me Now you must
take on and put on all the armour
of God That you will be able to
stand in that evil day Now that day
in her life started off being a wonderful
day, her giving her life to the Lord
But then it became an evil day where
the devil came But she could resist him
with that verse and resist him through with
the Word of God What to do they
come it comforted her?
Who good in course?
Well, you see also a boy gave him
to penopans a Gizelle a web so good
for three and she Comforted as she was
comforted and she could hold on to that
verse where she said Lord I came to
you and you say if we come to
you You you won't cost us out It's
wonderful to stand on God's Word Yes, of
course the devil can use the Bible to
But we don't have time to speak about
that today To The devil should come with
a verse then you can answer him with
another verse So
this little girl was comforted and she was
strengthened and encouraged because she said Lord I
did come to you and even though the
devil is trying to sow doubt and to
make me doubt it but I came to
you so I accept that you won't cast
me out.
But then the enemy the devil came again.
And the devil said to her oh my
girl you're just twelve years old you're just
a little child what can you do?
Can God accept just a twelve year old
child?
And the devil said God will not be
interested in you and then she took the
Bible she looked again for a verse and
looking to see what God says about this
point.
And then she came across Proverbs 8 verse
17.
But it would be good if you had
an English Bible.
It's not so clear And
she was
overjoyed and she praised and thanked God.
She said Lord thank you for showing me
that as well.
That truth that you say those who come
early early in their lives while they are
young they will find you.
And she said from that day on she
never again doubted that she belonged to the
Lord Jesus.
She never again doubted after that because she
used the sword of the spirit which is
the word of God and that gave her
that answer which made her stand firm.
She never doubted again.
Troubled are the people who doubt.
And I love that.
It's like someone else who also used to
doubt.
Who used to give his life to the
Lord and then later the devil would come
and make him doubt and say you didn't
do a proper job.
You didn't do it well enough.
It's not good enough.
You don't really belong to the Lord.
One day he prayed and he said Lord
today I give my life to you.
From now on I belong to you and
you alone.
And then he took an iron standard about
almost two meters long and he went outside
took a huge hammer drove that standard that
pig into the ground and he said Lord
today I give my life to you.
From now on I belong to you and
you alone.
And then he took an iron standard about
almost two meters long and he went outside
took a huge hammer drove that standard that
pig into the ground and he said Lord
today I give my life to you.
From now on I belong to you and
you alone.
And then he took an iron standard about
almost two meters long and he went outside
took a huge hammer drove that standard that
pig into the ground and he said Lord
today I give my life to you.
From now on I belong to you.
From now on I belong to you and
you alone.
Uncle, you have to give him what Uncle,
you have to give him what And
he said, well, I'm going now to go
to the church.
His wife was a very good pianist.
She played the piano from a young age
and she could play just any song.
You gave her the notes and she'd play
it.
And so just before he died, when he
said music, they thought he wanted her to
play the piano.
And the children said to the mother, play
something on the piano.
That's what he wants.
But then he said, no.
And then they realized, no, he didn't want
her to play the piano, but he was
hearing the heavenly music.
So he heard the heavenly music when he
died.
And so this girl, she grew up serving
the Lord and living for him.
And she said, Lord, I want to serve
you right to the end.
And then
she
prayed.
She said, Lord, if you ever want me
to get married, I pray that you won't
just give me any husband.
But one that is faithful to you, that
serves you day and night.
She prayed that when she was 19 years
old.
And she said, Lord, I want a man,
if I should get one that is faithful
to you.
Not one that backslides and goes back into
the old life, but one that is faithful
to you to the end.
And she always went to the services.
And attended church regularly.
And one day someone else was to take
the service.
And so it was a different preacher and
he preached.
And as he got up to preach, she
looked at him and she said, oh, shame,
the poor soul, his clothes aren't even ironed
properly.
And her suit looked all tattered somehow and
all creased, hadn't been ironed for a long
time.
And she said, oh, shame, the poor soul,
his clothes aren't even ironed properly.
And she said, oh, shame, the poor soul,
his clothes aren't even ironed properly.
And it wasn't long after that, then it
was this preacher, the very same one who
came to her and said, look, God is
calling me to China to go and preach
there as a missionary.
Would you be prepared to join your life
with mine and that we go there?
In other words, he proposed to her.
Now his Bible, this Jonathan, it was a
really worn out Bible.
One that you could see was used very
much with notes and underlinings all over.
And then she realized, well, that in spite
of his clothes being in the state they
were, but she realized that he loved the
Bible and studied it carefully and he loved
the Lord.
And she said, oh, shame, the poor soul,
his clothes aren't even ironed properly.
And she said, oh, shame, the poor soul,
his clothes aren't even ironed properly.
Now that's the way they did
it at that time.
And she remembered how she had prayed and
said, Lord, if you want me to get
married, I want a man that is on
fire for you, that loves you with all
his heart.
And then she realized that this, this man
actually was one like that.
And she then agreed.
After two or three days.
And then she realized that this, this man
actually was one like that.
And then she realized
that this, this man actually was one like
that.
And so after two or three days, this
young man came to her again and said,
tell me, are you prepared to marry me?
Even if I put God and his work
first in my life, even before you, and
I had to smile, I didn't know that
there was someone else who had spoken these
words before I spoke them.
Do you remember Elijah when God spoke to
him and he said, Elijah, what are you
doing here?
He said, I'm serious.
I'm
serious.
He said, Elijah, what are you doing here?
He said, oh my Lord, I'm zealous for
you.
I'm the only one here that still stands
for you that hasn't bowed his knee to
bow.
And the Lord said, no, that's not true.
For there are 7,000 others who haven't
bowed their knee to bow.
So don't think that if you serve the
Lord, you're the only one.
There are others too.
And when she heard that challenge, she was
shocked.
She didn't know what to say.
She said, well, what will that mean then
if God and his work come first and
then I'm after that?
She didn't know what to say.
And then she answered, said yes.
She said, yes, I'm prepared for it, that
God and his work come first, even before
me.
And then she remembered her prayer when she
was 19 years old.
Not like some people.
She remembered the words she prayed when she
was 19 years old, when she said, Lord,
I want a husband.
If you ever give me one that lives
for you with all his heart, where you
are first in his life.
And she remembered what she prayed at that
time.
Not like some people when they pray.
If you ask them straight after that, well,
what did you pray?
They don't even remember what they prayed.
And then she said, Lord, I realize now
that you're actually answering my prayer.
And then after a few days, she was
tested.
Because this man wanted to get engaged to
her and marry her.
And she thought, well, now I'll get a
ring.
And she thought, well.
And then she, like probably most girls, got
very excited about the prospect of getting this
new ring, this engagement ring.
And she was thinking of walking around with
this engagement ring and then everyone would be
asking to see it.
Some people are so obsessed with this idea
of having an engagement ring or a ring
that they eventually even betray their Lord just
to be able to get engaged and get
a husband.
So one day when she went to get
her engagement ring, she said, Lord, I don't
want to get engaged.
So one day when she went to church
and she saw him there, he said to
her, oh, by the way, we are getting
engaged.
But I thought that instead of buying you
an engagement ring, I'd rather spend the money
on spreading the news about China and telling
people about the work and the great need
there is in China.
Rather spending the money on that.
She was bowled over.
She was so.
That was quite a blow for her.
She had been so excited about getting this
ring.
And now here he comes and saying, well,
I'm sure you won't mind if we rather
use that money that we can spread the
message there at the college where I'm studying.
And then she said, this was my first
lesson in real values.
This was my first lesson in real values.
Well, that's wonderful.
When someone lives for God, walks with God
in everything, and uses God's word as the
sword of the spirit.
Now the life that this 12-year-old
child lived.
From then on, tell me, do you know
that kind of life?
Is that how you live?
Is that the way you live?
That when you're at school, you're there, but
you're living for the Lord.
There, where you're in a situation where you're
faced with decisions all the time, where you
have to make vital decisions, but you choose
the Lord in every situation.
Just be quiet for a moment.
Test yourself.
Answer that question.
Do you live this kind of life?
We'll sing a song in Zulu that says
more or less, speaks about the real values.
Lord, let me go deep.
Deep, not being busy with superficial things, but
that which is of real value.
That which is of real value.
I don't want you to leave this auditorium
without having faced this question squarely before God.
I don't want you to leave this auditorium
without having faced this question.
I will ask you to speak.
That which is of real value.
You have to speak it up.
That which is of real value.
You have to speak it up.
That which is of real value.
he turned his back on the Lord but
God was gracious he got sick and then
he realized that if I die in this
state I'm on my way to hell and
now he's on his way to go and
make right.
Let us stand up Lord
we've heard of this 12 year old child
that used the sword which is your word.
The devil wanted to trap her, trip her.
He didn't leave your way.
Thank you Lord for giving us this sword
which we can use to drive away anything
anyone even the devil himself.
We know how important this weapon is that
you're giving us.
If one would have to go into war
without a sword, one would be devoured by
a sword, by the sword.
But you've given us a weapon that we
can use.
Lord he are parents, he are children.
Lord we have heard of this 12 year
old child that used the sword which is
your word.
The devil wanted to trap her, trip her.
He didn't leave your way.
Thank you Lord for giving us this sword
which we can use to drive away anything
anyone even the devil himself.
We know how important this weapon is that
you're giving us.
Lord we have heard of this 12 year
old child that used the sword which is
your word.
Lord we have heard of this 12 year
old child that used the sword which is
your word.
Lord we have heard of this 12 year
old child that used the sword which is
your word.
Lord we have heard of this 12 year
old child that used the sword which is
your word.
Lord we have heard of this 12 year
old child that used the sword which is
your word.
Lord we have heard of this 12 year
old child that used the sword which is
your word.
May each one be wise that he and
she may overcome the wiles of the evil
one, of the devil.
Amen.