The Path of Victory
Deuteronomy: Changing Times and Our Unchanging God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 46:05
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Victory in the face of defeat
Victory in the face of defeat
God’s mission for us calls us forward into battle, despite the fears we may face.
Telemachus (read from book).
What lengths are you willing to go through to follow God’s call on your life? What walls must you hop over, what arena must you face, what brawl must you enter, in order to save the lost?
I sometimes wonder what Christ thought as he journeyed up the hill to Calvary. Death ahead, agony in store. Yet promise of victory. Christ knew that in three days he would be raised from the dead … he had prophesied as much. Despite the suffering and seeming defeat in front of him, Christ trudged on toward victory.
We as Christians have Christ’s victory, over sin, over death, and over God’s enemies. But when the rubber hits the road it comes down to our faithfulness … will we choose to follow after him, or will we run away in cowardice? Will we hop over the walls that are holding us back from the mission of God, or will we be captured by our fear?
Well, today we will learn there is no need to fear. There is victory in the face of defeat. And Christ has guaranteed the victory. The promise has been made, sealed by the blood of the Son of God and of his Holy Spirit. And if this weren’t enough, we know that God always keeps his promises.
Today we’re continuing on in our Deuteronomy sermon series. And we’re going to take a look at the heart of Israel- how they rallied to fight the enemies of God and to enter the promised land to fulfill God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Just as surely as Israel entered the land and fulfilled his promises to them, so shall God fulfill his promises to you by delivering you from your sins and cleansing you and making you righteous, leading you through death and into eternal life.
So please, read with me, Deuteronomy 7:17-26, and then we’ll pray:
“If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’
you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,
the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.
Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed.
You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.
But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed.
And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.
The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.
And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.
(pray)
I titled the sermon this morning “The Path of Victory”. It is the path that Christ has set for us. It is the heart of what we see in this text regarding Israel.
Three steps on this path:
The Path of Victory:
Facing the Fear
Healing the Heart
Slaying the Sin
1. Facing the Fear
1. Facing the Fear
You shall not be afraid, but you shall remember. (v.2)
“If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’
you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,
Look how often fear is mentioned at the start here: v17 - shall not be afraid of them; v18- nations of whom you are afraid; v21- you shall not be in dread of them
God’s call for his people is to encounter challenges that any other normal living human being would be fearful in.
Think of Israel … who are these people? Are they trained warriors? Do they have the finest weapons? Are they the tallest or strongest men?
No. But they have the Lord.
Just as Israel was called to defeat their enemies, so are you called to engage in the spiritual warfare which is for the Lord’s kingdom. And that means fighting enemies far bigger than you, seemingly more powerful. But you have the Lord.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
And this is what Jesus warned us about. He knew that the Christian would face trials and difficulties. He said,
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
So you see, the Christian is called to step into a place of discomfort, of persecution, of suffering. Things that could challenge you and cause the breath within you to leave. But you are to not fear, for the Lord is with you. And that was part of God’s remedy: remembrance. Remembering who the Lord is and what he has done, and what he can and will do.
Verse 18:
you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,
the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.
Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed.
You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
Remember who God is, and what he has done and his promises toward you, and that will drive out the fear within you.
The author of Hebrews takes this principle and applies it to life. He gives us an example and says,
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Often times we think of the love of money in terms of those having it and too much of it. But we fail to realize that love of money affects those who have very little of it, that the worries and pressures of finances build up around us and we can begin to feel overwhelmed. And not only that, but we are told that we must work harder, work longer, just to pay for utilities and basic bills like food and clothing. If your time and energy is so focused on finances that you aren’t able to stop and do work for the ministry of the kingdom, how effective of a witness are you being?
Furthermore, note how the author of Hebrews connects Jesus’ promise of “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” to your present fears- it is God’s presence and remembering who he is that will help you overcome that fear. We can confidently remember who is our Lord and say with full assurance that “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
The confidence is ours. So, let’s take this principle and apply it to our own lives:
Think about that challenge that you are facing now, how you might be tempted to be fearful of it by allowing it to take precedence over everything else that you do.
Now take that thought and think further:
Q: What are God’s promises to you that you can remember?
Q: What has God done for you in the past that can help you overcome your present circumstance?
Q: Do you see how faith and trust in the Lord will set you free from your fear?
The Lord will deliver and sustain.
Speech of Aragorn in the face of certain doom:
"Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"
The same rallying cry resounds for us. The Lord bids you stand, ye man and woman, against the darts of the evil one by trusting in him to lead and guide you through the battle which is ahead. By all that you hold dear you are to stand. The love of the Lord is the only strength that will carry you through this battle.
It carried Israel through the battle.
The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.
But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed.
And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.
And it happened, just as the Lord had promised. He will save you, he will carry you, just as he has promised you. And that brings us to our second point:
2. Healing the Heart
2. Healing the Heart
If we are slaves to fear, then we are not loving the Lord with all of our heart.
“If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’
Let me preface this by saying there are two different types of fear: there’s the healthy fear, as in, we should fear the Lord and live according to his ways, but then there’s the unhealthy type of fear which consumes us when we become convinced in the power of something else or the insufficiency of ourselves.
The remedy to unhealthy fear is to fight the root of the fear, which is unbelief in God.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
Fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Your iniquity is pardoned. There is no more to fear. The Lord is not wrathful toward you. He is not angry toward you. Instead, there is comfort in the Lord’s victory.
Look to see what the Lord is doing and rejoice in his salvation.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
The Lord’s light is certain and guaranteed.
Example of this:
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Jesus equated the fear of the disciples with unbelief … little faith. Had they loved the Lord well and had complete confidence in Christ, then even a deadly storm could not set them asunder.
If even a deadly storm should not throw the believer of Christ off, think of the confidence and courage that is yours to have through belief in Christ. What mountain would stand in your way? What power of evil could stay before your face? What lie or sin could keep you from the mission of the gospel? Brothers, sisters. We are to take courage and not fear because perfect love casts out fear. When we love the Lord with all of our hearts, souls, mind, and strength, we can remain in him without fear.
Where else do we see fear targeting a Christian’s life? How about the fear that you need to prove yourself to God all over again, that you are never good enough for the Lord? If you believed these lies, you would not be trusting in the promise which God gave to you through Christ, that through faith in him and by repentance you are forgiven of your sins. You are able to walk before the Father in clean robes and you are able to enter his presence. Remembering God’s promises to you will help you face the fear and hold onto faith.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
The counterbalance to unbelief and fear - the looking at the strength of the powers around us and trembling— is finding faith in the Lord’s salvation.
And faith will lead to the healing of your heart.
Importance of applying God’s word as a healing salve - you want to treat your wound. Don’t let it fester. Apply God’s word to your situation and allow your attitude to change.
Salvation
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Sanctification means there’s still work to be done.
3. Slaying the Sin
3. Slaying the Sin
The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.
And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.
Israel- idolatry (you shall have no other gods before me)
Church- sanctification (you shall have no other gods before me); Spirit’s abiding presence teaches us how to walk with God
Loving the Lord as God means following him wholeheartedly, with no room for distraction. Note that devotion toward other idols leads toward destruction of the self. For the Christian, there is no place for sin, since the life forward is through Christ. Those who cling on to sin shall be devoted to destruction, but those who, through faith in the power of Christ’s blood, put their sin to death, shall be raised to eternal life.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
In order to claim Christ’s victory, we must apply it to our lives. We cannot live as those who are still in bondage, as much as we would like to play the victim card. We are no longer the victim, but the victor.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
Q: What are the idols you need to refrain from, that are before you, but you must devote to destruction? Sexual temptation, covetousness, evil desires. Things like these.
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Q: How are you following Christ daily? If you are not wrestling with your sin each and every morning and setting it at Christ’s feet, then are you living in his victory? His promise isn’t just for eternal life for the future, but for life here and now.
And the way is going to be difficult. But there is only one path:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus made it clear that the only way to eternal life, to eternal peace, is placing sin to rest through Christ’s forgiveness and
Narrow gate: holiness, righteousness, uprightness, self-control, God-fearing,
The Path to Victory lies with God, through faith in him, reliance upon the forgiveness of sins.
My prayer for you this morning is that you all find the Path to Victory: that you find the path of Christ.
That involves facing your fears … that involves healing your heart … and that involves putting on the big boy pants to slay your sin. May we be found faithful when the Lord returns. Amen.
Let’s pray.