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Sermons
Pastor's Greeting
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GET YOURSELF READY, IT’S THE LORD’S BATTLE
by Rev. Moses K. Ndereva,
Pastor – Lifeline Community Fellowship
Key Scriptures:
Isaiah 31:4-5
This is what the LORD says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey— and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor— so the LORD Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. 5 Like birds hovering overhead, the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
Jeremiah 1:17-19
17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.
Defining courage
"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."
Eddie Rickenbacker, Bits & Pieces, April 29, 1993, p. 12.
Introduction
What a profound statement! Jeremiah 1:19 clearly gives a guaranteed mandate to Jeremiah, “19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.” Today the Lord says to you in verse seventeen of Jeremiah; “get yourself ready.” You will need to speak up. You will need to fight the terror within you for the Lord is fighting the terror without. He has fortified you and made you a pillar and a strong wall to stand up! Would you stand?
Illustration
Leonidas, King of Sparta, was preparing to make a stand with his Greek troops against the Persian army in 480 B.C. when a Persian envoy arrived. The man urged on Leonidas the futility of trying to resist the advance of the huge Persian army. "Our archers are so numerous," said the envoy, "that the flight of their arrows darkens the sun." "So much the better," replied Leonidas, "for we shall fight them in the shade." Leonidas made his stand, and died with his 300 troops.
Today in the Word, November 4, 1993. |
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Adrian Rogers tells about the man who bragged that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocket knife. Asked why he hadn't cut off the lion's head, the man replied: "Someone had already done that." Adrian Rogers.
1. God wants you to sound the victory
Did you know that the Lord already crushed the head of the serpent? God is asking you to stand up because he has already won you the victory. All he wants is somebody to do him proud by declaring to the world that he is sovereign overall. He wants praise from your fights. It is one thing to fight with uncertainty and quite another to fight knowing the results. If you know the outcome is going to be positive beforehand, you will be willing to weigh in. no one gets into a fight knowing he or she is going to lose. Jesus advised that before you go to war, weigh your strength or else you become embarrassed. In our case, the Lord is our captain and he has never lost a battle. He has a track record. Here is the secret; Numbers 10:9 “When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.” The problem is most of us get oppressed but we are silenced by the terror within. “Do not be terrified by them”; say the Lord, or he himself will terrify us. Many times we look at the enemy from a fearful perspective to our own demise. God is out to fight for us if we are willing to stand up for him. Once the Lord saves you, you are recruited into his army and ready to fight. Exodus 13:18 “So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.” God has prepared us for battle and we should be ready to declare God’s counsel to the people.
2. God wants you to get ready
It is God’s call for you to get ready. Getting ready involves preparing your mind to face the enemy. It calls for an inner resolve to declare God’s message to people despite their situations. It is the determination to speak up the truth without fear. We are required to take on the full armor of God and get ready to receive instruction and direction. Deuteronomy 20:1-3 1 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3 He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. We have the Lord on our side and that is our victory, “Jehovah Nissi.”
3. God wants us to stand up
The greatest thing that hinders us is having people who know what should be done but can never stand up for a cause for fear of controversy and confrontation. God says stand up! When we stand up we are visible and can be heard. We cannot achieve much lying low. This does not mean becoming confrontational and controversial. It simply means we can have the courage to state where we stand on issues. It means speaking the truth in humility and love with courage and confidence.
4. Do not be frightened
Do not be frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor— so the LORD Almighty will come down to do battle. Shouts and clamor are meant to bring confusion and fear. The enemy shouts but we are to blow the trumpet. Our trumpet call will call the Lord down to battle. Our praise and worship is supposed to create a habitation for our God. With God on our side, who can make us afraid? If God be for us, who can be against us? None shall make us afraid. We will lie down secure in his arms as the Lord terrifies our enemies. Then we shall pursue them and defeat them because God has conquered the enemy for us. If we get terrified by the enemy, God will turn his terror on us. We cannot afford to let God down. He is out for us and wants to show off his strength in defending us. We are impenetrable!
5. Expect victory
They will fight against you, but they cannot win! This is the most comforting fact. We may be bruised but never crushed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We are indestructible! We are treasures in jars of clay pressed on every side but not crushed. We never despair or become abandoned. We are still here and we are here to stay. God says your enemies cannot win; they are losers before they begin.
6. Conclusion
We are assured to face many adversaries but we will see them fail before our eyes if we stand up and remain courageous with our God. The strength is not of us; it is the surpassing power of God in us. Our peace is not about the absence of pressure, it is about our resistance. It is not about falls but about rising up. In our persecution; God is with us to defend us. A fortified city should never worry about arrows aimed at its walls. Though numerous, they will only form a shade over it. A strong pillar need not worry about storms. Its strength will hold it still. Proverbs 18:10; “The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
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