BREAKTHROUGH IN JERUSALEM
I am thankful today that God has helped me in many difficult times. Each of us can remember times when God has helped us face what seemed to be impossible situations. We are victorious because of His promise found in -
Romans 8:37
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Like many of you, I have had to face all kinds of obstacles (in my life).
But God has always been there for me.
There have been times when I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. I personally know what defeat can mean while trying to provide for a growing family.
It seemed no matter how hard you work, things just didn’t seem to ever get better. As a young father, I can remember –
· When I thought I was finally going to get ahead in life only to have to face another setback.
· There would be that occasional pay raise (at work) followed by another unexpected monthly bill/expense.
· Going to work asking myself,
“Would someone just give me a break?”
Some of you know what I am talking about. You work hard enough, long enough, and then your break finally comes. A small victory takes place.
What a relief?
When suddenly you have a breakthrough and your problems are finally solved.
Well what’s my point?
I would suggest that there are some here today that need a breakthrough to take place in their walk with God.
Listen carefully. A breakthrough in your day-to-day life can mean a lot to us.
But a breakthrough in a spiritual crisis can take on a much greater meaning.
I want us to look at a short story of victory for God’s people, that is found in –
Text: II Samuel 5:17 thru 20
As our story tells us, Young David –
· Had just been appointed and anointed to be king over Israel.
· Was new on the job, and had never been a king before.
· Now had tremendous responsibilities in keeping the safety and well being for all of God’s people.
What was expected of David was very new to him. Right away God showed favor on King David. King David and God’s army went into a city named Zion and drove out a people called the Jebusites. God had promised Israel that the city of Zion would belong to them.
So the battle was easily won.
What a great day that must have been for King David and the nation of Israel?
This city of Zion was captured and given a new name. It would now, and forever more, be known to the world as the
“City of David - the holy city - Jerusalem.”
This new day for King David and the nation of Israel was the beginning of the most prominent and historical city the world would ever know. Jerusalem would become the physical and spiritual stronghold for the nation of Israel.
It soon became a safe haven of refuge for all of God’s people where all of their needs would be met. We watch the news and we know (in these last days) Jerusalem is a dangerous place to live.
In spite of the violence and turmoil we know is taking place in Jerusalem (this morning), God still has a plan of ultimate victory for the holy city of Jerusalem.
Likewise - God has planned an eternal victory and a breakthrough for each of us in the Jerusalem.
I want to show you how He did that for young King David, and how He is still doing this for you and I.
First, we should know that we are to –
1. Go to the enemy’s camp.
The enemy had encamped itself just outside of Jerusalem.
Perhaps you feel your enemy (the devil) is camped out on your doorstep, also…???
In our story, David’s enemy (the Philistines) had “deployed themselves in the valley of Rephaim.”
This would be the Philistine’s last-ditch effort to destroy the (new and young) King David before he had a chance to establish himself in his authority.
There is a close similarity here for each of us to see. Let me say that the devil –
· Is not at all happy about you growing stronger in the authority of your strong & mighty king, King Jesus.
· May decide to surround you and take his best shot at you.
How do I know this to be true?
1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, (be) steadfast in the faith,
In the case of our text, King David had seen (over the years) the many defeats the Philistines had had over Israel.
The Philistines were a formable enemy not to be overlooked or forgotten.
And that is what concerns me this morning with some of God’s people.
I have seen in my life many Christians living in defeat by the devil.
This is not a pleasant site.
The Philistine Army knew the nation of Israel had experienced many setbacks and losses with their previous king.
But now with God helping King David, the Philistines knew their days were over. They know the authority of King David was greater than any other king who had ever led the people of Israel.
Listen church. The devil knows –
· The same about bride of Christ.
· His time is running out and that Jesus is coming soon to judge and condemn him and his demons.
· He has to resort to desperate and drastic measures if he expects to defeat God’s people.
That is why we can longer ignore the devil and his sinister plan of evil and destruction. We must arm ourselves with the Sword of the Spirit and go to the enemy’s stronghold.
Some may be saying to themselves, “Pastor, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea…why go and look for trouble? Really now is all of this necessary?”
The answer is quite simple because the devil has positioned himself beneath us…down in the “Valley of Rephaim.”
What that means to us is this: As a result of the conquering power of Jesus Christ (the King of Kings), we are above the enemy. The devil is under our feet!
We have the upper hand and the enemy must be defeated in order for us to experience a BREAKTHROUGH.
My friend – God intends on giving you and I the victory over the devil in every area of our lives. The devil is below us and he is the one who is down in the dumps…not us! Amen?
God has given to each of us a vantage point and a very real place of victory.
Our place of victory is the place of prayer and intercession. God will lift us up above the enemy when we pray.
Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
You and I can no longer afford to be mamby-pamby in our battle for the Lord.
King David wasn’t and neither should we.
When you go to prayer –
· You go to the enemy’s stronghold
· You have the protection of the Almighty.
But I must warn you – the enemy’s camp is not for the faint hearted.
It can be a dangerous place if you do not bring the Sword of the Spirit.
I am convinced that God would have us to be militant about how we pray and how we believe. This is the way he spoke to the great leader of Israel, Joshua.
Joshua 1:5-6
"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
"Be strong and of good courage,
Secondly, we should know that we must
2. Get God’s Blessings
Let God commission you for your victory.
Get a mandate from His Holy Word.
God’s Word will sanction you to accomplish the impossible for His glory.
Don’t try to win this battle on your own.
You can’t succeed in your own strength.
The king of Israel before David was Saul and he is our proof for this. King Saul tried to do everything on his own and he miserably failed.
He lost his life because of his foolish ways.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
King David witnessed the foolishness of King Saul first hand, and he was not about to make the same mistakes. Instead, David was submissive to God.
In verse 19, King David asked God something each of us must ask.
"Shall I go up against the Philistines?
Will You deliver them into my hand?"
Friend, don’t miss this all-important truth.
David asked for God to fight and win this battle with the Philistines for him.
God is delighted when we ask this of Him.
God wants to declare his power to His children.
Also notice that David was young and strong and he had the world’s greatest army at his beck and call. It was obvious.
David knew he had the manpower and strength to defeat the Philistines on his own. But he also knew the way God wants things done.
God wants all of the glory in our victories.
How many times have we found ourselves faced with a situation that God is ready to handle for us, but we decide to just do it on our own?
Whether the situation is taken care of or not is not really what is important.
We must take care to not do things on our own when God is more than able.
These are the last days and our reliance on God is even more important than ever before.
God has commissioned us to exercise His authority over the evil that faces us.
But we must take care to get God’s Blessings first, before we fight our battles.
There are those who are over confident in themselves rather in the Lord.
A person who speaks often about his/her accomplishments is often self-reliant and not God reliant.
Take care to remember,
Proverb16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
And finally we should always.
3. Hear God’s instructions.
God will be specific with you when He is guiding you.
His instructions are sovereign and divine.
I think King David was very specific with the Lord when he asked,
“Will you deliver them into my hands?”
What did David mean by asking God this kind of question?
It is common in a battlefield for the defeated enemy to turn and run in disgrace and fear. But that was not what King David was asking God for.
As an example, we all can remember those vivid scenes from the battlefield of Desert Storm. The enemy was so pulverized by our military.
They were so defeated that they didn’t have strength to flee.
Instead the Iraq National Guard approached our soldiers pleading for their lives not knowing if they would be instantly executed. Many of them fell to their knees in desperation and humility.
This is also the kind of victory King David experienced. The result would be in the enemy being confused and disoriented in their defeat.
The point is the enemy would not be able to run away and escape to fight another day.
And the LORD said to David,
"Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
Listen – the defeat of our enemy is a sure thing and a final victory that is coming.
Our spiritual warfare is a predetermined and guaranteed victory of the Lord.
Closing:
One final note of interest. Bible scholars have agreed that this particular battlefield is the actually the same battlefield in which David killed the giant as a very young boy.
Isn’t it interesting that David had to return to fight his enemy another day in the same battlefield? God is so reassuring when He brings us back to fight again.
