05-26-19 Zone of Fight

Small group leaders: 

1.   There are many places in this sermon to unpack God's principles on how to win God's fight.  

2.   Whatever you focus on - don't forget the goal of the topic:   "We fight together; We fail together."  

Small Group Reminders:  

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Small Group Slides

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Sermon Slides 

Sermon Manuscript

The Fight in Ministry

Ministry is a fight.   It is a do or die.  In a any game, in any fight, you relax and you get hit, or you get outscored.  In Christianity, if you are not committed the way Jesus wants you to… you fall into sin a lot quicker.  No spiritual conviction.  Just whatever.   No direction, no passion.   

Because that is how in the natural realm.   Matt 10:39, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” When you treat your commitment to God as secondary, you lose at that moment.  Either it’s a priority or it is not. There’s huge that is at stake: lives are at stake:   unsaved love ones, friends and family; your life is at stake.  

Because that is how in the spiritual realm.   Eph.6:12 says, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Togetherness in growing as a Leader

For individuals to grow as a leader, they cannot grow in a vacuum.   You cannot win a game without a team.   Talent is not enough.  You know that in basketball.  This is why Lebron James has been going around different teams – because his talent has to to be harvested in the environment of a team.   Games that are played by one person has a team. A coach, a mentor, a manager. Call it what you want – but you are never going to grow effectively just by yourself.   

Today’s lesson is about growing into leadership, Zone of Fight.   We looked at the Zone of Faith the last time and today we are going to look at another aspect of what it means to grow as a leader.   

There are two places I would like to to learn about this in the life of Joshua.  The first one is his fight in the wall of Jericho and then the second fight in Ai.  A fight where he won, a fight where he lost.   

The Sun Stood Still at Gibeon (Josh 10:1-15)

The Gibeonites made a pack on Israel and so they were spared.   But five kings close to Jerusalem planned to attack Gibeon because they made a pack with Israel (v.4)

V4, Come up and help me attack Gibeon, he said, “because it has make peace with Joshua and their Israelites.  

We fight for the helpless.  

The city of Gibeon asked helped from Joshua and they all came.  What mobilizes Christians, is to extend help those who are in need.   Prov. 31:20 describes a virtuous person, “she opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”   This is why God blessed you with a job is so that we may have something to share with those in need (Eph. 4:28).   God is honored when we get into the fight (Heb 13:16).  We do this without expecting anything in return, it is God who will grant you the reward (Lk 6:35).  We better start practicing that inside the church if this is how we are called in the world (Rom. 12:13).   

v.8, The Lord said to Joshua.  “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand.  Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”  

We fight till the job is done.  

v. 10, The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon.  Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.  

v. 11, As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.  

Twice we see that God was providing a way for Israel to finish its job.   God is never honored when we do mediocre things.   If God is worthy of our best, then we give him our best.   The best teaching, the best serving, the best ushering, the best cooking.   Stop serving God left-overs and give him what comes from your heart.  In line with this, whatever you sign up for – do great diligence.   Finish it.   Col. 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that form the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”  

Life has limits and life has seasons.   Summer will not last forever, it will be fall and winter soon.   You don’t have much time, so whatever you do – do well, do early and do your best (Eccl.9:10).   Maybe you are right if you are serving people, they deserve certain quality, but it is God you are serving (Eph. 6:7-8).   You don’t get to pick and chose what you best to offer God – if it is God – it’s got to be the best, whether in word, or deed (Col. 3:17).  The truest expression of our relationship with God is seen in our relationship with marginalized, unfortunate and disadvantaged individuals (James 1:27).   

How serious is this?  It’s so serious that even Jesus said that if any part of your body doesn’t cooperate – take it off (Matthew 18:9).  While that maybe a hyperbole (an extreme exaggeration) – Jesus wants us to take extreme measures and not jus live a mediocre life in Christ, but live an extraordinary life – this is a fight! 

We fight expecting God to work.

v.12, 13, On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:  “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”  V.13, so the sun stood still. And the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written on the book of Jashar.  The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.  

Why was Joshua adamant that God would lengthen the day to defeat their enemies?  (1) Because there’s many of them and the job has to be done now; (2) Because the enemy knows the terrain and when evening comes Joshua’s team will be in the disadvantaged; (3) Because God was working one miracle after the other – just one more miracle wouldn’t be too much.  

Too often, we limit God in what He can do.   (1) We limit God on the basis of what we can do.    We assign God to the work of our hands – and we say that’s how much God can do. (2) We limit God on the basis of our experience.  (3) We limit God on the basis of others say.   

•     Never limit God by what you can do

•     Never limit God by what you experience

•     Never limit God by what others say

You have to expect God to work because it is his fight!  It is his ministry!  His name is at stake.  And He wouldn’t want you to take his glory!  He wouldn’t want you to take what rightfully belongs to him.  

The Defeat in Ai (Joshua 7)

The second story that underscores the Zone of Fight is found in Joshua 7.  The Israelites were against a very small city and the spies decided to make a decision on their own.   They kept the numbers of fighting men to 3000.   (v.3) But verse 5 tells us that that they were defeated, They chased Israelites form the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the the slopes.  

Defeat is contagious
v.5, At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.    What one feels, the rest feels.   If only one person fights and he gets wounded, every body gets wounded.  Defeat of one person is a defeat of all people.   Romans 12:5, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others…

Eph. 4:25 (MSG):  25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

Defeat is a cancer
The saying that goes “one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.”  The feeling is contagious and the burden is heavy.   You have to arrest it immediately

12, “That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction.  I will nto be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.  

Just like any cancer it has to be stopped immediately.   Proverbs 17:14, says “that the beginning of strive is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”   There are many things that can spread like cancer in the church.   

·    “Bad temper”  is cancerous (Prov. 22:24-25).  

·    Tightwad or scrooge – people who are always complaining about money (Prov. 23:6-8).  

·    “Troublemakers” (Prov. 24:1-2)

·    Sexually immoral people (1 Cor. 5:9-10)

·    “None Christians in general”  (2 Cor. 6:14)

·    “Bad theology or different theology than yours” (2 John 10)

Defeat should be confronted
Does that at all excuse the one person who is at fault?  No.  7:10The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What you doing down on you face?  Israel have sinned.  While Joshua is the leader, Joshua was not the one in sin.   Get up Joshua – and find the one who is.   

v.19-20.  Achan exchanged the purity of his team with a “imported robe”, a silver worth  $200.00, and a gold worth $500.00.  

Defeat can be redeemed
The story does not end in the fall of Ai. When sin has been punished and the objective was restored, God brought victory once more to Joshua.   7:26,Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger.