“Finishing the Fight” manuscript

Opening:

I want to begin our study this morning with a statement; “there is a fight taking place for our hope.”

If the enemy can remove the hope of Christ from our lives, he will then position us for discouragement which can then lead to defeat.

When we speak in terms of “spiritual warfare,” we often concentrate on our battle with the enemy.

It is a fact that we have an enemy who requires to be resisted; however, our emphasis must not become focused on the devil rather . . .

We must focus our attention on understanding our position of hope in Christ.

Our position of hope in Christ is founded upon the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross.

Our position of hope in Christ establishes an assurance of victory for any given situation.

Our position of hope in Christ is the primary target of the enemy.

We must fight to retain our hope in Christ.

The fight takes place at the point of God’s promises.

Anytime the enemy can persuade us to lose hope in God’s promise, he succeeds in shifting our focus from promise to problem.

Loss of hope therefore is a reflection of the individual’s heart becoming disoriented from God’s promises and onto the problem at hand.

A shift in focus from promise to problem will result in questioning God.

A shift in focus from promise to problem will often result in anger toward God.

A shift in focus from promise to problem will reinforce the enemy’s attempt to plant a seed of pride in our hearts and minds.

Transition: God’s covenant with Abram

We now turn to an Old Testament account where God initiates a covenant promise with Abram.

In Genesis chapter 12, we see the call of Abram as God asks him to “leave his country, and go to the land I will show you.”

God proceeds to tell Abram; “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2)

This promise of God birthed a hope within Abram’s heart that lea him to respond in obedience to God’s call.

We then witness the journey of Abram and his wife Sarai as they travel toward the land of Canaan.

Abram encounters a variety of situations which require perseverance and fighting to maintain hope.

A severe famine. (Traveling in obedience and experiencing hardship.)

Fear of entering Egypt. (Abram fears Sarai will be taken from him.)

Separation of family. (The flocks of Abram and Lot become too big for the land to support them both. Family strife takes place resulting in Lot choosing to settle in the Jordan Valley (Sodom and Gomorrah)

Lot taken captive. (Neighboring kings join together against Sodom and Gomorrah taking captive the citizens including Lot and his family.)

We pick up our story in Genesis chapter 15.

Text: Genesis 15:1-11

English Standard Version (Chapter 15)

15 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”

4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

5 And God brought Abram outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

6 And Abram believed the LORD, and God counted it to him as righteousness.

7 And God said to Abram, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

8 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

9 God said to Abram, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10 And Abram brought God all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.

11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Opening Observations:

First of all, we see the “word of the Lord” coming to Abram.

The word of the Lord was strengthening.

God is fully aware of our journey in obedience and the many trials that come our way.

All that Abram had experienced leading up to this moment produced a toll on hope.

The word of the Lord was instructive.

God provided Abram with a reassurance that He was with him as a “shield.”

Often, we need to hear the reassurance of God’s presence as we travel through various trials and circumstances.

Our hope can become weary simply from “traveling the path of obedience.”

The word of the Lord reiterated the promise.

God restated His earlier promise to Abram that his “reward would be very great.”

God doesn’t provide new information, but reinforces the previous promise.

Abram questions God.

“What will you give me? I remain childless.”

We are much like Abram after we have travelled through the trials of famine, family strife, and battles.

God does not condemn Abram for his questions; rather, He brings His word to him a second time.

God reinforces His promise with a view of the heavens.

“Look toward the heaven.” Where we look will determine the strength of our hope.

God has Abram look up, indicating that he was looking down. When we look down, we miss the stars shining bright in the darkness of night.

Abram believed the Lord.

Abram believes, and God counts it to him as righteousness.

Abram’s belief is accompanied by another question: “how am I to know?”

God instructs Abram to bring a sacrifice of worship.

The sacrifice is specific which indicates that it is intentional.

In order to offer a sacrifice, we must purpose within ourselves to do so in spite of our feelings and emotions.

The sacrifice is prior to the physical evidence.

Offering a sacrifice of praise to God prior to physical evidence aligns our heart and mind to that of the Father’s.

It is to agree by faith with the promise of God in the face of evidence to the contrary.

The sacrifice requires a fight.

The “birds of prey” represent the attempt of the enemy to steal the hope of God’s promise from our hearts.

Abram had to fight off the birds in order for the sacrifice to be offered.

We must learn how to fight off the “birds” from stealing our hope in God’s promises.

How do we fight off the birds?

English Standard Version (Isaiah 40:28-31)

28  Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

29  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

30  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

31  but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Fighting for hope:

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?”

The fight for hope requires a continual word from the Lord.

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Hope gives way when there is no fresh word from the Lord.

“He gives power to the faint”

Hope is a ministry of the Holy Spirit

John 15:26 “When the Helper comes . . . He will bear witness about Me.”

“They who wait for the Lord”

The battle is in the waiting

To “wait” is to set an ambush for God.

It is not a passive waiting, but an active watching.

An active anticipation of God’s arrival with the answer.

The entry point for the loss of hope is delay.

Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart grow sick.”

“Deferred” is to draw out, prolong, or be postponed.

Most often, the loss of hope comes as a result of our disagreement with God’s timing.

The key therefore in fighting for hope is to pray in full faith while releasing the timing into God’s hands through a sacrifice of praise.

In summary:

Our hope is founded upon “the Word of the Lord.”

The entry points of the battle are the questions that come to our mind in response to the Word of the Lord.

A sacrifice of praise, prior to the answer, positions us to secure our hope in Christ.

“Birds of prey” will attempt to steal our sacrifice, and they must be driven away through a continual “waiting upon the Lord.”

Call to Action:

Identify God’s promise for your situation.

Offer a sacrifice of praise in response to God’s promise.

Fight off the “birds of prey” who will attempt to steal your hope as you wait upon the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for your hope.

Thank you that we have an absolute assurance of Your provision and deliverance.

We pray that you would enable us to fight off all attempts of the enemy to steal our hope in Christ.

We refuse to accept the lies of the enemy that he brings for the purpose of shifting our focus onto our problems rather than your promises.

Holy Spirit, lead us to the hope of Jesus.

Keep us strong in our faith and confidence that Jesus has won the battle for our hope.

I pray that each and every person would sense a renewed blessing of your hope in their hearts and minds today.

I pray that whatever the situations we face, we would always retain the assurance of hope in your victory.

We pray this in Jesus name. Amen!