Do you know to recognize and deal with spiritual attack? This episode introduces the reality of spiritual warfare with a reminder to be aware and on the offense for Jesus!

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Song Lyrics

Verse 1:

Sound the battle cry! See! the foe is nigh; Raise the standard high For the Lord; Gird your armour on, Stand firm every one; Rest your cause upon His holy word.

Verse 2:

Strong to meet the foe, Marching on we go, While our cause we know Must prevail; Shield and banner bright Gleaming in the light; Battling for the right We ne’er can fail.

Verse 3:

Oh! thou God of all, Hear us when we call, Help us one and all By thy grace; When the battle’s done, And the vict’ry won, May we wear the crown Before thy face.

Refrain:

Rouse then, soldiers! rally round the banner! Ready, steady, pass the word along; Onward, forward, shout aloud Hosanna! Christ is captain of the mighty throng.

Scripture References

1 Peter 5:8-11 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 8:28-34; 9:32-34; 12:22-23; 17:14-21

Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 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. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Psalm 3:1-6 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. 3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

Psalm 18:1-3, 30-35 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. ... 30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? 32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

Psalm 84:9-12 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. 10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Ezekiel 22:29-31 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. 30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. 31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

John 12:12-19 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. 14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, 15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. 16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. 17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. 18 For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.

Revelation 7:9-12 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Mark 16:14-15 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Research Resources

Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs by Melody Publications (#730)

The Cyber Hymnal (accessed July 29, 2024)

Today we're considering the topic of spiritual warfare as

2

we look at the song entitled Sound

the Battle Cry by William Sherwin.

3

Sound the battle cry.

4

See the foe is nigh.

5

Raise the standard high for the Lord.

6

Gird your armor on, stand firm, every one.

7

Rest your cause upon his holy word.

8

Strong to meet the foe, marching on we go.

9

While our cause we know must prevail.

10

Shield and banner bright,

gleaming in the light.

11

Battling for the right we ne'er can fail.

12

O thou God of all, hear us when we

call, help us one and all by thy grace.

13

When the battle's done and

the victory won, may we wear

14

the crown before thy face.

15

Rouse then, soldiers.

16

Rally round the banner.

17

Ready, steady, pass the word along.

18

Onward, forward, shout aloud, Hosanna!

19

Christ is captain of the mighty throng.

20

William F.

21

Sherwin spent some time working at the New

England Conservatory of Music and taught

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singing in multiple different states.

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He also spent time as a musical editor

and holds at least 58 works to his name.

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He is another character that has

evaded my research resources.

25

So let's focus on the powerful emphasis

of this song as we examine three

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steps for gaining spiritual victory.

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First off, we need to

recognize that we are in a war.

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Recognize that there is an enemy.

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The song perfectly demonstrates

this with the first line.

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Sound the battle cry.

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See the foe is nigh.

32

The Bible tells us be sober, be

vigilant because your adversary,

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the devil, as a roaring lion walketh

about seeking whom he may devour.

34

Unfortunately, most of us live as if life

is just a thing that we have to make up.

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We just have to trailblaze our own path

and we acknowledge that God is real and

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he has a plan for us, but we often so

easily forget that there is also an enemy.

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Satan doesn't play by

any particular rules.

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He only is limited by what God

forces him to be limited by.

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And if given the opportunity, he

will, in an instant, devour you.

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But God doesn't stop there.

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He goes on to say, Whom resist steadfast

in the faith, knowing that the same

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afflictions are accomplished in

your brethren that are in the world.

43

This reminds us that we

are together in this fight.

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It is a war, not a one on one.

45

All of who God is and what he stands

for and what he loves is against

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all of who Satan is and everything

that he desires and hates.

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Let me just tell you, if you are like the

vast majority of Christians, particularly

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in America, this reality hasn't hit you.

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We see in the Bible through the

gospels dozens of times where it

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is referenced that Jesus frequently

cast out demons, demonic influence

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directly in people's lives.

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We tend to overlook the

underlying truth revealed by this.

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Demons are real.

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They're granted power and they're active

in influencing and hurting people's lives.

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Modern technology has not

rendered them obsolete.

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So what has happened?

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They haven't simply disappeared.

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Instead, their methods are perhaps

more subtle than some of the things

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demonstrated in scripture, and we tend

to just dismiss every unfortunate event

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as natural causes, or we ignore them.

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Do you really think it's a coincidence

that your family is always more at

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each other's throats on Sundays?

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Why the ride to church always seems

extra tense or full of arguments?

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Why you suddenly feel so sleepy

when the preaching starts?

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Why little comments by church

members offend you more than the

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same treatment from coworkers?

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This is satanic attack.

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I could spend all day giving you specific

examples, but instead let me give you

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the all encompassing principle instead.

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Where God is trying to work, Satan

is using his forces to fight back.

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It's a guarantee.

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And since the devil's power is in

fact limited, He focuses the majority

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of his influence where God's work is

greatest and where it is just beginning.

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He can't let people return to

God and live for him unchallenged

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because of his hate for God.

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So he destroys God's work before it

really takes root in someone's heart,

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or else hinders it as much as he can

while God is perfecting a Christian.

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Step one in this battle

of spiritual warfare is to

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recognize that we have an enemy.

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Step number two is to

look to God for strength.

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We are not meant to live and

fight against Satan in our power.

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That would be silly.

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We are meant to look to

God for his strength.

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Oh, thou God of all, hear us and

help us by thy grace, the song says.

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Gird your armor on and stand firm.

86

I love the passage in Ephesians.

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Finally, my brethren, be strong

in the Lord, not in your own power

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and in the power of his might.

89

Put on the whole armor of God, not the

armor of self discipline, not the armor

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of man's thinking and self help books.

91

Put on the whole armor of God that ye

may be able to stand against the wiles

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of the devil, For we wrestle not against

flesh and blood, but, he goes on to say,

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against the rulers of the darkness of this

world, and against spiritual wickedness.

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This battle is one that is primarily

spiritual, with some physical elements

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to it, not the other way around.

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And the armor, the strength, the

defense that we're to look to,

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comes from God, not ourselves.

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God is our shield.

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I'll put more of some of my favorite

verses from the Bible that discuss these

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things in the show notes for you, but

let me give you an excerpt from Psalm 18.

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The Lord is my rock and my fortress and

my deliverer, my God, my strength in

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whom I will trust, my buckler and the

horn of my salvation and my high tower.

103

I will call upon the Lord

who is worthy to be praised.

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So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

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Oh, do you see the emphasis?

106

As you read through Psalms, you

see it over and over and over.

107

In the midst of good times and emotional

turmoil, the psalmist is always led to a

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point of looking to God for protection.

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Rock, fortress, deliverer,

strength, salvation, high tower.

110

This is just in a few verses

of one particular psalm.

111

It goes on to say, Thou hast also

given me the shield of Thy salvation,

112

and Thy right hand hath holden me up,

and Thy gentleness hath made me great.

113

We cannot rely on ourselves or

even each other for ultimate

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protection, strength, and defense.

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That comes from God.

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And yes, God goes on to use people

around us to build us up, but it's always

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to build us up in the things of God.

118

Proverbs says, every word of God is pure.

119

He, he is a shield unto them

that put their trust in him.

120

Add thou not unto his words lest he

reprove thee and thou be found a liar.

121

We've talked about the importance and

the perfection of God's word before,

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but here we also see it doesn't even

say that God's word is our shield.

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Some people think that the Bible is used

as a means of throwing out verses to

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defend yourself whenever somebody says

anything that you feel is not okay.

125

But the word itself isn't even the shield.

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God is the shield.

127

It is his word that we look

to, to learn about him.

128

But he is the one who provides

the protection, not us where we

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just willy nilly swing his word

around to try to protect ourselves.

130

Notice this about the armor of God.

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Unlike in our physical warfare

today, there is no point where you

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are supposed to take that armor off.

133

Ordinarily, when a soldier

comes home, he gets to relax.

134

He gets to take his armor off.

135

He gets to stop thinking about the enemy.

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And unfortunately, that's not

how this spiritual warfare works.

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In fact, Satan is going to

attack at home more than he's

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going to attack in other places.

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while home is a place where you can

physically and mentally relax in

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different ways, it is also a place

where you must be most on guard.

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Because if Satan can tear apart

your family, you're not going to

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be an effective servant for God at

work, at church, or anywhere else.

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And as we do so, again, we look to God

for strength to deal with this real enemy.

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And then step three, It's not that we're

supposed to stand still and do nothing.

145

We are to press forward for God's cause.

146

The song tells us, raise the

standard high for the Lord, rest your

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cause upon His holy word, battling

for the right we ne'er can fail.

148

See, God is sovereign and

purpose Comes from God.

149

People try to make up their own purpose.

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They try to find their own way

in life that will be fulfilling.

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But if you're not doing what God

made you to do, then you're not

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going to reach maximum fulfillment.

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You might get some temporary pleasure or

a kick out of achieving certain things.

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But if you aren't fulfilling God's

purpose, which is the one you

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were made for, what are you doing?

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What is your life worth if at the

end of it, all you've done is pleased

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yourself instead of the one who made you?

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Strong to meet the foe, marching on we

go while our cause we know must prevail.

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The wicked flee when no man pursueth,

but the righteous are bold as a lion.

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This is not a instance where we are merely

to be on the defense, but on the offense.

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God's word is the sword of the spirit.

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That's a weapon.

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We're to go on the attack

against the wiles of the devil.

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We're to fight back for God's

kingdom, to take ground for his name.

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And when the battle's done and

the victory won, we may wear

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the crown before his face.

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Oh, I hope you look forward to that

day when the battle will be over, the

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war will be over, And if you've trusted

Jesus for salvation, even when you've

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messed up in the battles on earth,

you'll get to enjoy his presence forever.

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The refrain says, rouse, then

soldiers rally around the

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banner, shout aloud, Hosanna.

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Why?

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Because Christ is captain

of the mighty throng.

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This harks back to Palm Sunday.

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Here is John's account

from John chapter 12.

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When they heard that Jesus was

coming to Jerusalem, they took

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branches of palm trees and went

forth to meet him and cried, Hosanna,

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blessed is the king of Israel that

cometh in the name of the Lord.

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Now, unfortunately it would not be

long before these very same people,

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instead of crying out Hosanna would

cry out, crucify him, crucify him.

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But at this point they're welcoming

Christ as the king of Israel.

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And that should be our goal to be

ready, prepared for when Jesus comes

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back, that we may welcome him as King.

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We rally together because he

is the captain of our group.

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Did you know the Bible teaches

that in heaven one day there

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will be a great multitude of

saints that cannot be numbered?

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the question is, will

you be in that group?

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Are you going to be in heaven one day?

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Did you know It has actually

nothing to do with how good

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you are, with how effective you

are in this spiritual battle?

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It has everything to do with what Christ,

our captain has already done for us.

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Jesus, God came in the flesh, lived the

perfect life that we could not live, gave

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his life for us, dying to pay for the sin,

past, present, and future of all mankind,

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and then rose again, proving that he was

God and offering us this gift of eternal

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life, welcoming us into his family and

into his army and giving us purpose.

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So many people try to find their own way.

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And Jesus says that wide is the way that

leadeth to destruction, but narrow is

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the way that leads to everlasting life.

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The narrow way isn't narrow

because it's hard to find.

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It's narrow because there is

only one way, and that is Jesus.

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He said, I am the way,

the truth, and the life.

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No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

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This was not a cocky statement.

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This was actually a loving statement.

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He was making it obvious.

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There is no other way and you

need not seek for any other way.

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You need only to go to him.

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.

And Jesus welcomes you regardless of what kind of life you've lived.

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He welcomes you to come to him,

just admitting that you're a

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sinner, not swearing that you're

going to be perfect for the rest of

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your life, but recognizing that you

have disobeyed God, you're guilty.

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You deserve the punishment for

that, but he is the solution.

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He took that punishment for you.

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He loves you unconditionally..

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And so he asks you to come

to him for salvation so that

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you can be with him forever.

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A lot of people think, well, I'm

not into trying to do what God says

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or really paying attention to the

Bible, but I'm also not a bad person.

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I'm pretty nice.

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Did you know that Jesus says he

that is not with me is against me.

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There is no middle ground.

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There is no neutral zone in this war.

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If you are not on the side of

Jesus Christ, you're driving

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a tank for the other side.

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You are with Satan for Satan's cause,

whether you see it that way or not.

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Whosoever therefore will be a friend

of the world is the enemy of God.

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You know, I was there once.

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I was an enemy of God, lost

in my sin, doing my own thing.

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And finally, one day, I came

to understand the truth of

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who Jesus is and what he did.

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By no merit of my own, I

received him and therefore I

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know I am on the cause of right.

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I am able to look to God for strength,

not because I've created a special

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relationship with him, but because he has

given me a special relationship with him.

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Will you step out in faith for his cause?

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The song says pass the word along.

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Before Jesus said go ye into all

the world and preach the gospel

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to every creature, He first had

to rebuke them because of their

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unbelief and hardness of heart.

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Even if you're a believer, you know,

it is so easy for your heart to be

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hardened and to forget about the cause

of what God is doing in this world.

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Let us first accept him as savior

and then go on to live for him, not

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to earn heaven, but so that we can

tell other people about heaven and

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better yet about the God of heaven.

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We're in a real spiritual warfare.

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We need to recognize we have an enemy.

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We need to look to God for strength,

and in doing so, press forward,

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not for our name, but for His

cause, His glory, His kingdom.

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I hope this challenges you, not

just this week, but for the rest

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of your life, that you'll be

determined to fight for God's side.

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Thank you for listening to this episode

of Understanding Hymns for Everyday Life.

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If you didn't see the announcement

there's a survey that you can click

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on in the show notes that will help

you shape the future of this show.

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There's only a few questions and you

can answer as many or as few as you like.

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What that will do is tell me what

you're most interested in, and

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help me craft these episodes to be

something that's more beneficial for

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you and your spiritual walk with God

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Thank you for listening and for praying

for me with the recovery of my hand.

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I still have multiple weeks of

recovery left, but God has been good.

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My hand is recovering as it should And

I hope that we'll go on together to

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serve him even better See you next time