“Provide Protection” By Brother Kenneth Ray April 22nd,
2012 Provide—Make
available, supply, supply (someone) with something. Protection—A
person or thing that protects. As Christians, we often refer to the
warrior: Christian Soldiers, warrior for
Christ, On the Battlefield, etc. We speak
of our sword and our shield, pushing the enemy back, but what about the guy or
gal beside you? They are providing protection
for you and I. Back in ancient times, the Romans
trained and fought as one unit. The
Celtic army fought as a group of individual fighters. They were fierce warriors, to be sure, but
when they fought the Romans, they got defeated, badly, because they didn’t
fight together. All weapons that are
given to you were also given for the protection of those around you. When you go out, you not go out alone. Perhaps you’ve hear the term, “Cover
me,” in movies. The person making the
request is about to make an offensive move, and the person receiving the
request is about to make a defensive move.
When I was a child in Sunday School,
we used to sing, “I’m in the Lord’s army.”
We are in the Lord’s army; we may not be in the front, we may be in the
back praying, but we’re in the Lord’s army.
If you would read the US Army’s Manual for Combat, there’s a section on
protection, and in that section, it says, “Preserve the force so that the
commander can apply maximum combat power.
Is anybody here in the Navy? What
is the purpose of a Navy escort ship? To
make sure that the carrier gets where it going.
The Gospel ship has to get through, too. This is accomplished two ways which
I would like to share: 1)
God. Psalms 18:1-2 ... The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and
my deliverer; my God, my strength… God is a hedge of protection. One thing that you have to remember, though,
God has His own timeline. He doesn’t
always answer when you want Him, but He’s always right on time, He will answer
when you really need Him. Psalms 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and
under his wings… That always reminds me of the Eagle
that is America’s symbol. Do you know
how mother birds cover the eggs or baby birds in their nest? God wants to do that for us. Did you ever have an older brother
or maybe a bigger friend that protected you from bullies? I have one brother that the other kids called
‘The Hulk’ because he was just big. I
had another brother that used to let his mouth get him into trouble. One day my mouthy brother got somebody upset
with him; I mean, this guy was ready to just pound him into powder, and he
said, “Do I need to remind you who my brother is?” Do I need to remind you who God is? 2)
You. The men and women of God who not only
care to make a difference, but care to make the difference. See, you can make a difference just by saying
a kind word, maybe inviting somebody over for dinner, and that’s good, but you
need to be ready to really make the difference, as well. There are two ways that we can see this
through: 1)
Study. 2
Timothy 2:15 Study to shew
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed… Proverbs
23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it
not; also wisdom, and instruction… Let
it take hold of you; learn not to fight and protect yourself and who protects
you. In order to pass something on,
first you must learn it yourself. 2)
Teach. When
I was going to Electrician’s school for the Air Force, one thing that happened
each time we took a test was that my instructor had to take the test first and
ace it (get 100%) before it could be given to us. The lessons that we have learned, the tests that
we have passed or failed are all chances to teach the younger Christians and
those who are seeking Christ. Psalms 51:13 Then
will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted… Protect from what? Well, two things, really: Things outside the church, and things inside
the church. Outside: False doctrine, lifestyles that are harmful,
relationships that burn out the Spirit of God in your life. I’m not just
talking about the matter of men and women, but anything for anyone. It could be just people you hang out with,
friends, family members, co-workers…
really, anything that competes for your time that doesn’t edify you. Inside: “Spiritual Giants”—people who feel that they
are there to correct, point out faults, or make your head spin for all the
questions that they raise about things. They
won’t listen to anybody else, but they sure will talk; they can’t learn, but
they teach; they’re never wrong, but you’re never right. These people question everything, but they
won’t go to the elders; they’ll talk to the young Christians and sow seeds of
discord. We need to protect the young Christians
from people like that. These people are
loyal to men more than God, and they worry about position more than authority
or responsibility. Two reasons why we need to protect
as we finish up: 1)
To
maintain. The Queen, Sister Christine,
celebrates 28 years in the faith today.
Our brothers and sisters are under attack and seek to endure. If enough time goes by and we get no
protection, we get weak, or we fail.
The prayer of the righteous availeth much (James 5:16) and provide
protection and encourage a saint to make it another day. Maybe a verse shared, a visit, a phone call,
an encouraging word… These little things help maintain unity in a body of believers. 2)
Gratitude. Because someone took out the time for you to
share the Gospel and he life change that came from it. It means so much for you that it is important
to do the same for someone else who needs the same life-changing message. Are they not worthy of being protected or
shielded from this world and know that there is a better one to come. Let
me go back to something I started with: Preserve the force so that the commander can
apply maximum combat power. Preserve the
saints so that Jesus can apply maximum combat power. That’s the work of God. Defeat Satan and be the escorts of the Gospel
Ship which must reach its destination.
Put ordinance on target, pin down the enemy, so that the saints get safe
passage through troubled and dangerous waters. Sermon notes by Pete Shepherd |
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