Brother Gary Sunday Evening 3/9/14

Brother Gary Sunday Evening 3/9/14

2Co 2:14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Every one of us knows that God is worthy to be thanked beyond a shadow of any doubt.  I’ve been trying to understand triumphing.  It is wonderful to triumph and God wants us to triumph.  We thank God for every time we have been given the victory and triumphed.

Paul gave this scripture so that the Corinthians could understand triumphing.  Their history had caused them to understand being overcome.  It had caused them to understand heathenism, idol worship, and many other things that God is not pleased with.

Paul had started the work and when he was gone many things happened that God was not pleased with.  Paul wrote back and said, “I cannot get there yet but there are some things that must be dealt with.  There are some things that are not acceptable in the gospel and with the Church of God.” 

A lot of the 1 Corinthians is about, “This shouldn’t be and that shouldn’t be.”  He wanted to get things in order.

In Second Corinthians, he wrote, “Thanks be to God which always causes us to triumph.”  He was referring to the Roman processions of triumph.  He was alluding to that God has a ‘triumphing’ for every individual that enables us to get the victory.

The triumphing in the natural was a magnificent procession.  A general that had gained a mighty victory that was needed was clothed in purple and dressed with a crown and gold and pearls.  In one hand they would have the emblem of victory and in the other hand they would have the mighty weapon.

I am glad that we have a mighty weapon, the Word of God, and the emblem of victory which is faith. 

He rode in a chariot that was usually pulled by horses.  (There were times that it was pulled by elephants, or lions.)  Behind the general, that had been so successful, there was a slave that would say, “This guy won, but let’s not forget his faults to keep him humble.”

Behind his procession the young men would lead the defeated army, headed to be destroyed.  While they were going through the cities in the open air temples there would be incense burning and the fragrance going up.

Every one of us better get ready and have it settled, “I am going to have a triumphant procession in my spiritual life.” 

Every one of us is going to be severely tested.  That is how it is.  We can spend the rest of our life fighting our battles and telling others our problems.  When you tell someone a problem, get ready for someone’s commentary.  People get on a high horse when they unload on you their problem and you give them a commentary and they say, “You’re not going to tell me…”

We are going to have battles in life.  There are those things that take place in our life that would be a destructive force if we would give in to it.

It happens to everyone.  There will be major crises, dangers, and heartaches; there will be decisions that individuals will make that will break our hearts.  We may feel like “God if I didn’t know better this would break my heart.”  There is a God that desires that we have triumphs in our life.

It involves going to war.  “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”

We must go out with the thought, “I am facing this and I must get the victory.  I am not going to make a league with the enemy; I’m not going to run from the battle or stick my head in the sand.  I am not going to have the thought, I’m going through something worse than anyone else.”

In the spiritual realm, in order to triumph, we must put on the royal garments: salvation, the garment of praise, and the whole armor of God.  That means getting the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, and getting wrapped in truth.  Having our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

We must get in our hand the emblem of victory.  If you go out here with the flag of defeat then you are defeated.  Go out with the emblem of “We’re going to win through Jesus Christ.  If I am busy working for God then God is there with me.”

Have the mighty weapon.  We have the Word of God, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit.  We have the right weapon to win this battle with. 

Behind him was a slave that is pointing out his faults.  All the glory goes to God.  I don’t need someone behind keeping me humble; all the glory goes to God I would have lost if He had not been there causing me to triumph.

All the things that would overcome us and break our heart we must lay out before God and say, “God, I cannot handle this but I leave this with you.”

2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

Our triumphing, our thanksgiving and our coming through, comes before God as a wonderful aroma that “By the help and grace and mercy of God they are victors through Christ.”

In them that are saved, there is nothing that is so wonderful as a saint of God saying, “God has given the victory.”

In them that perish:  that soul, that brother and sister that feels, God can I hold on another day?  And some saint of God gets up and says, “I was so needy, I searched and found that secret time in that secret place where I poured out everything to God and he gave me that triumphing victory.  Things have not changed, that heartache and disappointment is there but it is not moving me I am settled and enjoying the victory through Jesus Christ.”

The saddest thing in the world is individuals that have failed God and then come in contact with those that have chosen to have the victory. 

I remember the song written by DO Teasley, “Drifting away from Jesus.”  Another song is when the pleasure winds are blowing you drift so carelessly and then there is nothing sadder than that man, women, boy or girl that has drifted away and gone out on the sea of sin the sea takes them to a lost position.

We remember the account when Nolan and Mark were playing in the ocean and the ocean began to win.  They were riding the waves and really enjoying it.  There was a rip current that took them so far out that they couldn’t get back.  There is one thing that you and I know, God had mercy on them and we thank God for it. 

We know how sad it is to end up lost and without God.  The saddest thing is to feel like “I cannot get back.”

2Co 2:16  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

I think it was Brother Hall that was converted in prison and God got him out.  He had a burden for those individuals that felt like, “I cannot get back to God.” 

The bible says to pray and ask for the best gifts.  Oh for the gift to help those that are lost at sea to get back to God.  You and I can be a savor of life, that there is hope that they can get back to God.  God help us to know how to help those that are lost to realize that there is a way back.

Are you willing to face the most difficult place, stay true to God, triumph and then be a savor of life to those that are in bondage of death?

2Co 2:17  For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.