THE STRENGTH OF A SURE FOUNDATION

A solid foundation is very important because it is the one thing that determines whether a house or building will stand or fall. Buildings don't fall because the paint is bad or because the windows are broken and old. Buildings fall because of weak foundations. Regardless of how beautiful the paint is or stylish the windows are. What determines whether as Christians we shall stand, run the race and finish strong is the foundation that we have established.

This is an amazing reality that many of us have failed to come to terms with. You are only as strong as your foundation. If you have a weak foundation, you will fall. It is only a matter of time.

The ONLY thing in your life that will determine whether you stand or fall in the long run is the strength of your foundation. Make no mistake about this. It does not matter how powerful and committed you are right now, it does not matter how much you pray, how wise you are, how much you are serving God right now or how much you know. If you haven't established a solid foundation, you will fall when the winds and storms of life come.

Have you ever wondered why even those we know as powerful Christians fall back. Sometimes we get amazed when we hear that a very committed brother or sister suddenly fell back into sin and has walked away from God. Sometimes it is a powerful preacher, or a respected leader. We all believe they are anointed. Then suddenly we hear that they fell into some sin or their ministry has collapsed. And then we are perplexed and wonder what happened. This my friends can happen to any of us. The reason it happens is actually very simple. Lack of a solid foundation. This is what Jesus taught in Luke 6 as we saw yesterday. That is why it is important to establish a strong foundation.

Only a strong foundation guarantees that we won't fall when pressure or crisis comes in the future. Wisdom can not guarantee you stability, just look at King Solomon, the anointing can not guarantee you stability, just look at Saul and Samson. Knowledge and service can't guarantee you stability, this is what Saul (Paul) had before his conversion. Only Jesus can guarantee you stability. Only foundation in Jesus guarantees stability. My friend, do you have a solid foundation?

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” 1Pet5:6-10

Vs 8; the devil, our adversary walks around seeking whom he may devour. He cannot devour everybody, he seeks those that are weak and susceptible. That’s why Peter uses the word ‘may’.

Satan can only devour those that are unbalanced, not sober, not stable, not firm in the faith. It’s why we are told to be sober and vigilant. To be rooted, grounded and stable. Only a good foundation offers stability. And when you are stable then satan can’t devour you.

Vs 9; the way we resist/defeat satan is to be steadfast, stable, grounded in the faith. Our stability in the faith gives us the ability to resist and withstand satan. Stability creates ability.

Vs 10; God wants and is able to establish, strengthen and settle us in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t just leave this responsibility to us. He seeks to help us through the indwelling Holy Spirit to be rooted and grounded.

 “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies {and} the deceits of the devil. For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist {and} stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity {and} of moral rectitude {and} right standing with God, And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God. Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose {and} perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).” Eph6:10-18 AMP

Vs 10a; urges us to be strong. As a soldier nothing less will suffice for this fight. To be weak and remain so is the way to perish.

Vs 10b; we fight in the power of God’s might. Not in our own might. True effective spiritual warfare is when we are operating in God’s power and not in our own power. The idea of exerting ourselves physically in warfare is not true godly warfare.

Vs 11; the way we are able to stand against satan’s tricks and deceit is when we put on the whole armour of God. Just putting on the whole armour of God is already a large part of successful warfare.

It is the armour of God that we put on and not our armour. It is God’s strength and might that gives us victory in the battle and not our own. The armour of God is what makes us stable and rooted in Christ.

Vs 12; our enemy is the principalities, evil powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. In other words our enemy is spiritual, darkness and wickedness (evil). The only weapons that can be effective against such an enemy have to be spiritual, light and righteousness.

This is an important truth that we need to understand. Physical strength and exertion is useless in the fight against satan. We cannot defeat a spiritual enemy using physical/ carnal ways. Shouting, wailing and screaming never defeats satan. You don’t need to shout to rebuke a demon, you don’t need to wail and travail to have victory over a situation. All of this is just carnality and ignorance.

How do we fight this enemy? Is it by prayer or fasting or confessing the word or intercession?

“Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist {and} stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].” V13

The way we wrestle against this enemy is by first of all withstanding, opposing and resisting him. We set ourselves directly against him and defeat him. We stand firmly in our place. How do we do this?

Vs 14a; we fasten on the belt of truth. We wear the girdle of truth around our loins.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jn14:6

Jesus is the truth. The truth is not some doctrine in the bible that we learn. The truth is Jesus Himself. We cannot learn the truth just by study. It has to be revealed. When Jesus is revealed in our hearts by the Spirit of Truth then we get established. This is what Jesus prayed for His disciples;

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” Jn17:17-19

Vs 14b; we wear the breastplate of righteousness

We are going to deal with this in much more detail in our first lesson. However again we shall discover that this righteousness is indeed Jesus. He is the righteousness of the believer. Jeremiah calls Him JEHOVAH-tsidkenu, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. See Jer23:6

Vs 15; we shod our feet with the Gospel of peace.

To shod means to bind firmly under one’s feet i.e. to put on shoes or sandals firmly so that they can’t slip out as you walk or run. And yes, Jesus is our peace. He is the one that keeps us from slipping and falling.

“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us” Eph2:14

‘…the preparation of the gospel of peace’;

The Gospel of peace prepares and makes us ready for a good warfare by giving us the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness to fight against darkness and evil and unrighteousness. We can’t successfully fight evil if we haven’t been prepared by the gospel of peace. Only when we have heard the good news are we adequately equipped and established to stand and to be victorious.

Vs 16; above all we take up the shield of faith

The shield of faith covers the whole body and protects the whole of us from the fiery darts (arrows, missiles) of the enemy. This shield quenches them so that they have no effect on us.

Vs 17a; we put on our head the helmet of salvation.

The head is that part of the body which must be most carefully defended. One stroke here may prove fatal. The hope that we have in the gospel and our assurance of the faith we have come into protects us from any fatal blow the devil may strike. Nothing can cause us to doubt or depart from our salvation in Christ. Christ in us is the hope of glory.

Vs 17b; we take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

By it we are able to destroy all opposition against us. Till now our armour has been only defensive. But now we are able to attack Satan, as well as secure ourselves; the shield of faith in one hand, and the sword in the other.

Vs 18; Finally after having put on the whole armour and taken up the sword we are able to fight and win through ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints’

We are able to Pray always - At all times, and on every occasion, in midst of all circumstances we can pray without ceasing.

With all prayer - With all sort of prayer, public, private, mental, vocal. We pray as circumstances demand and not insist on one way of prayer. Different circumstances usually require us to pray differently. We will deal with this in detail when we study about prayer.

In the Spirit - Through the influence of the Holy Spirit giving us utterance and direction.

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Jam5:13-16

When a person that is grounded on a solid foundation of faith righteousness prays, their prayer is very effective and it causes results to happen. This is because they are standing in the power of God’s might and depending on the grace of God

We see therefore that what Paul describes as putting on the whole armour of God is actually the process of establishing a solid foundation. All the elements of the armour of God are the foundational truths of the New Testament that we have to get established in if we are going to live a victorious and successful Christian life. They are most important because they keep us rooted and established and well balanced in the faith.

ACCESS INTO THE KINGDOM

“Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Jn10:7-11

God has designed a paradise for us. A place of rest where all our needs have been taken care of. A place of stability, peace, confidence and love. Jesus is the door into that place. Only through and by Jesus can we access this place. Only when we are established upon Jesus the rock can we begin to enjoy stability and peace. We need to be established upon His foundation. A sure foundation.