Strength Training

The guitar riff… that song is perhaps one of the most recognizable songs around the world. All you need are the first couple of seconds of the intro to know the name of the song and maybe even the name of the movie that made it so Popular.

The name of the song is what? Eye of the Tiger. The movie it came from was what? Rocky III. And the problem Rocky faced in that movie was he had traded in his passion for the fight… for glory.

Rocky was facing a new normal… if you will. He had to work hard to get to the top. He had to dig deep, he had to take the hits… and he went from a nobody boxer from Philly to the heavy weight champion of the world. With the fame… came the new normal and in that new normal… Rocky lost his hunger… he lost his passion. His strength was traded for a statue and… he faces a very hard and trying wake up call.

Now I’m not a boxer… but I am a very competitive individual. I like a good contest and… I like to win.

In my youth ministry days, Sand volleyball was the game of choice… mostly because our Sonic restaurant had a sand volleyball court in the parking lot!

We started out playing on Sunday afternoons as just our youth ministry. But then… it grew. A group of college students showed up and offered us a friendly challenge.

We took that challenge and… we wanted the win!

I even have a coupe of pictures of the group from a couple of our days in the sand!

We also had video game challenges that we took very seriously as a group.

We networked our house so we could have 16 players at a time and yes… it got intense… it was fun… and Kristy was known for pounding on the upstairs floor when she was losing.

I am also proud that we competed in a city wide video game event and our team took second place… not what we wanted but not bad for our first go around either!

NONE OF THESE THINGS were abilities that I miraculously woke up with… none of these things came without practice and strength training.

Muscles strength and muscle memory were all a part of what we did.

This morning we are going to talk about Strength Training and in a minute… we are going to dismiss from the Sanctuary and head to the fellowship hall where we have set up all kinds of exercise equipment, dumb bells, jump ropes, chin up bars, and… and not really.

That’s not the kind of strength we are talking about today. That’s not the kind of ability we are going to talk about today.

My illustrations talked about strength needed for competition… for games. The kind of strength we are going to talk about today is the kind of strength you need to go to… battle. The kind of strength we need… for war.

When it comes to spiritual matters… such are not games. Spiritual matters are far more than mere competitions. The fight we fight today… is spiritual warfare… a type of battle that takes strength beyond what a person can do physically.

Church… we face a very real enemy… an enemy who DOES NOT WANT YOU STEPPING INTO THE PROMISES GOD HAS FOR YOU.

So… to keep you where you are, the enemy is going to bring resistance against you… a type of resistance that will cause you to want to stay or remain instead of advance and take new ground.

But consider this for a moment… Physically… what is needed or required in order for our muscles to become stronger and grow? RESISTANCE.

That resistance might come in the form of free weights, bands, distance for runners, etc. but my point is we only become stronger as we work through the resistance.

Joshua was standing on the banks of the Jordan River. He had seen the promised land before… and he had seen the resistance they would face.

He was leading a people… who had just lost their leader. God was calling him to go… to cross the river. And as He did so, God repeatedly encouraged Joshua with these words. BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS.

Joshua 1:6 NIV

6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

Joshua 1:7 NIV

7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 NIV

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Be strong and courageous… these were the words God gave to Joshua as he faced the challenge ahead of him. Joshua was being called to rise to the challenge… to live the life of a warrior - a life… I believe… Gd is calling all of us to live.

We are NOT called to just survive. Our purpose is NOT just to take up space in this world. The Israelites were not destined to wonder in the wilderness for all of time. GOD HAS A PLAN. But yesterday’s strength will not be sufficient for where God is calling us to go. WE NEED TO FIND A NEW STRENGTH FOR THE NEW NORMAL GOD IS LEADING US TO.

And to be clear, ‘m NOT talking about a “new normal” that is simply more of the same. I’m not talking about being more domesticated by the word in which we control the thermostat and the ding of a new voicemail, text message, email, or tweet controls us. WE WERE MEANT FOR MORE THAN THAT.

If our new normal is but superficial desire for more stuff, more money, more gadgets, or more followers than we are missing the point. our new normal is not found in anything of this world… it is found in the One who overcame this world.

And reaching that new normal will require a strength like no other. A strength that can only come by following the One who calls us to go.

Where do you get your strength from today? This is not a sermon that is going to encourage you grit your teeth, try harder, put in more hours, get your hands dirty, and get ready for the life you have always dreamed of.

That is not how spiritual life or spiritual warfare works. It’s about God’s work in and through you. It’s not about your efforts, your planning, your abilities, or your skills. It is all about surrendering to God rather than making it happen.

I have experienced victories in my life an in ministry and I can tell you, church… they had noting to do with… me. They did not come about because I was strong enough or qualified enough to take it on… it was because God was strong in me.

I have also had moments when I felt anything but strong. I have wrestled with feelings of being inadequate, not good enough, or out of my league. I’ve stood at the beginning of new chapters in life wondering if I would make it through or if this would be the biggest mistake i have ever made.

John Lindell gives an amazing reminder in his book.

Feeling the fear doesn’t necessarily mean you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. It often means you are on the precipice of the new land God is calling you to enter.

So how do we find the strength we need to cross the boundary before us? How do we muster enough energy to take that first step?

The key… is keeping your eyes on God. Stand on the call on keep your eyes on the one calling you. Joshua found strength not only in the words being spoken to him… Joshua found strength in the One who was speaking those words.

Joshua knew… that the God He served was bigger than the resistance he might face. God would give him strength… to overcome.

The God we serve is BIGGER than the enemy who tries to stop us. We must learn to trust in his strength over our strength. And that is where the “strength training” begins.

Strength is Found When We Trust in God.

I have come to learn that the seasons we walk through today… serve to prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. HOW we finish today… is how we will often begin in tomorrow’s journey.

I’ve never been much of the academic type. Yes I believe in the importance of what can be learned in the classroom… but I have always been a hands-on learner. So the thought of attending a four year Bible College was somewhat frightening to me.

I knew where God had called me to go. I had an idea… but God other plans. So I found myself at Central Bible College trying to be a full time student while working full time to pay my college bill.

I tried. I worked. I studied. I didn’t sleep. I ate Romen Noodles and Spaghetti-Os. I wrestled with academic challenges as well as with challenges at home. I lost loved ones. I almost lost it all. And in the driver seat this entire time was I, I, and I.

And eventually I ran out of gas. I had failed to learn an important lesson God was trying to teach me in my early days of ministry training. I COULD NOT DO THIS ON MY OWN STRENGTH. The biggest lesson I learned in my ministry training days was this: I CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT GOD.

But like me… many of of us try to do just that. We try to fulfill the call of Gd on our lives through our own strength.

We compare the challenges ahead against the resources we have in the moment. We weigh the two against each other - which one is greater? And if we find the challenges ahead outweigh the “resources” we have, then we stall out. We surrender before we step foot on the battleground.

The enemy will try to get you into “me” mode while standing at the precipice of the land God is calling you to enter. The enemy will try to get you to reason your way out of following what the Lord is calling you to do.

God didn’t tell Joshua to reason.

God did not tell Joshua to take inventory of his resources.

God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. God promised Joshua that He would be with him.

There is a surrender that needs to take place as we get ready to move as God would call us to move. This surrender takes strength… strength enough to move “me” out of the way and to place God in control of all things. We MUST surrender ALL control to God. We must place our full trust in Him.

My grades were… not great. My family was still struggling. My job was stressful. My ability to balance everything that was going on in my first semester of Bible College was failing.

I had substituted by personal walk with God with my studies. I was being educated… but not refreshed. I was burning out and questioning why God had led me to where I was.

God brought me to CBC for my ministry training true enough. But my lack of trust in Him is what brought me to the spiritual wasteland that I found myself in. I didn’t have what it would take on my own… and I was done.

Frustrated, I found myself in an altar determined I would not leave that place as I came, and God did a new work in me. In that moment, I was given two passages… two reminders that I would hold on to the rest of that collegiate season.

The first came in the form of a Scripture. Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13 NKJV

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

In this text, Paul declares that his strength was NOT found in his circumstance, rather, his strength was found ONLY in Christ Jesus.

I would recite this verse as many times as needed when “I” tried to take over. God would remind me that it wasn’t about what I could do. God would remind me to trust in Him.

The second reminder came in the form of a song… a song I had learned at my home church. A song that was based off Scripture and went like this… If you know it, sing it with me.

Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait.

Other translation say hope or place their trust in instead of wait. But the idea is the same. Those who look to and trust in God will have their strength renewed! They will have strength enough to face what will come as they move into the promises of God!

Listen to me… YOU DON’T HAVE WANT IT TAKES… and that’s why you have yet to experience a breakthrough.

For the addict… the chains can only be broken by God’s strength

For the broken… the healing can only come by God’s hand

For the grieving… the comfort can only come form God’s peace.

For the hurting… God can turn your sorrow into dancing

For the confused or misguided… God will give you new purpose and direction

For the sin ridden and hopeless… redemption, forgiveness, and new hope can only be found in the Lord.

We all face different challenges but we all have opportunity to call on God who can… who can… WHO CAN DO ALL THINGS! God wants to move you into a new normal today!

We must be persistent as we reach for His promises! We must be willing to be consistent in placing our trust in Him!

Physical strength is obtained by working muscles over and over again while gradually increasing the resistance. Spiritually, we must be persistent. Our trust must be and will be exercised. And that trust will grow as God leads us on through the battles that are bigger than… me… you… I… and so forth.

And when these battles arise, we need to trust in God for the victory. When these battles arise, we need to stand in our faith. When these battles arise, our strength will be tested as we RESIST the enemy.

Strength is TESTED as We Resist the Enemy.

God has given us all that we need to stand against the enemy.

And let’s never forget, our enemy is not flesh and blood… even though sometimes it might feel like it. Scripture identifies our enemy as someone else.

Ephesians 6:12 KJV 1900

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our enemy has a name… and his name is Satan. Our enemy DOES NOT want you entering into the promises of God. He wants to keep you where you are. He wants to keep you from experiencing all that God has for you.

The enemy is going to test your strength. He might be testing it now… he might choose to test it later. The question is, will you resist the enemy of give in to his attacks?

Remember what I said about physical strength training a moment ago? Resistance MUST be a part of it. And resistance MUST increase for our strength to increase.

Now I do not wake up in the morning looking for a battle… but I know the battle is out there. The enemy is not indifferent to your relationship with Jesus. He is actively trying to come against you! But never forget this truth today: Greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world! GOD WILL PREVAIL! The battle has already been won!

Your strength will be tested. The enemy will increase the resistance. He will try to get you to go to the left or the right or even backwards. He doesn’t want you moving forward. He doesn’t want you crossing that river.

Here’s what the enemy knows: when a believer comes to the understanding that nothing is impossible for God, then that believer will become an unstoppable force for the kingdom of God. SATAN DOES NOT WANT YOU FINDING STRENGTH IN GOD!

So when the enemy attacks… we resit. When the enemy roars… we stand unmoved. We look to the words found in Ephesians 6:13 that say

Ephesians 6:13 NIV

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

STAND YOUR GROUND! Pass the testing of your strength by trusting in God to get you through! Do not allow fear or discouragement to rob you of strength but allow His Words of truth and promise to give you the hope, the assurance that you need to keep moving forward!

The Battle Has Already Been Won

God does not call His people to His promises and then abandon them on the way. God will lead and strengthen and anoint every step we take. But those steps must be taken in faith and trust in God.

And there is one last reminder I want to give us as we move to prayer and communion. There is one last resource… f you… that I want you to keep in mind as you consider what God has ahead. That resource… is grace. God’s amazing grace.

I started this sermon with a secular song that most of the world can identify within the first few seconds. It is a song of strength and a song of courage… but it is a song that is lacking… because it places all the emphasis on the person.

The song I want to close with dos the exact opposite. It is a song of salvation. It is a song of victory. It is a song of redemption, a song of breakthrough. It is a song that places all the emphasis on our Lord and Savior.

When Paul was facing a physical challenge, he was reminded of something… amazing. Paul referred to this challenge as a messenger of Satan, something that was meant to torment him. And in the face of this challenge, Jesus gave Paul this reminder.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Friends, I pray that we never forget the power… I pray we never forget the strength that is found in God’s grace.

Where would we be if not for the power of God’s grace.

I would not be able to see, I would still be blind.

I would not be found, I would still be lost.

I would not be saved… I would still be a wretched sinner.

I did not save myself. I did not find my way on my own. I did not cure my spiritual blindness with my own hands. It all came by way of God’s grace!

You might find yourself on the river bank… struggling to find the strength to take the first step. You know what God is calling you to do, but you have done the comparison game and the odds, according to the world’s standards, are in favor of failure.

But God is the master of BEATING THOSE ODDS! According to the world’s standards, none of us should be saved today, but here we are!

What God did for us is foolishness in the eyes of the world. Why would God save those who openly rejected Him? Why would God give us His Son? Why would Jesus die for those who spat in His face and nailed Him to the cross?

He did that… so we could know victory. He did that… so we could be moved from death to life. He did that… so that the old could be done away with and the new could come.

His grace IS sufficient! Where your strength might fail, His grace never will. When you can’t take one more step, God will carry you through! And it’s all because of His love for us.

God wants to renew you. God wants to fill you with His strength. God wants to help you resist the enemy. but you have to let go of… you… and grab hold of God.

PRAYER - Salvation

Communion

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NIV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.