How Battles are Lost and Victories are Won - Part 2 of 2

Will the fire, and Bishop Michelle Bradley Junior welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible will be continuing today with the message how battles are lost and victories are surely we all desire to have victory in our lifetimes victory over the weaknesses of the flesh and the enticements of the world.

And so we need to look at God's word find out how victories are that we have to come to the Lord our God who gives us the strength and only there can we expect to have victory and then the third thing we would observe here that which led to the feet was trusting a positive exit was anything wrong with a positive attitude much better than a negative attitude but I tell you positive attitude is not going to gain the victory if that's all you got going, but they were just about to have 30,000 man white you cheer and shout all day long, but the Lord is not there to the place they rely on their emotions to come sent to Alisha's feel real good and maybe something that God says is wrong, but I assume because they feel It all right.

You can feel good about something be on your way to destruction. Just a positive attitude doesn't work, a work they were self-confident, they shouted with a great shout your rang again. Positive attitude look like everything was in order. Feeling good about the whole matter but they confused enthusiasm for faith zeal and enthusiasm are good way to try to minister to people who have no enthusiasm at all. A church that has no ceiling, no enthusiasm dried up at half dead friend kind of push them along just for survival I spot on the sea, but you can have all the zeal and positive attitude and smiling faces and I think it will take a they had the enthusiasm of the didn't have the faith they depended on emotion rather than on the fact we certainly do not indicate that emotional the belief that there is an emotion of seeing the Lord exalted seeing his word, elevating his name and talking about his great works.

There's an excitement in will to be excited about.

But if you depending only on your emotions. You can easily be deceived to see people sometimes who are who are constantly swept about by every new idea never new concept that comes along, never, never really established to find out so often that the problem is there being guided by their emotion. This is how I feel feel like most people you possibly will feel a lot different tomorrow. Then you will thirsting some people not quite as up-and-down as other some live on the end of the only elevator down several times in the day and some it takes a day or two for the move to change, but unless your most unusual you do have changing moods and so if you're going to go according to the mood of the moment and what you're emotion of the night. Maybe you can easily fall into great difficulties and then the fourth thing that brought defeat they failed to deal with sin in the second chapter. First Samuel verse 17 is talking about these two sons of Eli that later were killed. Wherefore, the sand of the young man was very great before the Lord for the man before the offering of the Lord they were going for the routine. They were they were presenting the offering of the ungodly lives that they lived. We read that Eli had failed to restrain his sons. He said I don't like what I hear. But that was all. No action was taken. Failure to deal with sin.

God said you haven't handled the matter. I will in these two young priests will not on the same day the news is not the father. Eli he falls off the bench and die's same time*day in Israel's history sin being ignored limited in our own lives individually. If we fail to consult God's word and therefore are made to see and recognize our sin. If we are trusting in the outward aspects of religious performance rather than in God himself. If were thinking because we got a good positive mental attitude that that's going to carry us.

We can say that sorely need to defeat going to take a matter of dealing with the sin in our own heart benefits from a church standpoint dealing with the sin that arises there in a biblical way to try to recover those that have fallen and to deal with those who will not repent. Isaiah chapter 59 says in verse one. The whole the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save meter he is here having that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hidden his face from you that he will not Lord taught is not shortness of the God lacks the ability to deliver you.

So it wasn't that God lacked the ability to deliver them on this day the 30,000 men were killed but they had not damped with sin. So whether were talking about our own personal battle for the battle in which the church itself is involved. Sin must be confronted and dealt with thankfully is another side of the story we see how battles are lost in chapter 7 we see how victories are one verse three and Samuel spake on all the house of Israel, saying, if you do return under the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and pastoral from among you, and prepare your hearts under the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the felicity the years past, the Philistines captured the ark and they thought they had accomplished a lot. They were proud of themselves, but they had more than they can handle because it was still God's ark, and so when they put it in the temple of their pagan God.

Next morning that little statue had fallen over his face and had to go sit him up again.

I sympathetic by discipline. Somebody has to properly God up at the next X all the value there is a false god BVH a good thing for you, can help you. He's going to fall over if you let continue to prop them up to the Proxima and he fell over again. God obviously running down and it broke his his hands and his faith in the there was continued problem in public when it turns out we got to get rid of this article. Taken to another city and every kind of took it to another city. There were more problems and then where is because there were diseases that afflicted the people here in mood on the next place judgment comes again. They had taken the ark of the Lord enjoyed them well. Years past and now comes a time the same as on the scene and he says it's time for you to return to the Lord your God, how later victories one. First of all by returning to the Lord. The people been away from their hearts had wandered their actions were impure. They needed to return to return to the Lord, how often do we wonder, all even though you're still filling your place and going through all the outward forms of religion. It's easy to wonder in your mind and your heart in the fall is to return to return to the Lord where you previously had wall in harmony with him read the book of Isaiah chapter 55 in verse seven. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him, and to God for key will abundantly part. That's a wonderful call is not the one who has disobeyed the one who was forsaken the Lord, the one who is going the wrong direction letting him forsake his wife particularly hears true repentance leading return of the Lord, and my sink would have you believe is no reason to return because you have dishonored God and he will not hear you, but he said he will. You and he will forgive anyone cleanse you when you come in sincerity, repenting of your sin. Returning to him because you realize how desperately you need him return the Lord Jesus said in John chapter 15, the fifth verse without me ye can do nothing. So we expect to gain victory individually as a church we recognize we must continually understand the truth spoken by Jesus that without him we can do nothing we can do nothing that is profitable, nothing that will bring victory.

Nothing that will glorify God without he with her on some other course if were like the people were in chapter 4. Trying to devise a scheme try to work out a plan on our own, trying to pull themselves up and shout shot and they did, making them feel good. The only real effect of that was it inspired the Philistines to stand strong ice in your own letter with her, or they must be in good shape that we have got to muster forces, and at what we gotta stand together. We gotta quit ourselves like me. It's actually just the start of the opposition. So if you're going on with a bunch of shops that are empty and thing you may do just to encourage the enemy get tougher in his opposition, but now Samuel says the real solution is that you return the Lord second thing he says here is that you are to put away strange gods.

This God pastor off was indeed very corrupt the people worshiping this goddess were involved in all kinds of central scenes doing it in the name of religion says you gotta turn from the false gods that you have been worshiping first John chapter 5 verse 21 says children, keep yourselves from idols that I'm sure the front another person here today that would say yes.

There was a time in my life that I don't worship the little dot of gold or silver.

Some of you to extract, not the case with most, but limited to an idol is anything that becomes a substitute for God. Anything that becomes more important to us anything upon which we set our affection and utilize our time and our efforts and our resources and we more interested in it and concerned about it than we are about God, it becomes an idol can be a house can be an automobile can be just wealth in general stocks and bonds. I can be a position you want a certain position in life you you you want to be recognize you want to be a scheme for your accomplishments and be your job to be people you put other people on the past, you won't their approval. Do you want to be like to be popular.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be like to be like that to be disliked but when your whole focus on and are willing to compromise everything else to have friends and have people approve you and like you think are never willing to stand for what's right, one that brings about opposition and may someday bring blinking persecution that becomes not ever prayed the prayer that the psalmist prayed Lord, search me, try me likely to know what's within me you may have never considered the fact that there is an idol on the throne of your heart. But if you sincerely pray that God live show you if there is such a believe you do you use his word in bringing to your attention the things that you ought to consider such look at your own life. How do you spend your time.

One of the things you think about most. What kind of reading material you read most often how often are you ministering to other people. How concerned are you about growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ seeing some of the figures in that area can soon bring to our attention the items of the heart. The next thing we see here is that they were to pray shortly. Returning to the Lord and prayers are part of that putting away my dose and it's absolutely essential. Serving him only as the prophet says to do that he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines verse five and Samuel said, gather all Israel to Michigan and I will pray for you on to the Lord. Verse eight and the children of Israel said to Samuel, cease not to cry on the Lord our God for us that he will save us out of the hands of listing contracts. One set prayer back in chapter 4. Everything was focused on the ark. Now Santa says pray and then the people say same and do not cease to pray for us. We need help. We need God's help we need him we can't make it without, pray, pray without ceasing, asking to be given you seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. These are the words of Jesus in the sermon on the Mount, when you realize the seriousness of the battle in which are involved in your own life. The conflict within your own heart. Do you not understand.

I cannot win this battle. Myself I need to find help in the promises that if we seek give it, but how often there's a failure to even pray for the help that is available to us on a challenge we have in this day as far as the church is concerned. Yes, there are places where large numbers of people.

Simple but so often you find that the message is not really the gospel of Jesus Christ and him crucified. It's the message of self-esteem and being made to feel good about you. Instead of worshiping the true and living God. How can the church move forward in the churches in this day not only survive but grow actively seek true converts among us.

We desperately need help.

Do we play tonight and prayer is vital. Verse six says that when they gathered together in Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and faxed it on that day and said that we have sinned against the Lord and Samuel judged the children of Israel and missed third thing was confession. It wasn't just prayer asking God's help, it was confession we have sin we acknowledge it or not, try to whitewash anything we we we admit idolaters are our lives have not been with what they should've me and we had been careless and negligent that we consistently acknowledge before God and therefore asking forgiveness. Forgiveness back in the book of Leviticus chapter 26, the 40th verse God had informed them long before how vital it was. They confess their sins because it's as if they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers with their trespass which they trespass against me. And that also they have will concentrate on the me and that I also have well contrary under them have brought them into the land of their enemies, then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity exam will I remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also Lakota with Abraham when I remember that I will remember the land God says if they will confess their sins not going on obstinately stubbornly pursuing their own course. But confess their sin and turn to me, I will remember the covenant that I made with their fathers with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jake that a principal is still for us today. True confession of our sins is a vital part of the Christian's experience. Isaiah chapter 51 tells us that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

God would have us to come before him, confessing our sin, acknowledging power failure and then we see that in verse nine same. You took a something lamb and offered it for a bond offering only online to the Lord and Samuel cried on the Lord for Israel and the Lord hurting so a sacrifice was made. This pulling the fact that Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice. The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world and came in the fullness of time and went to the cross and lay down his life for us and on the basis of that sacrifice we have the hope that he will hear us and our sins will be forgiven first John chapter 2 verse 12 says that our sins are forgiven for Kia's namesake for his namesake. So if we want to win the victory will start making some attempt to obligate God on the basis and we done a credible job know we come with an acknowledgment of our sin and our failure but were praying more complex is formed by namesake, but I namesake I look at what a contrast chapter 4 recording 4000 men killed in one battle. 30,000 in another.

The battlefield is strewn with bodies.

The high priest dies his two sons killed in battle, the name given.

Ichabod says the glory of the Lord is to part. There is defeat. There's how battles are lost.

But following the people's response to same in chapter 7 when there was a return to the Lord.

That was a putting away of their items.

I want a sincere prayer. There was recognition that their blessing had to come on the basis of a sacrifice being offered, says verse 10 in the same it was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel but the Lord sundered with a great funder on that day upon the Philistines and discomfited them and they were smitten before his the Philistines worship the God baby bail was known as the storm God. I thought when there was a great storm of the bail was in charge, but isn't it interesting that God turns the tables on the man as he delivers his people because is a great funder on that day, which confuse the Philistines and frighten them and were smitten before Israel and the men of Israel went out of Ms. and pursued the Philistines and smoke them until they came at the best car. Then Samuel took a stone and set up between Mizpah and Shen and call the name of Ebenezer, saying Heather to the Lord's to the Philistines were subdued. They came no more in the coast of Israel and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of St. What a contrast in the first scene dead bodies everywhere. The first scene is a day of death and darkness first seen the glory is departed second seen the people of humbled themselves.

They learn the secret of how the victory is one there trusting God, not themselves. And great funder who thought that these courageous soldiers in the Philistine army were going to be defeated by phone.

There always works in a unique way so that it can be recognized as the battle is the Lord's and the victory is on the basis of his blessing rather than our ingenuity and so the people soldiers hearing that funder were confused discomfited as the Scripture says they were smitten before Israel and the people rejoice because God had blessed them, and they set up the stone. Ebenezer, saying killer to the Lord helped us not Hitler to we had a positive attitude, not hitherto.

We found the right secret of success by some new plan or scheme, but the Lord has helped us. That's what we desperately need individually in our own lives.

We need the help of the Lord. That's what we need is a church as we stand against the dramatic changes taking place in the culture around us that we might be able to resist the temptations that come that we might be able to overcome the threatening rulers of Satan who would seek to the virus that we might put on the whole armor of God, unable to stand successfully against the wiles of the devil. I hope that in the comparison of these two portions of Scripture. You can indeed today see how battles are lost and victories are one I returned to the Lord and trusting him for the victory that we also desperately need in our own life in our own church in the advancement of the kingdom of God in the world today against all of the opposition comes from our great enemy. Today we bow to the concluding part of the message entitled how battles are lost and victories are one like to get the complete message on CD requested when writing us. The address is the Baptist Bible out Box 1737, Cincinnati, OH 45217 two next time. This is Sarah Bradley Junior bidding you goodbye and may God bless us and the holidays and I began in the and and all and in all