Battles & Blessings

Other people are going to find healing in your wounds. Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.

-R. Warren

Have you ever thought about Christian life to be like a series of battles and blessings, battles and blessings?

When we are in a battle it is hard and hard to believe that it will ever get better that it will ever come to an end. When are in a period of blessing we sometimes expect it will go on forever. But life is not like that is it?

There are battles and there are blessings.

Proverbs 1:1–7 NASB95

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

1. Learn to steer through battles and blessings

This passage in proverbs teaches how to gain wisdom and disciple. This will aid us in steering through the battles and blessings we will face in our lives. Wisdom and disciple are two important tools that will steer your course rightly.

Wisdom is choosing to do now what you will be happy with later on - J. Meyer

Wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord. Fearing the Lord develops a deep level of respect and honor. The fear of the Lord according to verse 7 starts with God, knowing God.

How do we know God? Relationship with God, through spending time with God, through studying His word putting it into action into our lives.

2. Learn How Jesus Dealt with Battles and Blessings

Matthew 4:1–22 NASB95

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

This is the example of when Jesus was tempted and He was for 40 days and 40 nights.

First Jesus was blessed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism. After this blessing Jesus went into the wilderness led by the spirit to be tested by the Devil. This of course was a battle.

v. 3-6 - is where we see how the enemy tempts Jesus by saying “if you are the son of God, throw yourself down...” The devil presumes Jesus’ identity trying to create disbelief in Jesus.

Sometimes the enemy says to us “If you are a Christian...” “If God forgives everything than it doesn’t matter how you live”.

He trys to create disbelief in your own life of where you stand with God. You are His and He is yours. Do not allow that unbelief to come into your headspace. You are of value! You have favor with Him! He loves you and you are His no doubting that! Do not give the enemy that kind of head space no matter how convincing it may seem to you.

Jesus faced other powerful temptations:

a. economic - Jesus prepared by fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. The enemy tempted him by saying that the stones were bread.

economic - Jesus prepared by fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. The enemy tempted him by saying that the stones were bread.

Jesus responded in v. 4 saying “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God”

b. Religion - The devil tempted him by quoting out of context

Psalm 91 NASB95

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down. “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. “With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”

Psalm 91:11–13 NASB95

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

:11-

Misquote by the enemy:

Matthew 4:6 NASB95

and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ”

:6-7

Jesus responds in v. 7 “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”.

c. Political - the devil shows kingdoms and offers them to Jesus, saying “All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me”

Jesus said “Away from my Satan! For it is written Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only”.

At the end of these battles Jesus enjoyed the blessings of the angels

Matthew 4:11 NASB95

Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

This period of blessing did not last long. Jesus found out that John was in prison on v. 12 and Jesus was not pleased to know this but was not defeated by it instead he continued on with John’s ministry in the face of battles.

Jesus’ mission: build a team

Matthew 4:19–20 NASB95

And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Matt.

This was an exciting time in his ministry filled with great blessing.

3. Learn how others have coped with battles and blessings

Genesis 7:1–9:17 NASB95

Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. “You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. “For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him. Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth. Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him. Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days. But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased. In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. The water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible. Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself. So he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth. Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; but she did not return to him again. Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. “Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease.” And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. “Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. “I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. “It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. “When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Gen. 7

The story of Noah and the Ark which is familiar but it proves that despite annialation God is able to show us blessings of a new start, fresh blessings, and a promise that will last forever!

Christians should be positive people. Jesus was a positive person. He revelled in the ways of God and lived in the blessing and favor of God. Yes there were battles but He lived in the faith and love of God.

John 16:33 NASB95

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

In this world

Because He has overcome means that through our connection with Him, through that relationship with Him we too are also overcomers!

Four themes of the Gen. text are:

Creation - we are created in the image of God, every human has immense value to Him. Therefore we need to live in that respect and dignity and treat others with that respect and dignity.

Fall - Noah faced a major battle, it was 40 days and nights (just like Jesus’ length of temptation battle). God’s judgment came and it showed us the seriousness of sin. Every inclination of the human heart is evil from Childhood.

Redemption - despite the flood, Noah enjoyed the blessing of God’s love. The ark gives the picture of baptism (, safety. God blessed Noah and His family.

Glorification - The covenant v. 9, the rainbow v. 13 (Promise). God’s commitment to you which led to the cross - the blood covenant which is an everlasting covenant v. 16

Conclusion:

This evening I want to encourage you that although there are battles and blessings in life we need to look at Jesus’ life because He has given the perfect example of how we need to live victoriously.

Jesus stood His ground against temptation, He knew the God and He knew the Word and quoted it in spite of adversity and misquotation, he was assured of Who He served, valued and belonged to, He was loyal despite adversity and He overcame!

Today I encourage you to live the same.