Series: Action [#115]
DON’T QUIT- HOW I SHOULD FIGHT MY BATTLES
2 Corinthians 10:1-18
Introduction:
We live in a great country of technology, government structure, wealth, military defense, military intelligence service, etc… Unfortunately, our country has learned this week that sometimes all of our power is not enough. Tuesday morning as I sat watching my television, I was stunned. You know we see things like this happening in other countries all the time, but it never has had much affect on me. But for me, all I could do Tuesday was sit with tears in my eyes and pray. Although I am sure you know this, I want to share with you the chronological order of events of Tuesday morning. Mike Small gave me this information. He took this off the Internet from CNN.
* 8:45 a.m.: A Large plane, possibly a hijacked airliner, crashes into one of the World Trade Center towers, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire.
* 9:03 a.m.: A second plane, apparently a passenger jet, crashes into the second World Trade Center tower and explodes. Both buildings are burning.
* 9:17 a.m.: The FAA shut down all New York City area airports.
* 9:21 a.m.: New York City Port Authority orders all bridges and tunnels in the New York City area closed.
* 9:30 a.m.: President Bush, speaking in Florida, says the country has suffered an “apparent terrorist attack.”
* 9:40 a.m.: The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports. The first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted.
* 9:43 a.m.: An aircraft crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.
* 9:45 a.m.: The White House evacuates.
* 9:57 a.m.: President Bush departs from Florida.
* 10:05 a.m.: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building.
* 10:08 a.m.: Secret Service agents armed with automatic rifles are deployed into Lafayette Park across from the White House.
* 10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.
I am going to stop here, but as we all know there were many more things that occurred Tuesday. I never imagined something like this would ever happen on U.S. soil, but it has. It is a time of sorrow and mourning, but I also believe it is a “wake up call” for a nation that once was a godly nation. Our nation, as a whole, has become complacent concerning the things of God. Sin is no longer a “big deal” to most people. We have rationalized and questioned sin so long that our children can’t even really distinguish what is sin and what is not. Our churches have become places of argument and politics instead of places of prayer and worship. Our leaders in our churches seek power and authority instead of humbleness and servitude to God. Our nation has become so powerful and smart that we decided to put God on the “back burner”. Without God, this is just a glimpse of what could happen. Let me assure you that I am not glad that this has happened, but we need to realize the spiritual aspect of what has happened and that we better turn back to God.
This is the introduction to my Sermon from the Sunday after the September 11th attack. Minus the timeline of the attack, nothing has changed- In fact, it has gotten worse. People are running from the truth of the Word, from Churches and Pastors that teach and live that truth; so, what do those who are following God do? Our text today gives us the answer. As the song says, “This is how I fight my battles”.
2 Corinthians 10:1-3
A Christian should fight their battles by…
1. Following God’s standards, not the world’s standards.
There were people in Corinth telling the Corinthian Church that Paul talked big in his letters; but he couldn’t when he was face to face with them. The world likes to discredit God’s servants. The enemy wants to take down those who are true to God. In fact, the enemy loves to use people within the Church to attack the leaders within the Church. Please notice that Paul let the Corinthians know what those people were saying was a lie. He didn’t just let it go- He let them know that he did not follow the world’s standards, but that he followed God’s standards.
We are fighting a spiritual battle all of the time. Everything that happens in the physical world is part of a spiritual battle. Christians should not try to battle like the world battles.
2 Corinthians 10:4-7
A Christian should fight their battles by…
2. Using God’s weapons, not the world’s weapons.
The world uses lies and deceit. The world uses appearances to make things look different than the truth. Trust me, the enemy loves social media. The world is constantly building strongholds that make it difficult for God’s people.
Christians, we should be using God’s weapons. The only offensive weapon in the armor of God is the Sword of the Spirit- The Word of God. Jesus is the Word. Jesus demolishes strongholds. What is the stronghold that the enemy has put up in your life? Jesus will destroy it.
Jesus destroys any argument that is against God. Anything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God is knocked down. Here is a key to using God’s weapons- “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Every thought you have should be put into account. Everything you think should be made to be obedient to Jesus.
2 Corinthians 10:8-18
A Christian should fight their battles by…
3. Boasting about God and not themself.
The world’s way of fighting is to make it all about themselves. The world says to compare yourself against other people. The world says in order to win in battle you have to destroy everyone around you. You do not have to do better, you just have to knock others down. The world tells us to look out for #1.
Paul tells them that if they are going to boast, to boast about what God is doing. Paul lets them know that he is not trying to get credit for what he is doing; but to give God the glory as the Gospel of Jesus Christ spreads over all the world.
Conclusion:
The actual name of the song, “Fight My Battles” is “Surrounded (Fight My Battles)”. The song says, “It may look like I’m surrounded; but I’m surrounded by You”. As we remember a terrible day in our Nation’s history, please do not forget that God is still here, and He is still in control. We must stop allowing the enemy to dictate to us how our life is supposed to be lived. Christians, we must choose who we are going to follow- Is it the world or God? Choose.
