Father’s Day June 2016
How To Be A Champion With God
Introduction:
!. Thank people for the kind acceptance they have extended to us.
2. Father’s Day story about my Dad. (The time he confronted some street gang in church).
A Foreword to what I am going to share with you: Men in general…and, Christian men in particular…have a need to look good. We need to appear to be in control. But, in truth we are very much like ducks gliding along on a pond…we look serene…and calm…but, underneath we are paddling like mad. We have this nice veneer…but, underneath we still struggle. We struggle with jobs that are dead-ends with no opportunities. We still fight against lust. We may even struggle with addiction to Porn….we may be dishonest at our work….or, secretly engage in domestic violence. What I want to share with you this morning is a challenge to come clean…step into the light of God’s wonderful love…and find your rightful place as man of power and authority in the kingdom of God.
A backdrop for our story:
God is always bringing order out of chaos. Gen 1.1 … God created (that was the potential of His creation) … the Earth was without form and void. It was PREGNANT with PROMISE, but EMPTY OF ANY FULFILLMENT. (That potential was not being achieved). The spirit of God hovered over the chaotic mess…and, something happened. God said, “Let there be light” and the chaotic mess was never the same again! These are fingerprints of God.
Abraham….had a promise for God that he would be the father of many nations. That the world would be blessed through his family. But, there was a void: Sarah’s womb was empty…then the Angel of the Lord appears…and Sarah conceives…and, the child of promise is born…and, the world is never the same again!
God had promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent in that first Gospel message in Genesis 3:15. But, generation after generation that promise went unfulfilled….until a young woman named Mary. Like Sarah…her womb was without child…empty…but, the spirit of God hovers over her…and, Jesus of Nazareth is born…
God incarnate!
Emmanuel, God with us!
The Wonderful Counselor!
The Mighty God!
The King of Kings!
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah!
The Righteous Branch out of Jesse!
The One Who upholds ALL THINGS with the Word of his Power!
OH! But, wait! That was all POTENTIALLY SO…but, not PRACTICALLY SO! UNTIL Jesus, now 30 years old…the child of promise…but, no ministry was happening. No life changing words of Life were coming from Him. No grand announcement of the kingdom of God just yet. A life of promise…but, empty of fulfillment. Then, he meets John the Baptizer at Jordan…and, over the objections of John, insists on being baptized…and, the Holy Spirit descends upon Him in the form of a dove…and, Jesus of Nazareth the carpenter is now Jesus Christ the anointed one…and goes from Jordan into the wilderness to meet and defeat Satan…and, sets about announcing the kingdom of God….setting people free from the bondage of death and sin..and the world is never the same again.
This same pattern of promise—but, empty of fulfillment—followed by intervention by the Holy Spirit—and, a remarkable result appeared in Israel in the time of David. God had intended for Israel to be a kingdom that would make His over-rulership known to mankind. But…through the discouraging times of the Judges..and, the disastrous reign of Saul…Israel had failed to be that people of promise. Then, the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint a boy…David…and God’s spirit hovered over him….and, we see him move into national attention as he kills the giant Goliath…and, eventually under his leadership Israel becomes a unified and powerful nation and God is glorified in the region.
David didn’t do that alone…he had assembled a large army of men who stood with him and helped to establish his kingdom. 2 Samuel 23: 8-12 opens at the end of the life of David and he is recognizing his mighty men by name … to accord them the respect and honor they are due. And he starts with the top Three Mighty Men.
These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.
This was not the first day he ‘wielded his spear’. His preparation for that day began early…most likely in childhood. He had to prepare himself to have SKILL with his spear.
May have started as a child…practicing with a spear.
May have had a mentor/coach to refine his natural ability
May have faced other smaller challenges in battle that helped prepare him for that fateful day.
He had to prepare his SPEAR for the task.
Likely the spearhead was made of bronze and mounted on a substantial wooden shaft. It had to be PREPARED to serve him that day.
No preparation…no victory.
No preparation…no honor.
No preparation…no opportunity
Muhammed Ali, the famous boxer said, “
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses—behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” –
That’s called PREPARATION!
If you try to cut corners on your preparation…if you try to do it the easy way…if you insist on “doing it your way, no matter what” instead of learning what others who have gone before you have done…then, you will find yourself languishing on the sidelines in defeat.
AND, You will find yourself vanquished by the challenge facing you.
AND THEN WE COME TO:
2.And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001. Print.
With PREPARATION we must also have ENDURANCE.
Eleazar continued to endure the punishment of battle with David until his hand was WELDED to the sword.
—TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS—
How importance in endurance? Listen to what Jesus said to his disciples:
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Endurance requires STAMINA. Think of it like this:
Endurance = how much pain can your body take and still perform close to 100%
Stamina = how long can your body take pain and still perform close to 100%
Imagine a boxing match.
Endurance means taking hits and still think clearly. Stamina means outlasting your opponent for 3 minutes.
But, endurance is more than simply physical…it is mental…and, spiritual as well. Think of the apostle Paul at the end of his life when he says to Timothy,
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001. Print.
And, later,
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001. Print.
All the preparation in the world will do you no good without ENDURANCE in the face of discouragement.
ENDURANCE in the face of those who would help you to FAIL.
ENDURANCE in the face of TEMPTATION to SIN.
Then, we come to the third mighty man, Shammah the son of Agee…..
Leon Trotsky, the Marxist of an earlier era once said, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”
We are called upon to engage in a spiritual conflict of the highest magnitude. Remembering that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We may wish to avoid or ignore that spiritual war…but, my friend, that war pressed as it is by the Dominion of Darkness is interested in victimizing you!
Remember that the Church is called upon to press this engagement, this warfare, at the most fundamental levels of life….where the Dominion of Darkness may take people captive at the very center of their being…and we press the conflict to victory…victory in Jesus! Knowing that in the darkest moments … when our hope seems diminished….and, our very existence threatened…that even then the gates of hell shall not prevail against His glorious church! of which we are a part.
Further to that, St Paul tells us something remarkable in Ephesians 3:10…that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the powers and principalities in heavenly places.
ELABORATE EPH 3:10…Kampala Foursquare Church….We planted that Church as an EPH 3:10 church.
The superheroes of popular culture…your superman…batman…flash…captain america…are nothing but paper dolls when viewed in the reality of men of the kingdom of God engaged with God in nothing less than the re-taking of an entire planet in rebellion against God.
How have I seen this work out in life…
The Leg Story from Ghana.
And our third mighty man of King David, Shammah the son of Agee, reminds us of all of this. Reminds us that there are some things worth dying for. Reminds us that there are some things worth living for. Reminds us that when everyone else has run…there is still a need for one man of God to say, “Not this time!” and to back it up with strength, endurance, and preparation until the Lord brings about a great victory.
The steadfast man is
NOT MOVED BY CIRCUMSTANCE
NOT INTIMIDATED BY OPPOSITION
NOT WILLING TO GIVE UP
NOT ABLE TO COMPROMISE the safety and health of his people and family.
AND NOW MY FRIEND…
I tried to paint a huge picture this morning … A huge picture of COSMIC proportions … A huge picture with ETERNAL dimensions…
What is left is for you to acknowledge that you have a part in this picture…that you have a destiny that is a part of this picture…that in some way this is a picture of YOUR destination…
Over to you.
