LCC Online Service - 14 February 2021
Welcome
Please click below for the video welcome message.
Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our LCC Sunday church service.
Today we will be taking communion, so please have the elements ready when we take communion.
Let us open in prayer and commit this service to the Lord.
Today I am going to read a passage from Ephesians 6 on how important it is to be equipped with the armour of God. Often I think we forget that we are in a battle and it is not against the things we can see, it is happening in the spiritual realm. Because of that, we need to equip ourselves with what 2 Corinthians 10:4 tells us to: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
Ephesians 6:10-17 (Amp)
10 Be strong in the Lord that is [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armour of God [for His precepts (laws) are like the splendid armour of a heavily armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes, strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly supernatural) places.
13 Therefore, put on the complete armour of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having [a]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having [b]strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] [c]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
The armour of God is how we are to live all the time, to protect us when we are under attack by our enemy Satan.
I am going to briefly comment on the armour of God.
The band or belt of truth. On a Roman soldier this band or belt holds securely all the other weapons in place. The belt of truth for the Christian is the integrity that we are to walk in daily.
John 8:31-32 (ESV)
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The breastplate of a soldier covered the soldier's vital organs. Firstly, Jesus is our righteousness – it is only through the great exchange that we get to stand before God in purity – this is because of Jesus’s work on the cross. Secondly, we need to guard our hearts and keep them pure, this is done in complete obedience to the Word of God.
A Roman soldier would have hobnails on the sole of his shoes, very much like football cleats because when they were fighting they needed solid footing from which to move. Strapped on our feet is the Gospel of peace. Satan will try and steal – your peace. The good news that we preach to the world, that God’s peace transcends understanding and circumstances.
The Roman soldier's shield measured approximately half a meter by just over one meters and was made of wood covered with leather. In that day, soldiers dipped arrows in oil, then lit them and shot them at the enemy. These shields were vital to protect the solider from getting burned. The shield of faith can be used to protect the entire body. Our “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” Romans10:17. It comes from being in God’s Word and knowing what Jesus has accomplished at the cross for us.
A soldier used a helmet to protect his head because if his head was wounded, he would be incapacitated. We need the helmet of salvation to protect our heads (our minds) in these days when people are rejecting the truth. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “We have the mind of Christ”. His Spirit, in us, is helping us understand spiritual things.
The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness He refuted Satan’s lies with Scripture. This shows that the Word of God can be used both defensively and offensively. How important it is to commit God’s Word to memory, to meditate on it. The other parts of the armour are more defensive but the sword of the Spirit is offensive, allows us to walk into battle armed.
The bottom line is that the Word of God must be in the forefront of our lives and not to be kept on the bookshelf. Jesus is our example. He referenced the Word of God when he spoke, to Satan when Satan tempted him. Eventually the devil had to leave Him.
COMMUNION
Luke 22: 15-20 ‘And Jesus said to his disciples, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God.” 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’
PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Please select “play” on the image below and join with us in worshiping our Lord and Saviour.
Song List:
- Lord I Give You My Heart - Michael W. Smith
- Trust and Obey - Don Moen
- All To Jesus I Surrender - Robin Mark
sermon
Sermon - Andrew Betteridge - John’s Letters - Part 3 - The Obedience
Scripture: 1 John 2:3-6, & 17; Exodus 19:1-6; 1 John 3:21-24; 1 John 5:1-5; Matthew 22:36-40
Please select Play below (depending on your bandwidth it could take a few seconds to buffer and play):
If you have issues playing the sermon, you can download the audio version directly from OneDrive here:
Sermon Download
Prayer
1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord.5 May the Lord bless you from Zion;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children—
peace be on Israel.
- Psalm 128 (NIV)
Praise the Lord for His promises.
Pray for Chad, Callie and family’s arrival this week.
Pray for those in our community who are being directly impacted by the effects of the COVID infection. Pray for quick and full recovery.
Pray for wisdom and clarity for the Elders as they seek additional Elders for the church.
Pray for wisdom for the government in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pray for the prison ministry work.
Pray for the work in Chipata
Pray for courage in participating in God’s Kingdom coming.
Please share your praises and prayer needs with any of the Elders via WhatsApp or email the church email or via the Prayer Form so that we can all continue being in prayer for one another.
Giving
Tithing and giving can be done through online transfer facilities (wire, mobile, & bank). We currently do not offer direct debit or credit card donations, but some have found TransferWise to be a helpful platform for transferring money locally or internationally (minimal transaction fees).
If you are unable to use contactless methods, you can still drop-off your offering at the church office during regular working hours. You can confirm any details with the church administrator by calling, texting, or WhatsApp: +260966800100
The church bank account details are below if you would like to use online transfer facilities:
Account name: Lusaka Community Church
$ acc #: 8700220232300
K acc #: 0150420232300
Bank: Standardchartered
Branch: Manda Hill
Branch code: 03000
Swift code: SCBLZMLX
Address: Roma Park, 609 Zambezi Drive, Lusaka, 10101
Benediction
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.
- Deuteronomy 28:1-14 (NIV)