Victory Over Failure: Embracing God's Grace and Identity

Ephesians chapter 6 if you go there in your Bible and hold it there and numbers chapter 22 in the Old Testament we're going to take a look at heavens view I promise you were going to sing again after this there's a joy here today because the Lord knew what he was going to speak to your heart and it's his delight to rejoice over us so father I thank you with all of my heart today for truth truth Lord that sets us free the entrance of which your Bible tells us your word tells us it gives light gives life gives Direction gives hope breathes Lord into those places where we have sometimes lived in repeated failure. [00:41:51]

Ephesians 6 tells us that Satan and his forces approached us with Wiles which means deceptive suggested suggestions which really mean that try to convince us that these thoughts and these voices are coming from a heavenly vantage point implying that God sees our failure exactly as they do and as sometimes we feel that he does and trying to bring us to an agreement that our lives are of no value to the kingdom of God will never amount to anything will never accomplish anything that that the purposes of God will never be made known through us we will always be marginalized and small and defeated and hanging our heads and living in the dust as it is this is what the devil will do everything in his power to try to convince you that you are. [00:06:03]

now in numbers chapter 22 we have a classic we have an actual textbook case of what spiritual warfare in heavenly places looks like I want to begin it in chapter 22 at verse 1 to verse 6 it says then the children of Israel moved and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho now they've had their victory of course and they're on their journey now balak the son of zippor saw that saw all that Israel had done to the amorite s-- in other words this king this evil king he knew the history of these people the devil knows the history of the church do you know that he's been around when nations have bent their knee to God he's been around when Esther approached the throne of the king and and through his decree of death to the wind he's been around when Gideon heard from God and in his poverty stood up and set his camp of a hundred on three different mountains and overcame a hundred and thirty-five thousand warriors that he was sending in to devour the nation of Israel the devil knows he's been around longer than you and I and as evil king says he he understands the history of the people of God and Moab this is where he dwelt was exceedingly afraid of the people because there were many and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel that's why the Apostle James says the devil's believe and tremble there's a fear in the hosts of evil because they know something about you and I that off times we don't and they live whole day with the accuser of the Brethren trying to get us into a place where their cursings towards us take away our strengthen and causing us to forget who we are why we are left on the earth and the incredible power that is resident within us because they know the Spirit of God has taken up his abode inside our physical bodies that's why the Devils tremble they tremble because they know that maybe somebody somewhere in some generation in some city is going to figure that out I have the Living God inside this body and where he caused me to go I will go and what he gives me to do shall be done and there's no power of Hell that can stand against it oh yes they were there they heard the commission of Christ when he said go heal the sick cast out Devils they understand the power the church has sometimes we forget. [00:07:04]

now they even in their wickedness are where of how powerful the people of God are I want you to catch this I want you to catch this we're we're living at a time when drunkenness and immorality and lies and incivility and division and violence seems to be dominating our society it looks like darkness is winning the day but they are still aware every power and principality of hell is aware and afraid of you as the people of God the question now is are we aware of who we are were they aware of how God viewed them or were they so troubled by their own weakness that they had forgotten who they were it's an incredible thought it's an incredible thought that where they saw an agreement with this cursing that's coming from this evil place it's coming from a place of spiritual wickedness in high places it's coming from a place of those who feel that they have the power through their speech to curse the people of God and to cause them to come into agreement with their assessment of them that's why we fight in our mind so hard in this generation that's why the sudden random thoughts come into your mind and into your heart just throughout the day accusing you of failure accusing you of of falling so short of what God would have you reminding you of every wrong word every wrong deed every wrong thought every wrong thing to beat you down and beat you down and to come under the curse that the devil himself is under he's eternally cursed he wants you just to share it for a little a little while. [00:13:05]

and so now in numbers chapter 23 in verse 7 you should read this when you get home because you're gonna love this in this context when you read all of this particular book of the Old Testament verse 3 says so Balaam said to Balak this is the first opportunity now to curse the people of God stand by your burnt offering and I will go perhaps the Lord will come to meet me and whatever he shows me I will tell you so he went to a desert hi that's where the devil lives by the way in an empty barren desolate place the Lord comes to Balaam and tells him as I told you earlier you will only and he doesn't more than once you will only speak what I give you now from this verse from this very first place it said in verse chapter 23 verse 7 Balak the king of bob has brought me from Arum from the mountains of the east come cursed jacob for me and come denounce israel verse 8 here's what he says how shall i curse from god is not cursed how shall i denounce whom the Lord has not denounced from the top of the rocks I see him and from the hills I behold him there a people dwelling alone not reckoning itself among the nations who can count the dust of Jacob or number one-fourth of Israel let me die the death of the righteous and let my and be like his praise be to God now this is God now speaking this is God has taken over God has not allowed the devil to condemn the people of God God has said this is how I see these people and you're going to say what I say you're gonna see what I see you're gonna speak what I speak coming around the corners a lot of failures coming around the corners and people have they've not done everything almost anything right but I'll tell you one thing about these people whenever a line was drawn in the sand and the words were spoken who is on the Lord's side these are the people that stepped over the line and just kept going these are the people to just get out of the seat and keep going to the altar in spite of their failure I don't feel good about myself but I am on the Lord's side and the Lord I believe is on my side these are the people that just kept moving forward and God speaks through this prophet and says I see a people separated unto God not reckoned among the nations I see a people you need people a peculiar people call to show forth the light of God in the midst of darkness I see a people he says given to an unstoppable increase they were going to grow in the Grace and knowledge of Christ they're going to grow in number and nobody can stop it I see a people destined to be victorious no matter what anybody says. [00:23:32]

I see a people destined to be victorious no matter what anybody says then verse 13 he says well verse 11 Balak says the bill what have you done to me I took you to curse my enemies and look you blessed them bountifully and so he answered and said that's twenty-three twelve must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth then Balak said to him please come with me to another place from which you may see them you saw see only the outer part of them you shall not see them all and cursed them for me from there and other was ok you're looking at the big picture let's let's just look at like one little piece let's go to a place where ok I get the fact that that he's John and John and Joel and Jane and Jim we're all saved I get that I get that they're the people of God they're destined but but let's just look at this failure let's let's look at this one part of their life let's look at this area of weakness that's let's look at this thing that they are struggling with all the time and and seemingly even with a good heart they're not fully getting the victory yet let's look at it from Daron and maybe it'd be easier to curse them from there ok he says so he goes up again they offer a burnt offering to their their idolatrous worship and then it says in verse 18 he took up this Oracle and said rise up pay Lac and here listen to me son of the poor verse 19 of chapter 23 God is not a man that he should lie nor a son of man that he should repent has he said and he will not do or has he spoken and he will not make it good you remember Jesus said I will never leave you or forsake you I will never leave you you are sealed in my father's hand and nobody can take you out of the hand of my father there's no mountain there's no valley there's no wall there's no power there's no principality there's no angel in heaven there's nothing that can take you away from the love of God behold he says verse 20 I have received a command to bless he is blessed and I cannot reverse it he has not observed iniquity in Jacob nor has he seen wickedness in Israel how astounding that must have been these people are just to hold pack of failures a failed leader of failed people they've struggled they've they've but they've still going forward and how awesome it must have been for this man to say God does not see an equity in them God does not see wickedness and then the Lord his God is with him and the shout of a king is among them well they didn't have a king so what is the shout and why does the King shouting the only shout I can think of is going to be a few years down the road when the son of God with a voice so loud that a Centurion said this surely is the son of God said it is finished it's finished the reign of hell is over the power of the wicked one is destroy I have taken captivity captive and I have given gifts unto men I ever declared Unitas I see no iniquity but I hear this child of the king Oh God oh god help us to get this in our heart God brings them out of Egypt he has trans like a wild ox God will not help his people live in captivity they will not be dominated by fallen man no matter how powerful fallen men think they are for there is no sorcery against jacob nor any divination against israel it must now be said of Jacob and of Israel oh what God has done there's nobody can curse you there's no voice of Allah can condemn you there's no power of evil that could triumph over you and may it be said in your life and mine oh look what God has done look what God has done look he says in verse 24 our people Rises like a lioness and lifts itself up like a lion it shall not lie down until it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain this people are going to go from strength to strength no power of hell is going to stop them and they will rise with the strength of a lion inside of them and they will experience the victory glory beads of God glory be to God. [00:31:29]

I see a kingdom that's going to be exalted through the people of God I see the Lord lifted up through your life through you I see God lifted up the devil tried to convince you that because of your past failures only a wasteland ahead of you just squeak out in existence and just try to kind of crawl over the finish line into heaven don't ever think you're going to amount to anything he tries to get you to agree that that's the way God sees you God says no I don't see you that way at all I see a kingdom that I have established inside of you rising up and rising through you I see God bringing you Balaam said out of Egypt I see the Lord delivering you this last state church and we're part of out of all captivity I see God again God again calling telling the devil himself let my people go that they may serve me I see the strength of God I see God consuming the nation's his enemies I see all human resistance against him crumbling I see the words that he sends causing men's needs to bend before him I see a blessing on the people of God that cannot be taken away there's no power of hell can take it from you you are a blessed people by God Himself left on the earth with a divine purpose and it's time now it's time to stop agreeing with the devil it's time to start agreeing with God this is Who I am yes I falter yes I stumble but my Bible tells me it doesn't matter how many times I fall the Lord will pick me up and I will keep on going yes I've made mistakes in the past but my past does not determine my future God determines my future and my own heart may condemn me and the devil make a dummy and even people to use as may condemn me they may tell me nothing lies before me that I'm wasted and washed up and going to be no good for his kingdom but that isn't true that's not what God sees I am who God says I am I am that God says I am and I will go where God says I will go and I will become what God says I will become everything that he speaks over my life I will be he is God there is no power of Hell that can stop his plan in my life there's nothing nothing nothing can triumph over the plan of God in my life nothing can take me away from the hand of my heavenly father nothing can separate me from the love of God come what may there is no power there's no principality there's no voice there's nothing that can condemn me because Christ died for me Christ has covered me Christ declares me his own Christ has a plan for my life and just like a lion just like a lion I'm going to rise up and I'm going to conquer the darkness that stands in my way I have a victory that God has given to me glory to God glory to God what a day to be alive what a day to be part of the Church of Jesus Christ what a day to rise up again in this generation what a moment in history look what God has done that's gonna be our song at the end of this journey look what God has done look what God has made look what God has accomplished look where God has taken me look what God has given me look what God has done hallelujah I want to challenge you today the one day I don't know if we'll ever get to see Satan or not I don't know but if you do I'm not talking about going to hell I'm talking about just in those last moments before you go into heaven I want you to look him in the eye say look what God. [00:36:14]

if you're tired of your failure today and you just want to declare the victory of God and say look what the Lord has done that's gonna be my song that's gonna be my testimony that's gonna be it's gonna be my claim to fame when I get to the throne of God look what God look what you did look what you did look what you did in me if you're tired of agreeing with the devil and you want to agree with God I'm gonna ask you to slip out of your seat balcony main sanctuary North Jersey step out step between the screens home fellowship stand up in your living room wherever you are in the annex you can step between the screens as well and you're just tired you're just tired of agreeing with the devil you're tired of his condemning voice you're tired of all this annoying feeling of failure and say this is not how God sees me and I'm going to become the person that God sees me to be I'm serving notice on Hell right now I'm not living in this wilderness I'm going into what God has for me I want you to know something no matter how you feel about yourself today anybody here the devil is afraid of you the powers and principalities over New York City are afraid of you because they know something that we have forgotten the Living God is with us the living God has covered so we're going to rediscover it in this last stage that we're now living and we're gonna find out again who we are and rise up as a lion as the scripture says is the line we're gonna rise up and say I've been beaten down long enough I belong to the king the king belongs to me he's covered me and he's commissioned me to tear your kingdom down devil he's commissioned me is commissioned me as the father I pray for these men and women who have gathered here today and at the altar and those that are with us in their hearts online everywhere Lord in the sanctuary God we are your people and we choose this day to agree with you we cast down all these imaginings you tell us that our weapons of our warfare are mighty through Christ to pull down these strongholds and these thoughts the devil has tried to plant in and destroy us with and we agreeing with you Lord that we are your people we agree that you have a divine plan we agree that you've given us power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy we agreed Lord and God so we just ask for the grace to go forward and not to lose sight not to lose sight of who we are and father thank you for it God thank you Lord that each one of us can say look what the Lord has done. [00:41:29]