The Father that Fights For You:Favor to Finish the Fight

Thesis

When we believe in the divine promises of God , use sound strategies that are according to His will, and call on the Lord in Prayer we are assured victory and success when we face our enemies.

Introduction

Trusting in the Lord and allowing Him to fight your battles is a virtue many of us overlook and don’t engage in. Too often we find ourselves seeking to fulfill our mission for the in our own strength. We attempt to exempt God from the equation and loose some battles because when God was trying to help us we were too busy trying to get a good name for ourselves. But when you have learned your lessons from leaving the Lord out and having to come back with your tail between your legs, you make God a priority in your preparation for battle. You have the testimony that the Lord has done some marvelous things and that He is great and greatly to be praised. Yes there are times when the Lord has to do some incredible never seen before things in the lives of His children to insure their victory. You see there have been some times when I didn’t know what strategy to use but the Lord fought for me. I had done all I could but I was still unprepared and out numbered but the Lord said go on for there are still more for you than against you. There is something to be said and appreciated about divine help:

2 Kings 6 we find the prophet Elisha and Israel fighting the King of Aram. Every time the King of Aram think of a plan the Lord gives Elisha insight about his plan and Elisha tells the King of Israel. Soon the king of Aram gets suspicious and asks how in the world do they know all of my plans do we have a snitch in the camp?Their reply was...

one of his servants replied, “No snitch, my lord the king. But Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

13So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.”

On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,” 14the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city.

15When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

16“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

don’t be afraid

God is on our side

Why couldn’t he see what Elisha saw?

17Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”

And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The servant was blinded by the greatness and might of the enemy and fear

he couldn’t see what Elisha saw

he lacked discernment to know that the Lord was fighting for Him as long as they were in His will

he could only see who was fighting against them and not who was fighting for them

Interrogative

Do you recognize that the Lord is fighting for you?

Are you trusting in the Lord during your greatest battles or are you still trying to do it by yourself?

Exposition

Here we have in the book of Joshua chapter 10 an example of how complete faith to go, engage the enemy, and call on God will insure you the victory in extreme circumstances.

1Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction —doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them.

we find here were just being friends with a neighbor may cause some one to be upset with you

2So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4“Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”

Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary i. The Amorite Strategy (10:1–5)

The request is styled in the form of two threefold repetitions, with three separate verbs describing what the readers must do (come up, help me, attack)

5So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.

These five kings come together to fight against the servants of Israel

because they have already seen what Israel had done to Jericho and Ai. they didn’t want them to have the strategic possession of Gibeon

Losing Gibeon would mean losing strategic access to certain markets and definite destruction of Adonizedek

6Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, because all the kings of the Amorites from the hill country have joined forces against us.”

The Gibeonites make their request for help with expectations of that help coming

they say we are your servants and we need protecting

don’t turn your back on us now

7So Joshua and his whole army, including all the mighty men of valor, came from Gilgal. 8The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not one of them shall stand against you.”

Joshua true to his word to make peace with the Gibeonites making them his servants begins his trek to their aid

And God assures him that he will be successful

many times we don’t recognize the promises of God that are active in our lives. Throughout scripture it is documented that God will help you

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Proverbs 16:3 - Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Psalms 37:4 - Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

I KNOW THAT GOD FIGHTS FOR ME WHEN I AM

WILLING TO MARCH IN THE DARK

9After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise. 10And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

Marching all night speaks of strategy: it was a strategy used before at Ai. it was a daunting task and trek.

it was an uphill endeavor with many cracks and crevices and hills and rocks

but by faith Joshua led the faithful to battle all night long. I wish i had about 10 people who can declare that I am nice in the night(explain nice)

when we as Christians can continue to stay focused in the night seasons we will be abundantly prepared for sunshine

but God fights for them he throws everyone of the enemy into confusion

DO YOUR BEST AND THE LORD WILL DO THE REST

11As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.

when it seems like circumstances are getting out of hand and opportunity is escaping your grasp

God will fight for you

he sends hailstones down to kill the escaping Amorites

My God is a marksman extraordinaire. Notice the hailstones only hit the enemy.

God used his special ammunition

JOB 38: 21-23

21  Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? Or because the number of thy days is great?

22  Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

23  Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, Against the day of battle and war?

Be Strong Chapter Nine: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Our Neighbor (Joshua 9:1–10:28)

When God’s people are obeying God’s will, everything in the universe works for them, even “the stars in their courses” (Jud. 5:20). When we disobey God’s will, everything works against us. (Read Jonah 1

IN GOD’S FIGHTING FOR YOU , YOU REALIZE THAT HE HAS

GIVEN YOU FAVOR TO FINISH THE FIGHT

12On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”b 13So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies.c Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?d “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”e 14There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.

JOSHUA SPOKE BY FAITH AND GOD WAS FAITHFUL

after confusing the enemy, and killing them with hailstones God will do the impossible

SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEED THE LORD TO DO IS GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE TIME

he will extend the day for you to be successful

he will extend your advantage

Notice that even though God was fighting for Joshua and the children of Israel the children of Israel never quit fighting and sat on the sideline to watch God.

The Lord is God and nothing is too hard for Him (Jer. 32:17, 27). Day and night belong to God (Ps. 74:16), and everything He has made is His servant. If God can’t perform the miracle described in Joshua 10, then He can’t perform any miracle and is imprisoned in His own creation, unable to use or suspend the very laws He built into it. I have a difficult time believing in that kind of a God.

GOD WILL GIVE YOU THE VICTORY EVEN IN UNEXPLAINABLE WAYS

HE GAVE US THE VICTORY OVER DEATH AND THE GRAVE IN A MARVELOUS AND MIRACULOUS WAY

HE GAVE UNTIL HE COULDN’T GIVE ANYMORE

MANY TIMES WE DON’T RECOGNIZE GODS COMBAT STRATEGIES (HE FIGHTS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS)

HE FOUGHT BY GIVING US HIS SON

HIS SON GAVE HIS WRISTS AND HANDS TO THE NAILS

HE GAVE HIS HEAD TO THE CROWN OF THORNS

HE GAVE HIS FEET TO THE SPIKES,

HE GAVE ENTRY INTO PARADISE TO THE THIEF

HE GAVE HIS MOTHER TO JOHN.

HE GAVE HIS THIRST TO THE VINEGAR

HE GAVE HIS SPIRIT TO HIS FATHER

HE GAVE HIS SIDE TO THE SPEAR

HE GAVE HIS BODY TO THE GRAVE

HE GAVE THE GOSPEL TO THOSE WHO HAD GONE ON AL FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT

HE GAVE US JUSTIFICATION ON THAT THIRD DAY MORNING WHEN HE GOT UP WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HANDS

50 DAYS LATER HE GAVE US FAVOR TO FINISH THE FIGHT WHEN HE GAVE US THE HOLY SPIRIT

WHO WOULDN’T SERVE A GOD LIKE THAT???