Prophet and Warrior

The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Exodus 15:3

Exodus 15:1-3

1   Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

2   The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

3   The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Joshua 23:1 - 4

1      And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.

2      And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:

3   And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.

3      Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.

Moses the prophet

 

      Moses was the greatest prophet among the Israelites

      Joshua was the greatest warrior

John 9:28     Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.

 John 9:29    We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.

Who was Moses

 

      Moses was the great prophet of Israel

      He delivered Israelites from the slavery

      He lead them across the Red Sea

      He brought them into the desert

      He lead them through the desert

He brought down the laws of God to them

The Law

      Gentiles had no law

      They lives as they like

      But God’s people has Laws

      Rules and regulations to live according to the Holiness of God

Judges 21: 25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

       No King – no laws – anarchy

 Desert life

      Desert life was a life full of blessings

      Pillar Cloud – Pillar of fire - Water – Manna

Exodus 13:21   And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

 Cloud and fire is:

Ø  God’s presence

Ø  God’s guidance

Ø  God’s protection

Still desert life is:

      Desert life is life of wandering

      It is not God’s final plan

      God wants to give you a settled life

Rest after war

Joshua 11: 23     So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

2 Samuel 7:1       And it came to pass, when the king s(King David) at in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;

      But Moses could not lead the people to rest and blessing

      Canaan is the land of blessing

      It is not blessed land but a land of blessings

Canaan is a land of:

      God and God alone

      God’s chosen people

      A land devoid of gentle people and gentle worship

      God is the king

      God’s law is the law of the land

      God’s way of life is the way of life of people

      No disease, no curse, no natural catastrophe

      Success in war – victory over enemies

      Total rest

      Only blessing

Canaan is a contrast to:

      It is a contrast to the land around where gentile gods are being worshiped

      But the land at present is under gentiles

      So it has to be conquered

 

Conquer : Fight : Defeat : Acquire The Land : Own The Land

A Warrior – Not a Prophet

To conquer land need a warrior – not a prophet

Prophet delivered from slavery

Prophet brought down God’s law

Prophet leads the people through the land – land of faith life

There is blessing – but :

1.      No final success – the war is not over

2.      The enemy is still present

3.      The promises and possessed and enjoyed by the enemy

4.      No rest – the war is not over

Rest comes only after the final triumph over the enemy

Rest on this Earth?

 It is possible in this life

J  Israelites enjoyed it

J  David achieved it

J  Jesus completed the war against Satan

Hebrew 10:12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,

 We too can achieve success

War is the only way

·      War is the only way to defeat the enemy and to chase out them

·      As long as we live mingled with the gentile gods we are not safe

Deuteronomy 7:1 - 5

1   When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;

2   And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

3   Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

4   For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

5   But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. {their images: Heb. their statues, or, pillars}

 

So fight, defeat, conquer and chase the enemy away from the land

War needs warriors

 

v  War is a more serious affair

v  A small mistake will lead to destruction

So God warned Joshua:

Joshua 1: 6 - 8

6   Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. {unto this...: or, thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land, etc}

7   Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. {prosper: or, do wisely}

8   This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. {have...: or, do wisely}

      So he cannot do according to the people

      He cannot do all things to please people

      He has to act according to His great commander

Joshua had a Great Commander

 

Joshua 5 : 13 - 15

13   And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14   And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? {captain: or, prince}

15   And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

 

Characteristics of a warrior

 

·         A Warrior is not a democratic person

·         Decisions are not made on the basis of his own fancy

·         Decisions are not made by considering the majority opinion

·         Decisions are left to the higher commander

·         A warrior obeys blindly the orders of his higher commander

 

§  Joshua never cared for majority opinion

§  Joshua followed the strategies shown to him by God

 

§  He never deviated left or right from God’s law

§  Deviations from law is dangerous to his life

God’s way to blessing is war

      Israelites were in slavery for more than 400 years

      God decided to solve the problem

§  God’s way is that of war not delegation, not compromises, not half way through

§  Only war

      He gives orders not requests

      He declares war with those who rejects His order

Exodus 4: 22, 23

22   And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

23   And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Professor Jacob Abraham
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GOD’S CONDITIONS FOR ANSWERING PRAYERS

GOD’S CONDITIONS FOR ANSWERING PRAYERS

  

I.                   What is Prayer?

1.            Communion with God

2.            Submission to the Will of God  - A confession of utter dependence - It is an admission that healing / deliverance / answer is in God’s hands

Matthew 26:39 – “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

3.            Man’s permission for God’s interference in his life

4.            Prayer is all about asking God to do what He has planned to do – not to persuade God for fulfilling our desires

5.            Prayer is the expression of our desire to God not an insistence upon that desire

Luke 22:42 - Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

6.      An opportunity to praise and thank God and express our love to Him

Philippians 4:6 - “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

 

7.            Entering into a partnership with God to fulfill a particular task

           

i.        Our desires reflect His plans

Matthew 6:10 -“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

ii.God does things – we stand along with Him

8.      An opportunity to express our love and concern for others – Praying for others

II.                Three Factors That Determine God’s Answer

1.                  Whether it is God’s Will to Answer?

1 John 5:14, 15

14 -   And this is the confidence that we have in him that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us

15 - And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1.      If God answers all our prayers, it would be disastrous to us

2.      We are far from perfection

3.      Prayer conforms us to God’s will

2.                  Whether it is God’s Time to Answer?

1.                        Hanna’s Prayer for a son

1 Samuel 1: 10,11

10 - And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

11 -       And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

i.              Hanna prayed for years

ii.            It was a long wait for Samuel’s parents

iii.          Samuel had to live at a certain time in order to accomplish a particular mission in Israel

2.                        Nehemiah’s prayer for rebuilding of Jerusalem

i.              He wept and mourned for certain days and fasted and prayed (Nehemiah 1:4)

ii.      Answer came in God’s Time

iii.    It occurred on a specific day

iv.    From the day, 69 weeks of years (483 years) would be completed to determine the very day that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey and hailed as Messiah (Daniel 9:25)

3.                  Relationship with God - Abide in Jesus

John 15:7 - “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

Observe, in order to have influence with God, we must:

1.         Be united to Christ - if ye abide in me.

2.   That in order to be preserved in this union, we must have our lives regulated by the doctrine of Christ - and my words abide in you.

3.         That to profit by this union and doctrine, we must pray - ye shall ask.

4.   That every heavenly blessing shall be given to those who continue in this union, with a loving, obedient, praying spirit:-ye shall ask what ye will

If by communion and the study of the word we abide in Christ, our prayers will be of such a nature that it will fully accord with the divine counsel to answer them, for they will be prayers tending toward fruitfulness.

 III.             10 Conditions For Answering Prayer

1.                  Be Saved by the Blood of Christ  - Sin is a hindrance to answer

Psalms 66:18 – “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me”

John 9:31 – “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”

Proverb 15:29 - The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Micah 3: 4 - Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

Luke 18 : 10 - 14

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

2.      Keep his commandments – Accept the Lordship of Jesus

1 John 3:22 - And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

 

3.      Un forgiveness is a hindrance – Forgive your brother if he has anything to you

Mathew 5:23, 24

23     Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24     Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

4.      Do not ask amiss

James 4:3 - “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

 

5.      The proper way - with Thanks giving

Philippians 4:6 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

 

6.      Diligently seek

                        No vain repetition

Matthew 6:7 - “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

Jeremiah 29:13 - “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Hebrew 11:6 - “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Luke 11:5-10

5 -     And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 -     For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? {in...: or, out of his way}

7 -     And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 -     I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 -     And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 - For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

7.      Believing

Matthew 21: 21, 22

21 - Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

22 - And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.            

James 5:15 - And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

 

      True faith is :

i.        A gift from God not something “worked up”

ii.      Total trust in God

iii.    Total submission to His Will

iv.    Complete assurance that God will answer

 
 

8.      Persist in Prayer – passionate persistence - no casual inquiry

           

Luke 18:1 - 8

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

9.      Two or Three shall agree

Matthew 18:19 - “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

10.  Ask in Jesus’ Name

John 14:14 - “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

1.                  All our prayers must be stamped with the name of Jesus

2.                  The heart and life of the worshiper must bear the name of Jesus

3.                  “In the name of Jesus” is not a magic word to open all closed doors

4.                  It also means that prayer is for:

i.                    God’s glory

ii.                  According to His will

Professor Jacob Abraham

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