No Escape from Tension/Conflict #2

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin opens by praying for God's blessing on the Word and reminding the congregation of the series on a 'Manifesto of Trinity Baptist Church,' focusing on a balanced New…

The four biblical bases for inevitable tension and conflict (indwelling sin, hostile world, devil, and God's design) are likened to four strands woven into a strong cable, anchoring believers to God's Word.

And after giving an explanation of that assertion, I then began to set forth a demonstration of the biblical basis of the Christian life. And I likened that assertion, and I likened that biblical basis to four strands which, woven together, form a strong cable which I trust will anchor us to the overarching teaching of the Word of God. Why is it that there is no escape from tension and conflict in the Christian life? Well, we considered the first two of those strands, this morning.

4:53 - 5:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Paul, they are blind! Their eyes must be opened, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive, remission of sins.

The statement 'the whole world lieth in the evil one' (1 John 5:19) is vividly pictured as the world being a Samson with its head resting upon the lap of its Delilah, the devil, illustrating its subjugation.

Paul, they are blind! Their eyes must be opened, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive, remission of sins. He is telling his servant Paul that he is going out to a world filled with Jew and Gentiles, who both, in spite of their many differences, and the tremendous difference of privilege and light and opportunity, are all without exception spiritually blind, and under the power, the authority of the devil himself. No wonder John said as he did in 1 John 5 and verse 19 these very pregnant words, We know that we are of God and the ...

16:16 - 17:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Be watchful: Be intensely alert, like a sentinel, looking for the slightest movement of the enemy.

Being 'sober' is likened to a man avoiding alcohol to keep his faculties sharp, and 'watchful' to a military sentinel straining to detect any enemy movement, emphasizing intense spiritual alertness.

Be in the realm of spiritual things what a man is in the realm of the physical, who will allow no alcohol to go to his brain and dull his faculties, but keeps sober. Be watchful, a military term. Be like the sentinel who sits at his post and strains his squinted eyes with his dilated pupils, piercing into the darkness, looking for the slightest movement that might indicate the presence of an enemy. Strain your ears to hear the cracking of a torch, the twig, the rustling of any grass, the snapping of a leaf or a twig upon a tree.

22:05 - 22:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep away from the dulling, soporific influence of the alcohol of spiritual insensitivity and the booze of preoccupation with money, things, face, form, sports, and fashions.

Martin recounts startling an employee in the book room with a 'whoop' to prevent them from backing into him, contrasting his harmless intent with the devil's destructive 'roaring' to devour.

The other day I walked through the book room on Friday when I had finished teaching and one of the employees was backing up toward me and I had a cup of hot coffee and I didn't want them to back into me and end up having hot coffee down his or her back. So I just went, whoop! And the person jumped about six, six inches off the ground. Now thankfully they didn't jump backwards.

23:53 - 24:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep away from the dulling, soporific influence of the alcohol of spiritual insensitivity and the booze of preoccupation with money, things, face, form, sports, and fashions.

The devil as a 'roaring lion seeking whom he may devour' is explained as not just leaving fang marks, but utterly consuming, leaving nothing but muscle, bones, and fat in his belly, signifying total destruction.

He's not just going about to leave big, big fang marks so when people see you and say, hey, where'd you get those? Well, those are the devils. So he gets a reputation for having big fangs. He's seeking so to deal with you and me that when he's done, no one will see us anymore.

24:48 - 25:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep away from the dulling, soporific influence of the alcohol of spiritual insensitivity and the booze of preoccupation with money, things, face, form, sports, and fashions.

The 'dulling, soporific influence of the alcohol of spiritual insensitivity' and 'the booze of preoccupation with money and things' are metaphors for worldly distractions that dull spiritual awareness.

Peter says keep away. Don't allow the dulling, soporific influence of the alcohol of spiritual insensitivity. And the booze of preoccupation with money and things and face and form and sports and fashions. Don't allow these things to cause your brain to be out of touch with reality.

25:46 - 26:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not desire cessation of conflict and tension, as this is equivalent to rolling over and playing dead, surrendering to the devil.

The picture of 'standing' in Ephesians 6 is described as a warrior holding his ground against attacking enemies, who lie dead while he remains standing, signifying victory and continued vigilance.

To beat us down. That's the opposite of standing. The picture of standing is the warrior who's on his crown, holds his crown, and all the enemies come and attack him. When it's all over, the enemies lie dead.

29:58 - 30:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: This is why there can be no cessation of tension and conflict so long as a vicious devil and the host of darkness are not yet cast into the lake of fire...

An extended quotation from John Bunyan's *Pilgrim's Progress* details Christian's dialogue and combat with Apollyon, serving as a vivid allegory for the believer's spiritual warfare against the devil.

are not yet cast into the lake of fire as Jesus anticipates the temptation of Peter he sees behind the voice of the little maid and behind the presence of the soldiers and behind all human factors and in predicting Peter's temporary declension he says Satan has desired you to sift you as wheat he sees behind all of those things the activity of the adversary and you know this morning you thought of passages in John Bunyan as I preached on those first two points this morning and I'm sure some of you or I'd be very surprised if some of you did not think of the incident of Christians encounter wit...

43:02 - 44:29 Read in full sermon