Acts 13: Part 2 - Holy War
Notes
Transcript
Last week we discussed Acts 13:1-12 and how the Holy Spirit calls, sends, and removes obstacles that try to prevent the Gospel being heard.
Our main question was how can we know if we are hearing and following the Holy Spirit, ourselves, or the spirit of this age.
I have you three concepts we should always be doing if we want to be lead by the Holy Spirit.
Be still and know that he is God - Be still, let Him fight the battles.
Distinguish between the works of the flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit in our hearts and actions.
Cling to Jesus! Jesus and no other - We have to let go of what we hold on to if we are going to cling to Jesus.
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Today lets read - Acts 13:13- Acts 14:1-7
If you were to title todays message it would be,
Holy War: This is how we fight out battles.
Holy War: This is how we fight out battles.
We have read of Paul and Barnabas along with John Mark, being sent out on the first missionary journey to the Gentile nations.
Immediately they were confronted with success and opposition.
As God’s Kingdom was being spread through the pronouncement of Jesus victory over the principalities and death, they began to meet strong spiritual opposition manifested in the physical realm.
Today we continue to see great success and opposition as the Kingdom of God begins to take dominion over the lives of those under the tyranny of death, sin, and spiritual principalities.
We have seen Bar-Jesus oppose the Gospel
We have seen the ruler of Paphos hear the Gospel and believe.
We have seen Jewish leaders and people earnestly desire to hear and understand the Gospel of Jesus.
We have seen how the enemy used jealousy to stir the people against the Good news of Jesus.
We have seen the Gentiles respond with Joy to the Gospel
And we have seen influential people drive Paul and Barnabas out of their city.
We read large groups in the synagogue both Jew and Greek believing the Gospel of Jesus.
And we read of the Apostles reliance upon the Lord Jesus who was giving grace to those hearing the Gospel and showing His power through signs and wonders.
And we read of an attempt made on the lives of apostles and them fleeing, yet still preaching the Gospel.
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THIS IS WHAT THE SCRIPTURES CALL SPIRITUAL WARFARE!
THIS IS WHAT THE SCRIPTURES CALL SPIRITUAL WARFARE!
NOTICE how human it looks.
You don’t see a bunch of demons running around
No angels with light sabers
You see the expansion of the Kingdom of God and you see the enemy push back through human agents! But don’t let that fool you. It is indeed Spiritual
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To understand SPIRITUAL WARFARE, we have to understand the HOLY WAR MOTIF in the OT.
To understand SPIRITUAL WARFARE, we have to understand the HOLY WAR MOTIF in the OT.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Do you the context of this passage?
When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
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Holy War Motif:
Holy War Motif:
When we think of Holy War and the warriors themselves we often view them through lens of power! We think of this - Rambo Picture.
But that is not how the Scriptures describe the Hebrews as they entered Canaan to take their inheritance.
The Narrative is not a powerful Israel against the poor innocent Canaanites.
No, it is the wondering slaves who have been in the wilderness for 40 years, taking on an Empire of equal power as Egypt. A Empire that was brutal, wealthy, powerful.
Weapons:
Canaanites - Horses, chariots, spears, cross bows, cykle sword.
Sticks, stones used for building and gardening in the wilderness.
Defenses
Canaanites - Heavily fortified outposts on large ramparts. Think Jericho.
A small box made of Acacia wood - Ark of the Covenant
Generals:
Canaanites were known for their warrior generals, years of fighting wars, battle tested, proven to be victorious.
Israel - None proven, none trained
Armor:
Canaanites - High-tech armor for their time - Chain-male, sheet armor, shields, armor on the horses.
Israel - They only had the clothes on their backs that they has been wearing in the dessert for 40 years.
We are talking about a pewee football team taking on the KC Chiefs.
We are talking about storming the Federal reserve with water guns.
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Today I want to Give you a few Spiritual Warfare Principles
Today I want to Give you a few Spiritual Warfare Principles
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God Fights For His People: He Does Not Need Us To Fight For Him.
God Fights For His People: He Does Not Need Us To Fight For Him.
The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
If we are going to understand Spiritual War we must first understand that the battle belongs to the Lord and not to us.
If we are going to understand Spiritual War we must first understand that the battle belongs to the Lord and not to us.
And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.
We must not be arrogant and think we are powerful enough to handle the enemy.
We must not be cowardly and view the enemy or the war as too much.
We must understand that God does not need our protection but we do need His.
God does not need us to fight - but we do need him to fight for us.
We must be still and know that he is God.
We must be still and know that he is God.
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Know Who Your Enemy Is, And Who It Is Not.
Know Who Your Enemy Is, And Who It Is Not.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Your family is not your enemy
Your boss/ employee / is not your enemy
The politician is not your enemy
The most vile sinful person you can imagine is not your enemy.
Bar-Jesus was not the enemy of Paul he was a human agent the enemy used as an obstacle.
No human being is your enemy - They are the goal of the Gospel!
Know your enemy so you know who is fighting and who you are to reach with the Gospel.
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Worship Sets the Battlefield.
Worship Sets the Battlefield.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
Worship Carries the Presence of God.
Worship Prepares our Heart to Focus on God and Let Him Fight the Battle.
Worship shifts the battlefield from the enemies turf to God’s Presence.
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Trust in the Armor of God and not the Powers of this Word to Defend You!
Trust in the Armor of God and not the Powers of this Word to Defend You!
David Kills the Giant without Saul’s Armor.
Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
God is our defense, he is our shield, he is our strong tower.
He may use people but we must never trust in those people, our devotion is to God and God alone.
The Holy Spirit Calls, The Holy Spirit Sends, and it is the Holy Spirit who will fight to spread the Gospel.
Trust in the Armor God gave you.
Belt of truth, Breast plate of righteousness / Shoes to Spread His Peace / Helmet of Salvation / Shield of Faith / Sword of the Spirit - Word of God.
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Place Your Confidence In the Wisdom of God and Not Man.
Place Your Confidence In the Wisdom of God and Not Man.
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
Men have good ideas / God is Wisdom
Jesus is the Wisdom of God manifested in the flesh.
How can we know godly wisdom from human wisdom?
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
The wisdom of God is pure, bring peace, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, impartial, produces real fruit, sincere.
The wisdom of men - empty, deceitful, based on human traditions and elemental spirits. Human wisdom will always exalt man, it is ego driven.
Place Your Confidence in God’s Wisdom
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Walk in the Confidence that God Has Already Won the Victory in Jesus.
Walk in the Confidence that God Has Already Won the Victory in Jesus.
having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
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God has called us to GO MAKE DISCIPLES!
This is our mandate, this is our call, this is our purpose!!!!!
When we live this purpose, the principalities and evil forces will push back!
We Must Remember - The Lord Fights for us. The Battle Belongs to the Lord.
Do not be a people of worry -God fights for His people
Do not be a doom and gloom people! - God will cover the earth with His glory like the waters cover the seas.
Do not be fearful - The Battle belongs to the Lord.
Let God fight for you
Let God fight for you
Know your real enemy
Know your real enemy
Worship sets the battlefield
Worship sets the battlefield
Trust in God’s Armor over the powers and defenses of Man.
Trust in God’s Armor over the powers and defenses of Man.
Place Your Confidence in the Wisdom of God
Place Your Confidence in the Wisdom of God
Place Your Confidence in the Finished work of Christ!
Place Your Confidence in the Finished work of Christ!