Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Blowing vuvuzela with Ghanaian flag and hat.

The World Cup always open with an awe inspiring procession of athletes from all the participating countries of the world marching around the field under their country's banner or flag.

The flag is their identification with the sponsoring country and a rallying point for the athletes and fans.

Great cheers go up from the citizens of each country as their team goes by with the flag waving back and forth.

We rally 'round the flag each Fourth of July in the United States to celebrate our freedom.

We wave flags, bake flag cakes, display flags and sing a song about our flag - the Star Spangled Banner, at the opening of every baseball game.

The most important thing flags or banners do, however, is mark victory.

It is well understood that the conquering army in any battle has the right to remove the defeated country's flag and replace it with their own, usually in the highest spot possible for all to see.

In my favorite movie, the Patriot, Mel Gibson sees the America calvary men retreating, he runs up and grabs the American flag and heads straight to the enemy and waves the flag and starts the charge back against the British.

You see he knew the potential of the army and was leading them to victory and USA independence.

You see we are like the calvary men retreating.

We have foes that outnumber us like the British.

They are skilled and professionals at destroying our lives, we sucked into to imitating the world, we gratify the desires of our flesh, and we are misguided my Satan.

The big 3 that are trying to wreck our lives and it’s sin that will destroy us but we have a banner that can overcome our foes.

A banner who is like No other.

Transisiton: Please turn in your Bibles with me to Exodus 17:8.

As we discover who this banner is.

Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

9 And Moses said unto Joshuab, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

10So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

13 And Joshua discomfited(defeated) Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah nissic: 16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Pray

I want you to look at verse 14 and 15.

God told Moses to write it in the book and rehearse it to Joshua, for I the Lord will put of remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

God will defeat the big 3, world, flesh, devil.

Moses built an altar and called it

Jehovah Nissi

•It means a rallying point, shows the prescene of the King

•The banner leading us to Victory

When Moses was up on the hill, he was boasting, I thought that was a sin, but I realize that when we boast about the one who deserves it is not.

So I boast in my Jehovah Nissi.

Let’s go to the battle scene and see what more to boast about.

•8Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

In verse 8 it says the Amalekites came and fought against Israel.

A little background on the Amalekites.

These people descended from Esau through Eliphaz, and Esau was a person who lived for the things of the flesh.

One day, Esau returned from hunting and desired some of the lentil stew that Jacob was cooking.

Jacob offered to give his brother some stew in exchange for his birthright—the special honor that Esau possessed as the older son, which gave him the right to a double portion of his father’s inheritance.

Esau put his temporary, physical needs over his God-given blessing and sold his birthright to Jacob.

The Amalekites sought to gain authority over Israel through intimidation.

In Deuteronomy 25:17-18, Moses tells Joshua and Israel to remember what Amalek did to them on the way coming out of Egypt, how they met them and attacked them from the rear ranks, all the stragglers at the rear.

If we are traveling with the whole church family who do you think would be in the back.

The mom’s with young children, the elderly, the handicapped.

And he attacked them, he killed some of them because he did not fear God and wanted to make the people fearful of them.

Amalek is a model of our enemy, Like the Miami Heat who have the big 3.

We have a big three enemies the world, flesh, and the Satan.

•The World- The world, humanistic, self-centered all about me, I am number one, fist pumping, patting your own back culture

oGirls sample articles from puplic teen magazines state

“The Ultimate Get-a-Guy Guide”

Shedding those Extra Pounds

Shedding those Extra Pounds So He’ll Notice You

“Six Star Couples’ Secrets for Everlasting Love”

“Dude Snagging Do’s and Don’ts”

“Love Clues: Fifteen Ways to Make Him Want You Bad”

“Get Gorgeous: A Survey of One Thousand Teens Reveals Seventy-five Favorite Beauty Products”

“Find True Love: Twenty-four Crucial Clues to Snag Your Crush”

oGuys, I know you, In middle and high school I faced

If I’m not a star athlete, Im not cool,

Video Games- At visitation, 1pm in afternoon

Axe, if you spray a lot girls will like you

Parents, don’t understand lets be rebellious

•The Flesh

oWhen we grow in our love for God, we will realize like I am now realizing just how much we sin.

I mean this week alone I sinned at ton.

At the traffic light growing impatient about the red light.

Or when I was in sports and complaining to the referee.

I mean seriously sometimes, I have to ask myself, if I am representing Christ how can I behave like a dummy at a bad call.

The flesh is for some of us might be gossiping and judgemental or ragging on each other.

It’s our sin, our flesh, our sinful nature we got from Adam. it is the thing that gets in our way for living for God.

It’s like in Romans 7. When we try to do good for God we just seem to fall short and we have good intentions, but never live up to the standards.

•Satan

oBe sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8).

Timothy Lane states, the way the devil works is simple.

He uses the world and your sinful nature to trap you into sin.

Then he accuses you of being a hopeless case.

Now, I’ll be honest with you all against these three opponents, devil makes us feel hopeless, we don’t have what it takes to stop the onslaught of the Amalekites they will utterly destroy us and so right now.

Your out of no luck.

No more effort will work.

At the worst thing is the Amalekites attacked you at Rephidim which is a place of rest, in our weakest moment.

Israel had just crossed the Red Sea, they had run away from the Egyptians.

If you look further back they were tired and thirsty.

Making Moses crack a rock to get water.

And manna came flowing from the skies.

For me in soccer this was after a long 2 a day session when I’m passed out on the floor.

We usually are bombarded by the onslaught of the big 3 in our weaker moments.

For me, when I fell captive to sin, I was rolling around with my unsaved friends late at night or I was tired from soccer practice, cranky and irriatible and the last thing I want to do is chores.

So, I’d talk back.

•Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:

Now in the beginning of verse 9 Moses told Joshua to get some men, not get some stragglers or some boys or the feeble in the back, but get some men prepared to fight.

Are we living our lives in a way that when others see us can say we are living for the Lord.

In your baseball teams, as a soccer referee, at your job.

Do people know we are a Christian and if they do are we being a good testimony.

Because we need to realize that we may be the only Bible they say.

They aren’t going to get a bible but they may see your life and if it seems different they might be interested in learning more about your relationship with Jesus Christ.

So Moses tells Joshua to get some men and then he tells him that he will stand on the top of the hill overlooking the battle with the staff of God.