Sermon Central
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How To Fight The Devil And Win
Contributed by Donnie De Loney on Nov 18, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: Spiritual warfare and how to win over the enemy and his demons.
How to Fight the Devil and Win
INTRODUCTION: the story of one of the most one-sided battles in the annals of human history. The children of Moab, Ammon and mount Sier had risen in rebellion against King Jehoshaphat of Israel.
v-4-confessed his helpliness
in v-12-obeyed Holy Spirit
in V-12-18—put his trust in the Lord
in V-20 and gives thanks to Lord in 21-22
Faced with the greatest crisis of his live-Jehoshaphat does exemplary manner. V-3 -Gathers others to pray and fast Seeks Lord through FASTING 3And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
–Confessed his helpliness V-4 4So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. V-12-18 12O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” 13Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.
14Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”
18And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.
Put His trust in the Lord and His word v-20 20So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
Gives Thanks to the Lord in vv-21-22 21And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”
22Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated
1. Who were these enemies.
2. Where did they come from?
3. Who were their ancestors?
A. MOAB WAS ON OF THE SONS OF LOT WHO WAS ABRAHMS'S NEPHEW
Moab was one of the sons of Lot who was Abraham’s nephew.
1. Do you remember the story of Lot?
2. Lots Wife-Told to leave-Don’t look back or pillar of salt
B. Sodom and Gomorrah,
1. The two cities that were filled with the gay crowd, the lesbians and homosexuals who lived outwardly in defiance of the laws of God and of nature, were about to be destroyed by the judgment fires of God.
2. Lot took the easy path, but where did it lead him?
A. He lost his family, his soul was grieved for the sin around him, and he even tried to give up
his two daughters to the lusts of the crowd to protect the two strangers who stayed in his
house.
It is said that the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin so feared for his safety that his residence in Moscow contained eight bedrooms. Each night Stalin chose a bedroom at random to ensure that no one knew exactly where he was sleeping.
B. He had lost touch with God.
Did he know who those two strangers were? Why was he so willing to allow his own daughters to suffer for them?
C. It seems that Lot had lost more than he had ever hoped to gain in such a condition.
d. Lot never erased the memories of Sodom and Gomorrah.
e. His soul had been vexed but yet he refused to leave until God forced him to.
f. I wonder how much of his heart was still in that place of sin?
How much of the idolatry, the debauchery and the evil of that city had been engrained into both his own heart and the heart and minds of Lot’s children.
