battle – On my knees

Jesus in the Wilderness: A Time of Preparation & Testing

Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13

Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended on Him, and God declared that Jesus is His son, and He is pleased with Him. Then we read that the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted. Jesus has a mission to begin. All missions require preparation.

Bottom Line: Am I prepared & ready?

Talk to any current military member, or veteran. Almost all will tell you that the 8 weeks they spent in basic training were some of the toughest weeks of their lives. In hindsight, they are thankful for the preparation, training in the tools and skills that they will need for their survival. However, they would not volunteer to do it again.

1) The wilderness is a time of preparation.

Almost every task requires preparation. Sending people into the wilderness to prepare them wasn’t exactly a new concept to God. Moses was in the wilderness tending sheep when God called him. God used the wilderness wanderings to prepare the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. And now, God was sending Jesus into the wilderness to prepare Him for His ministry.

Jesus didn’t just sit around, and wander aimlessly about. Jesus’ response to being sent in to the wilderness was to fast. Prayer, and meditating or studying the Scriptures is a large part of fasting. Of course Jesus didn’t have a cell phone handy, with a neat Bible app, and all the research tools that we often rely on. He likely didn’t even have any written copy, or portion, available to him during this time. He had to rely on His knowledge and previous studies to meditate on scripture.

Sometimes God sends us into the wilderness to prepare us for an upcoming ministry. Admittedly, sometimes we send ourselves, but I think our response should be the same. When we find ourselves wandering in the wilderness, we need to learn to fast and pray.

Fasting is a physical act of obedience, and physical obedience brings spiritual release. Think of Moses and the Israelites’ battle with the Amelakites. Moses was told to keep his hands raised. Lets not forget Esther’s response when Mordecai told her that she needed to talk to the king about Haman’s evil plot to destroy the Jews. She began with prayer and fasting. I would also point out that every great revival began with prayer and fasting.

2) Testing often comes during, as well as after, the preparation.

Mark barely spends two verses on this time. But, in 1:12-13, Mark tells us that, “The Spirit compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where He was tempted by Satan for forty days.” So we know that Jesus didn’t simply rest, and study. Even as He was preparing for His ministry, He was being tested. Likewise, when we are in the wilderness, preparing, we too can expect that tests, and battles, will arise.

Jesus was tempted in every way just as any other man. Though, we know that He was no ordinary man. He never gave into the temptations. What was His secret? It’s almost so simple that we often miss it. Prayer and fasting, along with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures are what lead to spiritual victories when the testing, and the battles come.

Are you making time to pray? Are you making time to study the Scriptures? When I visited at First Wesleyan in Nashville, Pastor Lorrie said something that stopped me almost in my tracks. “If you’re not praying, you’re not fighting.” And Scripture is our weapon.

Some of the most serious warriors I know are little old ladies, praying for their children, grandchildren, neighbors, their pastors, and others. Men and women fighting on their knees in prayer have resulted in countless spiritual victories. I have no doubt that I am here today because of the prayers of others. I have seen miracles because people were fighting the battles on their knees in prayer.

Also, as I said, Scripture is our weapon. In the three temptations mentioned, how did Jesus respond? He responded to each temptation with Scripture. I want to point out something that I suddenly realized as I was preparing for this sermon. Often we just look at the outside of these temptations: bread, protection, bowing down to satan in exchange for power. But if we look deeper, look at exactly what satan says: “If you really are the Son of God…” Satan was attacking Jesus in His pride. He was trying to get Jesus to respond out of selfish pride. But Jesus knew the Scriptures, and the Father, so well, that he never took the bait.

How well do you personally know the Scriptures? Are you simply letting the preachers spoon feed you? Or are you delving into the Bible throughout the week? Getting to the meat of a passage? The devil knows the Scriptures so well, that he can attempt to twist them. Do you know them well enough to use them to defeat the devil?

If we are to be battle ready, and victorious, we must spend time in prayer and fasting, and in studying the Scriptures.

3) God provides care during and after the battles.

Mark tells us that even while Jesus was out among the wild animals the angels took care of Him. Matthew says that the devil went away, then the angels came and took care of Jesus. Of course this isn’t the only place where we see God providing care after the battle.Even after his victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah became depressed. God provided food and rest for him.

I think this is important to note, even while we are in the wilderness, maybe even feeling sorry for ourselves at times, God still takes care of us. We may not understand while we are in the wilderness, but God still cares for us, and the Holy Spirit is watching over us, encouraging and guiding us.

Bottom Line: Am I prepared and battle ready for my mission and ministry?

Judges 4-5

After being led into the promise land, the Israelites had a pattern to life. Now, to be honest, they followed this pattern when they were in the wilderness with Moses. But after Joshua finally led them into the promise land, and died, they became complacent. They would obey God for a time, and live according to His ways, then, in their complacency, they would forget about Him, and begin to follow the God’s of the nations around them. In response to their disobedience, God would allow them to be oppressed and tormented by wicked people, rulers. After about 20 years, give or take, the people would tire of being oppressed, and finally cry out to God in repentance. God would raise up a person to save them from their oppressors, and themselves. And they would live in peace again, for time. Wash, rinse, repeat. To be honest, I don’t think the Church has learned her lesson. The Church has won some great victories. We have reached peoples who had never before heard the Gospel, even though sometimes we have to be led kicking and screaming. Eventually, though, the Church comes to her senses, and cries out to God for forgiveness, and God sends revival. One thing we know from this cycle is this:

Bottom Line: When God’s people cry out to Him, and repent, He will save them.

We are introduced to Deborah at a time when the Israelites are under the rule of King Jabin of Hazor, a Caananite king. The commander of Jabin’s army was Sisera, and he had been ruthlessly tormenting and oppressing the Israelites for about 20 years. And the Israelites have finaly had enough of the torment, and oppression, and have finally cried out to God.

Deborah was either married to a torch maker, made torches, or both. Verse 4 says that she was the wife of Lappidoth. Lappidoth is the Hebrew word for torch, and it was a very unusual name. It could also be translated that she was a woman of torches. AKA “Torch lady.” It is said that she convinced her husband to supply the lamps for the temple at Shiloh, and that they burned bright like torches. Her own name was a play on the Hebrew word for “she spoke.” And her name meant “a bee.”

1) God uses whomever He desires; Even people we don’t think He should.

In a culture that often treated women as second class citizens, God chose a woman named Deborah to lead and judge His people. When she spoke, the people listened. She held court under the Palm of Deborah, in the hill country of Ephraim, between Ramah and Bethel.

One would have expected that God would use Barak to lead his people. And God did use Barak, in a mighty way. But to me, Barak is a supporting character in all of this. When Deborah told Barak that God had commanded him to meet Sisera in Battle, Barak agreed, but added his own terms and conditions. He would only go if Deborah went too.

God also used Jael. He used her to both destroy Israel’s enemy, and also to take the glory that normally would have been gone to Barak.

2) Don’t hesitate when God commands. Be ready to act when the time comes.

In some translations, verse 6 and 7 is Deborah asking Barak a question. And the way it reads makes me wonder if they hadn’t had this conversation before. Deborah says to Barak, “Hey! Didn’t God tell you gather your men together at Mount Tabor, to prepare to meet Sisera and Jabin’s army by the Kishon River, so I can deliver them into your hands?” Barak hesitates. His response was classic. “Sure. Tell you what, I will only go if you go with me.” Typical person. God tells him to do something, to rescue his people, and he puts conditions on God. Deborah agrees, but warns that since she is going, Barak will not get the glory; A woman will get credit for Sisera’s defeat.

Sure enough, when Sisera, who had been tormenting the Israelites heard that Barak had gathered his troops at Mount Tabor, he gathered his own troops, and chariots and went out to meet Barak in battle. And Deborah gave the order to Barak, “Get up. Today the Lord will give Sisera into your hand.” As the two armies met in battle, it began to rain, and Sisera’s chariots became lodged in the mud, and his men didn’t know what to do. Barak and his men had a decisive victory. And Sisera, fearing for his own life, and with Barak in pursuit, left his chariot and fled to the home of someone he thought was a friend.

Jael’s husband, Heber, had pitched his tents near Kedesh. He and his family were on friendly terms with King Jabin. So Sisera runs into Jael’s tent. Jael invited him in, and covered him with a blanket. That’s some pretty good hospitality from your friend’s wife. Then, when he asks for some water because he is thirsty, she gives him some milk, and covers him again. And he tells her that if anyone comes looking she is to say that no one else is there. The Bible doesn’t say why, but as soon as Sisera was asleep, Jael creeps over with a tent peg and a hammer. I can only speculate that there was some reason, but to do what she did next I think would require some serious anger, and emotion. Jael takes the tent peg, and using the hammer, drives peg through his temple and into the ground. We can only speculate as to what all had taken place, either at that time, or previously, but that sounds pretty personal to me. And when Barak came by, Jael says, “Hey. Come here. I’ll take you to the man you are looking for.” And Barak finds Sisera in Jael’s tent, dead, with a tent peg driven through his temple, and into the ground. And from that day, Jabin’s grip over Israel was broken, until they finally destroyed him.

Barak hesitated. And he added his own terms and conditions to God’s command. And although he had led his army to a decisive victory, with the Lord’s help, he did not defeat Sisera.

Jael, saw her opportunity to act. The time had come for her to take action, and she did. Remember Deborah’s prophesy? Since she had to lead Barak, the glory that would have been his went to a woman.

3) Give God the glory.

The final verses of chapter 4 gives the ultimate praise and glory to God.

So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king. And from that time on Israel became stronger and stronger against King Jabin until they finally destroyed him. (Judges 4:23-24, NLT)

Deborah’s song, in chapter 5 gives the glory for the victory to God. In it the deeds When God delivers us, we are to give Him the glory. We might have the wisdom and ability to judge, and to hear God when He speaks, like Deborah. We might have skill, and cunning for battle, like Barak. We may have the courage to act in the moment, like Jael did. But who gave each of them the ability, and the strength? Who sends the rains at just the right time to route the enemy? We might be able to solve the toughest math problems, or win the hardest fought legal battles. We may even know the answers to some of life’s greatest mysteries. But, how did we get those abilities? Where did the knowledge and skill come from? Sure, hard work and determination on our part; but ultimately who gave us the ability to train, and to learn? Who sends us help at just the right moment? When others may be praising us, we need to make sure that we are directing all the praise to God.

Bottom Line: When God’s people call on Him, He will save.