This message is an outline of the short essay “After the Victory” , pg 63-66 in Warren W. Wiersbe’s book, The Bumps Are What You Climb On, 1993.
AFTER THE VICTORY
Intro: Andrew Bonar a Presbyterian minister in Scotland who was a close friend to D. L. Moody:
"Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle." Pg 63 WWW
Paul: Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
It is possible to win the battle and then lose the victory. Pg 63 WWW
I. Battle Christians Face
A. Satan --> Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
wiles: Deceitful, Crafty
B. The World --> The systems of men that are opposed to God and the godly nature.
C. The Flesh--> Gal 5:17 " For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
The flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things ye would."
II. Beware
A. The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground, and we must be on our
Guard at all times. Pg 63 WWW
I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
B. Not always as a roaring lion, but often as a slithering serpent.
II Cor 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his
subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
C. Take heed lest ye fall!
I Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
"No Christian is in more danger of erring than that one who has already erred
in thinking he cannot err." RRR pg 163
III. The Most Dangerous Time
The most dangerous time --the time that requires the most vigilance--is when we have
won a victory. For some reason, after a victory, we let down our guard, we get
over-confident, and this gives the enemy a chance to get in and defeat us.
Pgs 63 – 64 WWW
A. Elijah on Mt. Carmel
I Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye
between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow
him. And the people answered him not a word.
Elijah won the battle, but lost the victory. Pg 64 WWW
I Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. 3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
B. Joshua, Israel, and Ai
1. Jericho --> Josh 6 --> Complete control in the battle
2. Ai --> Josh 7 --> Utter disaster
a. Over-confident
Nothing opens the door to defeat like over-confidence after a great victory.
Pg 64 WWW
b. They forgot to ask God's Guidance
c. Sin was in the camp.
IV. Great Testings after Great Victories
A. Moses, Israel, and the Red Sea Exodus14
1. Crossed over on dry ground
2. Enemy drowned Exodus 14:23 -28
3. Moses sings Exodus 15:1
4. Miriam play the timbrel and dances Exodus 15:20-21
5. Three days later!!! Exodus 15:22
a. No water Ex 15:22
b. Bitter water Ex. 15:23
c. People Murmured Ex. 15:24
They had won the battle, but lost the victory.
How many of us have walked out the doors of the church after a glorious service and
confront the enemy within hours or even minutes. Some have quit within hour of being
in God's presence.
B. The Disciples
1. Feed 5000 Mt. 14:15-21
2. Commanded to leave by Jesus --> "straightway" Mt 14:22
3. Ship was tossed Mt. 14:24
4. Disciples are Troubled Mt. 14 :25 -26
Within hours of a great miracle they were struck with fear in the midst of a storm.
On land, they had won the battle; but on sea, they lost the victory. Pg 65 WWW
C. Christ Matthew 4:1-11
1. Baptized in water
2. Holy Ghost descends like a dove
3. Alone, hungry, and tempted by the Devil
It is one thing to trust God when you see the Spirit like a dove, but it is quite something
else to trust God when you are hungry and alone and being attacked by the Devil. Pg 65 WWW
Yet Jesus did not lose the Victory!!!!!!!!!!!
D. Again: "Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle."
V. Why God Permits Testings to Follow Triumphs
A. Our lives need balance
1. Night and Day
2. Winter and Summer
3. Triumphs and Testings
We never have to be afraid of the seeming contradictory experiences of life because
"our times are in His hands".
B. To Help Us Discover How Much We Really Learned From the Blessings
The battle shows us what God can do; but the keeping of the victory show what you and I
are really made of. We get to know God better during the battle, but we get to know ourselves
better during the victory. Elijah discovered God's power on Mt. Carmel, and his own
weaknesses on Mt. Horeb. The disciples discovered Christ's power on land, but their
unbelief on the sea. The miracle of feeding the 5000 was the lesson for the day; but the storm
was the examination after the lesson. Too often we don't learn the lesson until after we have
failed the examination. Pg 66 WWW
V. Conclusion
A. Never Doubt during the victory what God has taught you during the battle.
B. Beware of Over-confidence. When you start feeling over-confident, turn to the Lord and
plead for His grace and mercy; because over-confidence opens the door for the
enemy to rob us of the victory.
C. "Watch and Pray" Keep your eyes open!! Put no confidence in the flesh, no matter how
good you may feel.
Remember:
Most of our loses don't take place during the battle; they take place after the victory.
Pg 66 WWW
