Bulletins - Rooted Church SWMO

King of My Heart
Cornerstone
Singing in the Victory
All Sufficient Merit
- - Ephesians 6:10–13ESV
Ephesians 6:10 -13, Hebrews 12:2

Intro:
New Year - New Members
Picking back up in Ephesians

Ephesians 6:10–13 (ESV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For 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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

My whole life I have been fascinated by strength.
Table Rock Village (justice & hunting exhibitions)
Strong Men Competitions & Body Building (Ronnie Coleman - GOAT, 8 time Mr. Olympia, one more than Arnold)

And just last week, I was reminded of a cruel reality (my girls and the Ronnie Coleman video).

The truth is, strength — the kind I’ve described so far, the kind I admired so much as a child — is fleeting. It is momentary, fragile, and easily lost.

Age will surely undoubtedly strip it away, little by little. But, it can also be lost all at once — through disease, injury, or even a brief season of neglect. What once felt indestructible fades, and no amount of human effort can fully hold back the slow erosion of the body.

The truth is, that the the value of physical strength, for all its benefits, is bound to the narrow window of our lives here on earth. It serves us only in what we can touch and see— and even then, only temporarily.

Paul, as he penned his letter to the Ephesians, knew this reality all too well. By this point in his life, likely in his mid-50s, Paul surely knew the pain of being betrayed by ones body — not merely as a result of aging, but from beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonment.

His physical strength, whatever remained, was not his boast.

Yet, it is in this place — not in the vigor of youth but in the humility of worn-down years — that Paul calls the church to remember:

Strength’s Source

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

This strength is unlike the fleeting power of muscle or willpower. It is not subject to decay or injury. It cannot be stolen by sickness or time. It is strength that comes not from within but from being rooted in the eternal, unshakable power of God Himself.

Just as the poor beggar who trusts in Jesus is made wealthier in an instant than the mightiest king, so too is the bodybuilder—standing tall in all his physical glory—feeble compared to the elderly woman with trembling hands, clutching her worn Bible. Her frail frame hides a strength that the world cannot measure, for she has grown mighty through years spent drawing power from the Word of God.

Where muscles fail and crowns crumble, the quiet strength of faith endures, rooted not in the fading vigor of youth but in the unshakable promises of the Lord.

And so Paul invites us today to pursue a strength that endures, strength that equips us for the battles of life — battles that are not against flesh and blood, but against the unseen forces that war against our souls.

I would contend this morning that perhaps the greatest mistake a Christian can make is to believe they must, or are supposed to, fight these battles alone, relying solely on their own power.

While this may seem like an obvious point in a Bible study context, the reality is that we often live as though our salvation depends on personal determination. We regularly fall into the trap of thinking that the Christian life is about self-effort, rather than complete dependence on Christ.

So before we explore the individual pieces of the armor of God over the next few weeks, my goal today is to establish our deep need for Christ to empower us to wear and wield them.

Because too often, when we think of the Armor of God, we treat it like a “spiritual checklist” or a list of “spiritual resolutions” for the new year.
But Scripture is clear—this is not a call to willpower. It is a call to dependence, which is birthed from awe for the One who se strength has obtained our victory!

This is why I want us to reflect on today’s text in light of Hebrews 12:2:

Hebrews 12:2 ESV
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus is the Founder of our faith:

Meaning, salvation was established by Him and purchased through Him. It belongs to Him, and He alone gives it and maintains it.

And He is not only it’s Founder, but Faith’s Perfecter. The race He calls us to run is one He has already completed—and not just completed, but finished flawlessly.

When He invites us to take up this race, He does so as the One who knows every twist, turn, and trial we will encounter. He understands the weight of our burdens because He has carried them. He knows the strength we will need, and He is faithful to supply it. As Philippians 1:6 reminds us:

Philippians 1:6 ESV
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Jesus set His eyes toward the Father, fully committed to finishing the race that we could not. His victory was not for His own gain but for ours. In following Him, we share in the prize that only He was qualified to attain.

That prize was secured when He endured the cross—what Hebrews 12:2 describes as:

The Joy Set Before Him

Pause for a moment and let those words settle in—The joy set before Him.

How could the suffering of Good Friday be described with such a word as joy?

In that question, one begins to see the difference between His strength and mine.

Jesus looked upon the cross with full awareness of its agony and shame. In Gethsemane, He sweat drops of blood under the weight of what lay ahead. Yet, in the face of this torment, Hem being fully God, saw beyond the suffering. He could see the other side of the cross, because He is the Founder of our salvation, and thus, the cross, for all its horror, was the doorway to your salvation.

And thus —the joy set before Him—was you.

He endured, as the only one strong enough to, because He saw the fruit of His sacrifice—your salvation, your restoration, your eternal fellowship with Him.

The Perfect, Sinless Son of God bore the weight of shame that was not His own. And He despised it—because such shame was alien to His holiness. Yet, His hatred for that shame was nothing compared to His love for you.

His desire for your salvation outweighed every blow, every insult, and every drop of blood.

Through the cross and the empty tomb, you now possess all you need to endure.

This is the strength Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6:10.

Like Hebrews, Ephesians beckons us to —run the race, stand firm, and endure. But notice Paul’s emphasis. It is not your strength that sustains you; it is His.

The strength to resist temptation, to overcome discouragement, to withstand spiritual attacks— all of it comes from being rooted in the might of He who endured the Cross.

And so, Paul tells us that is is His glory alone by which we are to be:

Dressed for Victory

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Jesus is not just the Founder and Perfecter of our salvation—He is the triumphant King who reigns even now. The verse in Hebrews reminds us that He is “seated at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 12:2). This image is more than a symbol of honor; it declares a profound truth: His work of salvation is complete.

To say Christ is seated signifies that the battle for our redemption has been fought and won. His victory is final. The weight of sin, the power of death, and the grip of the enemy have been broken. This isn’t the image of a king preparing for war but of a King who has already conquered and now rules with authority. From this exalted position, Jesus not only reigns but continually offers to us everything we need to stand firm in the face of spiritual opposition.

Again, over the next three weeks, we will dive deeper into each piece of the armor that our victorious King provides—armor that equips us to withstand the schemes of the devil and remain steadfast in the day of trial.

But before we focus on the armor itself, we must remember these foundational truths:

We can stand strong only because Christ already has.
We put on the armor He supplies, not armor we craft.
We fight not to achieve victory, but from victory.

This is the posture of the believer—not striving to win, but grounded in Christ’s triumph.
The armor of God is not a checklist of virtues to attain but a divine gift, forged in the fires of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection.

So as we prepare to explore the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shield of faith, let us first fix our eyes on the One who gives them.
The armor reminds us that our strength flows from the finished work of Christ, and because of Him, we can stand unshaken, clothed in the victory of our risen King.

pause:

As we reflect on last year, and look to this new year, I ask you: do you feel victorious?

I know that for many of you, the answer is “no.” I have heard you.

Many of us feel beat down by the world and it’s illnesses, and broken relationships and broken promises.

And as I consider that reality in light of this text, my mind is drawn to Jeremiah 12:5 which says:

Jeremiah 12:5 (ESV)
“If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?

This verse proposes a question that we must consider humbly.

If our own strength has left us weary amidst that which we can see, then friend, we have little hope to:

Fight the Unseen

12 For 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.

At first glance, many of the struggles we face appear to stem from tangible, earthly sources—conflict with others, personal hardship, or societal tensions. However, Paul pulls back the curtain, revealing a battlefield that extends far beyond what we can perceive with our eyes. The real war is waged in the spiritual realm.

Behind the trials, temptations, and divisions of this world lies a network of spiritual forces—dark powers that oppose the purposes of God and seek to derail His people. These are not distant threats; they are active, present adversaries scheming against the church and against all of God’s people.

Paul’s use of the term “wrestle” suggests a close, personal struggle. This is not warfare conducted from a distance, but hand-to-hand combat in your everyday.

This battle is fought in your home, your workplace, your church, and in your own heart.

And the enemy we contend with is not flesh and blood. This means:

Your enemy is not ultimately your difficult coworker, your neighbor, or even the person who hurt you.
It is not a political figure, cultural movement, or human institution that oppresses you.

The real battle is unseen, driven by forces that seek to use the visible world to achieve their purposes.

And this is Why Human Strength Fails you:

Recognizing the spiritual nature of the battle immediately exposes the futility of relying on human strength or worldly solutions. No amount of self-discipline, intellect, or personal grit can prevail against an enemy that exists outside the bounds of the physical realm.

This is why Paul warns that we cannot fight spiritual battles with earthly weapons.

Arguments, brute force, or human reasoning—though they have their place—they cannot drive back spiritual darkness.

Instead, we are called to take up the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13). This armor, divinely fashioned and provided by the Lord, equips us for the kind of warfare that transcends the limits of human effort.

Truth girds our waist, allowing us to stand firm against lies and deception.
Righteousness guards our hearts, shielding us from the accusations of the enemy.
Faith extinguishes the fiery darts of doubt, fear, and temptation.
The Word of God, sharper than any sword, is our offensive weapon against the lies of the adversary.

Without this armor, we stand exposed and vulnerable. But clothed in the strength and power of God, we are more than conquerors, able to resist the schemes of the devil and hold firm in the midst of battle.

Thus,

The Church, Must be a People who Engage this Battle with Spiritual Vision

Understanding the nature of this fight shifts our focus. When conflict arises, when circumstances seem overwhelming, or when discouragement weighs heavily on us, we must learn to see through spiritual eyes.

Ask yourself:
- Is this struggle part of a greater spiritual attack?
- Is the enemy using this situation to undermine my faith or divide the body of Christ?
- Am I relying on my own strength or standing in the strength of the Lord?

Victory in this battle does not come by overpowering what is seen but by standing firm against what is unseen. This is why Paul began this section of Scripture with the command: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

Our strength is not drawn from within but from Christ who has already overcome. The same power that raised Him from the dead is the power that equips us for this spiritual struggle.

So as you face the day and it’s various trials, we must know—the battle is real, but so is the victory that Christ has secured.

And it’s by His power that we:

Hold the Line

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

As we close this morning, I want to bring us back to where we began. I opened this sermon with a video titled The New Humanity:

Drawing from Paul’s letters, especially Ephesians, the video highlighted that through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, a humanity that was once cursed and set apart from God, is now called to push back against the very spiritual forces of darkness that once deceived it.

We are called to shed the divisions of the past and embrace a new identity rooted in Christ’s power and salvation.

And Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter, is the One who has ushered in this new life—a life that transcends ethnic, social, and cultural barriers. He has made it possible for the Church to live in unity and to reflect God’s character to the world.

And by embracing this identity, we are invited to participate in God’s mission to renew and restore creation, demonstrating the gospel’s power to bring reconciliation and peace.

Because Jesus came to create something entirely new—a unified family, a new people no longer bound by the divisions that are so natural in the world. Through His death and resurrection, Christ disarmed the powers of darkness, opening the way for you to live a transformed life.

But this new identity doesn’t exempt you from the battles you face; rather, it equips you for them.

The same spiritual forces that oppose unity, love, and holiness are the very forces Paul warns us about in today’s passage. Yet, because we are part of this new humanity in Christ, we do not stand alone. We are clothed in His strength, bound together by His Spirit, and empowered by His victory.

So, as we depart today, remember this: In the midst of your present struggles, in the midst of whatever darkness seems to overwhelm you, it is not Christ’s will that you simply survive—but that you stand firm, anchored in the unshakable reality of who you are in Jesus.

If you will look to Him, and rely on His strength, then His victory will empower you to withstand the enemy’s schemes and remain standing when the dust settles.

The armor of God is not just for protection—it is the uniform of this new humanity, His Church, called stand united under Christ’s reign, advancing His kingdom together.

Will you join me in praying to that end.

Communion: A Declaration to the Seen and Unseen

1 Corinthians 11:26 ESV
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
The word “proclaim” is the same word translated “preach” in other places. And so what this verse means, is that when we take communion this morning, we preach a sermon to God Himself, to the spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenly places, and to the world who gazes with wonderment at the church.

This is not small act family…
- - Hebrews 12:2ESV
- - Philippians 1:6ESV
- - 1 Corinthians 11:26ESV
We Will Feast in the House of Zion
- - Psalm 67NIV2011

Ephesians 6:10–13ESV

Ephesians 6:10 -13, Hebrews 12:2

Strength’s Source

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Dressed for Victory

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Fight the Unseen

12 For 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.

Hold the Line

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Communion: A Declaration to the Seen and Unseen

Hebrews 12:2ESV

Philippians 1:6ESV

1 Corinthians 11:26ESV

Psalm 67NIV2011