Series: David¡¦s Lamp (King¡¦s Of Judah) #2
WINNING THE BATTLE
2 Chronicles 13
Introduction:
Ephesians 6:12
1. Christians, we are at war. Who are we fighting? Satan and his army. We all know that through Jesus Christ we win the war; but the difficulties come not in winning the war but in winning the daily battles that we face.
2. Why are we fighting? When Satan and 1/3 of the angels in Heaven rebelled against God they sealed their fate; but as the saying goes ¡§misery loves company¡¨. God and Satan are at war for souls. God wants all to receive His gift of salvation and be apart of His family while at the same time, Satan wants all to reject God and suffer with him in hell for all eternity.
3. How does this affect Christians? Satan knows that once you are saved he cannot change the fact that you will spend eternity in Heaven with God; but he also knows that if he can wound you that you will be hindered from converting anyone else to God¡¦s family. This morning as we look at the 2nd King of Judah, Abijah, I want to look at a battle that took place between Judah and Israel and what that battle can teach us. Let¡¦s first look at the ¡K
Attacks From The Enemy
2 Chronicles 13:3-9
Satan chooses his battles and the place of the battle carefully. Where you find the Word of God, you will find the enemy fighting. Satan has been trying to spoil God¡¦s plan since the fall of man. This means that when you are being obedient to God, you are going to experience spiritual warfare. As Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim he faced not only his enemies that he could see, but he faced enemies he could not see.
1. He faced the enemy of fear. In human standards, Abijah was outnumbered 2 to 1. Satan wants you to look at the battle and see that you are outnumbered, or in David¡¦s case, that the enemy is gigantic. What do most do when they feel outnumbered or small in the presence of their enemy? They either run or hide. A running enemy is easier to wound. Shoot them in the back!
2. He faced the enemy of flesh. The world says, ¡§Throw the first punch¡¨; but God led Abijah to speak to the people, not fight. Christians cannot overcome the world by fighting it. The only way to overcome the world is through Jesus Christ.
3. He faced the enemy of forgetfulness. Are you going to forget who you serve and start making your own plans or are you going to remember who your leader is and wait for Him to give the orders? It is extremely difficult to remain faithful when the battle is raging; but there is a reason that we can remain faithful. It is because God provides¡K
Protection From the Enemy
2 Chronicles 13:10-18
Nowhere is the believer urged to attack. Who won this battle for Judah? God did. Who will win the battles for us? God will. God protects us from the enemy. God gives us spiritual armor to protect us against the attacks of Satan and his army.
Ephesians 6:10-18
1. The keyword in this passage is the word ¡§stand¡¨. We must understand that when we face those battles in life that seem insurmountable, we must not turn and run. As we look at the armor that God has given us, we must notice that the armor does not cover the back. All of the armor protects the front of the body, so if you run, guess what? You will be easily shot down. So what is the keyword? It is stand. Not run, or hide, or lay down; it is stand!
2. As we look at the armor please notice that verse 13 says, ¡§put on the full armor of God¡¨. We must wear all of the armor if we are going to be protected.
„« The Belt Of Truth. What is the purpose of a belt? It is to hold up your pants. If you are busy holding your pants up, how are you going to be able to hold your shield and sword? Something would have to be put down which would mean you are not using the full armor. This truth is found in Christ. Christian, if you are not walking in truth, your belt is off and you are going to either be exposed, wounded, or both.
„« The Breastplate Of Righteousness. The breastplate was to protect the heart. Christ is the righteousness of the believer but believers must also confess their sins and keep their heart clean. When our heart is full of sin, our heart is exposed to Satan.
„« Sandals Of The Gospel. Shoes were necessary for the soldier to stand firm. This is the foundation. Are your feet anchored on the Rock? Christ is the foundation.
„« The Shield Of Faith. The Shield of the Roman soldier covered the entire armor. Our shield covers our whole body. Notice that our shield will stop all of our enemies¡¦ flaming arrows.
„« The Helmet Of Salvation. The helmet was to protect the head. Christ is our salvation. When you are saved, Christ is to become the ¡§brains¡¨ of your life. What¡¦s that mean? You are to have the mind of Christ. You make no decisions. Christ makes all your decisions because He is your Savior. You belong to God not yourself. Let Jesus be the Boss of your life. Let Him be Lord.
3. All the parts of the armor so far have been for defensive purposes. Remember there is no protection for the back. There is nothing provided for a retreat. A retreating Christian is sure to fall.
„« Sword Of The Spirit. This is the only offensive weapon listed. Our spiritual sword is the Word of God. Christ is the living Word of God.
Conclusion:
1. If you are here without Christ as your Savior, then you are God¡¦s enemy. As Abijah warned Israel, let me warn you also. ¡§Do not fight against the LORD, for you will not succeed.¡¨ If you want to win, you better change sides before it is too late.
2. Christians if you want to have victory in the battles of your life, here is the trio to your success.
„« We are to stand.
„« We are to pray.
„« We are to watch.
3. Choose today.
