Preparing for War – WEEK 9 - Simplicity

Preparing for War – WEEK 9

Check lists in our lives.  We now have the bucket list……I added one the other day, it was the ice hotel in Quebec.  I am going to mark one off this afternoon it is 9 sermons in a row! Take that devil……there are some check marks I do not need to do anymore.  I am old enough an just a bit wiser than my youth….a bit I said….Yesterday wisdom slipped away and I ate the Blazzin’ Wings ate Buffalo Wild Wings.

This is our last week of our 9 week basic training course on “Preparing for War”. 

ONE - OBJECTIVE: utter destruction of enemy forces… and the will to take every thought captive to Christ.

TWO – Offense/Defense: Sometimes a good offense is a Stronger defense. The strength is our confession that Christ is the son of God.

THREE – Mass: Concentrate our forces to overwhelm our enemy. Open our eyes to see the Lord’s army around us. We cannot do it on our own.

FOUR – Economy of Force – ‘The sword of the LORD and me!’ we do that with wisdom.

FIVE – Maneuver – Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage in your going out and your coming in. Fight the Good Fight.

SIX – Unity of Command – One unified purpose creates one unified effort provided by one unified commander.

SEVEN – Security – Put on the whole armor of God.

EIGHT – Surprise – Be prepared.

Simplicity – prepare clean uncomplicated plans and concise orders to ensure thorough understanding.

Mark 16:15 ¹⁴ Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they^[b] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The tide turns…..just as you think you are defeated. Karate Kid, Saving Private Ryan

Rocky II movie…..Adrianne was in the hospital with the baby, and rocky couldn’t train…..she finally awoke from a coma…..and said WIN. “Rocky Theme song, plays in background”

It isn’t that easy is it?  There is a lot of stuff in between. It is often a long road to the simple. Endurance race….a marathon……not a sprint.

 Ecclesiastes 9:11  I returned and saw under the sun that—

      The race is not to the swift,
      Nor the battle to the strong,
      Nor bread to the wise,
      Nor riches to men of understanding,
      Nor favor to men of skill;
      But time and chance happen to them all.

2 Tim 2:3-6 ³ You therefore must endure^[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. ⁵ And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

Simplicity…..not that easy in sports either is it?

a.       Football – GOLF…. I do all the check list of things.  I line up with the ball, feet are correct, head is down, hands gripping club just right, not too tight, club face is correct angle, pointed in the right direction, slow back swing, full extension, swing through the ball……all the way through……and there my ball goes……right into the water.  WHAT????? Doesn’t matter how expensive your clubs are, doesn’t matter that you are playing on the best golf course, doesn’t matter what the temperature is or if you are walking or riding in a cart……it is because you did it over and over  and over again….on a daily basis.

b.      Basketball….free throws……..to be real good, you have to shoot a thousand a day.  It doesn’t come naturally…..it comes with work!

a.       All day long you were in the weeds, in the sand, in the trees….you lost more golf balls then you started with….the only reason you still have golf balls is because you found many hidden in the brush while you were looking for your ball.  Makes you feel a bit good to know that others also hit a bad shot too.  But it is the last few holes on the course where you are tired hot and sweaty and quite honestly….just want to go home……ahhhh it is on the green….did you see that? It makes you want to come back!

We can win with Simple repetitious actions…..God tells us that if we have faith ENOUGH…..we can move a mountain…….mustard seed, what does that tell you……we don’t have much.  WE HAVE THE POWER!  WE HAVE TO BELIEVE IT.  Positive thinking , Affirmations…..you have to write it down, what you want to accomplish…….it will happen…….say it out loud.  I HAVE THE POWER…….I BELIEVE

Do you know what you just did?  You just defeated Satan!

Revelation 12:7 recognition

Satan Thrown Out of Heaven ⁷ And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,

We have to throw Satan out of our house. Vampires cannot enter your house unless you invite them in…….Have you invited Satan into your house?…..well tell him to get out….He isn’t welcome.

Once we have let Satan in….he plants a seed too. A seed that destroys the mountain……that seed will grow inside us and cause us to WAR with OURSELVES.

Galatians 5:16-18 pick battle

Walking in the Spirit¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Romans 7:23-25 war

²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

We have made things so complicated that we cannot see over the next mountain….because we turned a molehill into that mountain!

c.       Little Known Fact

                                                  i.      The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used.

It is SIMPLE…..it is not complicated……don’t make it that way. AND don’t get weary of the fight….we will be renewed.

Isaiah 40:31 

³¹ But those who wait on the LORD
      Shall renew their strength;
      They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
      They shall run and not be weary,
      They shall walk and not faint.

SIMPLY….. Go into all the world and preach the gospel

SIMPLY….. love the LORD your God with all your heart

SIMPLY…. love the LORD your God with all your soul

SIMPLY….. love the LORD your God with all your mind

Matthew 22:37-39 (New King James Version)

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]

INVITATION