M1077 – STEPS OF VICTORY: the PRAYER
14 Jan 2024
INTRO:
What we need to do when the enemy suddenly jumping in into our life?
How do we deal when we feel that life is not fair for us?
What is the best strategy to overcome this kind of problem, so that we can pass it on from generation to generation?
RECAP from last Sunday:
STEPS of VICTORY
# Take heed how you hear – listen carefully
# Listen & win – listen intentionally
# Listen every morning – listen faithfully
No one wants to hear about wars. However, believers must be always ready for wars because the devil is restless! And when the wars happen, we must be ready to get the victory!
1PETER 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
The story of victory in the book of Exodus will definitely help to overcome any kinds of wars that may interrupt the life of believers.
EXODUS 17
Victory over the Amalekites
8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.”
When the Israelites in the midst of their journey in the wilderness, out of nowhere the Amalekites came and fought them in Rephidim. There was no history nor background in the past that can justify this attack! It just happened! The believers must be ready as well for this kind of attack.
Amalek is the descendant of Esau. And by the meaning of its name, they were the dweller in a valley (BDB Dict.).
This was the first war for the generation of exodus, so practically they did not have any experience in this area, so did Moses. Somehow Moses remembered that the rod of God in his hand, the rod that already did lots of miracle in the process of exodus.
KELUARAN 17:8-9
8 Lalu datanglah orang Amalek dan berperang melawan orang Israel di Rafidim.
9 Musa berkata kepada Yosua: “Pilihlah orang-orang bagi kita, lalu keluarlah berperang melawan orang Amalek, besok aku akan berdiri di puncak bukit itu dengan memegang tongkat Allah di tanganku.”
PSALM 69
4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; They are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it.
This verse showed us another perspective of “Amalek”! David, and believers, may suffer from this kind of enemy, who hate us WITHOUT any cause! Even this kind not only happen once in our life, but it may also happen more than the hairs of our head!
MAZMUR 69
5 Orang-orang yang membenci aku tanpa alasan lebih banyak dari pada rambut di kepalaku; terlalu besar jumlah orang-orang yang hendak membinasakan aku, yang memusuhi aku tanpa sebab; aku dipaksa untuk mengembalikan apa yang tidak kurampas.
PSALM 38
19 Many have become my enemies without cause; those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good.
21 Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.
MAZMUR 38
20 Orang-orang yang memusuhi aku besar jumlahnya, banyaklah orang-orang yang membenci aku tanpa sebab;
21 mereka membalas yang jahat kepadaku ganti yang baik, mereka memusuhi aku, karena aku mengejar yang baik.
22 Jangan tinggalkan aku, ya TUHAN, Allahku, janganlah jauh dari padaku!
23 Segeralah menolong aku, ya Tuhan, keselamatanku!
Moses just remembered that he got the rod of God in his hand!
THE ROD OF GOD
It all started when God asked: What is that in your hand Moses? Then it became so attached with Moses as he learned that God can use even a very simple thing in his life and turn it out into God’s miraculous work to save his people.
It was God who taught Moses to lift up his rod when they faced a dead end at the Red Sea.
When this life gives you a lemon, just lift up the rod of God, lift up His name higher in your life!
EXODUS 4:2-3
2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
2 TUHAN berfirman kepadanya: “Apakah yang di tanganmu itu?” Jawab Musa: “Tongkat.”
3 Firman TUHAN: “Lemparkanlah itu ke tanah.” Dan ketika dilemparkannya ke tanah, maka tongkat itu menjadi ular, sehingga Musa lari meninggalkannya.
EXODUS 14:15-16
15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
16 But lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
15 Berfirmanlah TUHAN kepada Musa: “Mengapakah engkau berseru-seru demikian kepada-Ku? Katakanlah kepada orang Israel, supaya mereka berangkat. 16 Dan engkau, angkatlah tongkatmu dan ulurkanlah tanganmu ke atas laut dan belahlah airnya, sehingga orang Israel akan berjalan dari tengah-tengah laut di tempat kering.
EXODUS 17
10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
Held up his hand, to lift the rod of God prayer
God taught His people the power of prayer!
When the prayer was lifted up, we will prevail! But when we let it down, the enemy will prevail!
Prevail = prove more powerful or superior
The same thing also happen between the flesh and the spirit!
GALATIANS 5:16-18
16 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.
16 Maksudku ialah: hiduplah oleh Roh, maka kamu tidak akan menuruti keinginan daging.
17 Sebab keinginan daging berlawanan dengan keinginan Roh dan keinginan Roh berlawanan dengan keinginan daging–karena keduanya bertentangan–sehingga kamu setiap kali tidak melakukan apa yang kamu kehendaki.
18 Akan tetapi jikalau kamu memberi dirimu dipimpin oleh Roh, maka kamu tidak hidup di bawah hukum Taurat.
MATTHEW 26:41 – verse picture
41 Berjaga-jagalah dan berdoalah, supaya kamu jangan jatuh ke dalam pencobaan: roh memang penurut, tetapi daging lemah.”
EXODUS 17
12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Even though Moses invited Aaron and Hur to join the party up in the hill, somehow, they just being a spectator.
The same thing also happened to Jesus when Peter, John, and James also invited to come closer with Him in Gethsemane.
It could double the victory, even complete it strong, when they prayed together!
MATTHEW 18
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Truly, this is the power of Synergy – Lev.26:8!
THE EARLY CHURCH
Love To Pray Corporately
For so many times, the Bible mentioned how the early church love to pray corporately!
EXODUS 17
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”
This story of victory was written for a strong reason, so that it is become a memorial (memento)!
EXODUS 17
15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner;
16 for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
JEHOVAH NISSI – The Lord Our Banner
This is also called: JEHOVAH NISSI.
We lift up His name higher and even higher!
This is the promise from God from generation to generation.
Also, this must be a part of the life of believers from generation to generation.
nês
BDB Definition:
1) something lifted up, standard, signal, signal pole, ensign, banner, sign, sail
1a) standard (as rallying point), signal
1b) standard (pole)
1c) ensign, signal
STEPS of VICTORY
Pray like Moses – pray confidently
Pray like the trio – pray corporately
Pass it on from generation to generation – pray continually
SONG:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full, in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace