Could
you win a war with a hammer and a tent peg and a soft spoken woman?
Have you seen the news?
There is a war going on in the world?
And it seems that our churches are declining while the evil systems in
this world are growing? What will
we do?
Joe Lewis was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
He fought, if I recall correctly, 71 times professionally; he lost only
once. During the decade and a
half he held his title, he defended it 25 times.
Bill Stern, the voice of American sports on radio, decided toward the
end of the Brown Bomber's career that he would interview him and find out the
technique or the secret that Lewis employed in fighting his opponents and how
he could win over people who were at times much larger than he.
His answer was very simple "I study my opponent, I plan my fight
very carefully. The results are
always the same. 1) I'm never
surprised and 2) I stay on the offensive".
That's
pretty good counsel for dealing with the devil.
Satan wins many of his attacks and victories because he surprises us. We continually live shocked.
The believer has no reason to be shocked, intimidated or surprised by
the attack of the enemy -- none whatsoever.
Before Andrew Jackson became the seventh
president of the United States, he served as a major general in the Tennessee
militia. During the War of 1812
his troops reached an all-time low in morale.
As a result they began arguing, bickering, and fighting among
themselves. It is reported that
Old Hickory called them all together on one occasion when tensions were at
their worst and said, "Gentlemen! Let's
remember, the enemy is over there."
His
sobering reminder would be an appropriate word for the church today.
In fact, I wonder if Christ sometimes looks down at us and says with a
sigh, "Christians, your Enemy is over there! Stop your infighting! Pull
for one another. Support one
another. Believe in one another.
Care for one another. Pray
for one another. Love one
another." -- Charles
R. Swindoll, Hope Again (Word, 1996), p. 45.
Judges 4:1 (KJS)
And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when
Ehud was dead. 2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of
Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host [was] Sisera, which
dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. 3 And the children of Israel cried unto
the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he
mightily oppressed the children of Israel. 4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the
wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. 5 And she dwelt under the
palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the
children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 And she sent and called
Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not
the LORD God of Israel commanded, [saying], Go and draw toward mount Tabor,
and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the
children of Zebulun? 7 And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera,
the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will
deliver him into thine hand. 8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with
me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go.
9 And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the
journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall
sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak
to Kedesh. …
21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her
hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and
fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
22 And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said
unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he
came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his
temples. 23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the
children of Israel. 24 And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and
prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin
king of Canaan.
Does it seem like you aren’t making any headway in the war of the
worlds? Can we win in the battle
for the lives and souls of the people we know?
Are you tired of seeing what the devil is doing to those in our world?
Are you ready to go to battle for the souls of men, women, boys, and
girls? Are you ready to do what
it takes to see your friends, family, and loved ones come to know the Lord
before it is eternally too late? What’s
it going to take? What's it
going to take? Are you tough
enough? Do you have the right
equipment? Do we have enough
money? What will it take to see
those we love begin to serve the Lord with us? What will it take to see our
churches filled once again with people who love the Lord and want to serve him
again? What would you have to
have to win the battle against 900 chariots and all of the men to boot?
Could you win it with a hammer and a tent peg?
I.
Get in touch with the Commander and Chief.
Call
to him for help? The people were tired of Jabin’s oppression.
Are you ready to call on the Lord? His people and the children
of the living God are the called. Are
you among the called? Whose side
are you on? Do you know? The Lord calls on us to win the battle for Him and every man,
woman, boy, and girl who will serve the Lord.
People will say you can’t do this or that, but the Lord says to do
what I say and disregard the voices of those who discourage you. To hear the
Lord we must be stop to listen. Go
to him in prayer and listen to his direction in his life. Are you tired of the oppression of the enemy?
Are you ready to pray to hear the word of the Lord?
After 20 years the people finally had enough.
They prayed and the Lord sent the answer.
The Lord is calling you into battle today?
Do you hear his message?
II.
Listen to His Commands. Remember
what He has said. What has
the Lord said?
Remember the message not the messenger.
The message is from the Lord, so will we hear what he has to say.
Where is your focus on the Lord and his message or on the messenger?
v.6-7... The Lord has already spoken the message that we need to hear.
but we need to hear it again for the first time.. and listen and obey what he
has said.. Have we lost the message that he has given?
Go and I will deliver unto you the victory in the battle. But we must
go. If we don't go we will not win. God’s
people will win when they show up, because the battle is the Lord’s.
He has said that the gates of hell will not stop you.
Will we storm the gates?
III.
Use what He has given. What
do we need to win?
What
has the Lord given? Deborah
went with the word of the Lord? Barak
went with Deborah. Jael went with
a hammer and a tent peg. What do
you have? What will you go with?
All we have to do is give what we have to the Lord to use to win the
battle. The Lord has already
given us all we need to win the battle for Him.
Jael had a hammer and a tent peg.
Deborah had the leading of the Holy Spirit to preach to the people the
word of the Lord. Barak had the
men and the preacher of the word to lead him into the battle.
Barak trusted in the strength of Deborah and insisted that she go.
1.
We have all the people we need to go on to the next victory.
2.
We have all the money we need to go on to the next win, if we will let
God use it.
3.
We have all the talent we need to be able to do the job that He has
given us.
4.
We have all the resources time, talent, and lands, and buildings if we
will just follow the Lord's directions for our church.
5.
Use what we have! Which may be a hammer and a tent peg.
IV.
Obey His commands. Go
in faith with the Lord. Who Will
He Use? Who has He used? Why
do we wait? Are you ready to make
a difference? Are we brave enough
and bold enough? Do we have faith
enough? Do we have time enough? Do
we have the desire enough? Can He
use you? Will He use you? Now is the time and today the day for us to say yes to God.
We will go! It doesn't
matter what the others say. If
you have called we will go , We will take the job and do the work of the Lord
for the Lord's sake and for the sake of the people of the Lord. For the
victory of the Lord.. Don't be guilty of telling the Lord what He can or
cannot do, but allow Him to do what He wants to do in your life and in the
life of our church. Will
you let Him use you?
Matt
28:19 (KJS) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you always, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.