Sermon Tone Analysis

For the past several weeks now we’ve been *teaching on* the subject of *“ABSOLUTE VICTORY.”*

*In this past year or 2* *the church*, *Word of Life*, has *really* *experienced* *some spiritual* *battles*, *and* *for the most part* *we have* *seen* the *victory* *over those things*.

But there are *still* going to be *battles* *in the Spirit* *to be won*.

*One of the battles* that the *enemy* has *launched* against the church *is* a *financial battle*.

*Just a few days ago* *someone mentioned* that *the Lord placed Word of life* *on their heart* and *they wanted to send some money to the church*, *but they said there was something hindering* *them *from putting the check in the mail.

*It was like a spiritual battle*.

*This is an area where we need to* *pray and intercede*.

*God always comes through* so that the bills are paid, *but* *the Lord wants us to do more* for the kingdom of God.

*I know why* *Satan* *comes against the church*.

He *launches* his *attacks* *to stop the Word of God*, *and* to *stop the anointing* of God.

*The anointing* of God *has increased* in this church *every year* *and* *especially in this last year*.

*The Spirit of the Lord has been working* mightily *to bring about* *liberty*, *victory* *and* *freedom from bondages*.

We have seen *more victory* in *this last year than ever before*.

But *Satan* is *not happy* about it.

That means were going to have to *take hold of our bootstraps* and do *more battle in the Spirit*.

You and I as part of this church *don’t have to wait until* *we see Satan’s attacks manifest* in the natural realm, *but* *we can do battle in the Spirit* *and* *gain the victory* *before Satan gets a foothold*.

*I) **In* the book of *Joshua* the children of *Israel* *faced many battles*, *but* *they didn't wait for the enemy to attack them*, they went in to defeat the enemy.

*A) **The church* as a whole *faces* many *battles*, *but you and I*, *as individuals* *also* *face many battles*.

*1) **In the Word* of God *there is about* a *hundred different references* to the *Lord giving* the Israelites *the Promised Land*.

*a) *In *(Romans 15:4)* it says, *“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.”*

*b) *And in *(Hebrews 10:1)* it says*, “For the law (that would be the Old Testament) having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things.”*

*(i) *In other words, *what’s written in the* *Old Testament* *is actually a* *type and shadow* *of what belongs to us* in the New Testament.

*c) *The *land* that *God promised* *to* the *Israelites* *is a type and shadow* *of what belongs to us in the New Testament*.

*(i) *But for us *that land* is a *type and shadow* *of* *the promises God made* to us, which we call the *promises of God*.

*B) *Turn with me to *Numbers 13:1-2*.

*1) **In verse 2* *God told Moses* *that he gave them the land*.

*This was the promised land*.

*2) *Turn to *Joshua 1:1-3*.

*a) *Here *again* *we see* that the *Lord* has *given* *Israel* *the land*, *but* even *though it belonged to them* *they had to go in and take it*.

*3) *Look at *Joshua 8:1*.

*a) *Here *again* *God gave them the land*, *but* just like we read in (Joshua 1) *they* *had to go in and take the land*.

*b) **But this verse also reveals* to us *that they* *had to take the land through battle*.

*(i) **For us* that *battle* *is spiritual warfare*.

*C) **Who do we do battle against?*

*1) **Our battle is against the* *inhabitants of the land*, *those* who are *occupying* the *territory*, which would be *spiritual wickedness* *that* would *stop* us from *victory*.

*2) *Turn to *Ephesians 6:12*.

*a) *That’s the *realm of Satan’s kingdom* *and* his *demonic host*.

And *that’s where the battle takes place*.

*b) *It’s *not* a *battle* *against flesh and blood*, *but* it is a battle *against* *spiritual wickedness*.

*3) *Look at *Ephesians 6:13*.

*a) *When we see the Word *“WHEREFORE”* it *connects* the *previous verse* to the ones to follow.

*(i) *You can also interpret the word *“WHEREFORE”* to mean “*BECAUSE OF THIS.”*

*b) *We are in a *spiritual warfare* and *because of this* we need to *take on the full armor of God*.

*4) *Let’s go on reading here.

*Ephesians 6:13-17*.

*a) **Paul* is *giving us a list* here *of the weapons of our warfare*, but *too often* *we stop reading* here *at* (*verse 17*).

*b) *(*Verse 18*) *reveals* to us *one of the most powerful weapons* we have *against the enemy*.

*5) *Let’s read *Ephesians 6:18*.

*a) *Notice that he says, *“IN THE SPIRIT.”*

*b) **Praying in the Spirit* and *especially in other tongues* *is one of the most powerful weapons* you have *against* the *forces of darkness*.

*(i) **One of the most powerful ways* that we can *drive out the inhabitants of the land* *is through intercession*.

*(ii) *Remember the *inhabitants* *of the land* *are* the *wicked spirits* that are *hindering* *us from walking in* *absolute victory*.

*II) *Turn with me to *Numbers 33:53, 55*.

*A) *The word *“VEX”* in (*verse 55*) *means*, *“DISTRESS, BIND, AFFLICTED, BESIEGE, TROUBLE, BOUND,”* it *also* *means*, *“TO SUFFER DISTRESS, TO SHOW HOSTILITY TOWARD, AND TO HARASS.”*

*1) **If you don’t drive out the enemy* *from the land* that belongs to you, *you’re going to continue to have trouble* in the land *because* *the enemy will still be there to HARASS you*.

*a) **If you want victory* and if you want to receive the promises of God *you’re going to* *have to drive out the spiritual forces* *that* are there to *hinder*.

*B) *Now turn with me to *Daniel 10:2-3*.

*1) *In these Vs.

*here* *we see something about intercession* that *if we grasp* it fully it will *change our prayer lives*.

*a) *In (*V 2*) *Daniel said* that he was *mourning 3 full days*.

The word *“mourning”* comes from the *Hebrew word* “*ABAL*” {aw-bal’} which *means* *“to mourn or to weep”* this *has to do with intercession*.

*C) **LUKE 6:21*.

*1) **Why* is it that *those who weep now will laugh?*

*a) *This *weeping* also *has to do with intercession*, *and* *through intercession* *we’ll see the answer* to our prayers.

*2) *Look at *JOHN 16:20*.

*a) *This is saying *almost the same thing*, but look at *V 21*.

*b) *In this *V*, *travail* is also *likened to intercession*, but *even* a *deeper intercession*.

*c) **In travail* *there is* still the *weeping or sorrow*, *but* *this verse says* that *there is* *also anguish*, *which means* a *heavy burden, **or **a deep troubling in your spirit*.

*d) *But *soon the joy comes.

**Why?*

*(i) *Because the *thing* that *you’ve been* *praying for **is birthed into existence* or into this realm.

*D) **ROM 8:22-23*.

*1) *In *(V 23)* it tells us that *all of us **who have the Spirit **can enter into groanings, **intercession **and **travailing*.

*2) *Let’s go down to *V 26-27*.

(This is *still talking about* the same thing, *intercession*.)

*a) **1st* we see that the *H.S. helps us to pray* *for the things that we know not*, and he *also helps* *us to pray* *when we run out of words *in *English*.

*b) *The word *“Helpeth”* in *(V 26)* does *not do justice* *to* what the *Greek* says.

*(i) *The *Greek says* it means, *“To take hold together with against.”*

*(ii) **The H.S. takes hold with us **against the powers of darkness*.

*III) *Turn back with me to *DAN 10:10‑13*.

*A) *Notice that the *angel* was *not sent from heaven* to Daniel with the message *until Daniel prayed*.

*1) **God sent the message* on the *1st **day*.

But the *answer was 21 days in getting there*.

*a) **Sometimes* when we pray, the *answer doesn’t get through instantly*.

*b) *That *doesn’t mean* that *God doesn’t hear us* *or hasn’t sent the answer.*

*(i) *Keep your finger there in Daniel and turn with me to*/ /**1JOHN 5:14‑15*.

*c) *When we pray *God does hear us* *and* *He does send the answer*, but *many times* it *doesn’t get through*.

*2) **Daniel 10:13* explains why, so let’s read it.

*a) *This is *not talking about a **physical person*.

*b) **It’s talking about an angel of God* *and* the *evil spirit* that he *had to do battle against*.

*3) *In the story *this evil spirit*, *called* the *prince of Persia*, *didn’t want the angel to get through* *with the answer* to Daniel’s prayers.

*a) **When the prince of Persia **withstood the angel*, *God sent another angel*, and *finally*, on the *21st **day*, *he got through* to Daniel with the message.

*4) **2COR 10:4‑5.

**We* do *have weapons*, but *our weapons* are *not carnal*, *but* they are *mighty* *through God* to the *pulling down of strongholds*.

*a) **What are our weapons?*

*b) **1st* we have the *Word of God.*

We can use *that **weapon* *against* the *evil forces* that we *come in contact with*.

*c) **2nd *we have *prayer and intercession.*

*This weapon* of *prayer* *needs to be used to drive out the wicked spirits* from the land.

*(i) *Remember the *land* *is* the *promises of God*.