Advance & Engage
gtcotr/ss070603
Turn to Exodus 17
Water Baptism Works Against Our Past Enemies To Put Us In A Place Beyond Their Reach
What about our future enemies? We are guaranteed victory if we --- Advance & Engage
I. Exodus 17
8 ¶ Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:
16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
A. To Advance
* To Take Up The Right Position
* The Right Position Is God’s Position
B. To Engage
* To Initiate Possession
* Put Feet To Your Faith
* Walk The Talk
C. It Is The Same In Any Battle - Physical, Mental, Spiritual - Legal
* Position Is Your Greatest Strength
* Establish Position Before Initiating Possession
II. Positioning Yourself To Win
A. Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness …
B. Joshua 5:13-14 Whose Side Are You On?
C. Joshua 24:15 Choose ye this day … me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
D. Exodus 32:26 Who is on the Lord’s side?
E. Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me …
F. Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day … I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that you and your seed may live.
G. Position Is Everything
H. We Must Maintain Our Position With God
I. Stay Under The Cloud Of God’s Presence By Choice
III. Five Things That Will Stop Your Advance
1 Corinthians 10
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 ¶ Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
A. v.6 Lust
1. Craving Out Of Control
2. God does not mind you having things, but He will not tolerate things having you
B. v.7 Idolatry (To Put Something In God’s Place)
C. v.8 Sexual Sin
D. v.9 Tempting God
1. To Provoke God
2. To Try God’s Patience
3. Numbers 21:5-6
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
* They Accused God
* Blasphemy Mark 3
E. v.10 Murmuring
1. The Negative Commentaries & Complaints (so common to man)
2. These Tend To Frustrate God & Intimidate Followers
3. Complain, Complain, Complain - these 10 times
We Must Maintain The Right Position In Order To Obtain Our Desired Possession
IV. Engage
A. This was training ground for Joshua
1. Later he would have to initiate possession of the promised land
Joshua 1:8-9 Meditate on maintaining the right position & you will be able to make your way prosperous and have good success. I command you to be strong, courageous, unafraid and never disillusioned, because I am with you.
2. The enemies of your soul won’t just lie down and go away because you are a Christian.
3. Matthew 11:12 The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.
4. Luke 16:16 every man presses himself into it.
B. Jericho would not have fallen, even though they were very afraid, had not Joshua initiated the march. Joshua 6
C. The three lepers of 2 Kings 7:3 initiated engagement with the simple logic, “Why sit we here until we die … let us go forward into the enemy’s camp.”
D. Sometimes we must just get up and do something about our situation
E. Genesis 30 Jacob acted on a dream from God and secured his financial future
F. 1992 I heard a word from God and from that position we initiated possession of the vision for a church in Russia.
G. 1995 I heard three times to begin The North Church, and from that position we engaged ourselves in the struggle to birth that work.
H. Advance - Take Up The Winning Position
I. Engage - Initiate Possession
God demands that we participate in our miracles.
What Is It In Your Life That Stands In The Way Of Your Success
What would you do for God if you were not afraid of something much less important?
When dealing with the enemies of your soul in the wilderness & in the promised land, you are guaranteed success if you will only:
