Warrior - wk1 - The Warrior In Me
Notes
Transcript
I am very excited to kick off a new series with you today. This series is based on a Life Church series that I have been wanting to share for a very long time. The series is called Warrior. Just out of curiosity, raise your hand if you would say, “Man, that’s me. I AM a WARRIOR!” Warriors, what is your war cry? Do you have a grunt or a roar? This isn’t a library, if you are a warrior you can sound off!
Mine isn’t very exciting. It’s not even really a grunt. I just get real focused and zone out. Then I throw in some sharp exhales every now and then. When I ride my bike, I like to do specific training exercises and sometimes they get very difficult. “Why am I doing this” difficult. When I look up at the timer and it says I have 3 minutes of this silly stuff left I have to fight off the desire to quit. I zone out from distractions and the desire to quite, focus in every movement of the pedal stroke (push, pull, kick), take deep breaths, and force the air out.
You see all sorts of war faces and war cries in movies. The guy who is hiding and is about to run for his life across open ground might do something similar to me. Focusing in with a few sharp breaths before he takes off. Mel Gibson yelling “Freedom!” in Braveheart. Sherlock Holmes tuning out the world to focus on every detail and mathematically predict and counter every move. And countless other grunts and yells.
Whatever your war cry is, it always comes out after something in your life has been building up pressure or pushing you to the point of fighting back. Like the bully on the playground who pushes and pushes until you can’t take it anymore. You reach a point when you are ready to fight back! I hope someone here is ready to fight back. Today you face a new day and you are tired of being pushed around and you are ready!
You have a habit that has been pushing and pushing and you are ready to break it. There is a relationship in your life that has been broken and you are ready to fight for that relationship. A debt that it’s time to eliminate. A discipline to start. A temptation to conquer. Today you woke up with a battle to win!
Clearly, this is probably a topic that might be easier or more interesting for men to hear, but I hope you ladies don’t check out and miss what God has for you during this series. Some of the strongest spiritual warriors I know are women! This series is just as much for women as it is for men. Unfortunately, in the world today, there is a lot of confusion when it comes to gender related topics. Confusion about what it means to be a man or a woman.
We live in a world where you are not allowed to have a definition for “Woman”, and the definition for a “Man” is “don’t be one.” Guys, are we supposed to be gentle or tough? Powerful or meek?
Even when we look at the way Jesus is portrayed, He is always shown to be a blue eyed, quiet, meek and mild, poor Galilean who was good with sheep and kids. Yes, it’s true that He is full of love, mercy, and grace, yet at the same time He is the fiercest and most passionate spiritual warrior who has ever lived. It’s part of His nature. God has also created you with the heart of a warrior.
Today we are going to look at 3 callings that every warrior must embrace, but first we are going to lay a foundation by looking at God’s nature. To me, one thing that is so amazing about God is that He could never be just one thing. He is nature is so big and complex that it could never be contained, narrowed down, or put in a box. The closest the Israelites ever came was with the name they called Him. And even with that, they either refused or just didn’t know how to write it so they came up with YAHWEH. Then, they wouldn’t say His name when reading it out loud. Even today in English, when God’s name should appear, the bible just says, “LORD” in all caps.
One of the places you can find this is where Moses and the people of Israel were singing a song to God after He saved them from the Pharaoh…
3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.
God is described in many ways. He is the shelter, your hiding place, a great fortress, your rock. He is also a warrior. Even Jesus was no stranger to being ready to fight…
34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
There is a statue of Jesus, I think it is in Korea, where He has been made to look ripped. What do the kids say now-a-days? Shredded? Swoll? The statue makes Jesus look like a body builder. As if when He turned the water to wine He turned His glass into a protein shake. As silly as that image looks, when you read some of the things Jesus did, it is easy to see Him as a super tough guy.
What if He healed someone and then said (in Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice), “It’s not a tumor!” Imagine Him walking up to the first disciples and saying (in Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice), “Come with me if you want to live!” Then, later, when He was comforting the disciples, can you imagine Him simply saying (in Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice), “I’ll be back.”
It sounds silly, but think about some of the warrior moments He had while He was here. There are 4 in chapter 21 of Matthew. First, Jesus walks into the temple and starts throwing tables. He put on His warrior face and said, “Enough is enough.” Then He kicked out the salesmen.
Later, when He was healing people in the temple, children were running around praising Him. The teachers and priests were angry and asked Him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” I know it’s not biblical at all, but just imagine buff Jesus standing there in His sleeveless robes listening to their non-sense and then He says, “Yes. I do. Have you never read that scripture that talks about God calling forth His praise from kids?” That’s kinda cocky. Of course they’ve read it. That’s what their lives were all about. Studying scripture.
In the very next story, He does it again. While Jesus was walking He got hungry, so He walked up to a fig tree. There was nothing on the tree so Jesus said, “You’re done.” and the tree immediately withered.
Then Jesus was back in the temple teaching again and the priests confronted Him asking who gave Him the authority to do what He was doing. He said, “I’ll answer your question if you answer mine.” Then they wouldn’t answer His question so He said, “Well, then I’m not telling you.”
Jesus wasn’t about to just stand there and get pushed around. He stood up to them. Put on His warrior face and pushed back. Jesus was fighting the ultimate battle. The most important battle in the history of the world. He was obedient to the Father and gave His life on the cross and defeated death, sin, hell and the grave. He is the greatest warrior of all time. John had a vision of this great warrior returning and he said…
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
Jesus, full of mercy, full of compassion, and the greatest warrior who ever lived. I wanna be on that warrior’s team. I believe that you are all warriors and God has given every warrior 3 things. If you are taking notes, the first thing that God has given you is this…
GOD HAS GIVEN EVERY WARRIOR SOMEONE TO PROTECT.
GOD HAS GIVEN EVERY WARRIOR SOMEONE TO PROTECT.
God has put someone in your life that He want’s you to fight for on the battle fields of prayer. In the training room, teaching them to armor up with God’s armor and to fight the spiritual battles with God’s word.
14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”
Fight for your families. Liam Neeson has fought for his family in 20 different movies! It’s second nature for guys to be ready to die to protect someone they love. You can be the most quiet, sensitive, polite guy, but if someone broke into your house and threatened your daughter you would be out of bed with the nearest lamp in hand ready to protect the ones you love.
Being a warrior isn’t just a physical thing. I would say that you shouldn’t just be ready to die for someone you love, but you should be willing to live to protect them. Not just physically, but emotionally. Spiritually. As men and women of God, people should be able to come to you and feel safe. There are so many people out there who have experienced all kinds of abuse, and as Christ’s warriors we should be on the front lines ready to protect them and fight for them.
Being a warrior means being kind, patient, and understanding, and being ready to be fierce when the enemy tries to steal from God the one’s He loves. Be it a spiritual attack, emotional, financial, relational, or whatever kind of attack threatens the people on your battle ground. God has given you someone to protect. You are called to protect someone. Be ready to activate the spiritual warrior inside of you and fight for your people. I love the way it’s said in 2 Samuel. What kind of warriors should we be? … Courageous! …
12 Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.”
You are a warrior. God has given you someone to protect. If you are taking notes, God has also given you a Kingdom to advance!
GOD HAS GIVEN EVERY WARRIOR A KINGDOM TO ADVANCE.
GOD HAS GIVEN EVERY WARRIOR A KINGDOM TO ADVANCE.
Jesus told Peter that He would give him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. When Jesus taught us how to pray, He said to say, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. YOUR kingdom come.” He gave you a kingdom to advance.
Shortly after that He said, not only should you seek to advance God’s kingdom, but it should be your top priority. Even above food and clothing, you should seek God’s kingdom FIRST. Not yours, God’s. You have a kingdom to advance.
When Jesus called the twelve disciples together, he gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and heal all diseases. Then He gave them a kingdom to advance...
1 One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
God has called you to advance His kingdom. Each one of us has a ministry. Something that God has called us to to to advance the kingdom. To be the light of the world. As a kingdom warrior, you are an ambassador of light to a world of darkness. Called to do good works that were prepared in advance.
As an ambassador of light, you may be the brightest light that someone ever sees. You might be the only light someone sees at work. You may have a heart for kids, so you never miss an opportunity to teach kids or serve in some kind of youth ministry. You may do most of your fighting in a secret place where you can be alone and pray. People may never know you fight for them on your knees crying out to the Father, but you would never skip the opportunity.
Having a kingdom to advance gives a warrior something to fight for. A warrior who doesn’t have anything to fight for will fight for anything. Sometimes they will fight against the wrong things. Instead of fighting the powers and principalities of this dark world, a warrior who isn’t fighting for the kingdom will turn and fight other people. Forgetting that our battle isn’t against other people.
They may fight to advance their own kingdom. Their own authority. They may fight against their own boredom. Their own spouse. Their boss. Even someone who is trying to help them. They will be easily distracted. A distracted warrior will abandon their post. A distracted warrior is a destructive warrior.
You are a warrior. God has given every warrior someone to protect, a kingdom to advance, and…
GOD HAS GIVEN EVERY WARRIOR A BATTLE TO WIN.
GOD HAS GIVEN EVERY WARRIOR A BATTLE TO WIN.
You have been given a battle to win. Christianity is not a playground, it’s a battleground. Think about the field of battle we stand on. In this well known verse in Ephesians, when Paul taught how to armor up for the fights on this battleground, he said…
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
We don’t fight each other. We fight FOR each other. What we fight is much bigger. Evil rulers! Authorities of the unseen world! Mighty powers in this dark world! Evil spirits in heavenly places! The fight is serious. It’s huge! Praise God the war has been won and we fight from a position of victory. Jesus already won the war. We just need to win the battles. And there’s more good news. We have a battle to win, and God has given us everything we need to win. Listen to David’s words…
1 Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. 2 He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me.
God trains your hands for war. Gives your fingers skill for battle. You are NOT fighting from a place of defeat. You are not fighting alone. God equips you and gives you everything you need. Just seek His kingdom and you will see that. You have what it takes. Just trust in God. Believe in His ability to train you. Declare YOU ARE A WARRIOR. Grunt, growl, huff, stomp your feet, pound your fists together, whatever your battle cry is… do it.
You are a warrior and it is time to come to life! Stand up and stand against the enemy who is beating down your loved ones. YOU HAVE SOMEONE TO PROTECT! Grab your gear and get ready to march. YOU HAVE A KINGDOM TO ADVANCE! Lace up your boots, buckle your armor, and sharpen your sword. YOU HAVE A BATTLE TO WIN!
There is fight in you. Just let it come to life.
The problem is that you get motivated and stand up ready to slay the dragon and something happens to deflate you. The Mitchell’s and I have been playing this long game for the last two years. In this game, we have been creating this epic story of hero’s attempting to save the world. The big bad guy is a dragon. Two years of this story has lead to this culminating moment of finally slaying the dragon. They step up to fight the dragon and right off the bat the plan isn’t going well. It isn’t going bad, just not perfect. Immediately the mood shifts from excitement to dread. Wyatt Early has been playing as well, and his shoulders instantly dropped as he decided that he would just create a new character that moment.
The car sputters when your almost out of debt. The misunderstanding in a nearly reconciled relationship. What you desire is different from what you see. What you want to happen isn’t happening. What do you do? How do you step into your mission, glorifying His name? Protecting those you love? Advancing His kingdom? Winning the battle? If you are taking notes, write this down…
Victory isn’t always what you conquer later. Victory is being faithful and obedient today.
You don’t win when you finally take out the dragon. The moment of victory wasn’t when David threw the stone and took out the giant. David was victorious when he showed up and served his brothers lunch before the battle. Victory isn’t what you defeat in the future, it is being faithful and obedient honoring God today. All the tiny little battles you fight every day. Sometimes you don’t even notice them.
The greatest warrior of all time, Jesus, wasn’t just victorious when He gave His life on the cross and God raised Him from the dead. He was also victorious when He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He was victorious when Satan said, “Hey, if you’re so hungry just turn that stone into bread,” and Jesus pulled out the sword of the Spirit and said, “No! The scriptures say, ‘man shall not live on bread alone.’” Then Satan told Him to jump off a cliff and prove who He was and Jesus did it again, “The Scriptures also say, ‘you must not test God.’” Another victory. Then Satan said, “worship me and I will give you all the kingdoms of the world.” And with victory Jesus drew His sword one more time… “Get out of here, Satan. The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”
Jesus was victorious when he protected a broken woman from an angry mob. They wanted to stone her and He stood as God’s warrior to protect her. He was a victorious warrior when He overturned the tables in the temple. When temptation nagged at Him to not go through with God’s plan as He prayed in the garden before He was arrested, He was a victorious warrior when He prayed, “Yet not my will, but your will be done.”
When He was viciously beaten, mocked, and barely alive, He was a victorious warrior when He prayed for them asking His Father to forgive them. He was a victorious warrior when He cried out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” and breathed His last. He was a warrior when He lived, and a warrior when He died.
What’s your battle? Your heavenly assignment? Your mission? You don’t win 6 months from now after you’ve lost 20 pounds. You don’t win after the credit card is paid off. You don’t win after you’ve memorized half the bible. You win when you open God’s word today. You win when you pay an extra $20 to the credit card bill today. You win when you avoid those super evil, yet unbelievably delicious donuts today.
You are a warrior. Believe it. Declare it. God has given you someone to protect, a kingdom to advance, and a battle to win. It’s time to fight. David didn’t win the battle with Goliath by waiting for him to get tired and move on. He didn’t try to negotiate with him and work it out by discussing their feelings. He said, “Who are you to come against the armies of the living God?!” Then he reached down and picked up a stone.
Satan, the enemy, is at the door. It’s time to pick up a stone. The rock. Jesus. The word. The sword of the spirit. Yell out your battle cry and go. Unleash the inner warrior on the battle you are facing. We’ll close with this… Joel, Chapter 3. Beginning in verse 9.
9 Say to the nations far and wide: “Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors. Let all your fighting men advance for the attack. 10 Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. 11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley.” And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!
Stand up with the heart of a warrior because you are a warrior. Protect, advance, and win.
God thank you for winning the war. Thank you for giving us what we need for the battles. Strengthen us to protect others, advance your kingdom, and bring swift victory in the battles.