It is true and I agree 100% with Trevor Calder that guys with beards are just better. Just ask Pastor Joe who's downstairs. He no doubt has the best beard of all. Now to be fair, he's been growing it since he was like 11. Like it's almost not fair. But no, what a joy. What a joy it is to gather with the saints.
What a joy it is to be able to open up the authoritative word of God. As if you've been with us through this Thessalonian journey, you'll know that in starting in chapter 2, Paul begins this kind of defense as it were of his apostilhip. And he's going to continue that here in our text.
1 Thessalonians the 2 chapter, picking it up in verse 17. But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person, not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face because we wanted to come to you. I Paul again and again, but Satan hindered us.
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and our joy. Before we get into the text this morning, I'm actually going to ask you to bow with me in a word of prayer. Father in heaven, we come we come before you this morning.
Some of us come heavy-hearted. Some of us come wrestling with sin, wrestling in our marriages, struggling, feeling like we can't move forward even a step. Father, we pray that through your word, your spirit would minister to our hearts and our souls, strengthening us and encouraging us to continue to stand firm.
So, Father, would you illuminate the text of scripture for us this morning? It is in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Paul picks up here in verse 17 and he says some interesting things. He starts with saying, "But since we were torn away from you," once again, we know the we here is talking about Paul and Silas and Timothy. And he says, "We were we're torn away from you."
Some some might have a a footnote, others not. But this torn away from you is the word. It literally means to be to be orphaned, to be to torn away from parents, which is very intriguing considering what Paul what we examined last week in verses 7 and 11 where Paul writes to the Thessalonian church and he says, "But we were gentle among you like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
And then jumping down to verse 11, for we know how like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you. You can hear in Paul's writings this familial, intimate love that he has for the Thessalonian church. And when they were kicked out of there, it was as if he left them orphaned. They were torn away. This is a a heartache. But he says for a short time in person, not in heart.
They were physically not with the Thessalonian people, but their heart and their mind was constantly with this Thessalonian church. It's it's it's very similar actually to my my wife and she's downstairs and she didn't know know that I was going to say this which I know pastors wives shake their heads when when their husbands do this. This is a good one. Trust me. No, it's very similar to the relationship that my wife has with her sister.
See, my wife has been without her sister since she was 10 years old. Her sister up in is a missionary in Greece who we support with Hellenic Ministries, Alex and Joan McCree. So, they're physically apart and yet they would say that they're yes, we're not with you in person, but in heart. They are always thinking of one another. They're praying for one another. They're communicating with one another because there's this deep intimate love that they have for one another.
And it's the same thing here with Paul. He says, "We are torn away. We are orphaned from you brothers in person but not in heart." He goes on to say, "Then we endeavored or longed for the more eagerly, all the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face." Paul desperately wanted to see this Thessalonian church again.
He was always with them in heart, but he longed to speak with them face to face, to visit with them, to be with them. So the question is, well, why didn't you just go back to Thessalonica? Why don't you just hop on a boat or wherever you were or get back up and travel back up to Thessalonica? Well, he tells us here in verse 18, he says verse 18, because we wanted to come to see you. The whole group wanted to. And then he zeros in on his own desires. I Paul again and again or some translations will use I Paul continually.
It's almost gives this sense that there was never a time when Paul was not longing to go back to the Thessalonian church. I longed to come back to you. He says this is going to bring us to our first point. But Satan hindered us. This is an interesting statement here that Paul uses.
So he longed to go back to the Thessalonian church, but he couldn't. He could not go back. Why? In Paul's estimation, it is because Satan hindered them. You see, Satan is always opposed to God. Always. We're going to tackle some things here this morning that in a conservative Southern Alberta church sometimes can make us a little bit uncomfortable.
We we're going to walk through or talk about the role that Satan plays. See here Paul says Satan hindered us. That word hindered is actually is like a a military term. So if there was a a military group that was coming through and they were going to go and siege that group over there, what that group would do is they would break up the road so that they could not travel on the road or they would throw obstacles in the way as to stop the the enemy from sieging their city.
That's that's the word here. That's the language. And so it's like Satan is hindering. He is stopping. Some translations even say but Satan stopped us instead of the word hindered. But Satan hindered us. Satan stopped us. Why? Because he is always opposed to the work of God. Always 100% of the time. Now, some of you might be thinking, "Well, this is not actually the first time that Paul's been been hindered, right?" And you're right.
Go with me to Acts chapter 16. I'm not sure if it's actually going to be up on your PowerPoint or not, but Acts chapter 16, I want you to hear this language. Starting in verse 6, it says this, "And they," this is now Paul and Silas and Timothy, "and they went through the region of Friia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia."
So here in this text, Paul says, "Listen, we desire to go to Asia essentially, but the Holy Spirit forbade us to go." But in our text, it says, "Satan hindered us." So I think at least in my study is you have to I have to ask myself the question, how does he know in one sense it's the spirit of God and in the next sense it's Satan? I'm going to lay my cards on the table in the Acts 16 account. It seems to read that the Lord had a different plan for the furthering of the gospel than what Paul had.
So Paul's desire was go to Asia. God's desire for Paul was actually to go down to Macedonia, which is where we get into Philippi and Berea and Thessalonica. So he's like, "No, no, no. I want the gospel at this moment at this time actually to go down to Thessalonica, not up to Asia. Here in our text, there is a absolute physical attempt to stop the spread of the gospel. Because you'll remember in Acts chapter 17, what do we read? The Jews were jealous and they hated the word of God.
Hence why they went Thessalonica down to Berea in order to stop the the proclamation of the word of God. So in one sense you've got the hatred of the word of God and in another sense it's a redirection of the furthering of the gospel. So I think that's partly now we're never we're never told all of these but as we understand the text this is I'm just laying my cards this is why I would say in one sense Paul can say we're being hindered by Satan in another sense we're being forbidden by God.
But one's a redirection of the gospel, one is an outright I want to stop the spread of the gospel. Either way, Paul here, he says Satan hindered us. He is always opposed to God. He hates him. And now, how did Satan hinder Paul and Silas and Timothy? Well, no doubt. We read a little bit in Acts 17, they were kicked out of Thessalonica and then they grabbed they got a deposit from Jason to say that Paul would Paul's house would never step foot in Thessalonica again.
So there was that money exchange or that deposit that was made. That's one reason. But we're never actually told we're never told the details of why Paul is saying that Satan hindered us. All we know is that Satan has a sole purpose in his sad existence to destroy God and his people. That's what he longs for.
That's every day. That's what he wants. Go with me to John chapter 8. Now, there are times people ask the question, I'm sure you've interacted with this question as well. If you could go back to any time in history, where would you go? If you could, if you could witness one moment in history, what would you witness? Now, there's a number that I can think that would come to my mind of what I would desire to witness.
This specific interaction between Jesus and the Jews absolutely would be up there in John chapter 8. I want you to pay attention picking it up in verse 42. Jesus said to them, "If God were your father, you would love me. For I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
Now, I want you to hear what Jesus says to the Jews. You are of your father, the devil. Pause for a moment. Could you imagine being an eyewitness to this? When Jesus calls the Jews that they are the their father is not God, but your father, you are of your father, the devil.
And your will, he goes on, is to do your father's desires. Now, he's going to describe here who Satan, who the devil is. He was a murderer from the beginning and he does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character. For he is a liar and the father of lies. The complete antithesis to who God is. God is holy. God is righteous.
He is gracious. He is lifegiving. He is merciful. He is loving. That's who our God is. The complete opposite of that is who Satan is. He's a liar, a murderer. He is the epitome of hate. And his sole purpose is to destroy and to stop and to hinder God and his people.
Join me in the book of Matthew for a moment. Matthew 16, we have this fascinating interaction between Jesus and and his disciples, but specifically Jesus and Peter. Picking up in verse 13.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Cesaria Philippi, he asked the disciples, "Who do people say that the son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist and others say Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father who is in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I tell you, verse 18, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church." There's lots of pen that has been spilled over what he means. That's not the focus of our text this morning. I want to draw our attention to the last thing here. It says, "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Giving this sense that the gates of hell are in constant battle against the church. Satan is in a constant war against the church, loving nothing more than to destroy God's people and his church. And though there's battle after battle after battle because of the fact that Christ went to the cross because he died, because he rose again, friends, we can know that we stand victorious because Jesus says the gates of hell, though they wage war against the church shall not prevail.
The church will be victorious because of Christ. But there is the war. And I find it fascinating if we jump down to verse 21. So in the in in the same flow from that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying,"Far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen to you." This is a fascinating interaction here. So, as Jesus is talking about his his future death and his future resurrection, that the church because of his death, because of his resurrection, that's how the church can stand against the schemes of the enemy. That's the sole reason why. So Jesus is teaching them, I'm going to die by the hands of lawless men and the chief priests and I'm going to rise again and we're going to stand victorious. Peter says, -.
Come with me, Jesus. No, no, no. Notice he he takes him aside and says, "You, Lord, will never do that. That is dumb." But it takes some serious coahones to try to tell Jesus that. Listen to the rebuke. It's a it's interesting language in the rebuke that Jesus gives to Peter. Far be it from you.
Verse end of verse 22. This shall never happen. But he turned and said to Peter, get behind me who Satan. For you are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. Jesus is not saying that Peter is Satan. He's saying you have the mind. You are trying to be a hindrance from my role, my responsibility to go to the cross.
You do not have the things of the Lord on your mind. So he says, "Get behind me, Satan, for you are trying to stop me from doing what I am called to do." Satan is always trying to hinder the work of God. He is totally opposed to the Lord. Satan does not want Jesus to go to the cross.
1 Peter chapter 5:8 is a description of who Satan is. He is a prowling lion looking to whom he can devour. He desires to devour the believer. He wants to tear down, destroy, get rid of God's people and God's church. He is totally opposed. Want a little bit more evidence? Revelation chapter 12, verse 9.
I love hearing the pages of scripture turn, so I'm just giving you a second to get there. And the great dragon, this is Revelation 12:9. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the world. He was thrown down to earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of Christ have come for for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down who accuses them day and night before our gods."
I want you to hear that. What does the the devil, that ancient serpent, what does he do day after day, night after night, accusing the brothers before the Lord? He hates a godly church. He hates a godly Christian. His sole purpose, like I said, in his pitiful use of an ex of an existence is to destroy the church and to destroy Christian homes.
So a question that naturally comes Christian brother, sister, friend is how how is Satan continually at war and and bringing these things and and we see it played out in a lot of different arenas. And I'm this is not an exhaustive list, but I'm just going to have a few things that I think are going to hit each one of us to to our heart. The number one, not number one, but one of the things Satan hates a Godhonoring, healthy marriage.
He hates that. Why do you think marriage is hard at the best of times? Satan loves it. He loves it when we give up on our marriage. He loves when we stop fighting for our spouse. Oh, if I can if I can split up a godly home or a Christian marriage, that's going to cause some damage. He hates healthy marriages that fight for the gospel and fight for each other.
Hates it. Satan hates holiness. He loves when he can get a sinner or a a believer to to water down the reality of their own sin. He loves that. He loves when he can get Christians to be okay with sin in their life. He hates it when you wake up every morning and you battle the temptations that are laid before you.
When you continually turn your back on sin and towards the holiness of God, Satan hates holiness. Satan hates doctrinally sound, godly, unified churches. Hates it. Oh, if he can if he can cause a little fracture over here, if he can cause a little fracture over here, some some splitting over here, and you get little silos and little camps throughout the church, he's doing his job.
He loves that. He hates when God's people in God's church church fight for unity. He hates when the elders are united. And I know I've laid this at your feet before, my brothers and sisters. Your elders pray for you all the time. And we ask that you pray for us all the time. Satan hates it. Satan loves lying. He loves deceit. That's who he is.
So the question, the question is, well, how do if we're in this battle, if we're in this warfare, what do what do we have? What do we do? Well, it's a simple answer. Actually, it's not rocket science. I want to draw your attention to where to the text that Tanessa read for us.
Ephesians 6. I want you to know the answer to spiritual warfare is not anything that we see in the greater modern Christianity. And I use that in quotation marks today. It's not, you know, praying to the demon of fear to cast it out. It's not walking around spraying water at things. It's not worldly philosophy.
It's not anti-biblical practices. It is by clothing ourselves in the whole armor of God. This is the Lord gave us. Here's here's here's the fight here. Here's the B. Here it is. And I'm not going to read the whole thing, but I want to draw our attention just to a couple of portions here. Verse 12. First of all, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
That is quite the battle that we are waging. And notice who's the enemy. It's not a governing authority in our world. That's just let let's be very clear. It's not a governing authority. Our enemy is Satan and the the the spiritual forces of evil.
And he uses governing authorities to introduce bills to shut down the gospel. He uses those things to to say that if you talk against DEI or LGBTQ or any of those things that that's going to be labeled as hate speech and prison time. So, we look at those governing authorities like they're our enemy, but they're not the enemy. The enemy is Satan. It's important that we recognize that. Paul, as he writes, he says, "Listen, put on the belt of truth.
Put on the the breastplate of righteousness. Put on the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation. Pick up the sword. This is what is going to battle the enemy. It's not praying weird hedges of protection and trying to bind Satan as if we have any sort of authority. It is by a complete submission to the truth of God's word and entrusting our lives to a savior who won.
That's the battle plan because Yeah. And it seems in the midst of these little battles that we that we'll fail and we'll struggle and there's ups and downs. But my friends, take soloulless in the reality that the war is won because we serve a savior who is not in the grave, but that he rose conquering sin, conquering death, conquering the enemy. And if you repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, guess what? You're on the victorious team. You win.
We have to prepare now. One of my favorite seasons falls about midepptember to kind of mid October. For any of you who knows that is called the rut. That is the bull elk rut. And if you've ever heard a bull elk bugle or ever seen them fight, it is one of the most amazing pictures you could see. On a side note, you know how people have said that they've been in the wilderness and they heard like weird like Sasquatchy type noises.
I'm convinced those people heard a bull elk bugle and just had not a hot clue that that was an elk. But bull elk don't wake up in the beginning of September and think, "Okay, stretch it out. Let's go fight." It's not what they do. They spend from the moment the rut is done. They rest and they go and they find healthy, thick, nutritious food. Their sole purpose as a bull elk is to build up the strength, the fat, the meat, the build so that they can go and fight.
And they are, you see, you watch videos, it's wild how they fight. And you see the victor and he has cuts, puncture wounds, eyes gouged, broken antlers. He has been through war. But what does he get? The prize. He gets the herd. Because he was prepared for the battle, he gets the prize. We must be prepared.
We must be soaking in God's word. We must be reminding ourselves of truth. Righteousness, the the gospel, faith, being in the word to be prepared to fight because my friends, Satan hates you. And he wants nothing more than to bring a massive hindrance to your life, your holiness, and the church.
But we're going to end on some really enjoyment enjoyment joyful that's the better word news. Take a look at what Paul writes in verse 19 of our original text back in 1 Thessalonians 2 says in verse 18 we wanted to come to you I Paul again and again but Satan hindered us. Verse 19. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming?
Is it not you? For you are our glory and our joy. See, Satan didn't want us to come to you because he knew the relationship we had. And I love Paul often in many of the writings to the churches that he's addressing, Paul is often laying before the people that are reading an anticipation of Christ's return.
It's he's he's constantly saying anticipate the return of Christ and live accordingly. It's essentially what he's asking. And so he says here for what? And now if you have an LSB, an NASB, and you're not going to see for what is for what is our hope, but you're actually going to read for who. The what is actually a person. He's asking the question essentially upon the return of Christ, who are we going to present to the Lord as a life well-lived?
Who are we going to boast about? Who is going to be our wreath of victory? Essentially is what Paul is asking here. Who is our hope, our joy, our crown? And he says, is it not you, Thessalonian church? And then he clarifies, you are our glory and our joy. When we look at you, we are filled with joy of boasting. And when Christ comes, Paul and Silas and Timothy are going to look at the Thessalonian church and say, "Look at the look at the faithfulness in which we ministered to this church.
Look how well they are doing. Look at their response to persecution." That is going to be our crown of joy or boasting. Now I want you to put yourself for just a moment. Imagine you are that Thessalonian church. Imagine it's like day after day after day the Jews continue to come.
They continue to hate you. Maybe some of you are being physically persecuted. We know that's a pattern according to Acts 17 of how the Jews treated Christians in Thessalonica. So imagine it's day after day after day and you're weary and you're broken and now this letter comes from Paul and in front of the church it's read and you read Paul saying you are our joy and our crown.
How do you think that would have made the church feel? It would have strengthened them. It would have emboldened them to be all the more full of the joy of the Lord, willing to fight and willing to battle. See, Paul wants to again and again and again put that question before the church, the anticipation of Christ's return. When Christ returns, what are you going to show for a well a life well lived?
He says it further on in 1 Thessalonians chapter 3:13. So that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all the saints. That you would be established in blamelessness, established in holiness. When the Lord comes, he would see you blameless and holy. He goes on chapter 4:15, chapter 5, verse 23 again to the Thessalonian church, he writes, "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
He's laying before them this you live with anticipation of Christ's return and then when he when he shows up you can boast in a life that you pursued holiness and blamelessness. That's the the longing for Paul in this Thessalonian church. But it's it's not only the Thessalonian church. Take a look at the church in Philippi. The church in Philippi chapter 3.
Notice what he says to them. Once again, a a a church that is, if you're familiar with the letter to the Philippians, a church that is very near and dear to Paul's heart. Very near. He says this in verse 20 and 21 and down to 4 verse one. He says, "But our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself."
So he's saying, "Listen, our citizenship is not here. It's in heaven and from it we what? Await a savior. We anticipate a savior coming. And then four verse one, therefore my brothers in light of Christ's imminent return. Therefore, he says, brothers whom I love and long for for my joy and crown. Hear the similar language from here to Thessalonians in our text. Whom I love and long for. You Philippi are my joy and my crown.
Stand firm thus in the Lord my beloved. In light of the Christ return, as we await a savior, we ought to stand firm. Paul once again he's looking to the Philippian church of a evidence of a faithful life lived for Paul. Paul's crown at the coming of the Lord is these churches that he planted.
These churches that he was faithful to to grow and to strengthen. He could look at them and he encourages these churches to stand firm. I love this next one. We'll go to one more. Go with me. If you will, to second Corinthians. Now, why I love this one is because every time we think of the Corinthian church, we don't think of a lot of joy or cleanliness or holiness.
First, first Corinthians, that's an ugly show. Second Corinthians, take a listen. In chapter 1. I'm going to pick it up in verse 12. For our boast is this, once again, similar language. Our boast, Paul says, is this. The testimony of our conscience that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom, but by the grace of God, and supremely so towards you.
So Paul here he's saying what's our boast? What what is it that we can boast in? Paul here says that we lived godly. We lived with sincerity. We lived with simplicity. Some translations instead of simplicity says holiness. We lived in holiness among you. And then he goes on for we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand.
And I hope you will fully understand just as you did partially understand us that on the day of our Lord Jesus, once again, there's that when Jesus comes, on the day of the Lord Jesus, you will boast of us as we will boast of you. That's a wild one to me because the Corinthian church is a little bit messy, but they've clearly been sanctified a lot coming into second Corinthians. So Paul is saying a when when the Lord returns for Paul the evidence of a faithful life lived is the sanctification of the churches. He taught them well.
He modeled well for them. He was he was one that they could look to as a way to live a godly Christian life. And he would receive that crown of boasting or that crown of victory. They're anticipating Christ's return. So I have to ask myself this question.
What about me? What about you? Do we live with this anticipation of Christ's return? Paul continued to lay that before the churches. What's your joy? What are you going to boast in? What is your What is your crown of glory or your crown of victory? What is your joy? What is evidence of a faithful life? And if Christ returns, what do you present?
What do you look at? Is it the fact that you were retired and shaved three strokes off your golf game? I have a safe bank account. Oh Lord, here's my boast. Look how fast I can finish this video game. Look how good I am at Zelda. We chuckle. How many of us spend way too many hours playing video games? Now, I I don't play video games, but this next one Oh, Lord.
You should see the sports stats that I've got right up here. You know, I was able I watched all my TV shows. I got those suckers memorized. Lord, are you not impressed? This is my crown of boasting. This is my crown of joy. How sad. And yet I think many of us are like I don't know what I would boast in rather Lord we I I fought tooth and nail for my marriage. It's my crown of boasting.
I failed and I struggled but I pursued holiness with every fiber of my being. I evangelized to the best of my ability. I was faithful to to proclaim the gospel. I raised my kids in the instruction and the the admonition of the Lord. This is this is what I have to present. This is my my crown of joy, Lord, is that I longed to to see my kids grow. I stood firm when the when the enemies of the arrow flew at me. What is it that you would be able to to present?
What is your your crown of boasting as Paul's and Silas and Timothy was able to look at the churches and the sanctification and the the building and of those churches though they were not perfect by any means. Paul looked at this Thessalonian church in particular and said they are strengthened. They are encouraged. They have they have battled persecution and they have stood firm. That brought joy for Paul. That's what he could present to the Lord. I have used my I've used my grandfather as an illustration a few times.
My grandfather not a great man. Well, he is now. He's he passed away a long time ago if you didn't catch that. He was not a good man. He married to my grandmother. I can't remember how long they were married. Long time. For the longest time. My grandfather had had a an affair on my grandmother. He was abusive in almost every way physically. It was an ugly thing.
And and my grand many people came to my grandmother and said listen why don't you why don't you why don't you leave like you have biblical grounds to leave to leave him to which her response was often along the lines of this the Lord has forgiven me much this is the man that the Lord has given me why would I not love him till the day I die why would I not forgive him why would I not live a faithful life before the Lord, before him, and she modeled Christlikkeness from my grandfather to her dying day.
She could boast in a in a faithful life well-lived. The evidence of that, I can just imagine that. So my grandfather about a couple weeks before he passed away repented and believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ largely in part because of the evidence of my grandmother's faithful living. Largely because my my mom would share the gospel and and those types of things. I can just imagine my grandmother's face when my grandfather passed away and was ushered into the presence of the Lord.
Evidence of a faithful life lived when the when the Lord returns. Paul here saying when Christ comes you Thessalonian church in your faithfulness you are our crown of boasting. What is it that you and I will have to say? Lord, when you return, this is my crown of boasting. Is it a faithful life well-lived, a pursuit of holiness, a longing for a healthy marriage, or is it something that yields no value at all?
It's one of the questions we have to ask. We must be prepared for battle. Must long to clothe ourselves with the word of God and his righteousness and fight the good fight until the day we die. Father, you are a good and gracious king. God, we would ask in this time and in this moment that you would strengthen us as believers individually and you would strengthen us as a church to to stand to fight against the schemes of the enemy.
Lord, we are powerless against this powerful enemy and yet your spirit in us strengthens us. Lord, would you help us to understand your word more and more? Would you strengthen our feet to stand firm? Would you help us to grasp the truth of your word? And that you would help us to live faithful lives unto you. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Transcribed automatically from YouTube captions, so names and words may be misheard.
