Pastor Paul Brown
August 29, 2021 - W2135

"Born for The Battle" 

Friends: Guardians & Guardrails

Pastor Paul Brown

August 28 & 29, 2021

Welcome New Hope Oahu family and friends, online--around the world!  Thank you for choosing to worship with us today--it's always a pleasure! The message for today is "Born for The Battle" from the series "Friends: Guardians & Guardrails."  

Continual conflict and division seem to be everywhere--in our churches and homes; within nations to nations; countries to countries; states to states. A sociological term for this is called syndemic, when multiple epidemics are happening at the same time and intertwined socially, economically, and politically.

However, we serve a God who is faithful, great, and certain; He is in control, and we can trust Him even during chaotic times because of the trueness of His character! The call on our lives is to be a light in these dark uncertain times, when some are feeling anxious, forgotten, angry, confused, and overwhelmed. Others may be paralyzed with fear--feeling physically ill and mentally insecure saying, "Loneliness is killing us!" We could have a mental illness in our lives because whenever I call the hospital, they ask:  "Is it physical or mental?  Is it something happening within yourself?"  

The HRS (Health Resource and Service Administration) wrote an article, “The Loneliness Epidemic,” explaining what is happening within us! The report indicates that about 28 percent of seniors live alone (about 14 million people: 5 million men and 9.7 million women); and that loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of dementia by 50 percent!  Other health risks are heart disease, 29 percent; mental health disorder, 26 percent; and premature mortality 26 percent.  The health effects of loneliness are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day!

This is not only for older adults but also includes young adults.  According to a latest CDC survey, 63 percent of young people are suffering from significant symptoms of anxiety and depression; nearly a quarter of the respondents said that to cope with their emotions, they have increased their substance abuse--which includes alcohol, prescription drug, and marijuana. 

Loneliness is killing us! We need friends who will fight for us when we want to give up on our families, marriages, salvation, or even our lives. They are battle-born friends who will fight for us--not against us!

What is the meaning of a Battle-Born Friend?

Jesus is our battle?born friend. When we get to know Him, we, too, will become battle?born friends who are ready to fight the battle for each other and to be a "light" on a hill. I believe we were "Born for the Battle" when it's the darkest because light shines the brightest in darkness! This is the moment we must decide to fight together for each other as...

Proverbs 17:17 ESV says: "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

We need friendship--friends to come around us.  Some would say that friendships are cool, relationships are cool, but people are the problem! The reason for this difficulty is that relationships mean people!  Many have tried to gain friends (even in church) but we have been betrayed and are afraid to try again--but here is a Scripture to enlighten us:

Galatians 5:15 NIV says: "If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other"

The devil is not a creator--he is a mutator!  He takes relationships and marriages that were made for good and mutates them to mar and betray us!  He takes the body of Christ and flips it so rather than fighting the true battle, we fight against each other--not for each other!

The solution is not to destroy each other but to come together! I believe the devil gets nervous when the Church of Jesus Christ realizes that their mission is not to fight but to love and encourage each other. This will lead to evangelism and discipleship, and we realize that the real battle is to fight against the devil!

2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV says, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

The healing of our nation would be more connected when we love and stop fighting each other! I believe we were born in the darkest of times to shine God's light! If we were "Born for the Battle," we must decide today to love like Jesus loves for when we get to know Jesus, we become battle-born friends and will fight for each other!

1. Learn From the Battle-Born Friend Named Jesus

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV says: "²⁸Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Three points to find rest for our souls:

a. Go to Jesus first. Learn that coming to Jesus first will help to see things through His lens. We could be carrying burdens that are not meant for us to carry--they were made for Jesus' shoulders! 

b. Learn to lay down the things we cannot change and focus on what He called us to do.  Burdens weigh us down--set an example of surrender to God what is not meant for us to carry! 

Elisha is surrounded by the Aramean army ready to destroy him, but he is relaxing, trusting God and His faithfulness.  It's difficult to see the faithfulness of God when we are burdened with worry that we can’t control!  We cannot see the invisible weights that we carry. 

2 Kings 6:15-17 NIV says: "¹⁵ ...What shall we do?” the servant asked. ¹⁶ “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

c. Learn to love the people of God. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love! In our moments of hardship, God is faithful; so, give God some praise as worship highlights the promises of God and is a tool to surrendering the hardship.

Matthew 22:36-40 NIV says: "³⁶Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.  ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

The command is to love.  Jesus showed us how to love, and now He’s calling us to go and love others.  There are many lonely people that need a friend--someone to pray with and to be encouraged.  A story is told of four friends who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus.  They couldn’t enter the house because of the large crowd, so they went up on the roof and lowered him on a mat in front of Jesus.  When Jesus saw their faith, he forgave the man of his sin and healed him! 

John 15:12-14 NIV says: "¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have love you.  ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command."

2. Choose to Recognize that You Are Made to Be a Battle-Born Friend

It makes a difference when you have friends who will walk with you when we go through difficult seasons.  We need battle-born friends who will do whatever it takes to bring us to Jesus. 

One of the ladies came to me crying after service and I asked her what happened and if she’s okay.  She says, “Pastor Paul, I knew God wanted me to be here.” And she told me how one of her friends left her phone on top of the car, and as she’s driving, it falls off the car!  We find the phone and it works!  We get back in the car and all of them are “going to church.”  They keep driving and the car overheats.  (If it were me, I would call a tow truck and figure out what is wrong.)  She says, “No, I need to make it to church.”  They get in another friend’s car and by now it’s late and they’d be there at the end of service.  God said, “Go.” They come to church and are sitting on the front row!  She said, “God touched my heart!”

That’s what we’re called to do--greater service, greater love, and greater connection with each other.  I believe when friends go through things together and love and fight for each other, the world will see and experience that love!

3. Make Space and Invite Battle-Born Friends into Your Life

Battle?Born friends will walk with us and do whatever it takes to get to us to Jesus, to a Bible study, and to the place where the glory comes out!  

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 NV says: "³³ Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” ³⁴ Come back to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God."

Your future will be determined by your present friends.  We must have people around who will push us toward Jesus and God’s best in our lives. We must keep the light on.  That’s what I love about New Hope--your background or what you’ve done doesn’t matter, they will keep the light on for you.  Lighthouses are not for clear days but for stormy days that are visibility bad.  That’s what the church is called to be--a lighthouse that loves people like Jesus does and continue to be like Him.

How do we have relationships with people we disagree with?  Colossians 4:6 NIV says: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Salt is a preservative. We need to always speak the truth with grace.  People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!  This is true now more than ever.  We need to show kindness to reach the heart of man and to empathize and share their burdens.

May I encourage you to listen to people when they’re speaking?  Sit with some of the kupuna (elders) and just listen.  Encourage each other towards God’s best for them.  When we connect to God who is faithful, we will recognize that we are here to fight for each other--not against each other. We will bring joy to people when we turn to God and humble ourselves. When we repent, He promises to heal our path and we beome a light on a hill that bring joy to people who are living in darkness!

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1.   Who are some people you can encourage?
2.   When has a stranger shown kindness to you?
3.   Name a time when an act of kindness on your part made a difference?
4.   Share a time when someone helped you during difficult times.