Subversive Stewardship
Life In The Family
October 13, 2019
Rev. Gabe Sylvia
The sermon urges believers to imitate God in relationships as faithful stewards—following Christlike examples, submitting to the Lord for his strength, praying as our armory, putting on the full Armor of God with the support of the church, and resisting the devil so we can stand in the day of evil.
Summary
Drawing on Ephesians 5–6, the preacher calls Christians to live worthy of the gospel by imitating God in their relationships, exemplified by Brant Jean and Tammy Kemp’s Christlike response to Amber Guyger. Believers are urged to submit to the Lord to receive his victorious strength (the same power that raised Jesus), to make prayer their armory, and to take up the full Armor of God because spiritual opposition is too strong for human effort alone. The armor is most effective in the company of the church; resisting the devil (as James says) will make him flee, and faithful stewardship inevitably advances the gospel and provokes opposition from the enemy.
Key Points
- Context: Ephesians 5–6; focus on relationships and living worthy of the gospel
- Key command: imitate God in how we relate to others
- Concrete example: Brant Jean and Tammy Kemp modeled Christlike stewardship toward Amber Guyger, prioritizing the gospel over color or politics
- Source of strength: become strong in the Lord and in the power of his might; submit to God to receive that strength
- Foundation: God’s power (the power that raised Jesus) enables us to fight spiritual evil
- Prayer: described as the Christian’s armory where all the weapons are kept
- Armor of God: believers must take up the full armor to resist the devil; “stand” means to offer resistance
- Community: the armor and spiritual fight work best in the company of the church
- Resistance: James instructs us to resist the devil and he will flee; stewardship presses forward and provokes the enemy
- Call: think less of our own strength and more of God’s victorious might; stand firm and submit to the Lord
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