Sermon Title: Be Set Up For Victory!
“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:47)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Our God is victorious!
He saw to it that “Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 17:18)
In His authority, the demons submit to His disciples. (Ref: Luke 10:17)
And yet, He commands, “do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
Christians are defeated when our focus falls short of Christ.
We must never focus on the work of the Gospel; but on the finished work of Christ for the atonement of our sins and gift of eternal life in His Kingdom.
The work of the Gospel is consequent to Christ’s finished work on the Cross - saving us; and bestowing upon every believer His Resurrection Power and Spiritual Authority.
In the face of overwhelming oppression, David’s focus was never on his enemies, or even on the battle before him; his focus was solely on the Lord.
This was clearly evident when he said to Goliath:
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
We are defeated when our eyes fall away from the Lord who saves – for the battle is His.
When we profess Christ as our Saviour, and are led by the Holy Spirit (Ref: Romans 8:1, 8:14)– all our battles belong to God; because we belong to Him.
He prepares “a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5).
Therefore, in the face of every overwhelming challenge, or regardless of how vast the armies of persecutors are, or how defiant and insolent the world might be against God and His Holiness - we need never be afraid or discouraged; for the battle – our battles – does not belong to us, they all belong to God. (Ref: 2 Chronicles 20:15)
War is not coming – it is already here.
When we learn to focus on Christ’s victory - that has won us eternal life in His Coming Kingdom - we become truly victorious.
As God’s children in perpetual prayer, be led by the Holy Spirit – and never be slaves ever again, living in fear; rather, in victory, live in the reality of His gift of eternal life.
In the Lord and in His mighty power are we strong and victorious against the spiritual forces of evil. (Ref: Ephesians 6:10-12)
Yes.
War is already here.
The Church is under attack; you are under attack by the forces of evil.
But we need never fear.
For we are children of the Most High God.
The battles belong wholly to Him.
The Lord goes before us; we only need follow Him – closely.
Putting on the full armor of God is putting on a divine and victorious posture of perpetual prayer – being guided by, and praying “in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18)
War is here.
We need to get set up for the battle; to get ahead of the enemy.
We need to prepare the battlefield; to anticipate and train for the fight at hand.
A life of perpetual prayer prepares us precisely for the present and coming battles – a life entrenched in the very focus and purpose of our core ministry: the Disciple Life Prayer Group.
G3: Grow, Glow, Go
With the key objectives (G3) of growing as a true disciple (Ref: Ephesians 4:13, 2 Peter 3:18); glowing like a true disciple (Ref: Matthew 5:14-16); and going into the world to make disciples of all nations (Ref: Matthew 28:18-20) - every Disciple Life Prayer Group would comprise of three disciples who are committed to encountering God and meeting one another weekly (Ref: Hebrews 10:25) for the purposes of mutual sharing and corporate praying utterly led by the Holy Spirit and guided by a different Scripture verse that will be provided every week.
Every 15-minutes timeframe is divided into three distinct segments of 5-minutes each:
- The ‘Grow’ segment provides the framework to grow through sharing how the week’s Scripture verse has impacted your life, and to mutually pray for spiritual growth based on the sharing;
- The ‘Glow’ segment provides the space for God’s Word and present life to intersect through a reflection and follow-through mutual prayer on how the week’s Scripture verse informs and applies to a current situation that enables the disciple to be “light of the world... to shine before others” (Matthew 5:14, 16); and
- The ‘Go’ segment provides the sacred time of mutual prayer and exhortation to be filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit – armed with the divine revelation and timeless wisdom of Scripture – in our Lord Jesus’ words – to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
This 15 minutes is deeply significant in that it is the product of ‘3’ and ‘5’. The number ‘3’ represents the divine community of God – as One Being in Three Persons – coming into communion with three disciples in allusion to our Lord Jesus’ intimacy with his disciples Peter, James and John; and of course, the number ‘5’ represents the Grace of God which is experienced by every member of the prayer group during this divine encounter.
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Be very clear.
We are never alone.
God is with us.
He has given us one another.
And He has given us, not a mission, but the Greatest Commission ever received by Man.
Our Lord’s promised Presence in our lives is truly felt when we fulfill this Commission.
When we pray corporately, we are preparing for His victory over the inevitable troubles in our lives - by remaining close to our Shepherd, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ – who is with us every step of the way.
When we pray corporately, we are preparing for His victory over the spiritual forces of darkness – by being vessels of His Holiness and Power to help save the lost.
When we pray corporately, we are fulfilling His divine purpose that reminds us that we belong to Him – that all our battles belong to the Lord who is already victorious!
Through corporate prayer, let us remain in Christ together; for that is how we remain victorious and on the winning side!
War is here.
We need to prepare and get set up to wage spiritual warfare victoriously with prayer – to anticipate, to train for the fight at hand and to get ahead of the enemy.
Be mobilized for war; join a G3 Disciple Life Prayer Group!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Thank You for the revelation that You are the God who saves; and that every battle belongs to You!
In Christ alone, we are victorious.
May my life’s focus be wholly upon following, loving, serving and worshipping You, my Lord!
Deepen my desire to pray in the Holy Spirit “on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18); and grant me supernatural resolve to commit to joining a G3 Disciple Life Prayer Group that I may:
- Grow as a true disciples of Jesus Christ;
- Glow like Christ as “light of the world”; and
- Go make disciples of all nations.
In prayerfully living as Your disciple and fulfilling Your Great Commission over me, I believe that surely, You – Lord Jesus – will be with me always – “to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Indeed, Your Promised Presence in our lives is truly felt when we fulfill Your Great Commission.
Holy Spirit, through our corporate prayers, seal in our hearts – that God, you are with us every step of our lives; that we are already victorious over the forces of darkness – and equipped with the Spirit’s Power to participate in Your work of saving the lost.
As we pray together, forge an unmovable faith within us that we belong to You, Lord Jesus – and that all our battles belong to You.
Thank You for Your Promised Presence and Victory!
“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:4)
“Thanks be to You, O God! For You give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
Yes, Lord! Here I stand – in prayer and in Your victory - mobilized for war!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:47)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Our God is victorious!
He saw to it that “Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 17:18)
In His authority, the demons submit to His disciples. (Ref: Luke 10:17)
And yet, He commands, “do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
Christians are defeated when our focus falls short of Christ.
We must never focus on the work of the Gospel; but on the finished work of Christ for the atonement of our sins and gift of eternal life in His Kingdom.
The work of the Gospel is consequent to Christ’s finished work on the Cross - saving us; and bestowing upon every believer His Resurrection Power and Spiritual Authority.
In the face of overwhelming oppression, David’s focus was never on his enemies, or even on the battle before him; his focus was solely on the Lord.
This was clearly evident when he said to Goliath:
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
We are defeated when our eyes fall away from the Lord who saves – for the battle is His.
When we profess Christ as our Saviour, and are led by the Holy Spirit (Ref: Romans 8:1, 8:14)– all our battles belong to God; because we belong to Him.
He prepares “a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5).
Therefore, in the face of every overwhelming challenge, or regardless of how vast the armies of persecutors are, or how defiant and insolent the world might be against God and His Holiness - we need never be afraid or discouraged; for the battle – our battles – does not belong to us, they all belong to God. (Ref: 2 Chronicles 20:15)
War is not coming – it is already here.
When we learn to focus on Christ’s victory - that has won us eternal life in His Coming Kingdom - we become truly victorious.
As God’s children in perpetual prayer, be led by the Holy Spirit – and never be slaves ever again, living in fear; rather, in victory, live in the reality of His gift of eternal life.
In the Lord and in His mighty power are we strong and victorious against the spiritual forces of evil. (Ref: Ephesians 6:10-12)
Yes.
War is already here.
The Church is under attack; you are under attack by the forces of evil.
But we need never fear.
For we are children of the Most High God.
The battles belong wholly to Him.
The Lord goes before us; we only need follow Him – closely.
Putting on the full armor of God is putting on a divine and victorious posture of perpetual prayer – being guided by, and praying “in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18)
War is here.
We need to get set up for the battle; to get ahead of the enemy.
We need to prepare the battlefield; to anticipate and train for the fight at hand.
A life of perpetual prayer prepares us precisely for the present and coming battles – a life entrenched in the very focus and purpose of our core ministry: the Disciple Life Prayer Group.
G3: Grow, Glow, Go
With the key objectives (G3) of growing as a true disciple (Ref: Ephesians 4:13, 2 Peter 3:18); glowing like a true disciple (Ref: Matthew 5:14-16); and going into the world to make disciples of all nations (Ref: Matthew 28:18-20) - every Disciple Life Prayer Group would comprise of three disciples who are committed to encountering God and meeting one another weekly (Ref: Hebrews 10:25) for the purposes of mutual sharing and corporate praying utterly led by the Holy Spirit and guided by a different Scripture verse that will be provided every week.
Every 15-minutes timeframe is divided into three distinct segments of 5-minutes each:
- The ‘Grow’ segment provides the framework to grow through sharing how the week’s Scripture verse has impacted your life, and to mutually pray for spiritual growth based on the sharing;
- The ‘Glow’ segment provides the space for God’s Word and present life to intersect through a reflection and follow-through mutual prayer on how the week’s Scripture verse informs and applies to a current situation that enables the disciple to be “light of the world... to shine before others” (Matthew 5:14, 16); and
- The ‘Go’ segment provides the sacred time of mutual prayer and exhortation to be filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit – armed with the divine revelation and timeless wisdom of Scripture – in our Lord Jesus’ words – to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
This 15 minutes is deeply significant in that it is the product of ‘3’ and ‘5’. The number ‘3’ represents the divine community of God – as One Being in Three Persons – coming into communion with three disciples in allusion to our Lord Jesus’ intimacy with his disciples Peter, James and John; and of course, the number ‘5’ represents the Grace of God which is experienced by every member of the prayer group during this divine encounter.
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Be very clear.
We are never alone.
God is with us.
He has given us one another.
And He has given us, not a mission, but the Greatest Commission ever received by Man.
Our Lord’s promised Presence in our lives is truly felt when we fulfill this Commission.
When we pray corporately, we are preparing for His victory over the inevitable troubles in our lives - by remaining close to our Shepherd, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ – who is with us every step of the way.
When we pray corporately, we are preparing for His victory over the spiritual forces of darkness – by being vessels of His Holiness and Power to help save the lost.
When we pray corporately, we are fulfilling His divine purpose that reminds us that we belong to Him – that all our battles belong to the Lord who is already victorious!
Through corporate prayer, let us remain in Christ together; for that is how we remain victorious and on the winning side!
War is here.
We need to prepare and get set up to wage spiritual warfare victoriously with prayer – to anticipate, to train for the fight at hand and to get ahead of the enemy.
Be mobilized for war; join a G3 Disciple Life Prayer Group!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Thank You for the revelation that You are the God who saves; and that every battle belongs to You!
In Christ alone, we are victorious.
May my life’s focus be wholly upon following, loving, serving and worshipping You, my Lord!
Deepen my desire to pray in the Holy Spirit “on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18); and grant me supernatural resolve to commit to joining a G3 Disciple Life Prayer Group that I may:
- Grow as a true disciples of Jesus Christ;
- Glow like Christ as “light of the world”; and
- Go make disciples of all nations.
In prayerfully living as Your disciple and fulfilling Your Great Commission over me, I believe that surely, You – Lord Jesus – will be with me always – “to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Indeed, Your Promised Presence in our lives is truly felt when we fulfill Your Great Commission.
Holy Spirit, through our corporate prayers, seal in our hearts – that God, you are with us every step of our lives; that we are already victorious over the forces of darkness – and equipped with the Spirit’s Power to participate in Your work of saving the lost.
As we pray together, forge an unmovable faith within us that we belong to You, Lord Jesus – and that all our battles belong to You.
Thank You for Your Promised Presence and Victory!
“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:4)
“Thanks be to You, O God! For You give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
Yes, Lord! Here I stand – in prayer and in Your victory - mobilized for war!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.