Good Morning Everyone!
I'm so glad you're all here today!
And for those of you who are here for the first time!
Welcome..
If you just joining us, we're in the middle of the message series "Spiritual Warfare - Six Seasons of Temptation"
In the First Season of Temptation takes place immediately after conversion. . .
In the Second Season of Temptation takes place when the pain of life settles in on us. . .
And now the Third Season of Temptation takes place when we are about to embark on some great victory.
So I've called this message;
The Third Season—At the Beginning of a Great Victory!
This is the times in our life, when things are going well...
It is also often referred to the "Mountain Top Moments."
It's when we have endured the long high climb to the top of the mountain, we're atop of the mountain, reveling in our accomplishment!
Most people love mountaintop experiences. We delight in the feeling of
being especially close to God. We remember with fondness, those times in our
lives when God seemed especially real, when the barrier between
ourselves and God seemed particularly “thin.”
Of course, we don’t have to be high atop a mountain peak to have such an experience.
Do we?
Perhaps, you've just landed that big promotion at work...
Or just walked down the isle, to meet up with the love of your life
Maybe you're holding your newly born child in your arms..
In Luke 9:28-36,
Jesus had the ultimate mountaintop experience. While literally upon a
mountain, he was transfigured, glowing with heavenly glory as he
conversed with Moses and Elijah. Then, when a cloud covered the
mountain, a voice proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, Hear
him” Luke 9:36
But mountaintop experiences don’t last, even for Jesus!
After he descended from the mountain, he encountered a crowd of people
that included a desperate man. This man cried out to Jesus for help with
a son who was afflicted by an evil spirit. He had begged Jesus’
disciples to cast out the spirit, “but they couldn’t do it” Luke 9:40.
Their failure came in spite of the fact that Jesus had “given them power
and authority to cast out demons and to heal all diseases” Luke 9:1
Jesus’ initial response to the frantic father is striking and
unsettling: “You faithless and perverse generation... how long shall I be with
you and bear with you?” Given the context of this saying, it seems
clear that Jesus was responding to the failure of his disciples to cast
out the demon. Their lack of faith, which mirrored that of their whole
generation, was wearisome for Jesus. He was getting tired of their
persistent unbelief.
What a contrast!
One moment, Jesus is glowing with heavenly glory, proclaimed
by a heavenly voice to be the Son of God. The next moment, Jesus is
frustrated by the lack of faith in his followers and lets them know
about it.
Even for Jesus, the mountaintop experience didn’t last, did it?
But it's important to note, though, how Jesus responded to the father’s request. He did not
let his discouragement guide his heart. Rather, he acted with mercy,
rebuking the evil spirit and healing the boy. Luke 9:42
Disappointment did not keep Jesus from doing what he had been called to
do. He was not governed by his emotions, either the highs or the lows.
His ministry was not motivated by mountaintop experiences, but by his
faithfulness in fulfilling his calling.
As I
listen to people talk about their mountaintop moments, it's not long after, I know I'll be hearing about their spiritual experiences,
of being attacked with some of the greatest temptations, failures,
and losses..
Have you ever had an experience like that?
Where after some of your greatest experiences are soon after followed by disappointing or discouraging events?
The fact is, the devil can sense when God is about to bring you into your life, some great blessings and victory. He cannot read your mind or God’s intent but
he can see the patterns that are taking place and when he notices the
potential for a spiritual victory to take place, he drafts his plans, ready to go on the attack.
"Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward."
Genesis 49:17
The devil goes on the attack when he becomes alerted to the fact that something significant is about to take place.
He will send a Tobiah and Sanballat to mock the wallbuilders.
He will put Paul and Barnabas at odds so that they part ways.
He attacked Jesus at the beginning of His ministry and assailed him all
the way through it and then bitterly attacked at the end.
In closing....
The more prominent that a person may be—the more leadership, influence, or
spiritual authority, the devil will do his best to fracture these to the
point of failure!
You will discover more often than not that just before God is going to
do something great in your life, you will weather your share of storms
and earth shaking moments that will attempt to rattle your faith and desire.
The devil attack our identity!
He begins to work on his best strategies, to attempt to get us to doubt that we are a son or daughter of God.
And by doing this he is actually trying to have us not ENJOY the POWER we have as Sons
of Daughters of God, through Christ!
The fact is, God's sons and daughters are seated with Christ in heavenly places over all powers in this world.
So he attacks the thing about you that is the means to his greatest threat.
But don't give up!
So don't quit!
Your blessing is just around the corner!
Victory is yours through Jesus Christ!
You
can’t quit!
You can't give up!
And now for the blessing...
And now may the the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Brian Monzon Ministries