Warrior King. 20/12/20
I. Born a Warrior king
1. Jesus…a Warrior King is Born
o Mat 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
Mat 2:2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
Mat 2:3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
o Christmas people love to picture baby in manger….innocent , harmless, helpless
Jesus born a King…..
Sign on the cross when He died…Jesus of Nazareth…King of the Jews
o When Jesus returns He will come as a Warrior King to conquer and to rule the earth
o Rev 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
2. What is a King?......
o A King is a person who rules and has dominion over a territory, His will is done
A King is not voted in …He rules by right of who He is
Royalty entered the earth, …..clothed in the character of the Kingdom of God……humility
Jesus was born a Warrior King
3. What is a Warrior?...
o A warrior is a person engaged in a warfare, a conflict, a struggle, a cause
Jesus was born a Warrior King…….
Jesus came to engage in warfare against hidden spirit beings who had conquered, ruled, destroyed people
o 1Jn 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
o His birth into the world initiated a clash of Kingdom
o “Herod the King was troubled”……….agitated, struck with fear and distress
4. Every person who enters this world is born into a place of spiritual warfare and conflict, hidden spirit beings
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand
o God is looking for warriors He can raise up to become deliverers…set others free from captivity
God always looks to raise up a deliverer in families…
o What is a Deliverer?
o A deliverer is one who sets others free from Captivity……..Jesus life mission!
A deliverer overcomes hidden familiar spirits that imprison generations of a family line
o God is looking for Forerunners…….ones who will arise and go ahead of others…Warrior Kings
II. The Story of Gideon ( Jud.6-7)
1. Fresh Encounter with God
o Jdg 6:11 Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
Jdg 6:12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
Jdg 6:13 Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."
Jdg 6:14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"
o What is an Encounter?....
o An Encounter is a personal experience of a face to face meeting, meet with a person
We need to encounter, experience the presence and power of the Spirit of God daily
All men that God used to bring change had encounters, experiences of God
How does an Encounter with God impact you?
(i). A New Impartation of Spiritual life
§ All encounters with the Spirit of God cause an impartation of the life of God to us
§ Our spirit is energised and awakened to spiritual realities
§ A fresh hunger for God is awakened within us
(ii). A New Awareness of the presence of God with you
Jdg 6:12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
§ God is with you…The almighty powerful most High God is with you
§ You are not alone…not an orphan
§ Jesus……..Emanuel God is with us
(iii). A New awareness of your true identity…Who you really are
Jdg 6:12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
Gideon:….”Warrior”, One who cuts down the enemy
“Mighty man”…..strong and mighty champion, a warrior
“Valour”……………strength, military capacity, force, power, riches
§ People see you through a filter of your past or present life or circumstances
§ God sees you through the filter of His purpose and destiny
§ God speaks forth your identity and destiny
§ How do you see yourself?...Do you agree with God? …Do you agree with evil spirits that oppress and torment your mind?
§ God sees us as mighty men of valor….champions that He is raising up for a purpose
§ Jesus….Saviour….one who saves, heals, delivers and rescues from every situation
(iv). A New Awareness of the Calling and Purpose of God upon your life
Jdg 6:14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"
“you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"
§ God reaches to every generation to raise up those who will follow Him and become deliverers
§ Every generation needs its own encounter…every generation needs deliverers
§ “You shall save”…………...God never does anything on earth without a person to work through
§ “Have I not sent you”……God calls people and then He sends them to a territory and people
§ You are to live life intentionally as one sent by God with an assignment
§ People without purpose waste their opportunities and try to fill the emptiness
§ We were made to live with a sense of purpose and destiny…as Warrior Kings
§ Jesus….lived out of purpose and destiny….”come to seek and save that which was lost”
2. Build an Altar to the Lord
o Jdg 6:23 Then the LORD said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."
Jdg 6:24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
o What is an Altar?
§ A place or platform dedicated for sacrifice or service to a superior being…God or evil spirits
§ A meeting place between the physical and the spiritual world
§ A gateway into the invisible realm of the spirit
§ A place of exchange ….something is sacrificed, or given in exchange for something received
§ What makes an altar powerful is not what it is made of but the quality of the sacrifice that is offered on the altar
§ The sacrifice is a trade, an exchange, an agreement established with a spirit being
o How does this relate to Us today?
§ Altars are built in the heart of man
§ Either God or Idols are worshipped in the heart of man
§ Whatever or whoever we worship will shape who we become …we become like them
o Two Types of Altars
(i). Godly altars are places where people engage with the Spirit of God
§ Godly altars appear all through the Bible. Men who loved and served God built altars
§ Godly altars were raised in thanksgiving, praise or as an act of covenant with God
§ What makes an altar powerful is not what it is made of but the quality of the sacrifice that is offered on the altar…not what is offered but why it is offered
§ When people offered sacrifices to God he responded with Fire from Heaven
§ 1Ch 21:24 Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing."
1Ch 21:25 So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
1Ch 21:26 And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.
§ The only place the Fire of God fell in OT and NT was on and altar and sacrifice
§ Whenever there was a godly altar and costly sacrifice the presence and blessing of God came upon the people and they walked in victory over their enemies
o Jesus was a Living Altar, a LivingSacrifice
§ Jesus heart became an altar or place of meeting with God
Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Jesus whole life was lived as a sacrifice to God.
Love is not selfish or self-centered…serving self…it gives and gives and gives
Jesus gave His life to fulfill the call and purpose of God
§ Jesus heart was fully committed to Love Father God and please Him
o Jesus cross became the altar, or place of meeting with God
§ Heb 10:9 then He said, "BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD." He takes away the first that He may establish the second.
Heb 10:10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Heb 10:12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
Heb 10:13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.
§ Jesus gave His life upon the cross
He gave His own life as a sacrifice for us, an act of selfless love
§ The offering of Christ own life on the cross has become the most powerful sacrifice ever.
o Our heart is the place that we build a godly altar to the Lord where we meet God
§ It is from our heart that we offer sacrifices of praise , thanks , and surrender to God
§ All revivals in the Bible began with the repairing of the altar and coming to peace again with God
§ Jdg 6:24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace
§ Jesus is the Prince of Peace……the presence of Jesus brings peace to the heart
(ii). Evil Altars are places where people engage with evil spirits
§ Ungodly or evil altars also appear in the Bible.
§ An evil altar is a place where people come into agreement with sin or evil, and with evil spirits
§ Men who rejected God built altars to idols
§ An idol is a substitute for God. Physical idols were connection points for evil spirits
§ 1Co 10:19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?
1Co 10:20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.
1Co 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons
§ Behind every idol is a demonic spirit seeking to oppress and cause us to suffer great loss and defeat in life
§ Fellowship with demons?
“Fellowship”……to share with intimately, to become and associate or companion with
People can enter fellowship with demons, become influenced and controlled by their evil and ungodly thoughts and influences
§ When we listen and respond to the voices of demonic spirits we have fellowship with them
§ Whenever there is an evil altar and sacrifice(exchange), demonic spirits would enter and oppress the people, and they suffered under hard bondage
Jdg 6:2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.
Jdg 6:3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
Jdg 6:4 Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.
Jdg 6:5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.
Jdg 6:6 So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
§ Midian….strife, contention, pride
§ Israel impoverished….living in fear, shame, oppressed, sowing but never reaping
§ The altars we build in our heart and lives, open the door either for blessing or bondage
§ Repeated sin becomes an ongoing sacrifice in the altar of our heart to evil demonic spirits
We exchange peace and blessing for strife and suffering and become spiritually and relationally impoverished and oppressed
(iii). The idols most people serve today are found in their heart
§ Some people build literal evil altars to demons and engage them intentionally (witchcraft)
§ However, many people build evil altars in their hearts by responding to sin and engage demons unknowingly
§ Repeated sin opens the door of their life to evil spirits and creates evil altars
§ We are called to become the temple of the living God…a dwelling place for the Spirit of God
§ Our heart becomes the altar within the temple where we hold affections and attachments and make decisions
§ What idols are you serving in your heart?
§ What spirits are you having fellowship with?...listening to their thoughts and being influenced by them?
§ Fear….greed….lust…pornography….poverty….pride…bitterness…envy…selfishness….control….violence..
§ The list of idols people serve in their heart is endless
§ We sacrifice to idols when we exchange the freedom and blessing of God for sin and selfishness….false comforts and substitutes for the Living God
§ Jesus message was “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”
Jesus ministry was to deliver , to set people free bondage to sin and demonic spirits
§ Jesus came to tear down evil altars and repair the altar of the Lord..…true worship in spirit and truth
3. Tear Down Evil Altars
o Jdg 6:25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;
Jdg 6:26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down."
Jdg 6:27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
o God wants to raise up deliverers in families
§ Gideons father was a priest for the altar of Baal and the grove of Ashtoreth
§ These were the fertility gods of Canaan that God wanted destroyed because of demonic defilement and destruction that they caused
§ The nation was impoverished and in bondage to the demons and the people who conquered them
§ Gideon was the son of the high priest but secretly dreamed of the miracles of God and of freedom
§ Many families are held in bondage to evil spirits that have entered their family bloodline generations ago because of their ancestors actions
§ Many people struggle with long-standing families bondages
§ God wants to raise up Gideon…warriors, champions, deliverers who will tear down evil altars and build altars to the Lord
o God called Gideon to overthrow the altar and sacrifices of his family
§ You can never be free of something you allow to remain attached to in your heart
§ Before you can bring freedom to others thoughts must overcome evil altars in own life
o Gideon was terrified of the reaction that this would cause …nevertheless he obeyed
§ Whenever you confront an evil altar those who serve that altar will react
Jdg 6:29 So they said to one another, "Who has done this thing?" And when they had inquired and asked, they said, "Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing."
Jdg 6:30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image beside it”
§ People who are in bondage to an idol will react with anger when it is confronted.
§ Their hidden hatred and the spirit of murder will manifest
Eg. Moses and Pharaoh
Eg. Elijah with Jezebel
Eg. Jesus with the Pharisees
Eg. Paul and the silversmiths at Ephesus
Eg. Voicing a Biblical view regarding abortion, homosexuality,
§ Even though Gideon was afraid he obeyed the Lord and tore down the altar of Baal in his family and community
o How to Tear Down an Evil Altar
§ Recognize the evil activity that has been continued through the family line, the false god that has been served
Eg. Every evil fruit will have an evil root
Eg. Alcohol, addiction, divorce, bitterness, lust, pride, envoy, gossip, selfishness, control, prejudice, poverty….
§ Bring that sin to the Cross of Jesus Christ in repentance and confession
§ Forgive those who initiated this altar
§ Break all agreements with that altar and the spirit that is behind it
§ Proclaim that the Blood of Jesus has broken this bondage and command all spirits attached to that sin to depart
4. Build an Altar to God in your Heart: Surrender Life to the Call of God
o Jdg 6:25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;
Jdg 6:26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down."
§ Following this act off tearing down the altar of Baal and building an altar to the Lord the anointing or fire of God fell upon Gideon and he surrendered to the call of God
§ Gideon then mobilized the nation to overthrow their enemies
Note: “the second bull of seven years”
The people had been in bondage for seven years to the Midianites
The bull that would be their sin offering was prepared by God before the bondage to sin began
§ Jesus was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world(Rev.13:8)…God’s prepared remedy
The second bull was key to tearing down the altar of Baal
The second bull was the key the acceptable offering to the Lord
Jesus Himself is seen in Gideon’s Story
§ Gideon’s life had a bigger purpose in God’s eternal plan
§ Gideon is Prophetic of Jesus the true Warrior King to come to save the world
· Born a Warrior King
· Encountered the Holy Spirit. Luk.3
· Built an altar …fasting, prayer to the Lord…Luk.4
· Tore down the altar of Baal…overthrew the religious traditions, and set people free
· Built an altar to the Lord….The cross
· Through His death Jesus has mobilized people in every generation to become deliverers and overthrow their spiritual enemies
o Your life is not all about you…it is about God’s Eternal purpose being fulfilled in the earth
Response
o Is there an Evil Altar in your life you need to tear down?
o Do you need to build a new altar of dedication to The Lord
§ Build a personal altar?
§ Build a family altar?
o You are called to be a deliverer, a valiant warrior who will set others free
II. Questions for Personal Reflection and Application
1. What did the Holy Spirit speak to you about during this teaching session?
2. Why do you think Herod the king was troubled at hearing the news of jesus birth?
3. In what ways do you think the clash of invisible Kingdoms is experienced in life?
4. In what ways do encounters with God impact our lives?
5. How have you been impacted by a personal experience or encounter with the Holy Spirit/
6. What does it mean to have an idol in your heart?
7. How do people build altars in their heart that opens the doors to evil spirits?
8. Why is there so big a reaction when Gideon tore down the evil family altar?
9. In what ways does your family background have evil altars that produce destructive behaviours?
10. How can you tear down those altars and idols and build a different future?