Vision 2020 - Part 4

Intro:

As we grow, this year we will experience Spiritual Warfare.

We have a real enemy. He wants to kill, steal, and destroy.

He is not happy that he has lost. He will attack where he can.

He doesn’t willing give ground.

Not give him too much credit, but don’t treat him lightly. He has power. He is smart. He is good at what he doesn.

We can jump into the OT because (1) It’s part of the same story; and (2) the NT says we should learn from their example ().

. It actually parallels our passage in .

The ppl of Israel were learning to grow in faith. These lessons are applicable to us.

Exegesis:

Progression though the 3 C’s?

Spiritual Warfare through circumstance.

No water in the wilderness. Godis good but through circumstance we lose faith. Maybe we blame God or accuse Him (the devil loves that). Btw - good rule of thumb, anytime we accuse - we are in likeness to devil who is the accuser. When we do blame God, it shows we don’t know Him. God would not lead us to the wilderness to die, but to grow.

The wilderness brings growth. It forces us to rely on God. God grows us as we receive by faith.

v6 - God stands before me. He’s callin us to something and He’s already there. We just need to join Him. The Lord fights for us. Peter’s audience had opposition too!

A book on prayer I’m reading quotes Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” The author then goes onto connect it to CS Lewis losing his wife. It was a terrible circumstance which greatly impacted his faith. Look what he says, “God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t…He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down.

If we are committed to growing, it is possible God will allow spiritual warfare into our lives, not because He’s mean or unable to stop it, but because it might actually help us grow. The quality of our faith may not be as great as we think. We may need to grow but dont realize it because we haven’t faced the right circumstances. The quality of our faith hasn’t been test. Like CS Lewis, if we are to grow, sometimes God will allow circumstances into our life that knock our house of cards down, so He can rebuild our faith with quality materials.

We can be proactive and reinforce through prayer and the word. You aint need to get ready, if you stay ready.

Join ppl in prayer at 9:35. Can you get to church 25 mins early to strength your life against spiritual warfare? Or, fill out a connect card and get people praying with you! Join the WhatsApps groups and ask for prayer.

Spiritual Warfare through confusion.

Sometime this year, as you commit to growing in Christ, don’t be surprised if you find yourself confused. Remember, growth starts with God. And God’s ways are not our ways. So, in the process, there are moments when we need help understanding.

Now, I’m not saying God confuses us. God is not the author of confusion. As we grow, God is teaching us to press into Him. To come to His word for direction and clarification. The trouble happens when we don’t expect it, and then don’t know how to respond. And then, the enemy comes in creates confusion. Before we know it, we start off growing in Christ and know we find ourselves in a wilderness - confused and lost.

God is not the author of confusion.

If we are lost, we need to get our bearings.

Are you following Jesus?

Are you become more like Jesus?

Following God and growing in God were two purposes of the wilderness. Otherwise they are just walking in circles - confused.

But as we’ve discussed already. Growing in Christ involves focusing on Jesus. When we’re lost we need to look to Jesus, walk in His direction. Connection to following the cloud by day and fire by night?

Spiritual Warfare through complaining.

Here’s a connected point. When we don’t understand circumstances, when we are confused, you know what humans do? We complain!

Include criticism - the devil loves to use this tool to destroy or tear down. Leds to division.

Complain - Division and criticism toward Moses. That’s not what to do!

But then we get an example of what to do, look at the next story. There are still unideal circumstances. They just got out of Egypt. Now they got a fight a war? Maybe even against Giants! But what happens? Complaining, division, criticism? No

Instead they answered the question is God with us by faith (v7). They believed God and fought together! And God gave them victory.

We need to fight together! .

We need to fight, and fight back together. Story with Kade defending Nole. Not sure if that was the right thing.

How do you fight spiritual warfare? You fight with spiritual weapons. You learn to use those weapons and get weapon upgrades (video game example? - Fortnite?) by growing in Christ.

What are the normal reactions to people complaining. It’s usually, “Oh my gosh, would you stop already?” Why? I dont think it’s that always uncompassionate. Rather, I think there’s something in us that gets tired of our unwillingness to fight. God is a warrior. We are made in His image. We are warriors. Warriors fight, not complain.

And don’t forget. We fight together! Moses was the leader. If he fights by himself, he loses. They all lose. Dont try to do it by yourself.

You can’t win by yourself. You can’t win your own strength. Obviously, this was a different type of battle. The Scriptures make it clear that the outcome of the battle was dependent on something other than the Israelites ability and willingness to fight. It had to do with faith in God. Fighting spiritually. And I think this gives us an example and instruction in how to fight spiritual warfare.

And fight. Fighting the devil is not like Kade defending his brother. You have permission to punch the devil in the mouth!

Spiritual Warfare through comfort.

I don’t need to go. It costs me something (tired/time). I’d rather be comfortable.

I’m good. I’m comfortable. I don’t need to go.

Strangely, many times we run back to the things we hate, because we find a crazy-comfort in them. We’re so used to it being that way, that instead of growing, we’d rather stay stagnate. Part of the growth process included learning how to depend on God for provision by faith. They wanted to go back to Egypt ()! Did they already forget the 430 years of crying out for God to save them from slavery? Isn’t it strange how we would rather go back to bondage because we’re used to it (comfortable with it), instead of growing into freedom?

Don’t we still do the same thing? In fact, humans have been doing it ever since. And the devil knows it. The dude’s been watching us and he knows how humans react. And so when he sees men actually growing in Christ, what he does is attack. And through circumstances that cause us to lose comfort, he capitalizes on our natural instinct to return to bondage. And if we’re not aware of this trick of the devil, we will walk back into the slavery of sin, instead of growing in the freedom of Christ!

Press through by faith! Think about working out. It hurts, but you grow. You get stronger. When you’re comfortable, you muscles dont grow. In fact, they get weaker. In 2020, let’s grow, even when it’s not comfortable. And when discomfort comes, tell Satan, “Not today.”

Response:

Victory is found in Christ.

Jesus is the Rock that provides ().

The ppl to Moses () We will grow! But they ha no power to! Jesus did it for us. And He will empower us to grow.

Come as we are (). By his grace. By faith. If we come other ways then it becomes about us. It needs to be about God. When we “work” or “impress” it’s an easy slop to idolatry. Satan knws that . He can use that to wage war.