Look around, and what do we see? A world drowning in its own iniquities, clinging for safety and security to the words of politicians, money-gobbling corporations, and pharmaceutical giants who’s motto seems to be: “A patient cured is a customer lost.” Yet, like the blind sheep that they are, people are herded into spiritual slaughterhouses, led astray from the true Shepherd who alone can rescue them from the pit of despair into which they’ve been shoved.

But do we not see how the tendrils of wickedness slither into every corner of your existence? Do we not recognize that they’re pulling apart the sacred bonds of marriage and family, sowing discord where people are intended to live in harmony according to God’s Word? More than that, the very essence of masculinity, the God-given strength that underpins any society, is scorned and replaced by a counterfeit notion of manhood. Today, men are so weak they let their wives pick out their clothes. They sit around with other men talking about their feelings. This is a generation of men with no chests trying not to offend, totally incapable of defending and protecting anyone, including themselves. And the results? The weakening and degeneration of society. 

And women? Women have been deceived for decades into forsaking their divine calling, abandoning their vocations, striving to be men in a futile dance with their own vanity. And for what? So they can contribute even more in taxes to unjust and immoral wars? So they too can disregard God’s Word and murder their own babies in the womb? So they can blame men for the ruination of the family they devalue to get ahead in their careers?

Let’s not be naive, or pretend we don’t know why the world is in chaos today, when we are the ones who’ve turned away from God’s Word, yet still claim to be his faithful people. Let’s stop pretending that the evil one’s reach doesn’t stretch into our hearts, homes, and churches. Just witness the calculated campaign to sexualize our children, to strip their purity and exploit their vulnerability. What are we doing to stop it? Do we stand up to the teacher’s union who propagates it? Do we pull our children out of the classroom where it’s taught? Do we do what’s necessary so that our children are not prey for predators? Or do we march in step with the herd, scorning what is good and right, avoiding those who are righteous, feigning ignorance so we don’t have to stand up for those who dare to defend the sanctity of innocence, who are silenced and crushed under the heels of a fallen world’s depravity?

And what of the devil’s most sinister gambit? He seeks not only to pollute the world with evil but to wrest our souls from the arms of God. He whispers lies, enticing us to forsake the nourishment of God’s Word, the power of his salvific gifts, the communion of fellowship. He tempts us to rely on ourselves, to chase after the ephemeral comforts of this world, to become self-reliant islands adrift in the mire of our own arrogance.

Yet, it is in the midst of this raging battle that God’s divine protection shines forth like a blazing sun, a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching darkness. He arms us with the Sword of Truth, the Word of God, that severs the sin-forged chains that would shackle us. He outfits us with the armor of faith, which deflects the flaming arrows of the wicked man’s lies and the devil’s deceit.

Then there’s God’s shield, which is faith. It is our barrier against the world’s relentless assaults, and against the devil’s cunning schemes. We are not defenseless, because our Heavenly Father promises to deliver us from the snare of sin, the clutches of this fallen world, and the devil’s malevolent grasp. Under God’s protection, we find our refuge, our sanctuary amidst the war for our souls.

So we have to stop sitting on our asses, waiting like dumb sheep for someone to come and lead us into a better tomorrow. We must stand up. We must remain steadfast in the face of this savage world, armed with God’s eternal truth that we are his chosen people. In this inviolate truth, we stand firm against the onslaught of sin, the world’s allure, and the devil’s snares. With the fervor of Christians who’ve been battle-hardened through countless struggles and spiritual battles, we are made the protectors of our children, the defenders of righteousness, and the bearers of God’s unfaltering Word.

But to do this, we have to stop obeying godless, self-interested men and women who view us as cheap labor and even cheaper entertainment. We must stop being docile and “going along to get along” because it’s what everyone else is doing. We cannot cower along with our friends and family who lack the courage to step out of line. We are not like them. We are the baptized children of God, strengthened and protected by God the Father Almighty, who “has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power,” as the apostle writes (2 Timothy 1:7).

Stop acting like those who don’t have God’s Word. Stop behaving like the purpose of life is to be as happy as possible, and to not upset or offend anyone. Stop thinking you have to fight alone. It is not your power that sustains you, but the indomitable strength of God’s Spirit that fills every cell in your body. It is his Spirit that unites you in fellowship with other believers, who serve to strengthen and encourage you to keep going. It is God’s Word that defines your life, gives it purpose, and says you are “in the world, but you are not of this world” (John 15:18-19).

Do not lean on the crumbling pillars of human strength but on the everlasting Rock of Ages. In unity, in this communion of saints, we will withstand sin, this evil, dying world, and Satan because our Father’s help and deliverance shields us. His faithfulness gives us faith. His truth emboldens us to face the darkest depths of this world with unwavering honesty.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we will stand, we will fight, and we will emerge victorious against the forces that seek to demoralize, dehumanize, and destroy us because our Father will cause all who fight against us to die on their own swords, just as he did for Gideon and Joshua.

And like his warrior-saints, Gideon and Joshua, in God’s protection, we are fortified against the harshest onslaughts of sin, the world, and the devil. In our heavenly Father’s almighty strength, we find our refuge, our redemption, and our salvation.

In the face of human frailty and moral decay, we are called by our Heavenly Father to stand as champions of what is godly and good. Men, you were created to protect and defend our women and children. Women, you were created to build up our homes and society, by nurturing the sanctity of all life. And when the world attempts to dismantle the sanctity of marriage, to undermine the sacred bonds of family, we all together meet that satanic evil with an unwavering determination to uphold the divine order established by our Creator and Father. Similarly, we refuse to bow to the pressures of a world that seeks to distort our understanding of masculinity and femininity, because we know that our true identity lies in God’s Word, who is ultimately Jesus Christ crucified, dead, and resurrected to reconcile us with God once and for all.

So as the devil schemes to sever us from the life-giving wellsprings of God’s Word, we stand firm in our resolve to immerse ourselves in its timeless truths. We gather as a congregation, not merely as spectators, but as fighters who gather in this church week after week to equip ourselves for the battles ahead. God’s gifts of salvation strengthen us, the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ignites our spirits, and our fellowship offers those who fall a helping hand to lift them up.

And one more thing: God does not send his preachers to encourage the passive hearing of his promises. God’s preachers provoke, incite, and stir up faith which is living and active, battle-hardened, spirit-forged, and relentless in its fidelity to Christ’s righteousness. So remember, you are not victims of this world’s enticements or the devil’s schemes; you are victors through Christ Jesus who has overcome the world in his death and resurrection.

And now, with the armor of God girding you and the banner of faith unfurled, you are made to stand ready to combat sin, to triumph over the world’s delusions, and to repel the devil’s advances in the Name of Jesus Christ, who in his death and resurrection, has overcome our sin, this evil world, and Satan.