Sunday Sermon
Standing in Victory
Part 1
By Pastors Misty & Jim Richey, June 4, 2023
Opening
Proverbs
24“You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.”
25“You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,”
26“for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.”
Proverbs
24 “When you lie down, you shall not be afraid; yes, you shall lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden terror and panic, nor of the stormy blast or the storm and ruin of the wicked when it comes [for you will be guiltless],
26 For the Lord shall be your confidence, firm and strong, and shall keep your foot from being caught [in a trap or some hidden danger].”
Communion
1 Corinthians 11:23-28 NLT
23“For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread
24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”
26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.”
Message: Standing In Victory
“Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].”
“So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.”
Submit- This word was a Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden".
These two verses go together beautifully! When we choose to put on Gods complete armor we are submitting to God!
“They all got into a boat and began to cross over to the other side of the lake. And Jesus, exhausted, fell asleep. Suddenly a violent storm developed, with waves so high the boat was about to be swamped. Yet Jesus continued to sleep soundly. The disciples woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We’re going to die!” But Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you gripped with fear? Where is your faith?” Then he stood and rebuked the storm, saying, “Be still!” And instantly it became perfectly calm.”
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Matthew 8:26 and 2 Timothy 1:7 the Greek word for fear literally translates “timid”
Timid- showing a lack of courage or confidence, easily frightened
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”
Our enemy the devil is always trying to intimidate! Cause us to be timid!
I heard a quote this week I like
“Those who are intimate with God won’t be intimidated by man”
“Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
“Be strong, courageous, and firm; fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you.”
Key word STAND
Hard to resist if you aren’t standing!
Standing is a position of authority.
“And the God of peace will swiftly pound Satan to a pulp under your feet! And the wonderful favor of our Lord Jesus will surround you.”
What keeps us from standing?
Fear
Distractions
Distraction- a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
Extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.
“And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light;”
“Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me. And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire. And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, What! Are you so utterly unable to stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour? All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Faith is focused. Faith is specific.
Focus - All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
You will always go the direction you are looking.
“Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions. Watch where you’re going! Stick to the path of truth, and the road will be safe and smooth before you. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness.”
Being able to stand: Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus offers a way to stand that is easy and light. Again focus.
Don’t let the storm in your boat! Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus was in the storm, Peter walked into the storm with Jesus then lost focus. Again focus
How do we know if we are standing firmly?
We are bold!
“THE WICKED flee when no man pursues them, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous are bold as a lion. [Lev. 26:17, 36; Ps. 53:5.]”
“Their roaring will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar And lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will deliver.”
“Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour. Take a decisive stand against him and resist his every attack with strong, vigorous faith.”
Isn’t it interesting that our enemy the devil is LIKE a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour?
He can’t create, he can only imitate! How does he get our attention? By being loud!
There is a difference between being bold and rude! Not the same thing.
There is a difference between confidence and arrogance.
Arrogance is confidence minus the awareness of Jesus.
Boldness is in our speech, confidence is in our heart.
We are called to be bold and confident!
Here are three examples in the Word of this boldness and confidence we are looking at today.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego
Daniel 3:8-30
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.””
Esther
““All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!””
Jesus
The gospels are full of examples.
One of my favorite stories is Jairus’ daughter.
“Then one of the rulers of the synagogue came up, Jairus by name; and seeing Him, he prostrated himself at His feet And begged Him earnestly, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, so that she may be healed and live. And Jesus went with him; and a great crowd kept following Him and pressed Him from all sides [so as almost to suffocate Him].”
“While He was still speaking, there came some from the ruler's house, who said [to Jairus], Your daughter has died. Why bother and distress the Teacher any further? Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing. And He permitted no one to accompany Him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the ruler of the synagogue, He looked [carefully and with understanding] at [the] tumult and the people weeping and wailing loudly. And when He had gone in, He said to them, Why do you make an uproar and weep? The little girl is not dead but is sleeping. And they laughed and jeered at Him. But He put them all out, and, taking the child's father and mother and those who were with Him, He went in where the little girl was lying. Gripping her [firmly] by the hand, He said to her, Talitha cumi–which translated is, Little girl, I say to you, arise [from the sleep of death]! And instantly the girl got up and started walking around–for she was twelve years old. And they were utterly astonished and overcome with amazement.”
The world we live in today is described in Romans 1:25
“They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”
It is going to require us as the body of Christ to be bold and confident. We must be secure in our identity in Christ because that is where true boldness and confidence comes from!
Our pastors have reminded us continually that we are to be Spirit led. Part of our mission statement here at the Lighthouse is Love God, love people. We must speak the truth in love!
“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
But we will not bow to or accept or tolerate the lies just because of pressure or intimidation!
Taking us full circle back to Ephesians 6 verse 14 what is the first piece of armor? The belt of truth!
“Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,”
Remember we are not fighting people but spirits.
Ephesians 6 verse 12 tells us what we are fighting against.
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”