Sermons

When Voices Of Hope Evangelistic Team is ministering in Word and Song, their Fire Choir will sing several songs and then lead the Congregation in singing. Since that isn't possible on-line, please click here and may you be blessed by the song, "Victory In Jesus."

 ​​​​​​​​Principles of Victory
Exodus 17:8-13

I'd like you to turn to Exodus 17:8-13 and keep it opened there as we’ll be referring to it; and while you're turning, I want to tell you something about a church member that I have difficulty with. He's given me a lot of trouble, and he’s disappointed me many, many times. I have had to expend a lot of energy with this particular church member who frankly has given me much, much sorrow and heartache at times. His is name, is Terry Reamsnyder, the Reverend, the pastor, the man of God. You're looking at the guy who has given me a lot of trouble. Why? because my biggest enemy is my own self.

We have an enemy inside the fort called self. Sometimes the Bible calls that the old man. Sometimes the Bible calls that the flesh, but we're all in a battle.

You see, we have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. We're going to be talking about that center enemy, the flesh; and, when I'm talking about the flesh, I'm not talking about your material body; I’m not talking about your skin and bones. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. It is crafted by God, and it is to be wholly dedicated to Him.

When I'm talking about the flesh, I'm talking about the lower part of our nature that we inherited from our parents who got it from Adam. It is a disposition against the things of God. The Bible tells us, in Galatians 5:17, that "the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these two are contrary one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that ye would."

Now, what does that have to do with the 17th chapter of Exodus? Let me share with you a secret to understanding the Bible. While the Old Testament is history, it is more than history. I'm talking particularly of the coming of the Jewish nation out of Egypt through the wilderness and into Canaan. The Bible tells us, in 1 Corinthians 10:11, that "all of these things happened unto them for examples" to us.

This morning my prater is that we’re going to learn about the life of victory. Let’s begin with the fact that God has called us out of the world. At one time, the Jewish people were in Egypt, they were slaves. Egypt represented the world, but God called them out of Egypt.

Pharaoh was the king of Egypt; Pharaoh represents the devil. They were headed toward Canaan, a land of oil, and wine, and corn, and figs, and pomegranates, and milk, and honey, and rivers, and trees, and valleys, and hills, brass, and iron.

They were called to go into Canaan. What does Canaan represent? Not Heaven, Canaan, in the Bible represents victory. Canaan represents the Spirit-filled life—not in the sweet by-and-by, but in the nasty now-and-now, for we can have victory today and every day.

Let me go on a sidetrack for just a moment.

We find Moses and the people in the desert, but what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed and feeding 2 to 3 million people requires a lot of food. The people needed 2,000 tons -- four million pounds -- of food each day.

To bring that much food each day would require three freight trains each a mile long! In the desert they needed firewood to cook and keep warm. Each day this would take 4,000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long. Of course, they needed water. They are still in the place where God just provided water from a rock. If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11 million gallons each day.

Another thing: They had to get across the “Sea of Reeds" in one night. If they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So, there had to be an opening in the river 3 miles wide so that they could walk 5,000 abreast to get over in one night.

Each time they camped at the end of the day they needed a campground of about 750 square miles. Remember, they journeyed in the desert forty years.

Do you think Moses worked all this out before he left Egypt? No, Moses put his trust in God. God handled things every day for 40 years and we have trouble thinking God can’t handle our problems. “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Back to the message; so as Christians, we have come out of Egypt. We're coming through a wilderness, but we're headed toward Canaan; the fact is we ought to be there already. So, Canaan represents the Spirit-filled life, the victorious life. Egypt—the world; Pharaoh—the devil.

We're going to meet somebody in just a moment who represents the flesh—that member I've been having such difficulty with. I know that, if you're part of the family of God, you've been having the same difficulty.

I want to talk about principles of victory, and I want to talk about some Canaan conquest. I know there are some who have come out of Egypt but surely haven't gone into Canaan. They’ve simply been dunked into the desert."

I want to suggest how we can change our life from the monotonous to the momentous, from failure to victory; we can live in the Kingdom of God now. I'm talking about absolute truth—truth that the Bible teaches and that I have experienced in my own life.

Number one: You need to receive a gracious provision; and that provision is salvation. Now, go back, if you will, to the first verse of this chapter: "And all the congregation of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched their tents in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses,"—they scolded him—"and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do you tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?" (Exodus 17:1-3).

Some of us have been to this place. It is indeed a barren, and a desolate, and a dry place.

"And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go." Now, Moses had a rod that became a miraculous rod. "Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel" (Exodus 17:4-6).

I want us to get the picture. They're out there in the barren land; they're dying of thirst. And Moses says, "God, what shall I do?" God says, "Take the elders of Israel, and you take a rod, and you go to this rock, and with that rod you smite that rock; and, when you do, water will come from the rock." Did you ever try to get water from a rock? Water will come from that rock.

What is all of this about? This is a glorious illustration of our salvation. Remember in 1 Corinthians 10:11, the Bible says, "All these things happened for examples" 1 Corinthians 10:4—the Bible says, "And [they] did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

That rock pictures the Lord Jesus Christ; the Rock of ages, smitten for us.

Isaiah 53:4 says, "We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God." You see, Jesus, the Rock of ages, was smitten for us; and, because Jesus was smitten for us, out of His pierced side, came forth water. That water represents the Holy Spirit, which is the water of life.

Because the rock was smitten, so long ago, when Jesus hung in agony and bleeding upon that cross died. Our Rock died for us. Out of His side came that refreshment, that Holy Spirit that is in me, right now—in you, right now. Thank God for the blessed, precious Holy Spirit.

Anyone here thirsty? What you're thirsting for is Jesus. You'll never be satisfied; you'll never feel contentment, until you know the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank God for the smitten Rock.

So, the first thing, if you want to live a life of victory you must receive that gracious provision, salvation.

Number two: You must realize a grand purpose; being redeemed (saved) is wonderful, but God has more—much much more—for you. You see, God's plan for His people was not merely that they come out of Egypt and go into the wilderness; God's plan for His people was that they go into the land of Canaan.

I'm not talking about pie in the sky; I'm talking about victory, right now. God brought them out, that He might bring them in.

You're in Exodus 17; turn to Exodus 13. Just go back just a couple of chapters, and look with me, in verse 3: "And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt..."-underscore that phrase- "out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into” Notice He brought you out, that He might bring you in—"bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee,"—now, watch—"a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And thou shalt shew thy son in that day,"—notice "in that day"—"saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt" (Exodus 13:3-8).

What's all this saying? God says, "Look, I brought you out, that I might bring you in." Now, God says, "When you get into the land,"— the land flowing with milk and honey—"then I want you to celebrate; I want you to keep the feast of the Passover. I want you to keep the feast of unleavened bread.

I want you to celebrate; and, when you celebrate the feast, your son's going to come to you, and your son's going to say, 'Dad, what does all this mean?' And you can tell your son, 'Son, we are celebrating what God did for us when God brought us out of Egypt and God brought us into this land.'"

Why is it that the devil has gotten and is getting the kids of the best families in our churches today? I'm talking about people who are faithful, people who sing in the choir, people who teach Sunday School, people who love God, people who are tithing, people who live clean lives; and yet, their kids, many times, are into drugs, won't come to church, are running with the wrong crowd—maybe growing into evil employers, politicians, etc. How

does that happen?

I know it's a complicated thing, and we can't put everybody in one category. But one reason that a lot of this happens is parents who have come out of Egypt, but they've never gone into Canaan; they've never shared and celebrated what God has brought them through.

Do you know what they ate in the wilderness? Manna. Do you know how long they ate it? Forty years. Manna was not meant to satisfy them; it was only meant to sustain them until they got into the land that flowed with milk, and honey, oil, and corn, and figs, and pomegranates.

It was only meant as a temporary food. They were only to spend a little time in the wilderness. They were to come out of Egypt, and they were to go to Canaan. But, because of their unbelief, they're going around, and around, and around in the desert, not believing God. They've come out of Egypt, but they've never gone into Canaan, they're in the wilderness.

Now, in that time—40 years—there were children born. Let's imagine a kid—he's 14 years of age; he's born in the wilderness. His parents have come out of Egypt, but he's a wilderness boy. He never says, "Mama, what's for breakfast?" He knows what's for breakfast: manna. He never says, "Mama, what's for lunch?" He knows what's for lunch: manna. He never says, "Mama, what's for supper?" He knows what's for supper: manna. He doesn't say, "Mama, what are we going to have tomorrow?" He knows what we're going to have tomorrow: manna, manna, manna, that's all the kid gets. Now, suppose they've decided they're going to celebrate there, in the wilderness. 

Remember, God says, in this passage, "You celebrate; you celebrate in the land—not in the wilderness. You don't have a lot to celebrate in the wilderness." 

Let’s suppose... There they are—the father sitting on a rock, the son sitting on a cactus. And, the father says, "We're going to have the feast of Passover."  "Dad, what are we doing?" He says, "We're celebrating, Son." Now remember, this kid has heard sermons about Canaan. That's all he's heard—just sermons about Canaan. But he's not seen Canaan; his parents are not living in Canaan; his parents are not living the victorious Spirit-filled life; they're not living in victory. 

All his parents are saying—they've come out of Egypt, but they've never come into Canaan—and they say, "Now, Son, we're celebrating!" He looks around.  "We're what?" A rattlesnake goes by. "What?" Sun is boiling. The tumbleweed is coming along. "What are we doing, Dad?" "Oh, Son, we're celebrating what God has done for us." 

He said, "Dad, don't you think it's about time we got back to Egypt—I mean, where there was fish, and garlic, and leeks, and melons, and fun? All we're doing out here is being dumped in the desert." 

I'm going to say, that's why the devil has gotten and is getting a lot of our kids, kids of good people: They have come out, but they've never gone in. They have never learned how-to live-in victory before their children, and their children know that their parents somehow are sincere, but they feel like they have just simply missed it.

Folks, God brought us out, that God might bring us in; and, if you have been one of those simply dumped in the desert, you have to understand, not only must you receive a gracious provision—salvation—but you must realize a grand purpose, which is victory that God has for you.

Here's the third thing: You must respect a grievous problem. There is a grievous problem. Go back to our text in Exodus 17—and, look in verse 8: "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel" (Exodus 17:8). What is Amalek? Who is Amalek? Amalek was a king, he was the grandson of Esau. And who was Esau? Esau was the man who sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.

Esau was a profane man. Esau sold his spiritual things for a bowl of stew; and then, he was more interested in the present than in the future, the material than the eternal, the things of the flesh, not the things of the Spirit. And, therefore, the Bible calls Esau, in Hebrews 12:16 "a profane person... who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright."

The Bible teaches, in Malachi, that God has a perpetual warfare declared upon Esau. Listen to this scripture: Malachi 1:1-4: "The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, we are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever."

What's God talking about? God is not talking about young Esau, when He says, "I hate Esau." He's talking about a whole nation. He's talking about the Edomites. He's not just talking about people of the flesh, and people in physical bodies. He's talking about a principle, and that principle is the flesh.

Amalek is the grandson of Esau. He is a part of that category of persons that God says, "I have a perpetual war with." What does Amalek represent? Amalek represents what all of us have in us, and it is the flesh. Say that word flesh. Say, "my flesh"—that's our enemy.

Remember I said I had a church member I have a lot of difficulty with? There's an Amalek in us; he's the grandson of Esau, and we have this. If you are taking notes put down, Romans 8:6, 7": "To be carnally minded"—that word carnally means "fleshly minded"—"is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."  

And then, Galatians 5:17: "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh." There is that principle that will come against you—the flesh.

You say, "Well, I'm over here in Egypt. I'm going to give my heart to Jesus Christ today. I'm going to get saved. I believe on Christ," and you give your heart to Jesus; and, as soon as you drink of that water, as soon as that Rock is smitten for you, as soon as that water comes to refresh you, then the Bible says, "Then came Amalek."

Immediately, when you come out of Egypt, the flesh comes—Amalek comes to say, "You are going no further. You are not going to get into Canaan": "Then came Amalek" (Deuteronomy 25:17-18 says, "He smote the hindmost of thee, when you were weak and faint." God will test us in our strongest point. The flesh will attack us in our weakest point to keep us from entering into Canaan.

How are we going to have victory—not over the world, not over the devil, but that internal enemy, the flesh? We all have that enemy with us, day by day.

Here's the next thing I want us to notice; you must remember a glorious principle. What is the principle? Look, if you will again, beginning in verse 9 of this chapter: "And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So, Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun" (Exodus 17:9-12).

The glorious principle: The victory is God-given. How am I going to overcome the old Terry, that church member that I have the most difficulty with—how am I going to overcome him? By rededicating my life, by struggling? No! There is a perpetual warfare. That flesh is in me, in you; and, when you get saved, the flesh is not eradicated. But thank God, we can have victory, and the victory is God-given.

God said, "Moses, you take that rod." Now remember, it was the rod of God; it represents the power of God. It was that rod that opened up the Red Sea. It was that rod that smote the rock and sent forth water—and the rod that led them out of bondage. The rod that led them out of barrenness now is the rod that is going to lead them in battle.

He says, "Take that rod; go up to the mountaintop; hold that rod up; and, when you hold that rod up, Amalek will be defeated."

Listen. The victory—the victory over Amalek, over our flesh—is a God-given victory. The Bible says, "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of your flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

If I've learned one thing in all my Christian life, it is that holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness. I'm not just playing with words. He does not say, "If you will not walk in the flesh, then you can walk in the Spirit." He doesn't say that. He says, "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."

I'm saying that the victory over our flesh is a God-given victory—that's the only way that you're going to come out of Egypt, through the wilderness, into Canaan, because there's an Amalek within you that stands against you to try to keep you from living in victory.

But thank God—hallelujah! Praise God there is a victory—when you take the rod of God, which is the Word of God, the power of God, the Spirit of God, and you hold that high. Now, that's the reason we need to pray one for another and help one another.

I come back to what the whole morning is about. We need to hold up one another's hands, because the victory is God-given. The victory won on the mountain, is realized in the valley. Oh, there's a battle! You can't just roll over and not get in the battle, but the battle is the Lord's.

You know what Aaron was? He was a priest. He represents prayer. Hur, who held up the hands of Moses—his name means "whiteness" or "purity." Purity and prayer—that's it—holding up the hands of a people of God. The victory is God-given.

You receive that provision, that salvation. You remember God's purpose—that is Canaan. You recognize a problem—that's the flesh. But then, you believe a principle—and that is, if we walk in the Spirit, we'll not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Let's pray, Father God, seal the message to our hearts. Lord, there's so much here. Lord, help us to understand it, and help us, moment by moment, and day by day, to walk in the Spirit, and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. In Jesus’ Name Amen.