Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.highlandparkbaptist.net/sermons/99082/victory-over-the-flesh/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] Take your Bibles this morning and open them to the Old Testament book of Exodus, Exodus chapter 17.

[0:20] ! And I'll be reading here in just a moment starting with verse 9.! So you can go ahead and just open that and have that ready. You know, there have been many wars fought over time since the beginning of time.

[0:38] Wars and wars and wars in our own country. As you know, in our history from our birth, even in the recent times, have been involved, engaged in numerous wars and military conflicts, whatever other term some people would rather use rather than war, but really comes down to war.

[1:03] And many of you, some of you right here in this building have been involved in war and have gone off to be soldiers to fight and have come back alive.

[1:16] But in the history of our nation, of course, many have risked their lives, but have given their lives for freedom.

[1:27] And the freedoms that we enjoy right now as a nation. And just think about all of those over the years that have given their lives for that. And not only for our freedom, but we as a big-hearted nation, a nation who believes in freedom, have sacrificed ourselves and even life so that others could be free.

[1:50] So wars have been going on a long time. Just think about it right now. You can't turn the TV on without hearing a report and even seeing a live video of wars that are taking place in various countries, most of them in the Middle East right now.

[2:06] Just think about that. Wars always going on. And the Lord Jesus, until He comes, and if He doesn't come today, you know, normally we say if the Lord delays, but He's not going to delay.

[2:21] He's going to come on schedule. We just don't know what the schedule is. But if He doesn't come today or tomorrow or the next week or the next month or the next year or the next several years, we're going to see more wars. There's cropping up on our planet.

[2:35] And the Bible does say that there shall be wars and rumors of war, and that's going to continue until Jesus comes. Now, having said that, did you realize that there is a battle waging right here in this room right now?

[2:55] There are isolated wars taking place all around this room. It started when you got up this morning, some of you.

[3:08] Probably all of us to some extent. When the alarm clock went off, you know, war started right then. And if you've got small kids, you know the war commenced when the kids got out of bed.

[3:20] And, you know, by the time, sometimes, especially young families with lots of kids, and I remember the day, you know, when you finally got to church, you felt like you'd been through World War III.

[3:31] But in a serious sense, a very real sense, there are wars taking place right now.

[3:43] And it's a real battle. And we're talking about here real wars. Not speaking so much in a 50th sense. I mean, all-out conflicts.

[3:55] Right here in this building. Right here in this room. This morning. In fact, this battle is going on every day in every part of the world.

[4:07] And so, in that sense, it's a world war. Going on right now. Now, you've not heard about this particular war on CNN or MSNBC. And the Fox News Network has not been covering it.

[4:19] You've not been seeing live video of this particular war. Though, if you look real close, you probably could see it. Because this war does not involve bullets or bombs or any kind of conventional weaponry at all.

[4:35] And strictly speaking, I hope I've got your interest here. Strictly speaking, this particular war affects only a certain segment of the world population.

[4:47] Strictly speaking. It affects born-again Christians. If you are a born-again follower of Jesus Christ this morning, then you know about this war.

[5:03] You know about this battle. Potentially, it's taking place every day of your life. In fact, I would argue that it takes place every day. The conflicts associated with this particular war.

[5:17] Now, who are we fighting? Or maybe what are we fighting? Or both. Who and what are we fighting? Well, actually, the Christian has three enemies.

[5:30] I'm sure you've heard this explained before or identified before. This is not something new, but we need to be reminded of it. We actually have three enemies. First, the world.

[5:41] The world is our enemy. I'm not talking about the people. I'm not talking about your next-door neighbor. Your next-door neighbor is not your enemy. Or other people.

[5:51] I'm not so much talking about the people, but I'm talking about this lost world, this unredeemed world. That is, in the sense of the world philosophy or mindset or the world system that is contrary to God and His Word.

[6:08] The fallen world. The world is our enemy. Our enemy. In that sense. And we do battle with the world nearly every day. Martin Luther said this about the world.

[6:20] He said, the world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off on the other side. One can't help him. No matter how one tries, he wants to be the devils.

[6:35] What a description. Really. And the world is running to that devil as if he were God. As if he were salvation.

[6:49] The world system is our enemy. The apostle John said the whole world lives in darkness. James said. The half-brother of Jesus said. Whosoever therefore will be the friend of the world will be what?

[7:03] The enemy of God. The enemy of God. The world is our enemy. But also the prince of this world is our enemy. That's enemy number two.

[7:15] The devil. Probably the one you thought of first. The devil. Satan. Lucifer. Is our enemy. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4.

[7:27] He. That is Satan. Is the God. Of this world. And he has. Blinded the minds of them. Which believe not. Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.

[7:39] Should shine unto them. Upon them. The devil. Is our enemy. The world is our enemy. And then there's a third enemy. And this is where we're headed. And you already know.

[7:50] Don't you? There's a third enemy. That the Christian has. And this third enemy. Is I would say. Our immediate enemy. The one we do battle with.

[8:03] Day in and day out. And who is this enemy? The flesh. The flesh. The flesh.

[8:13] Is our enemy. Our enemy. I'm not just talking about the flesh. In the sense that. You're not able to do the things you used to do. Physically. I'm not talking about the physical flesh.

[8:24] In that sense. Talking about that unredeemed. Part of us. The flesh. That is polluted by sin. Hopelessly polluted by it.

[8:35] And the only cure. For the pollution of sin. And the flesh. Will be one day the resurrection. But for now. We're living in this flesh.

[8:48] And though the devil. Cannot possess the believer. I really believe that. There are some. There's some thinking to the contrary. But I don't believe it's biblical. The believer cannot be possessed.

[8:59] By the devil. But the devil can. And does. Tempt the believer. Doesn't he? You know it's true. And it is our flesh.

[9:09] The unredeemed part of us. That the devil tempts. And the devil knows. What we really ought to know. Ought to recognize. And hopefully by the time we're finished this morning.

[9:21] You will. Recognize this. The devil knows that the flesh. That unredeemed part of us. Jesus literally hates God.

[9:34] Literally hates the spirit of God. Indwelling us. Living in us. They are. The Bible says. At enmity with one another. They are enemies to one another.

[9:46] That's what the Bible says. And so it's our flesh. Our inner nature. The carnal. The fleshy. Part that we do battle with. Every single day.

[9:56] Every single day of our lives. And we have skirmishes. And battles. With the flesh. Multiple times. Throughout the day. What can we do about it?

[10:09] I mean it's there. It's a reality. And I doubt. Unless you're just not listening. I doubt. There's a soul in here. That does not agree. And does not recognize.

[10:21] That every day. I do battle with that flesh. That sinful part of me. What's to be done about it? Is there victory?

[10:35] Potential victory? That we can realize. And experience. Victory. Daily. Over this formidable enemy. That the Bible calls the flesh.

[10:47] Well the answer of course is yes. Absolutely. And I want us to see. From the Old Testament. A wonderful story.

[10:57] Or illustration. That helps us understand. To identify. How we can have victory over the flesh. That's an interesting story.

[11:08] Now. Starting with verse 9. In fact. I'll start with verse 8. That's really the beginning of the paragraph. Now. Amalek. Came. Or really. The better translation is.

[11:20] Then. Amalek. Came. And I point that out. And that will become clear a little bit later. Then Amalek. Came. And fought with Israel. In Rephidim.

[11:30] Just. Just make sure we understand the context here. This is after. Israel's deliverance from Egypt. After. God parted the Red Sea.

[11:42] And delivered them from the. Oncoming armies of Egypt. And so forth. This is after all of that. They camped at Rephidim. Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua.

[11:53] Choose us some men. And. And go out. Fight with Amalek. Tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill. With the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses said to him.

[12:06] And fought with Amalek. And Moses. Aaron. And her. Went up to the top of the hill. And so it was. When Moses held up his hand. That Israel prevailed.

[12:17] And when he let. Down his hand. Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands. Became weary. So they took a stone. And put it. Under him. And he.

[12:27] Sat on it. And Aaron. And her. Supported his hands. One on the one side. And the other. On the other side. And his hands were steady. Until the. Going down of the sun.

[12:39] So Joshua defeated Amalek. And his people. With the edge. Of the sword. Now. It's an interesting story. Is it?

[12:50] What God did. And how he did it. And what happened there. There. So long ago. There. In the life of Israel. Now. It represents.

[13:00] Not only. A story. A real story. A true story. A historical story. In the life of Moses. And the people of Israel. But it also represents. A picture of.

[13:11] The battle. That we have. With our flesh. And this is also. A glorious. Illustration. Of how we can fight. And win. The battle.

[13:22] Against the flesh. Now. Let's understand something. Right here. At the beginning. And this. Helps us understand. How this illustrates. This battle. Against the flesh. And how we can have victory.

[13:33] Amalek. Is introduced here. In the story. And Amalek. Represents for us. The flesh. He's representative. Of the flesh. Here. And how could we say that?

[13:44] Well. Amalek. Was the grandson. Of Esau. And you probably know. Who Esau was. Esau was the son. One of the sons of Isaac.

[13:55] Grandson of Abraham. And Esau had a twin. Esau had a twin brother. His name was. Jacob. And so there's Esau and Jacob. You know the story. About how Jacob.

[14:06] Through deception. Was able to get from Esau. The older of the two. They were twins. But Esau was born first. And so he had the birthright. The inheritance. And how Jacob.

[14:16] Through deception. Was able to. Get from Esau. The birthright. The inheritance. And you know the story. We're not going to go into the particulars of that. The point here is.

[14:28] That Esau. Was a prime example. Of a man. Almost totally. Ruled by the flesh. You say. How so? Well you know the story. Esau.

[14:40] Sold. Literally sold. His birthright. His inheritance. For what? A bowl of stew. Very good. Very good.

[14:50] You know the story. I mean just to. To satisfy the cravings. His hunger. He gave up all of that. Just for. A bowl. Of stew. You see how he.

[15:01] Represents. Really. A very clear picture. Of the flesh. Someone ruled by the flesh. And the Bible says. In Malachi 1. 3. God said.

[15:12] I hated Esau. Hated it. And that's why. God said. In our text here. For this morning. In verse 16. That the Lord. Will have war. With Amalek.

[15:23] That's Esau's grandson. From generation. To generation. To generation. Even into our generation. And. Amalek.

[15:34] Cap'n. Cap'n. Cap'n. Cap'n. Cap'n. Amalek represents the battle in every Christian's life that's waging between the Spirit and the flesh.

[15:47] And this battle will be ongoing. But we can have victory. That's what we need to learn. We can have victory in this battle every day.

[15:59] And how? How is victory won over the flesh? Well, first of all, I'll give you three things. First of all, we need to know the enemy. Or we need to know the certainty of the fight.

[16:11] That's where we begin. Just know this is going to happen. That is, I'm not talking about some theory or some possible thing you might endure in life as a Christian.

[16:23] We're talking about something that's certain. And so there is the certainty of this fight. This fight. This battle. That's number one. Every Christian.

[16:37] Every one of you. No matter how spiritual you may be. No matter how mature you may be spiritually. There are varying degrees of maturity.

[16:48] Spiritual maturity. Represented right here in this room. No matter who you are. No matter how mature you are spiritually. You're going to do battle with your flesh.

[17:00] Every day. It's not a question of if. It's a question of when. And how often. And ultimately, who is going to win on that particular battle.

[17:13] If you are a born again Christian, there will be the battle against the flesh. Now, when does it come? It's certain. When can you almost always count on it happening?

[17:25] Well, in the first part of this chapter. In Exodus chapter 17. It's rather interesting. I already mentioned and read there. That they had camped at Rephidim.

[17:39] But you might not remember. That when they got to Rephidim. They were thirsty. I mean really thirsty. In fact, they were so thirsty to the point.

[17:50] Of it being critical. Physical. And they complained to Moses about that. You know. Same old story. Why did we leave Egypt? Come clear out here. We had a lot of water there.

[18:01] We don't have any water here. And Moses took that request. That complaint to God. And God said take your rod. And go over there to that rock. Strike that rock. And I'll provide water. And Moses did.

[18:11] And the water was provided. And so Israel. The people of Israel. Their thirsts were quench. Their need for water. Was provided for them.

[18:23] Now, spiritually speaking. This is a very significant story. Especially in proximity to this battle against Amalek. It's significant because it pictures for us.

[18:35] It's refreshing. In pictures, we might even say revival. A spiritual reviving. A spiritual refreshing. You see, Israel was revived.

[18:48] They were refreshed. Rejuvenated. By the water that came out of that rock. And this is spiritually significant. We know that it is. Because Paul references this particular story.

[18:59] In 1 Corinthians 10. Verse 4. You might remember that passage. And so Paul there. In this passage. I'll read it to you in just a moment. Makes a spiritual connection.

[19:10] Here. With this rock that Moses struck. And the water that was provided. To quench the thirst. To revive the people of Israel. Paul said. Speaking of this event.

[19:21] And did all. That is all the Israelites. Drink of the same spiritual drink. See, it wasn't just water.

[19:33] The spiritual connection here. Did they all drink of that spiritual drink? For they drank of that spiritual rock. So not only was the water spiritual.

[19:44] But the rock was spiritual. And that rock. Paul said. Followed them. And that rock was. Christ.

[19:55] That's right. Was Christ. You see. See, the rock was Jesus. And the water which filled them. Was the Spirit of Christ. Or the Holy Spirit. And they were thirsty.

[20:07] And the water revived them. Just as the Spirit of Christ. Revives us. And it was right after this revival. That Amalek attacked. The Bible says.

[20:18] There in verse 8. Then Amalek came. Now that's significant. Then Amalek attacked. At that very moment. You see.

[20:29] Hasn't this happened to you? Spiritually. In your life. Maybe you didn't understand it. See.

[20:39] The battle against the flesh. Always seems to come. Right after. A spiritual high. A time of refreshing. See.

[20:50] Understand. The certainty. Of the fight. Of the fight. Consider Noah. We go back to the Old Testament. Consider Noah. Just think about it. Noah and his family were saved.

[21:02] In the ark. Saved from the flood. That destroyed all other living things. On the planet. And Noah. Was saved. And think of the experience of that.

[21:13] The experience of God's grace. For Noah and his family. And then after that. The Bible says. He got drunk. Exposed himself.

[21:24] To his own son. The rest is a story. Think about Elijah. Elijah. What a profound example. Elijah is there.

[21:36] And he's face to face. With the prophets of Baal. And that. That encounter there. And you know the story. We're not going to get into that. And God. Destroys all the prophets of Baal.

[21:48] There. What a mighty thing. To take place. In the life of Elijah. The prophet. And then soon after that. We have him hiding out. There from one woman. Jezebel.

[21:58] Jezebel. Jezebel. Jezebel. Jezebel. He's gripped with fear. How about David? David had reached a place. As king of Israel.

[22:09] When all Israel was pretty much. Pretty much safe. And most of their enemies. At the time. Had been vanquished. By the Lord's help.

[22:20] And power. And through. His king David. And David had always been there. On the front lines. You know. Leading. The armies of Israel. But things were at a place of peace.

[22:31] And so. David's at home. And there. From the. The top of his. Palace. He looks down. Into the. Backyard. Or the garden. Of.

[22:42] Of Uriah. His. One of his captains. And he. Sees. Bathsheba. There. The rest is. You know the story.

[22:54] What about Peter? Go on into the New Testament. You have. Peter. Making that great confession. Of Christ. He says. You are. The Christ. The son of the living God.

[23:04] And. Jesus says. You are. Right. Now. You didn't come up with that. On your own. God gave you that knowledge. You are 100% right. Peter. I mean. Wow. What a commendation.

[23:15] From the Lord. And then. Soon after that. Peter is denying. That he even knew Jesus. Three times. You see. The proximity.

[23:25] Of. A great high. A great time. Of reviving. And refreshing. And. Spirituality. And maturity. And then. Boom. Then. Comes. Amalek.

[23:37] We could even point to Jesus. Though there was no. Sin in Jesus life. But right after his baptism. Then came the temptation. Satan tempted him.

[23:48] And if you are a child of God. The battle against the flesh. Is a certain thing. We need to understand that. And it is. It is a never ending battle. As long as we are on this earth. As long as we reside.

[23:59] In these. These. Unredeemed. Fleshly bodies. You can just count on it. It is certain. The Bible says. As a matter of fact. Here in verse 12. That the battle continued. Until when? Till the sun went down.

[24:11] And this battle. I am talking about. With the flesh. Will continue. Until the sun goes down. On your earthly life here. And Amalek. The flesh. Is going to continue to attack.

[24:23] So then. To have the victory of the flesh. We need to really begin. With knowing. That there is the certainty. Of our fight. Second.

[24:34] We need to understand something. About the strategy. Of our foe. There is the strategy. Of the foe. The foe being the flesh.

[24:48] We'll watch a football game. Or baseball game. Or maybe. A lot of you. College football fans. I won't say which team. I'm going to start a little.

[24:58] Fleshly. Back here. When we watch these games. And we think. Man. They sure make it look easy. Don't they? And. Not really.

[25:09] Realizing. That. They have spent hours. Upon hours. Upon hours. Prior to that game. Understanding their opponent.

[25:22] Trying to figure out. What they're going to do. I remember. When I played football. In high school. We watched those films. Those. Films of teams. We were going to be meeting. The next Friday night.

[25:33] And. Films of how they. You know. Played against other opponents. And. Try to learn their strategies. And so there's all this. Researching. And studying. And pre-planning.

[25:44] And strategizing. Understanding your opponent. And. That. Works in the. In the secular realm. Doesn't it? Because. Each team must know. Its opponent.

[25:57] And if we're going to have. Victory over the flesh. Then we need to. Know our foe as well. The strategy of our foe. Now how does. How does. The flesh attack us.

[26:08] Do you know. What is. Its strategy. There is a strategy there. And so. Let's look at. The strategy of Amalek. I think if we. Understand the strategy of Amalek.

[26:19] Then we'll understand the. Strategy of. Our foe. The flesh. He used a. Four. Fold. Strategy. Number one.

[26:31] He attacked. Unexpectedly. They were not expecting. Amalek to attack them. They were camped at Rephidim.

[26:43] And by the way. The word Rephidim. Means rest. Interesting. They're at rest. They are. Refreshed.

[26:55] And then. And so Israel was rested. They were revived. By the water of God. That God had provided. Out of that. That spiritual rock. And then. Unexpectedly. I think that's. Clearly implied.

[27:05] In the text. Then. Amalek. Came. Amalek. Attack. And listen. You know. Many times. In our Christian walk. I mean. You know this is true.

[27:17] You find yourself. In a place. Maybe you're just not. In fellowship with God. As you. As you should be. And want to be. And normally are. And just not in good communion with Him.

[27:29] And there's kind of a dryness. That is set into your life. And you're thirsty. Spiritually. And you are. You know. And you need rest.

[27:40] You need reviving. You need refreshing. And so forth. And then God. Praise God. Praise His grace. He revives us. And refreshes us. Maybe it's through some.

[27:50] Kind of season of prayer. And communion with the Lord. Or maybe it's through. Some particular passage. Of scripture. That you've been reading. And God just very clearly. Speaks to you.

[28:01] And just really. Commutes with your heart. And your mind. Or maybe it's through some. A glorious time of worship. And fellowship with God's people. Or maybe it's some. You know. Some mountaintop experience.

[28:12] And so we. Then we feel a peace. And we feel that peace. And that joy again. Of the Lord. And we've been revived. And everything seems to be great. And then out of the clear blue.

[28:26] Unexpectedly. The flesh just rises up. And you might. Sometimes you can catch yourself. And think. Where did that come from? Where did that fall? Or you know.

[28:36] Suddenly a word. Would just come out of your mouth. I'm not talking about a bad word. But some ugly thing. Or some. Some awful. And it just comes out. And you say. What? Where did that come from?

[28:48] You know what I'm talking about. And. You know some. You know. The flesh will attack us. Unexpectedly. But also. It will attack.

[29:00] Indirectly. Indirectly. In Deuteronomy chapter 25. You can turn to that. It's not very far. From where you are. Deuteronomy 25.

[29:11] We have just a little blurb. About this. Same. Story. We read about in. Exodus 17. A little blurb about it. It's brought up there.

[29:21] In relation to some other thing. We're not going to get into that. But yet. It's there. And in. Chapter 25. And verse 17. I want you to listen to what it says here.

[29:33] Remember what Amalek. Did to you. On the way. As you were coming out of Egypt. How. He met you. Now. We read something about the strategy. How he met you on the way.

[29:46] And attacked. Your. Rear. Ranks. All the. Stragglers. At your rear.

[29:57] When you were tired. And weary. And he did not fear God. That's an interesting. Bit of information. About. Amalek. And.

[30:09] About. Amalek's. Strategy. It was not a. A. Frontal attack. He not only attacked. Unexpectedly. But he attacked.

[30:19] From behind. And somehow. I think it's implied here. That Israel had let their guard down. You know. And allowed the enemy to flank them. Or really come up from the rear.

[30:31] And they become. Vulnerable. And so forth. And listen. That's exactly. Sometimes. Why we do battle with our flesh. And the strategy of the flesh.

[30:43] We've had a mountaintop experience. We've been revived. You know. By the spirit of God. We've been feeding on God's word. And we just. You know. Our faith has really been bolstered. And we're excited.

[30:53] Once again. And the communion is so sweet. You know. With the Lord. And so forth. And. And we're kind of. You know. In a sense. Full. And running over. And we're confident.

[31:05] Kind of a confidence sets in. And we get. Kind of comfortable. You understand what I'm talking about? And we become in many ways.

[31:17] Complacent. And we let our guard down. And our flesh. Attacks from behind. Indirectly.

[31:30] See. Listen. Be aware of the strategy. Of your foe. The flesh. He will attack unexpectedly. Indirectly.

[31:40] And third. He will attack viciously. Viciously. Show. No quarter. That same passage.

[31:52] I read a moment ago. There. In Deuteronomy. Chapter 25. You might have noticed that. It also says here. That Amalek. Not only attacked from behind. But.

[32:03] But. But he attacked. The. The stragglers. And then. There's some description given. Of these stragglers. Or those in.

[32:14] In behind. They're. Tired. In fact. It says they're weak. But it really is the word. Feeble. And that could encompass.

[32:25] A whole. Number of kinds of people. From sick. To elderly. And they're the weakest. Of the. Of.

[32:35] Of. History. And they're at the back. And that's where. Avalek attacked. What a strategy. For success.

[32:48] You know. That happens to us. Satan. You see. He got. Uninvolved in this thing. He inspires.

[32:59] Our flesh. Satan. Is what prompts. And tempts. Our flesh. And do. Did you know. Have you noticed. He never seems.

[33:10] To attack. Our strengths. But always. Our weaknesses. You know. There are a lot of. Points of sin.

[33:22] That we could be involved in. That. People are. Tempted to do. There are good. Many of them. That Satan. Will never tempt you. To do. Because.

[33:34] You're strong. In some of those areas. But. In other areas. There's a weakness. And that's where he attacks. Always the weakest. It was no different. With Jesus.

[33:45] By the way. In his humanity. I. Mentioned. His baptism. He had. Had a mountaintop. Experience. I think it's. Safe to say that. I mean. When John the Baptist.

[33:55] Baptized Jesus. In the river Jordan. And the spirit of God. Descended upon him. As. In the likeness of a dove. In the voice. Of God the father.

[34:06] Spoke. Saying. You are. My beloved son. In whom. I'm well pleased. What an experience. He was. And then.

[34:16] Immediately. After that. He was led out. Into the desert. And. There he fasted. And he prayed. For how long? Forty days. Think you'd be hungry. After that?

[34:29] I tell you. Jesus was hungry. Jesus was hungry. The bible says. And afterward. He was. Hungry. Almost goes without saying.

[34:42] Then. Came. Satan. And. He tempted Jesus. Flesh.

[34:53] Because he was human. He didn't have an unredeemed flesh. There was no possibility of Jesus sinning. But he. Failed and experienced the full weight.

[35:04] Of the temptation of the flesh. Flesh. And. What did Satan say to him first? He said. If you are the son of God. Then command this stone.

[35:14] That it might be made bread. Well. That's a great place to begin. What a strategy. I mean. Jesus has been fasting for forty days. And now Satan tempts him.

[35:25] So. You know. You could just. Command that stone. Turn into. French. Baked bread. I tell you. There are a few things. And. A few smells. That I can resist.

[35:38] When I'm hungry. One of those. I can't resist. Is bread. Fresh. Baked bread. And Jesus was tempted. Now. He did not.

[35:49] Fall to the temptation. But the point is. The proximity. Of the great high. And then. The attack. And where. Did he attack? At the weakest part.

[36:00] In his humanity. He was hungry. I think Jesus was tempted. The flesh attacks that way.

[36:11] Viciously. At the weakest points. So understand the strategy of your foe. And. And. And. He will attack unexpectedly. And indirectly. And viciously. And then there's one more.

[36:23] He attacks arrogantly. Arrogantly. Anyway. The Bible says. And. Refer again. To that Deuteronomy. Chapter 25.

[36:34] And. Verse 18. The Bible says. That Amalek. Did not fear God. That's an important. Uh. Part of. That passage.

[36:44] To note. Amalek. Did not fear God. Amalek. Represents the flesh. And I tell you. Your flesh does not fear God. Does not fear God. Though you've been saved by grace.

[37:01] Though you are a new creature. In Christ Jesus. And though you have been washed. By the blood. Of the Lamb. The Lord Jesus Christ.

[37:11] And though the Holy Spirit. Has come to take up permanent residence. In your life. The flesh is still there. Still there. If you doubt that. You can't doubt that.

[37:22] You know it is. Still there. And that flesh. Hates God. Does not fear God. But the Spirit. Desires God.

[37:34] Adores God. Loves God. And the result. Is war. And so then. If you're going to win the battle. Over the flesh.

[37:45] You must understand. The certainty. Of your fight. The strategy. Of your foe. And then. Very finally. This morning. The victory. Of your faith.

[37:56] Look again. At verse 9. Of chapter 17. Moses said to Joshua. Choose us. Some men. And go out.

[38:07] Fight with Amalek. Tomorrow. I will stand. On the top of the hill. With. The rod. Of God. In my hand. Note that. So Joshua. Did as Moses said to him.

[38:18] And fought with Amalek. And Moses. Aaron and Hur. Went up. To the top of the hill. And so it was. When Moses held up his hand. What did he have in his hand? The rod of God. When he did that.

[38:32] Israel prevailed. And when he let down his hand. Amalek. Prevailed. But Moses. Hands. Became heavy. So they took a stone. Put it under him.

[38:43] Sat him on it. And Aaron and Hur. Supported his hands. One on the one side. And the other on the other side. And his hands were steady. Until the going down in the sun. And Joshua did what? He defeated Amalek.

[38:55] And his people. With the edge of the sword. That's interesting. Now. It's an interesting story. And I would suggest to you.

[39:06] That it is. Rich with symbolism. First of all. We have this rod. Moses rod. Well.

[39:16] Actually it says. It's God's rod. The rod of God. So whose rod was it really? Well. It evidently belonged to Moses.

[39:29] He had it. Right? And. You know. He used it. By the way. Every time. He did something powerful. Or God did something powerful. Through him. Back there in Egypt.

[39:40] He touched the water. And it turned to blood. And he lifted it up. There at the Red Sea. And the Red Sea was parted. So that. In excess of. A couple of million.

[39:50] Israelites. Could walk over. On dry ground. We already mentioned there. Earlier in this chapter. In the chapter. How he struck the rock.

[40:01] And it brought forth water. To sustain the people. This was. No ordinary rod. It wasn't. Just some. Some everyday. Run of the mill. Shepherd staff. It was something different.

[40:13] But now. Wait a minute. At one time. It was just an ordinary rod. I mean. It really was. Back when the great Moses. Was out there. In the backside. Of Midian. Tending a.

[40:24] Bunch of sheep. And. Back there. Where Moses. All he could do. Was offer God. Excuses. For why. He could not be. The deliverer. Of Israel. Out of Egypt.

[40:35] And God said. In Exodus. Chapter 4. Verse 5. You don't need to turn to it. But God said. In fact. He said. What's that in your hand? And Moses says. Right. And God said.

[40:48] Throw it down. And the rod. Turned into a snake. And. And God said. Pick it up. And he picked it up. And it turned back. Into a rod. But it was not the same rod.

[41:00] I'm convinced. From that point on. In scripture. We have. The bible. Referring to it. As. The rod of God.

[41:14] That's something different. And so. What's the point? I believe. The shepherd's rod. Was certainly. A symbol of strength. And the shepherd's strength.

[41:24] And authority. And security. And Moses' rod symbolized that. His strength. His security. His authority. And God said to Moses. Throw it down.

[41:37] Throw it down. And then pick it back up again. I tell you. See. If you and I. Are going to win. Any spiritual victories. Over the flesh. Then we're not going to do it. In our own strength.

[41:47] Don't think. That you could just discipline. Your flesh. Into submission. Now. I'm all for spiritual disciplines. As the bible. Teaches them to us.

[41:59] And bible. And so forth. But you're not going to discipline. Or. Just. Be strong. And.

[42:10] Subdue your flesh. By yourself. You're not going to do it. You can't rely on your own strength. And why do we keep trying. We keep trying that. And it fails every time. And God says. Throw it down. Throw it down.

[42:22] And how stupid we are. We think we can live. The victorious Christian life. In our own strength. And. You know. Without prayer. Without. Saturating our lives. With God's word.

[42:33] Without obedience. To that word. Without God. And the worship of him. And we cannot. Do it. And God says. Throw it down. Throw it down.

[42:46] And then. In verse 11. And 12. What's all that about? And here's. Moses. He's propped up now. On a rock. And he's holding up. The rod of God. And Aaron and Hur.

[42:57] Are holding up his arms. So that the rod. Can stay up. And as long as it stays up. They win. And eventually. They win the day. What's all that about? Isn't that odd?

[43:11] Well. I think God is teaching us. Something here. About how to have victory. Over the flesh. We have Aaron and Hur. Holding up this rod.

[43:24] Now the rod. Again. Represents. The strength of God. The strength of God. Operating. Through the life of Moses. But. In the spiritual sense for us.

[43:35] It's the strength of God. Operating. In and through our lives. Now. Aaron and Hur. Represent the two things. In the life of the believer. That allow that strength. To be. A reality.

[43:48] To allow. Allow. The strength of God. To rule the day. To rule the battle. They represent those two things. And what are they?

[43:59] Well. Aaron. You might remember. Was the first high priest. He was the first high priest. He wasn't just Moses' brother.

[44:09] He was the first high priest. And the priest represents. The only access. Israel. The people of Israel. Had to God. They had to go through. The high priest. Now of course.

[44:21] Christ has become our high priest. And our access. To God now. Is. Through Christ. But it's. Specifically. Through prayer. Prayer. I think.

[44:32] It's representative here. Of prayer. Her. Was a man. That we don't know very much about. We don't hardly know anything about him. He was only. Mentioned. This particular her.

[44:43] Was only mentioned. Twice in the Bible. But it's what his name meant. That I think is significant. For us. The name her. Means.

[44:54] Pure. White. Pure. Pure. Symbol of purity. Pure. And therefore. I believe his name. Symbolizes. Moral purity.

[45:06] I don't think this is a strategy. And so you have. You put all those together. And it spells victory. You take. Your strength.

[45:17] That you have. All that you are trusting. All your resources. All your abilities. You take all of that. And you throw it down. And give it to God. And God will turn it into his strength.

[45:29] And then. Tap into that strength. God's strength. Daily. Because you need it daily. Through a. You tap into it. Through a spirit filled. Spirit controlled.

[45:41] Spirit empowered. Life. Which is. A life. Of. Prayer. And a life. Of. Purity. Moral purity.

[45:54] That. That. Is the only way. To have victory. With flesh. Yeah. It is. Just as simple as that. That's the only way.

[46:05] For Paul's words. In Galatians 5. 16. To become a reality. In your life. Where Paul said. Walk. In the spirit. And you will not. Fulfill.

[46:15] The lust. Of the. The. The. The. The. The. The. The. The. Thank you.