Sermon Tone Analysis

We’ve been *teaching on* the subject of *“ABSOLUTE VICTORY.”*

I want to continue along those lines.

We’ve *been looking at Joshua* *and* we *said* there are some *characteristics and qualities* *in his life* that *enabled him to have* such *victory*.

*I) **1st* we saw the Joshua was *LOYAL*, *STABLE*, AND *FAITHFUL* *to the man of God* *and* *to God Himself*.

*A) **2nd* we said that *he understood spiritual things* *and spiritual warfare*.

*1) **3rd* he made sure that he had *time to be alone with the Lord*.

*2) **No.

4* Joshua acted *boldly on the Word* of God.

*3) **No.

5* he *knew* that *doubt and unbelief* *would stop the victory*.

He *had to be a man of faith* in order *to be victorious*.

*4) **No.

6* Joshua *lived a holy life*.

*5) **No.

7* he *did all* that *God commanded* him to do.

*6) **No.

8* he was *bold to occupy new territory* *without becoming complacent or stagnant*.

*7) **No.

9* Joshua was *confident in God’s faithfulness*.

*a) *He knew that God come through.

*8) *And *No.

10* he had *vision for victory and success*.

*a) *We always need to have a vision of victory and success.

*b) *Without it we’re destined to fail.

*c) *As *(Proverbs 29:18)* says, *“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”*

*(i) **Have a vision* *for your family*, your *home*, your *life*, your *job*, your *finances*, your *church*, and *anything else* that you’re involved with.

*(ii) **Get God’s Word* on the subject *and make that you’re vision*.

*II) **The battles* that *we face in this natural realm* *actually begin in the realm of the Spirit.*

*All the man and women in the Bible* *who did exploits* for the kingdom of God *and* *walked in victory* *HAD A FIRM GRIP ON THE PROMISES OF GOD* *and THEY WALKED IN THE 10 QUALITIES* that *I* just *listed*.

*A) **They had the FAITH TO STAND ON THE WORD *of God *and* the *CONFIDENCE TO CONTINUE regardless of opposition*.

*B) **That same Spirit of victory and confidence* *must be stirred up on the inside of you*.

*1) **You can’t cower down in fear* *to the attacks of the enemy*, but *you need to stand up* *with unwavering faith*.

*2) **Hebrews 6:12**.*

*a) **Paul says* that *he wants us to imitate* *those who walked in faith* *and* *patience* *because they are the ones* *that inherited the promises*.

*b) *In *(2 Timothy 2:3)* Paul said*, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”*

*(i) **There are going to be those times of hardness*, but even though *those times will come*, *we don’t have to go under*.

*(ii) **As we* continue to *walk in faith and patience* *we’ll inherit those promises* *and* *walk in victory*.

*C) **Through Jesus’ life* and His *death*, *burial*, *and resurrection* *we have been put into position* *to defeat all the plans of the enemy*.

*1) **1 JOHN 3:8*.

*a) *The Word *“DESTROY”* in this verse *means* *“TO LOOSEN OR BRAKE THE BONDAGES OF THE DEVIL.”*

*b) **Before Jesus came into our life*, *Satan had us bound*, *but Jesus came to break those bondages* *and free as from Satan’s grip.*

*(i) **No longer are we under Satan’s control*.

*(ii) **Now the victory belongs to us.*

*(iii) **We have victory over* *SIN*, victory over *POVERTY*, victory over *SICKNESS AND DISEASE*, victory over *DEPRESSION*, victory over *FEAR*, victory over *LACK*, victory over *INFERIORITY*, victory over *MENTAL PROBLEMS*, *and* *victory over SATAN AND ALL OF HIS WORKS*.

*c) **Jesus came to make us free from the bondages of Satan.*

*He came* *so that we could be* *THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL.*

*2) **You might be thinking*, *“But I’m not walking in that kind of victory yet.”*

*3) *Now *a few minutes ago* *I said* that *the battles your going through begin in the Spirit*, *but the BATTLEGROUND is IN YOUR SOUL OR MIND.*

*a) **The Devil* *wants control of your mind*.

*4) **1 Peter 2:11**.*

*a) **The strength of Satan’s* *kingdom is sin*.

*b) **Through temptations* *and* *sinful desires* *of your flesh* *he wars against your mind.*

*c) **If he can control* *the correction of your thoughts* *he can prevent you* *from yielding to the Holy Spirit*.

*D) *Turn with me to *2 Corinthians 10:5*.

*1) *Paul knew that *the battleground of our spiritual warfare* *is done in the mind*.

*a) **If we yield ourselves over to the thoughts that are against the Will of God* *we can’t walk in victory*.

*(i) **Whatever it is that we fill our minds with* *that is what were going to fulfill* in the flesh.

*2) *In *(Philippians 4:8)* Paul said, *“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”*

*a) *Paul is *trying to get us to stop thinking on the negative* *and sinful things* *and start thinking on the things that are good*, *pure*, *and holy*.

*3) **If we start thinking of ourselves* *in line with the Word* of God *that’s what we’re going to become*.

*a) **Start thinking of yourself as* *prosperous*, as *the head and not the tail*.

*Think of yourself as a success*, *victorious*, *and* *an overcomer*.

*b) **(Proverbs 23:7)* says*, “For as he (or For as a man) thinketh in his heart so is he.”*

*(i) **Whatever it is that you’re often thinking on* *is what you are* *or* *what you’ll become*.

*(ii) **Given the opportunity* *you will do whatever you often think upon*.

*E) *Turn with me to *Romans 12:2*.

*1) **Paul said we need to renew our minds* *so we can know the Will of God*.

*a) **The only way we’re going to know the Will of God* *is to know the Word of God*.

*(i) **But this verse goes a little further.*

*In the Greek* *it tells us to* *continuously** renew our minds*.

*(ii) **It’s a process that never ends.*

*The more we renew our minds with the Word* of God *and* *think on His Word* *the easier it is for us to walk in victory.*

*2) *Turn to *Joshua 1:8*.

*a) *The *“Book of the Law”* *is the Word* of God, *and he says* *when we meditate* *or* *think on God’s Word* *and do it* *we’ll walk in prosperity and success*.

*III) **Now sometimes people* will *say that faith* *in God* *and* *in his promises* *is the key to victory and success*.

*A) **Faith is a very important step* *in order for us to walk in victory*, *but where does faith come from?*

*1) **It’s based solely upon the Word* of God.

*2) **(Romans 10:17)* says*, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God.”*

*a) **Faith comes by hearing and thinking* *upon God’s Word*.

*B) **There’s no way around it*, *if we want victory and success* in our life *we have to control our thought life.*

*1) **And we do that* *by keeping our mind on the Lord* *and meditating on His Word*.

*C) *Turn with me to *Isaiah 26:3*.

*1) **The words* *“Perfect Peace”* in this verse *are actually the same word in the Hebrew.*

*a) **In other words he says*, *“Thou wilt keep Him in SHALOM SHALOM, whose mind is stated on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”*

*b) **Notice* that *“SHALOM”* *is used twice* in this verse.

*That a double blessing*.

*2) *So *often* *we translate this Hebrew word* *“SHALOM”* *as* *“PEACE,”* *but it’s more than that*.

*3) *Let me *give you* the *full definition* to the word *“SHALOM.”*

*a) **It means,* *“PEACE, WELFARE.”*

*(i) **That doesn’t mean* that *he’s going to keep us on welfare*, but *according to the dictionary it means, “The state of doing well* *especially in respect to* *GOOD FORTUNE*, *HAPPINESS*, *WELL-BEING*, *and* *PROSPERITY.”*

*b) **So again* *“SHALOM” means,* *“PEACE*, *WELFARE*, *COMPLETENESS*, *SOUNDNESS*, *SAFETY*, *HEALTH*, *PROSPERITY*, *and IN COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.*

*c) **In part* *our covenant with God means* *what He has also belongs to us*.

*D) **In other words the Lord says*, *“If you keep your mind on me and trust me, I will give you absolute and total victory in every area.”*

*1) **According to* *(Hebrews 12:2-3)* *if you keep your mind and focus* *on the Lord* Jesus Christ *and His Word*, *he will keep you from failing and* *cause you to live a victorious life*.

*WOLCC Sunday, June 07, 1998 half of this message is from Joshua4.

Doc 9~/11~/93 SUN AM and in part from WAR.doc the message that I preached that came before “The Battle in the Soul” is “Vision for Victory.”*