Sit
10. Not by the Sword of Man!
You Can Enjoy Total Victory Over the Power of Sin.
From “Times Square Church Pulpit Series” by Rev. David
Wilkerson – August 11, 1997
GOD’S New Covenant with us can be
summed up in one powerful statement: It is his irrevocable promise to deliver
his people from the dominion of sin – through the power of the Holy Ghost!
This New
Covenant does away with all of our puny efforts to please God through our
flesh. It is the end of all our striving to overcome sin, whether through
determination, strength, reasoning or any other works of the flesh. In short,
God’s New Covenant takes the pressure off of us – and places it all on him!
Through this
covenant, the Lord says, “I will no longer ask you to bring me a godly heart.
Instead, I will remove your heart of stone – and I’ll put in you a new heart,
one that has a desire for me. I will cause you both to will and to do my good
pleasure, through the power of my Spirit!”
In simple
terms, the New Covenant is the end of the “can do” man. This is the man in us
who says, “I can do it all, in my own power and strength. If I can just spend
enough time in prayer and Bible study – if I can just think through my problems
– I’ll be able to make changes in my life.”
God’s New
Covenant says goodbye to this old “can do” man – and it introduces the “new
man,” who says, “I can’t do anything in my own strength. I don’t have the power
to effect any kind of godly change in my life. But I can do everything through
the power of the Holy Spirit!”
One of the most
important things I’ve learned from my study of the New Covenant is that it is
the secret to having an overcoming life in the last days. As the time of
Christ’s return draws near, the devil is going to open up the floodgates of
hell against God’s people. He will let loose wild, demonic powers such as the
world has never seen.
We see this
happening already within the walls of the church. Satan has infiltrated God’s
house with subtle lies, false doctrines, demonic teachings – and undiscerning
Christians are swallowing it all. At this moment, multitudes of deceptions and
heresies are swirling through the church. I ask you – how will believers be
able to stand in such times?
The Lord
answers us by promising to take on the problem himself. He assures us, “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to take
this matter into my own hands. I will empower you against every onslaught of
the enemy. And I will do it through my New Covenant with you!”
As soon as I
began studying the New Covenant, I saw its glorious truths leaping out of God’s
Old Testament dealings with Israel. Paul states, “All these things happened
unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the
ends of the world have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). I sensed the Lord asking
me, “David, do you want the keys to victory? Do you want to know how to
overcome sin, flesh and the devil? Do you want to know how to do battle with
the enemy? Then go to my Old Testament, and you will learn from the examples
there. I have recorded them all for you, so you can learn the lessons of
godliness!”
The first lesson we draw from
the Old Testament is just how safe a child of God is when he trusts in the
Blood!
On the night of Passover, not a
single Israelite was in danger from the death angel who swept through Egypt.
Every man, woman and child of God rested safely and securely under the blood
covering that was spread on the doorposts of their homes. This picture of
safety in the Old Testament represents the protective power of our Lord’s blood
over his children today. As Christians, we are to be a believing, trusting
people who have the blood of Christ sprinkled on the doorposts of our hearts.
Israel’s trust
in the blood of the slain lamb accomplished many things in their lives. It not
only protected them from the death angel, but it also brought them out of Egypt
and delivered them from the bondage of Pharaoh. Yet, there were other enemies
from which Israel needed deliverance. And, likewise today, our trust in the
blood of Christ is about much more than obtaining salvation for eternity. It
also involves relying on God’s power to deliver us from every stronghold of the
enemy.
Please don’t
mistake me here. If you are saved – living under the covering of Christ’s
blood, secured by faith in his work on the cross for you – that is absolutely
wonderful. But what about your
ongoing battle with the power of sin, which rages inside you? What about your besetting habit? What
about the roaring lion who seeks to devour you? What power do you have to do
battle with these enemies of your soul?
The fact is,
even if we have been saved and secured by Christ’s blood, we are still engaged
in a battle with overwhelming principalities, satanic powers, demonic
strongholds. And we are to claim the power that is available to us through God’s
New Covenant. But that power comes only by faith!
Isaiah delivered a strong
message to the Blood-secured children of Israel.
The prophet Isaiah warned Israel
that there was no possibility of victory for them if they attempted to fight
their adversary in their own strength. Isaiah 31 paints a perfect picture of
the futility of trying to do battle with the enemy in our human ability. I
believe this chapter is a type and shadow of the ineffectiveness of our
attempts today to defeat lusts, habits and besetting sins by relying on human
ideas and aids.
At the time
Isaiah wrote this message of warning, King Sennacherib and the Assyrian army
had already marched through Judah. They had captured most of the cities in
their path, and now they planned to besiege Jerusalem. In Hebrew, the word
“Sennacherib” means “successful.” And “Assyria” means “sin on the increase.”
Put together, these two words provide an image of an evil enemy who was having
great success against God’s people.
Indeed,
Assyria represents every sinful, demonic, lustful spirit that comes against
us. And Sennacherib is the devil
himself, convinced he will succeed in defeating us and bringing us into
despair. I believe God wants to show us through this chapter how the devil and
his demonic hordes are bringing waves of temptations against the church – with
increasing intensity and much success!
This chapter
is also an example to us of how sin will increase in the last days. Scripture
says society will wax worse and worse, and the church will be inundated with
deceptions and doctrines of demons. I believe we’re seeing that happen right
now. Demonic hordes have
infiltrated all media and every form of technology, flooding our culture with
sensuality, nudity, perversions of all kinds. As prophesied in Revelation 12,
Satan has “...cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman”
(Revelation 12:15).
Hezekiah was
king in Israel at the time Sennacherib and the Assyrians approached. And as he looked down on the huge army
surrounding the city, his old “can do” man kicked in. The king reasoned that
with just a little time, thought and some outside help, the Israelites could
deliver themselves from this awful circumstance. He said, “We’re facing an
overwhelming situation here. Assryia is a powerful enemy. But I think all we
need is a little military aid. We can probably hold off their army while we
scout around for someone to help us.”
So Hezekiah
sent an envoy of ambassadors to Egypt, bearing gifts of silver and gold, in an
attempt to hire their army for support. He thought that with the Egyptians’
horses, chariots and infantry, Israel could push the Assyrians back.
Now, you may
think Israel simply lacked faith in the midst of this situation. But God called
their actions outright rebellion! Isaiah writes: “Woe to them that go down to
Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are
many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the
Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!” (Isaiah 31:1). God was saying, “You
have revolted against me! You know
I am your only source for victory. Yet you have refused to turn to me!”
Israel here
represents the believer who puts his trust in the flesh. Isaiah writes: “Now
the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit”
(same verse). The prophet is saying, in essence, “You think you are able to
deliver yourselves from this enemy by your own power. You think victory lies in
your own strength, intellect and abilities. Yet you are trusting in mere flesh!
Return now to the Lord. He is your only hope of deliverance!”
The Church today has its own
versions of Egyptian chariots!
Like Israel, many Christians
today quickly turn to manmade things in an attempt to achieve victory over the
flesh. One glaring example is the vast number of self-help books found on the
shelves of Christian bookstores. Literally thousands of books promise surefire
ways of improving our flesh, appeasing our flesh, subduing our flesh. Indeed,
everywhere we turn, we’re offered fleshly options to all our needs. Churches promise anointed revival
meetings where we can have all our spiritual needs fulfilled by a prayer or a
touch. Evangelists offer instant deliverance, instant healing, instant words
from God.
The truth is,
God gave Israel the option of choosing himself or the flesh in the midst of
their situation. He said, “Go ahead and exercise your own will. Dig deeply into
your inner man, and pull out all of your strengths and abilities. Study your
books, plan your strategies, do everything you know how to do. But you’ll still
be leaning on the arm of the flesh! Nothing you try will work. None of your
efforts will bring you one moment of victory!”
Marshall
Applewhite, the leader of the Heaven’s Gate cult that committed mass suicide in
March of 1997, had expected to be taken on a space ship to a “higher level” of
existence. I ask you – why would anyone ever believe such a fantasy? I believe
there was a very tragic reason behind it all.
This man grew
up the son of a Presbyterian minister. As an adult, he became active in the
church himself, serving as a choir director. He got married, had two children
and was considered a wonderful family man by all who knew him. But Applewhite
had a problem that wouldn’t go away – a strong homosexual drive.
He lived with
guilt, fear and condemnation, all raging inside him. He consulted doctors and
psychiatrists, saying his urge was a “beast” that had total control over him.
He even checked himself into a hospital once, in the hope of being “cured.”
This man tried everything he could to rid himself of his desires. But nothing
ever brought him deliverance.
Years later,
after Applewhite had left his family, he started a group called “The
Overcomers.” This group taught sexual abstinence, and Applewhite hoped that the
kind of lifestyle they preached would free him. But it never did. One news
account said he eventually castrated himself in order to “evict” his demon. Of
the thirty-eight others who died in the Heaven’s Gate suicide, one-third had
submitted to castration in a desperate attempt to find freedom from the
dominion of “sin.”
We may be
repulsed by Applewhite’s cultic practices and the mass suicide he orchestrated.
But, sadly, multitudes of Christians today also fight losing battles against
life-controlling habits and lusts. Sin has taken dominion over many in the
church, even those who weep and plead for deliverance. Their cry is loud and
clear: “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this
death?” (Romans 7:24). “...what I
hate, that I do” (verse 15).
The more I
study God’s word, the clearer it becomes to me: All human striving for
deliverance from sin is doomed to fail. And God will let us go through the
wringer time after time, until we’re totally convinced we must die to all efforts
of the flesh.
When Israel attempted to defeat their
powerful enemy through human power, God immediately denounced the effort:
“...both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and
they all shall fail together” (Isaiah 31:3). God’s word declares in very clear
language that all victory depends on him alone. Only he has the power to
deliver us from our enemies.
You may have a
godly will, a solid moral background, an unpolluted mind. In fact, you may be
one of the cleanest people walking this earth. But none of these things is an
effective weapon when it comes to battling the powers of hell. The Bible says
none of your human gifts or abilities will ever work against the devil. You
will always fail by your own efforts!
Isaiah makes it clear – our
enemies will never be defeated by the Sword of Man!
If you are in the midst of an
overwhelming struggle, you must learn the word God gave to Zechariah: “...Not
by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). Your victory will
never come through the sword of man – not even your own sword!
Isaiah writes:
“Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the
sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword,
and his young men shall be discomfited” (Isaiah 31:8). The prophet is saying a
sword will indeed defeat the Assyrians. But what kind of sword will this be, if
not Israel’s?
In the book of
Revelation, the apostle John mentions a holy sword of the Lord: “And out of his
mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations”
(Revelation 19:15). John is speaking of Christ here, saying, “A piercing,
victorious sword will come out of our Lord’s mouth!”
By associating
this sword with Christ’s mouth, John is saying that our effective weapon in
battle against all our enemies will be the voice of the Lord. Indeed, this is
the very image Isaiah uses to describe how God will overthrow the Assyrians:
“For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which
smote with a rod” (Isaiah 30:31).
Isaiah is
saying, “Your Lord promises to fight for you. He will make his voice known, and
it will put all your enemies to chase!” “The Lord shall cause his glorious
voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the
indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with
scattering, and tempest, and hailstones” (verse 30).
Next, Isaiah
uses the image of birds to illustrate God’s protective power over his people:
“As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he
will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it” (31:5). The Hebrew
meaning of this verse is, “As the hen-birds flutter over their young, so shall
Jehovah, God of hosts, spread out his wings over Jerusalem.”
God was
telling Israel, “If you want to be protected from the onslaught of the enemy,
then hide under my wings. I will secure you, covering you the way a mother hen
covers her chicks. You don’t have to live in fear of your enemies any longer!”
Let me ask
you: Are you in a great warfare right now? Are you facing an enemy that is too
powerful for you? If so, how do you expect to remain pure, faithful,
Christlike, while others around you are falling left and right? How will you
gain victory over your lusts and temptations, when Satan comes against you like
a roaring lion?
God asks
simply that you lay down your sword – and that you trust him to take up his
sword on your behalf. He wants you to come to the point where you say, “Lord, I
know the battle is not mine anymore. I’ve failed so many times. Now I come to
you in simple faith. Help me, God. Deliver me from these overwhelming foes!”
God let Israel do things their
own way – and they failed!
Egypt never responded to Israel’s
request for help. That once-mighty nation had become a broken reed. Meanwhile,
Sennacherib and the Assyrian army had surrounded Jerusalem. And at that point,
Hezekiah decided, “We’re not going to lean on the arm of the flesh this time.
We’re going to do it all God’s way!”
The king
immediately humbled himself and sought God in prayer: “And it came to pass,
when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with
sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord” (Isaiah 37:1). Hezekiah
confessed, “Lord, I know I have
nothing of myself to give you, except my faith. I can’t fight Sennacherib. I’m
helpless in my own strength. It all has to come from you, Lord. So, what should
we do now? We’re surrounded by our enemies. Please, give us your direction!”
Hezekiah knew
that Isaiah would have God’s word of guidance. So this time he sent his envoy
to the prophet. These men said to Isaiah, “...the children are come to the
birth, and there is not strength to bring forth” (verse 3). In other words:
“This time we want to do everything God’s way. But you’ve got to know we’re
totally weak. Our defenses are depleted, with no strength left. What should we
do?”
Isaiah did
have God’s word for them. The prophet said, “...Be not afraid of the words that
thou hast heard... I will cause (Sennacherib) to fall by the sword” (verses
6-7). God was saying, “Any enemy
of yours is an enemy of mine now – because you have turned the battle over to
me! If anyone talks against you, hurts you or abuses you, it is an attack
against me. And I will take care of that enemy, whether human or demonic!”
“...He shall
not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with
shields, nor cast a bank against it” (verse 33). God says, “Others may be
falling all around you, but that doesn’t mean a thing. You are walking in
covenant with me. And I have promised to do battle against every enemy that
assails you!”
I think God
must have an incredible sense of humor – because he sent just one angel to put
the entire Assyrian army to flight. Scripture says, “Then the angel of the Lord
went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and
five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all
dead corpses” (verse 36).
What an
amazing sight that must have been! That morning, the Assyrians awoke to find
185,000 of their fellow soldiers slain – yet not a mark was found on any of
them. And it all happened because the Israelites merely humbled themselves and
sought God!
The Bible
tells us the Assyrians quickly hightailed it out of Judah: “So Sennacherib king
of Assyria departed” (verse 37). Yet, not only were Israel’s enemies scattered,
but God made sure they were destroyed as well. Scripture tells us that soon
afterward, Sennacherib was slain by his own two sons while worshiping in his
pagan temple (see verse 38).
What a
wonderful picture God has given us of his power to deliver us from our enemies
in our flesh. The enemy may shoot fiery arrows at us, but they will not
strike. Satan may noisily attack
us with a huge army of lusts and temptations, but in the end he will turn and
run. God has declared, “I will defend every child of mine who believes in me
enough to lay down his own sword!”
Dear saint,
the Lord is urging you: “Cling to me in the midst of your battle. Your victory
is all a matter of faith in God’s power and willingness to deliver you. When
the enemy has overwhelmed you, come to me and pour out your soul. Seek me with
all your heart, and I will do battle for you. I’ll protect you as you walk in
covenant with me. Your part is simply to humble yourself, truly believe in my
covenant promises and seek my face. Then you will receive my word of direction.
And you will see all your enemies put to flight. Your only way to full and
complete victory is to faith your way out of your crisis!”
The battle is
never ours. It is always the Lord’s. Faith and faith alone – faith in God’s
promise to keep you from falling, to put in you a will to want to do right –
this is the way to glorious freedom.
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August 11, 1997.
Reprinted by ISOB.