Title: Wisdom for Victory (Judges 7:15-23)
Now the world is at war. The fight against terrorism, the war in Afghanistan will determine the direction of the world. Also, three days later, high school students will compete in a major bout. Yesterday, we held a friendly bowling tournament at 4 churches in the Central Inspection. Each of them fought to win. Our church was the runner-up, and in my heart, I had the desire to win the championship if possible. Either way, the fight must be won. You must win. Victory is glory, but defeat is always disastrous. Victory is joy, and failure is disastrous. The earth is eaten and eaten, and it becomes a servant. There is a saying that losing is winning, but this is saying that you really have to win, not that you can really lose. Having to lose to the little things to win the really big fight is to lose the less important things to win the really important things, not necessarily to lose.
Especially in the life of faith, we must win the spiritual battle. Because this is the most important fight. It's a battle that lasts forever, so you have to fight it with all your might. The victory of the world is relative. When one side wins, the other side loses, and when one person enjoys glory, the other person feels shame. And the victories of the world are temporary. You win today, but you lose tomorrow. There is a saying that victory is as brief as lightning, and failure is like dark rain. The triumph of the world is partial. There is more to gain and more to lose. Some people succeed in making money but lose their health, and some people succeed in life but lose love. In addition, it shows success in fame but loss of truth, success in popularity but loss of morality.
However, the spiritual battle, the good fight of faith, is the most important battle of a lifetime because it is either to gain everything or lose everything. So how can you win this battle? Today's text shows Gideon's wonderful victory. How was Gideon able to win?
1. I went out with the assurance that God was with me.
In verse 15, “Arise, the Lord has delivered the Midianite army into your hands…” Proverbs 21:31 is a mourning verse of President Chiang Kai-shek. “The horsemen are prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” To win, you have to be prepared. But more importantly, you must know that God has the victory. It is the help of God who loves us. “But in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
Victory requires strength. The power to win. If you don't have the strength, you lose. The greatest strength comes from faith. Confidence that we can win is important, but even greater faith is faith in God. The forces increase as they add up. It is okay to combine human strength, but when God's strength is combined, we have no choice but to win. Who is the real winner and who is the real strongman? The real strong man on this earth today is the one who is on God's side. That's why he confesses that he is like a great general, King David (O LORD, who is my strength! I trust in you). Truly, our battle today is not a battle of fists and power, but a battle of who stands closer to God and leans on God. There is no fear when we believe that God is with us. Jehovah Nissi - This is the symbol and secret of victory. Jehovah Nissi means Jehovah is my banner.
Here, the flag refers to the standard used when going to war, and always marches with the flag in the lead. Then the soldiers will have the courage to say that our captain is over there and move forward. Therefore, the life of faith means to go out with Jesus as the leader and the name of Jesus in the forefront.
This means that we must put Jesus at the forefront and follow Him.
2. When we went out to fight for God, we were victorious.
Verse 18 says, “For the Lord, and for Gideon.” To win, the purpose must be clear and the cause must be clear. The reason must be clearly valid. The one who has a justification wins in the end. There are battles where you win and fight, and there are fights where you lose and fight.
First we need to know what we are fighting for. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. (Romans 14:8) Whether you eat or drink, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). You will be victorious when you do what you do or endure it for God.
3. You can win when you follow with a loyal attitude.
Verse 17 “You see only me and do what I do…” Strength comes from attitude and attitude. A loyal attitude and attitude are required. Loyalty refers to the concentration of power on the object of loyalty. Power must be concentrated. The power lies in simplicity. When power is scattered, it becomes weak. It's a matter of concentration. And loyalty is not saying what you say, but following what you say. The Lord told us to come, follow me, and took the lead on the cross. The kingdom of God is not in words. Loyalty is something you usually do. It is said that a research institute in the United States conducted a survey of 2,500 people, "Why did you fail?" As a result, the most dominant answer cited as the cause of failure was "because there was no decision".
4. We can win only when we fight with God's weapons.
Power also comes from weapons. They fought with trumpets, jars, and torches. Verse 20 “The trumpet…the power of praise…the sword of the LORD and of Gideon” When the Edomite army attacked the Valley of Meribah during the reign of King Jehoshaphat, I prayed for a way. appeared and was destroyed. You have the power to praise The problem of the body is solved through praise, and all problems are solved. If someone exalts us, longs for us, and welcomes us, we want to go more and go more often. In the same way, I believe that God the Holy Spirit works with powerful power on the living heart and pours out the fullness of the Holy Spirit as a gift where the praise is given. May you overcome and triumph over yourself with praise.
Also, breaking pots and earthenware is breaking my weakness and gaining the power of God. It is the power of prayer. Exodus 17: Israel's victory in the battle against the Amalekites is as follows. Moses commands Joshua to take the sword and go out to fight. Moses himself went up to the top of the mountain with his brothers Aaron and Hur. But when Moses raised his hand holding the staff, he prevailed, and when he lowered his hand, Israel lost. Aaron and Hur bring a stone to sit on Moses and support Moses' arms from both sides. As Moses' arms and staff did not come down all day, he was able to win.
May we believe that the Lord is the God of Jehovah Nissi, who gives us victory.
-Amen-