Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days (audio)

The Armour of God is described in Ephesians 6:14-17. The GOSPEL SHOES: "having shod your feet with the (shoes of) preparation (readiness) of the Gospel of Peace (another aspect of God's Word)” (v15). To be ready for battle, you need the right shoes to give you a firm footing, so you can stand your ground on God's Word and the completed victory of Christ. These are the shoes of the Gospel, which declares His finished work over sin and every enemy, thereby bringing us into peace with God (peace comes after victory). We put on the Shoes by knowing and embracing the Good News that He has won the victory and we stand firm in that truth, ready for action. We standing in His victory, rather than trying to get the victory. Then v16 says: “above (covering) all, taking (up) the SHIELD of (the) FAITH, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts (arrows) of the wicked one (God’s Word is powerful).” The Shield that protects us is not our faith, but God's Word (the Faith), we need to trust in God’s Word rather than our faith, but it is by faith that we take up the Shield and put it in front of us. The Word must not just wrapped around our heart, but lifted up in front of us, where it can cover every area of our life, by confessing His Word and thanking God for His promises and who He is to us (Heb 13:5-6). The roman shield was like a door covering the whole body, made of 6 layers of animal hide, anointed with oil (the Spirit) and drenched with water (Eph 5:26), able to protect even against fiery arrows filled with combustible liquid designed to explode on impact. Likewise, the anointed Word of God is empowered to protect us, even against the worst weapons of the enemy. These fiery arrows are words (thoughts) set on fire by hell (Jam 3:6), with spiritual power to penetrate our soul and set it on fire (with bitterness, anger, fear, discouragement etc) if our Shield is not up. But if we activate our Shield, by declaring: "The Lord is my Strength, Stronghold, Light, Peace, Provider Shield, Victory..." then the fiery darts will not be able to penetrate our heart and mind and emotions. Derek concludes by giving a classic example of how to put up the Shield of Faith as demonstrated by Paul in Romans 8:28-39, where he says we must not be passive in the face of the things (attacks) of life, but we must declare God's truths (Christ's love for us and His finished work) in response to these things. he asks: "what shall we say to these things?" (v31), and then tells us what we should say (v31-39). In this way, we activate our Shield of God's Word, which quench the evil thoughts (words), sent from the enemy to hurt and destroy us.

In Ephesians 6:14-18, Paul describes the 7 pieces of God's Armour of God, which He provides to us through His Word for our spiritual warfare. The Breastplate of Righteousness (Isa 59:16) is necessary for guarding the heart. To enter into spiritual warfare, it is vital our heart is under the protection of God’s Righteousness (it is the Armour of God). It does not consist of our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ. In spiritual warfare, pride is fatal. Instead, we must submit to God and His righteousness, which He gives us by grace (Job 41:34, Luke 10:17-20, Jam 4:6-7), through the Great Exchange (2Cor 5:21). To put on His Breastplate of Righteousness so that it covers and protects our heart, we must submit to His righteousness (Rom 10:3, Phil 3:9). It is attached to the Belt, for it is God's Word which imparts the faith we need to trust in His gift of righteousness. It had 2 parts, a breast and back plate, which correspond to (1) the imputed righteousness of Christ, through which we were justified by faith (Rom 3:28,4:1-8, 5:1, 8:1, Gal 2:16), and (2) the imparted righteousness of Christ (His life and nature) through the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5, 14:17, Gal 5:22-23, 1Cor 1:30). (1) Through FAITH in Christ and His finished work we are justified, declared forgiven and righteous in Christ. This protects the heart from satan’s main weapon – condemnation (Rev 12:10-11, Isa 54:17). (2) The LOVE of Christ filling our souls with His love (Rom 8:4) protects our hearts from evil thoughts. We see these 2 parts of the Breastplate in 1Thess 5:8: “putting on the breastplate of (1) FAITH and (2) LOVE.” We see these 2 kinds of righteousness in: Romans 1:17: “For in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from (1) justifying faith to (2) living faith; as it is written: “The just (by faith) shall live by faith.”

In Ephesians 6:11,13, Paul commands us to put on the whole Armour of God (which God provides to us through His Word). Then in v14-18 he describes the 7 pieces of the Armour of God. Derek shares about the Belt of Truth and how to put it on (v14), and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word (rhema) of God (v17), and how they work together. The Belt of Truth consists of God's Word (John 17:17), which we are to put on tight by wrapping our heart around with His commands and promises, bringing our thoughts into alignment (1Pet 1:13). Our Belt consists of the Word of God that we know and have embraced until it is part of us. It is the foundational piece of Armour, which is why it is mentioned first (the sword, shield and breastplate were attached to it). If loose, the whole armour falls apart. The Sword of the Spirit fits in the Belt. In a fight, a soldier pulls his sword from his belt. Likewise, in a spiritual fight, we pull a Scripture-Sword from our Belt of Scriptures as quickened by the Spirit, and put in our mouth and speak it. It will then go forth in the power of the Spirit against the enemy. God's Word is like a sharp sword (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus used His Sword 3 times to defeat Satan, saying: "it is written" (Matthew 4:3-10). For the Sword to work we must first have our Belt on tight (know the Word well). We also see the Sword in action in Revelation 12:11, Isaiah 54:17, and Psalm 149:6-9.

We are called to fight the good (victorious) Fight of the Faith (the Word of God) according to 1Timothy 6:12 and 2Tim 4:6. Derek describes the nature of this fight and the keys to successful spiritual warfare. The fight is to stand on and stay true to God’s Word, in faith and practice, against all opposition, deception and wiles of the enemy. It is the fight to stay in the faith, to continue to trust God and His Word. The strategy of the enemy is to try to get you off God's Word. Then you lose. We fight it with God’s Word, by standing, speaking and doing His Word. (1) Our posture in the fight is to stand on His Word (Eph 6:11-14), which means standing on the finished work of Christ, who has already won the victory over every enemy (Col 2:15, Matt 28:18, Eph 1:19-21, Phil 2:9-11, 1Pet 3:22), and has shared the victory with us in His Name (Eph 2:4-6). So, in Christ we are overcomers (1John 2:13-14, 4:4, 5:4-5), more than conquerors (Rom 8:37) in the Name of Jesus (on the basis of His victory, power and authority). As we stand in faith we are automatically in the victory. (2) We must reject pride, and submit to God and resist the enemy (Jam 4:6-7, 1Pet 5:5-9, Job 41:34), by exercising our will in making a quality decision to trust in and stand firm on His Word and not be moved, no matter what happens, enforcing this by confessing the good (victorious) confession of His Word, just as a wrestler does everything in his power to stay on his feet (Eph 6:12, 1Tim 6:12, Isa 54:17, Rev 12:11), (3) As we do this, we must depend on and lay hold of the power of the Holy Spirit (God's eternal life that He gives us by grace - John 3:16, 1John 5:11-12), which is continually available to us by grace (Eph 1:19, 3:20, 5:18, 6:10, 1Tim 6:12). This is necessary, if we are to stand, because we wrestle against principalities and powers (Eph 6:12). Therefore our role in the battle is to submit to God and stand on His Word and resist the devil, standing in the victory of Christ, trusting in His Name, and depending on the power of His Spirit to strengthen our heart (will).

Why is Christianity based on the Death and Resurrection of Christ? Man cannot save himself. Everything of the Old Creation is only worthy of being consigned to judgment and death (Isaiah 53:6). Only then can God bring forth a new creation, a rebirth by resurrection (1Peter 1:3). In His death as the last Adam He took all the sin and curse of the original creation and brought it to judgment thru His death. Then as the 2nd Adam in His resurrection, He became the head of a new creation, the firstborn and first-fruits from the dead, the first of a new breed of redeemed humanity, recreated through their union with Christ (John 14:19, Romans 6:1-11, Colossians 2:12-13, 3:1,10-15, 2Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:1-10, 4:24).

Derek shares the keys for us to enter and possess our Promised Land (God's perfect will and provision for our life). First, our heart need to be strong in faith, through His Word and Spirit within us, so that we are willing to obey Him. Second, we need the Promise of His Presence with us as we walk with Him, so that we have the courage to obey Him, even when we face opposition without and fears within. He gave this promise to Moses: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you Rest (the Promised Land)”, and repeated it in Deuteronomy 31:6-8 and Joshua 1:5-9.

Every believer should be looking forward to Jesus' imminent return in the Rapture. All the heathen should recognise when it happens, because it will be one of the last great signs to get right with God by making Jesus Lord of your life – while there is still time to do so. At the invitation of Pastor Nicholas Roberts - Full Grown Ministry, Pastor Derek ministers an in-depth, comprehensive Bible teaching on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.

God’s purpose is for us to be Temples of God, revealed through His earthly Temples, patterned after His heavenly Temple (Dwelling Place), all pictures of His ultimate eternal Temple (redeemed man in Christ). All Temples (earthly & heavenly) reveal different aspects of His ultimate Temple, revealing how we are to function to His glory. Jesus was the 1st functioning human Temple, indwelt by the Holy Spirit (John 1:14, 2:19-21, 4:21-24). Although man was made to be God’s Temple, sin resulted in his spiritual death, so God couldn’t indwell him. But Christ made it possible for our spirit to be born again & His Spirit to indwell us, making us His temples. God’s earthly Temples are built according to a heavenly blueprint (Heb 8:5), so God’s Heavenly Temple, the Father’s House, the New Jerusalem gives the clearest revelation about the shape of His ultimate Temple. When God shows John where He’ll dwell with His People (Bride) for all eternity (His heavenly Temple), He showed him the New Jerusalem, shaped like a great Mountain, Mt Zion, shining with His glory (Rev 21:2-3,9-11). The peak is the holiest place, the holy of holies, His Throne Room, the centre of all authority, down from which flows the river of life alongside its golden streets (Rev 22:1,2). Its 4-square design means the river divides & flows in 4 main directions to water the city (holy place), and then flows out the gates to the land beyond (outer court). Height represents holiness, so holy places are built on high ground to signify their closeness to God. Thus, God’s Throne is at the peak of his holy Mount (Rev 22:1-2). Mountain signifies Kingdom. The river flows downhill from the throne, so the throne must be at the peak (Rev 22:1). This describes us as temples of God. Our highest place is our spirit (Eph 2:6), like a mountain peak. It’s where God’s authority, glory & presence dwells in the Holy Spirit (the holy of holies), the throne room where Christ is enthroned in us, if we’ve received Him as Lord. God, the Fountain of living waters, lives in our spirit (Jer 2:13, John 4:14), and desires His river of life to flow out of our spirit (John 7:38), down into our soul, imparting life, authority, power, wisdom, love, health to it, so it can express His life & nature to God’s glory. The fact the New Jerusalem, the heavenly City & Temple of God is shaped like a pyramid Mountain is confirmed by Heb 12:22-24. As the daughter of the heavenly Zion (Zech 9:9, Gal 4:26), earthly Zion is made after the image of its mother, so earthly Mt Zion is named after the heavenly Mt Zion (Temple Mount), so if the image of the heavenly Mt Zion is a mountain, so too the heavenly Temple. God’s original template for His Dwelling Place (Temple) design is a pyramid mountain City. The whole heavenly Temple (the 3rd Heaven) is also described as ‘Eden, the Garden of God’ = Paradise (Ezek 28:12-13, 2Cor 12:4), so earthly Eden was its image. Both have a garden, tree of life (Gen 2:9, Rev 2:7, 22:2,14), river of life (Gen 2:10-14, Rev 22:1-2) & cherubim, who often appear in temples as guardians of the throne (Gen 3:24, Rev 4:6-8, Ezek 28:14). Thus, Eden was God’s 1st earthly Temple. Lucifer was originally a cherub in Eden, on the holy heavenly Mountain of God, before he was cast down to earth (Ezek 28:12-14,16-17, Isa 14:12-15, Rev 12:4, Luke 10:18). So, the centre of Eden (God’s heavenly Temple) is the holy Mountain, Mt Zion, the New Jerusalem, a Garden City, shaped like a Pyramid. As a cherub, Lucifer lived in this Mount and ministered in the throne room, but in pride tried to ascend within Heaven and establish his own throne above all the angels in God’s Throne Room (Holy of Holies), to sit enthroned on the Mount alongside the Most High, but was cast down to the earth (Isa 14:13-15). This confirms God’s Throne is at the highest point of this Mount, for he tried to ascend & exalt his throne to the highest place in Heaven, when God was enthroned, to be like (equal in authority to) the Most High. As Eden is a name for the whole Heavenly Temple, centred on a Mountain, so it’s the name for the whole original earthly Temple, centred on a Mountain, with (1) its Peak on the west side of Eden (holy of holies), where an underground spring was the source of a great river flowing down into (2) the Garden (holy place) on a plateau on the mountain’s east side, with the tree of life, where man lived & walked with God, where it divided into 4 rivers, which watered the whole earth (Gen 2:8-14). So, Eden was on higher ground than the rest of the earth (water flows downhill), signifying its holiness as God’s temple. After the fall, man was cast out of the Garden, and (3) went further east (3:24-25), onto lower ground at the base of the Mount, but still within Eden (the outer court), a place of God’s Presence (4:16), with an ordained place of sacrifice (4:4), for Cain was cast out of Eden into another land, east of Eden, away from God’s special Temple Presence (4:16).

God’s ultimate purpose for man is that we should be TEMPLES of the LIVING GOD, with God living in us and shining His glory through us. God introduced the concept of Temples (places where God chooses to dwell among men) to the human race from the beginning, which is why temples are in every ancient culture & religion. All EARTHLY TEMPLES of God were patterned according to a heavenly blueprint, the HEAVENLY TEMPLE (Heb 8:5). The Bible describes a sequence of earthly Temples, and all these earthly & heavenly Temples are pictures, encoding revelation of God’s ultimate eternal Temple – redeemed Man in Christ. We need to put together all the clues provided by all the different temples, to see how they all harmonise together, to give a complete picture of who we're called to be as His ultimate Temple. All Temples of God have a tripartite structure: (1) HOLY of HOLIES, (2) HOLY PLACE & (3) OUTER COURT. Likewise, we (1) ARE a SPIRIT, (2) HAVE a SOUL, and (3) LIVE in a BODY. Gen 2:7: “The Lord formed man (1) of the dust of the ground (man’s BODY), and (2) BREATHED into his nostrils the BREATH of LIFE (man’s SPIRIT); and (3) man became a living SOUL.” The fusion of man’s SPIRIT (created by God’s breath) & BODY (made from the earth) formed his SOUL. We're not just individually Temples of God, but are designed to be part of one great corporate TEMPLE of God consisting of all believers. We're LIVING STONES that fit together into a far greater Temple of God. Each has a unique place in that greater Temple of the Holy Spirit. We are all (1) living stones in the TEMPLE of God the Spirit, (2) members of the FAMILY of God the Father, and (3) members of the BODY of Christ the Son. So, we need to think corporately as well as individually. In Matthew 16, Peter is used as an example of a believer, who comes into and becomes part of God’s Temple by faith in Christ (v15-17). Jesus said in v18: “you are Peter (petros, small stone), and ON this ROCK (petra, massive foundation stone) I will build My CHURCH.” The FOUNDATION STONE or ROCK for the Church is CHRIST Himself (1Cor 3:11, 10:4). Peter, an example & picture of all believers, is a small LIVING STONE, that becomes part of the Church, the Temple of God, built on the FOUNDATION ROCK - CHRIST. As living stones built on Christ, we partake of His life & nature (made of the same stuff). He then predicted His death & resurrection (v21). By laying His life down and then rising from the dead, he established Himself as the FOUNDATION STONE for the CHURCH, the TEMPLE of God. The CHURCH only came into existence as the new TEMPLE of God after He laid Himself down as its FOUNDATION STONE in His death & resurrection. In v18, Jesus declared He will BUILD His CHURCH on HIMSELF as the ROCK FOUNDATION. But first, He had to lay Himself down as the Foundation Stone (v21). He's saying in v18-21: “I am the foundation ROCK & foundation SACRIFICE of my new Temple, the Church.” So, thru His death & resurrection, His Temple has a firm FOUNDATION, consecrated to God - the risen CHRIST, who upholds the whole Building before God. Having declared Himself the ROCK-FOUNDATION of His CHURCH, He said: “I first have to die as the foundation Blood Sacrifice, to make this a reality” (v21). He died and was buried as the Foundation Sacrifice, dedicating Himself to God as the FOUNDATION for God's Temple. On the basis of His shed Blood, He was resurrected & established & consecrated to God as the Foundation Stone for God’s eternal Temple (Heb 13:20). To be in the Kingdom (Temple) of God, we must enter in through Christ, our Threshold Stone, through faith in His sacrificial death & resurrection for us. To reject His Blood Sacrifice, counting it as something of no value, is to trample on Him & His precious Blood, resulting in eternal punishment (Heb 10:29). CHRIST Himself is the FOUNDATION STONE or ROCK (1Cor 3:11). He completed the laying down of this FOUNDATION of HIMSELF in His death, burial & resurrection. So, He's now our living FOUNDATION. 1Peter 2:4: “COMING to HIM (the risen CHRIST) as to a LIVING STONE (the FOUNDATION STONE), rejected indeed by men (His death), but chosen by God & precious (His resurrection & exaltation).” 1Peter 2:5: “You also, as LIVING STONES, are being BUILT UP (together) as a spiritual HOUSE (upon Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit), a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Thru our union with CHRIST, the LIVING FOUNDATION STONE, we are blessed with His life & nature, and so become LIVING STONES, built together into the Temple of God upon Christ, our Foundation. So, Christ told Peter he was a LIVING STONE, BLESSED with eternal life, part of God’s Temple, built on the ROCK of CHRIST, the LIVING FOUNDATION STONE in Matthew 16, and Peter applies this to all believers in 1Peter 2:5. This House is the HOLY TEMPLE of God, the DWELLING PLACE of God (1Cor 3:16-17, Eph 2:21-22).

God introduced the concept of TEMPLES to the human race from the very beginning, which is why you see temples in every ancient culture and religion. Even if the religion is corrupted, man has an understanding of the fundamental concept of a temple as it is part of God’s original general revelation to mankind. A TEMPLE is designed to be a DWELLING PLACE of GOD, and God introduced TEMPLES to reveal His ULTIMATE PURPOSE for mankind. God created man to be His TEMPLE, and now His plan is to redeem us, so that we might be the DWELLING PLACE of God, that God would dwell with us and IN US! In salvation, the forgiveness of sin is just the beginning, the necessary preparation in order to make possible the fulfilment of His ultimate purpose - that we might become the holy Temples of the Living God. Each Temple of God was a visual aid, a teaching tool, designed to reveal what it means to be a Temple of God (the nature, design and operation of a temple). Ultimately, these temples are all revelations of redeemed MAN in Christ – God’s ultimate and eternal Dwelling Place, which we see fulfilled in Rev 21-22. All the earthly temples of God are pictures of God’s ultimate eternal TEMPLE – redeemed MANKIND in Christ. We are designed to be Temples of the Living God, so that God might dwell in us and be glorified through us. The EARTHLY Temples were made according to a HEAVENLY blueprint – the HEAVENLY Temple (Heb 8:5). So, earthly Temples are images of the heavenly Temple (Mount Zion, the New Jerusalem), both of which are pictures of God’s ultimate eternal Temple – redeemed MAN in Christ. The Bible describes a sequence of earthly Temples, which are patterned after the heavenly Temple, and all these earthly and heavenly Temples are pictures (revelations) of God’s ultimate eternal Temple – redeemed MAN. The ultimate fulfilment in Christ is not just that we individually are Temples of God, but that God joins all redeemed humanity in Christ together into a union, so that together, we all form one great corporate Temple of God, Christ & His Body - the Dwelling Place of God forever. This is God’s vision for mankind. All the different temples have different characteristics, each providing different pieces of the complete picture. They all harmonise together, but each one carries only part of the whole revelation of God’s ultimate Temple. To get the full picture of what we are called to be, we must put together what each temple reveals. The main earthly temples are: (1) The Garden of Eden, (2) Mount Sinai, (3) The Tabernacle of Moses, (4) the 1st Temple of Solomon, (5) the 2nd Temple (Herod's Temple), (6) the 3rd (Tribulation) Temple, (4) the 4th (Millennial) Temple. Individually, we are Temples of God, and God is also fitting us together as living stones to form one great ultimate Temple of God (1Peter 2:5). We understand spiritual things by their physical analogy, so by understanding all the analogies (the earthly and heavenly temples) we can learn much about God’s ultimate Temple (the Church), and we will understand how we are designed to be God’s Temple, and how everything works and connects together. Basically, a Temple has 2 PARTS: (1) the Temple BUILDING, and (2) the GOD who dwells within the Temple, for a Temple is the Dwelling Place of God: “(2) the LORD GOD Almighty and (1) the LAMB (Christ and those who are in Christ) are its TEMPLE” (Rev 21:22). A Temple is a Holy Place, for God’s PRESENCE dwells within the Temple, and His GLORY shines out from the Temple, sometimes represented as RIVERS of LIVING WATER flowing out from the Temple (Gen 2:10, Ezek 47, Joel 3:18, Rev 22:1-2, John 7:37-39). Through the New Covenant, established by Jesus Christ, His believers become Temples of the Living God, indwelt by the Spirit of God. This is God’s plan & purpose for man coming to pass – that God would dwell in man, that man would become a Temple of God. Jesus came & died & rose again to make this possible (1Cor 3:16-17: 6:17-20, 2Cor 6:16, Rev 21:3). Man is the ultimate Temple of God, so all the other temples are teaching tools to reveal God’s purpose for man, and how man is designed to connect with God and function under the grace and power of God. Jesus came as a sinless man, the PROTOTYPE TEMPLE of God, a man indwelt by and filled with the Spirit of God - showing us what man is meant to be like. He declared He was a TEMPLE of God (John 8:12). By His death & resurrection, Jesus multiplied and reproduced Himself in us (John 12:23-24). Through the New Birth the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, making us all into Temples of God. The Spirit is the Fountain of living waters within us (Jer 2:13, 17:13), a continual Source of outpoured grace (rivers of life) flowing into our heart, causing us to worship God & empowering us to serve Him. (John 4:13-14). So now there are many Temples, and God is building us all together into one great Temple (Christ) – His ultimate Purpose.