“It Came to pass in the Day of Battle”
Preached in connection with C.I.B.C.’s participation in National Bible Publisher’s Month, attempting to help Bearing Precious Seed in Milford Ohio raise $300,000 for Scriptures to other nations!
http://bpsmilford.org/npbm.html
Click Below to hear Audio Sermon:
->It Came to Pass in the Day of Battle<-
Text:
1 Samuel 13:15-23 And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual: 18 And another company turned the way to Bethhoron: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: 20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. 21 Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. 22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.
Intro thought 1: The Day of battle is what God tried to prepare them for…
Judges 3:1-4 Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; 2 Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; 3 Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath. 4 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. ~ God’s preparation for Israel in the Land
Psalms 144:1-2 A Psalm of David. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: 2 My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. ~God’s preparation of David
Ephesians 6:11-13 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ~ God’s preparation for the Christian
1 Chronicles 5:18-22 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. 19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab. 20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him. 21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand. 22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity. ~ There is a war that is OF GOD!!!
To identify oneself with the truth of the Scriptures is to plant oneself in the midst of a fierce storm from which there is no relenting! There is nothing but great respect and admiration for the courage of one that would fight cancer or some other terminal illness, but when it comes to those who are willing to fight for the truth and live a spiritual and separated life there seems to be only abhorrence and disgust! The fact is, most loathe such a battle, yet the battle is NECESSARY! Let us consider tonight the shortsightedness of such an attitude of those that loathe to battle, and also consider the subtle and serious planning of the enemy.
1 Timothy 6:11-12 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Intro Thought 2: The Day of battle is what God’s people tried to avoid…
Judges 2:1-3 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
*The popular call of the Christianity of the day is a call for unity, unity at the expense of truth and purity. That truth is, carnality never changes, and God’s people still, at all expense, try to avoid the battle! This is nothing more than REBELLION against the Word of God and REJECTION of the separated, victorious Christian life!*
Intro Thought 3: The Day of battle is what the enemy had anticipated…
1 Samuel 13:22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
Judges 2:11-19 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. 13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. 16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. 18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
I. Occupation of the Enemy
A. Because of Rebellion
B. Because of Rejection
The enemy, when left unconquered in the land, builds garrisons in the land!
II. Oppression of the Enemy
The diabolical and deliberate tactics of the enemy to disarm God’s people for the coming day of battle!
A. The Smiths Removed by the Enemy
B. The Swords Replaced by the Enemy
C. The Sharpening Regulated by the Enemy
III. Orchestration of the Enemy
The enemies Orchestration left God’s people disarmed in the day of battle!!!
*In relation to our Bible Publishing month, I believe these local church ministries that publish the Word of God are not only placing the Publishing of the Scriptures back into the rightful place (the pillar and ground of the truth ~ I Tim 3:15), but it is also God’s people, anticipating and preparing for the day of battle!
From the creator of the “gay Bible” aka “Princess Diana Bible”:
“There are many different versions of the Bible; I don’t see why we (LGBT) can’t have one,” said Max Mitchell, who directed the science fiction comedy Horror in the Wind, in which an airborne formula invented by two biogeneticists reverses the world’s sexual orientation.
“I got the idea for the Princess Diana Bible from Horror In The Wind,” he added. “After the world becomes gay, religious people create The Princess Diana Bible, which says that gay is right and straight is a sin. Then they burn all the King James Bibles.”
*Why “burn the king James Bibles?” The King James Bible is hated and ridiculed by not only professing Christians, but even more vehemently by the perverse and wicked lost of the world! The day will come that the bible Publishers may decide there is too much liability and loss and not enough profit for them to print that King James Bible. Why would we trust the Philistines to do so anyway?
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A few years ago, USA Today reported that Bradley LaShawn Fowler of Canton, Michigan filed a $60 million lawsuit against Zondervan and a similar $10 million lawsuit against Thomas Nelson Publishing. Now, it has been announced, that he has filed suit against a third publishing company. This time he is going against Tyndale for their New Living Translation.
What do these three publishers have in common? They all publish Bibles that, according to Fowler, intentionally cause “anyone who is a homosexual to endure verbal abuse, discrimination, episodes of hate, and physical violence… including murder.”
In each of the first two claims, Fowler specifically targeted the King James Version and the New King James Version alleging that the two publishers willfully misinterpreted religious documents using their own opinions for the purpose of denigrating gay men.
In the Old Testament, God committed His Word to His people Israel
Acts 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Romans 3:1-2 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
In the New Testament, God has established the church as the pillar and ground of the truth
1 Timothy 3:14-15 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
As churches we ought to be actively involved in the publishing of the Scriptures, and not allow the Philistines access to our swords!
