The God Who Fights For Us

Gibeonites are scarred and lie to Israel for protect make it seem like they’re far off (leaders don’t pray for counsel before making a covenant with the Gibeonites.)

Joshua 10

5 enemy kings and nations team up against God’s people. Bigger than any army God’s people have ever thought and yet God gives his people the victory.

Real historical event.

Phenomenologically speaking to an ancient audience without scientific knowledge

This would be nothing for God. We believe in a God who created the universe and rose a man from the dead. This is important because only a God who can do this, who is big and powerful, and good, can truly support us and uphold us in our everyday lives.

All powerful God

God fights for Israel

God Fights For His People

This side of the cross what does it mean that God rights for us.

It doesn’t mean that things will be easy, but it does mean that with Jesus, we will win the war.

The Father’s plan

Jesus Defeated sin at the cross

Defeats Satan

All the powers of Hell

Jesus pleads his blood and intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25)

The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26)

The Spirit Gives us assurance

God pours out His love for us in His Spirit.

Every day He is beckoning us to sense and see His love, even in little moments.

God romances us and draws us to Himself.

Sunsets

God shows us His glory and reminds us of His bigness and goodness to draw us to trust in Him.

How to Fight for God

Prayer

Talk about how Joshua prayed when the sun stood still but the elders didn’t when they were fooled by the Gibeonites.

Joshua 9:14- So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord.

Prayerless is the easiest way to fight for the enemy.

Prayerlessness is arrogance. It’s you saying that you don’t need God.

It may mean that deep down you don’t believe God is as powerful as you say He is. We believe in a God who altered the laws of nature to impact the sun and we believe that He rose a man from the dead. We believe He spoke all of creation into existence. If He can do that He can answer any prayer we could pray to Him.

If all of your prayers from the last week came true today would the world be any different? Would lives be changed? Would people be saved? We have a big God and therefore we should have big prayers. Big prayers are an attack against the enemy.

Fight against sin

Every victory you have over sin is a victory against Satan

Saying no to porn, gossip, feeding pride on social media, crossing boundaries with your boyfriend or girlfriend, etc is a victory against Satan.

Live with joy

Joyful people bring us joy

Joy in pain

Stahl family in the crisis ministering to people

When everyone else thinks you should step away cling to God in the hard times. It’s a powerful witness

Satan loves to use pain to cause us to doubt but God can turn it for good.

Worship

We will worship in Heaven

Share the gospel

Missions

Summerfest

Surrounded by worship, good preaching, setting down your phone, and a chance to step back from all of the worries of life. Satan HATES Summerfest.

See a counselor or talk to a pastor or trusted adult. Satan hates when you bring your struggles to light.

Learn how to disconnect from social media and technology from time to time.

* 2000 years ago, another King was killed and buried in a cave tomb with a large stone rolled in front of it. But this time his death didn’t lead him to lose his power. It lead to his victory. His name is Jesus and he is not just any king, but he’s the king of kings.

* In one of the very last chapters of the Bible, the Scriptures speak of another time, the final time in which God fights for His people.

* Revelation 19:11ff

God will bring perfect justice to the world

Every wrong thing that has ever been done to you will be brought to justice.

Every hurtful word

Every time you’ve made made to feel worthless

Every time you’ve been slandered

Every abuse that has ever been done to you

Everything that has been stolen from you whether physicals good, self-esteem, or your virginity

Every time you’ve been made to feel like nothing more than an object for someone else’s pleasure

Every time you’ve been abandoned

Every time you’ve been lied to

Etc.

Every sin will be brought to perfect justice, even your sins

Even creation cries out. We know creation proclaims the glory of God and will cry out in worship, but it also cries out in justice.

Habakkuk 2:9-14- “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity! Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Even the stones and beam will cry out against the enemies of God. Modern day translation: even your phone will cry out against you.

There is no such thing as a hidden sin.

God’s justice and holiness will be proclaimed to the whole world.

All of it will be brought to perfect justice

God brings justice at the cross or in Hell.

Explain the cross

God can’t just wink at sink

Judge example

God would be unloving if he didn’t punish sin. He can’t be love if he doesn’t bring justice.

Explain Hell

God doesn’t send people to Hell. People willingly choose it.

God’s justice and holiness will be vindicated in the end.

His judgement will be so perfect that even the damned will agree with their punishment.

All of creation bears witness.

Phone

God is actually loving because of justice

In Revelation 19 Jesus has righteous Anger for His loved ones and fights for them

When someone hurts a person you love you have unthinkable anger against that person.

Never been in a fight but...Story about bully against Olivia and tackling the kid

* Who are the enemies of God? Who is God fighting against and defeating?

* Demons

* Us

* Use verses from 20s lesson

Romans 5:6-11

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Colossians 1:13-14

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Justice of God against sinners

God made us good but we rebelled against Him.

If you’re a Christian, before you were saved, you were an enemy of God.

If you’re tonight and you’re not a Christian, you are an enemy of God.

Think about your non-Christian friends and family. They are enemies of God.

The fate that happened to those in the great battle was once our fate. We deserved to be utterly destroyed. We could not stand before Him. All of creation testifies against us. We stand not chance against God.

This is why we cling to the cross. Thanks be to God that He sent His own Son to take on the punishment we deserve so we could be with God. Through the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to cease to be enemies of God and become part of the family of God. If we accept Christ we can share in the victory of the cross where Jesus defeated every claim Satan has on us.

We must share the Gospel.

* No one can defeat Jesus

What could Satan possibly do to defeat Jesus? The best someone could do is make their enemy suffer and die. But Satan already tried that Jesus rose from the grave in the fullness of His divine authority. The very means that Satan used to try and defeat Jesus, namely killing him at the cross and inflicting immense pain on Him there, are the very ways that Jesus was made a King! There is nothing Satan could do to get victory over Jesus.

* Jesus has the victory in...

* Pleasure

Every pleasure Satan could ever offer you in temporary. Jesus offers you an eternal pleasure.

Satan’s pleasures feel good in the moment but 5 minutes later you’re left feeling unsatisfied and wanting more.

Jesus’ pleasures last forever.

In heaven, you will be more free to sin than you are now and yet you never will because you will be so perfectly satisfied in Jesus.

Think about moments of worship at summerfest, a time where you were so overjoyed that you were left speechless, a moment that seemed to stand still that you never wanted to end. That’s a small taste of what it will feel like forever in heaven.

*Depression, Anxiety, Suicide

There will be no depression, anxiety, or suicide in Heaven.

All anxiety bows before Him. Go to Him for peace. Going to Jesus right now doesn’t mean that all of your worries and depression will cease to exist right away, but it does mean that one day that will ultimately be defeated

True Hopelessness is literally an impossible state for a christian worst thing

Best thing

Spiritual warfare

When you trust in Jesus, all of sin and Satan’s claims on you are defeated. Satan has no possible claim on you anymore. When He brings up your past sins you can fight back the way Martin Luther fought.

He said: ““So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!”- Martin Luther

* Etc.

* See 20s lesson

* Undefeated God

If you are not a Christian you are an enemy of God and will be destroyed. But if you place your faith and hope and joy in him you will be saved. Rather than God defeating you he will fight for you.