Jehovah Nissi - The Lord Is My Banner Series

Insert: How often do we sell our heavenly blessing for a temporary desire? Esau sold out for hunger, yet he wasn’t going to die. He gave up something of greater value for nothing. I see this all too often. Teens give up their virtue for something less than love. Husbands and wives end their marriages over meaningless disagreements (toilet paper). Parents escort their kids away from God’s blessings for things that have no eternal value. Be careful not to forfeit that which has real value for things of no value b/c your priorities are messed us. There are many things more important in life other than the man’s applause.

Verse: What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul? Lk. 9:26

Review: As you are aware, Jacob tricked Esau out of His birthright and stole Isaac’s blessing leaving Esau bitter and revengeful – and His sin was passed down to the future generations leaving the Amalekites w/ one ambition – destroy Israel.

Trans: I’m sure there’s a sermon here on bitterness, but we will save it for another time, but I do want to talk about the objectives and strategy of our enemies.

A The OBJECTIVE

Note: The objective of the Amalekites was simple – destroy Israel. Do whatever is necessary to prevent them from experiencing the promise of God. Sound familiar. John 10:10 says that Satan seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. The devil will do whatever he can to prevent us from experiencing God’s best.

Verse: Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9a

Trans: Moses tells the Israelites that when the Lord gives them rest from their enemies that that were to blot out the memory of the Amalekites.

Point: You can’t strike a truce w/ an enemy that desires your demise. You can’t strike a truce w/ Satan. King Saul tried in 1 Sam. 15, and it brought about his demise.

Note: The Amalekites represent forces of evil that oppose the work and people of God. Thus, to compromise w/ sin affords sin’s insidious work to bring about corruption and destruction in your life.

Idea: If you knew you had cancer in your body, how long would you go w/out trying to have it treated? Not long. Sin is a cancer that eats away at your soul and destroys your life. To compromise w/ it is to plot your own demise.

B The STRATEGY

Trans: So how does the enemy work? In Dt. 25 we find that the Amalekites prey on the weak and the weary – on the stragglers at the back.

Trans: Satan’s strategy is the same. He preys on us when we’re weak and weary, and he targets our most vulnerable areas. And he never fights fair. In fact, his mode of operation is to counterfeit – turning everything upside-down.

Word: Eph. 6 calls the devil’s ways schemes (methodias) craftiness; trickery;

Verse: Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! 2 Cr. 11:14

Story: A frantic 9-1-1 call brought the police to a home. The caller only conveyed that she was being killed. When the police arrived, they found a bloody knife beside her lifeless body. Blood was splattered across the room, yet when the police examined the body, they found not a single cut or puncture wound – only a large mark across her chest and neck. Then they noticed a trail of blood leading to the next room. Following the trail they found a dying boa constrictor. The woman apparently had raised the snake, but on this day while carrying the snake around her neck, for whatever reason, the snake began to entwine itself around the woman’s body and began to constrict. The woman, sensing the danger, grabbed a knife and began to slash away at the snake eventually mortally wounding the reptile – only she was killed in the process.