God is Defender

All of the attributes are interconnected. We are trying to build on top of the other, like building blocks. For example, God is Creator. He knows how everything works. Who better to defend us than someone who knows the system and how is works. And with God as Almighty, when He is ready to defend, he has all the power He needs to defend it.

Believe it is important to know the entire word of God, old and new testament. Good idea to read the bible through and have everything refreshed in your mind. In this case, when I think of God Defender I am reminded of all the battles in the old testament. There are so many examples in the old testament showing God defending and protecting His people in battle. You can really get to know who God is by learning about how God defends and helps His people in battle. And what works, in battle. 

So many times when the Israelites were getting ready for battle or someone was coming to challenge them in battle, what was really important to God was that they consulted Him before they went into battle. If they didn’t consult Him, they lost battles. Also in the battles He doesn’t ask them to defeat the enemy the same way each time. Reading the old testament will show you leaders who did things right and those who didn’t do things right. Good leaders surrounded themselves with good counselors. As you recall these old testament battles, it should strengthen your resolve. God was there for the Israelites and He will be there for me now. There is great value in knowing the God of the old testament.

 After saying all that, when I looked up verses in the bible it was more about God defending us in a legal sense. Like an attorney who is your defender in a courtroom. Deut 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving them food and clothing.” 

When God was putting together, under the old covenant, all the things they needed to do as they were governing, He was very concerned that people were not exploited, especially the poor and the weak who had no one to come to their defense. God is a defender to the powerless. God says I hear their cries. Don’t deprive them of justice. If you are impoverished, God will take care of you. He promises to do that.

I John 2:1-2, “If anyone sins, we have one who speaks to the Father in our Defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” So Jesus is also our Defender. NIV bible study notes say that Defender here is referring to someone who speaks in court on behalf of a defendant and in God court the Defender must be and is, sinless. Jesus can be the only one who can stand in our defense before God. 

Why is it so important to believe God is your Defender? Every battle, every temptation, every obstacle, He will fight for you. Some of you are fighting against bad habits and addictions and it seems overwhelming. Believe in Him, trust in Him, do all the things He tells you to do to fight that battle and face the enemy and you will come out victorious. 

When God is on your side in the battlefield or in the courtroom, you are perfectly defended and safe. 

Living a Radical Life for Jesus means believing that God is Defender

Transcript

All of the attributes are interconnected. We are trying to build on top of the other, like building blocks. For example, God is Creator. He knows how everything works. Who better to defend us than someone who knows the system and how it works? And with God as Almighty, when He is ready to defend, he has all the power He needs to defend it.

Believe it is important to know the entire word of God, old and new testament. Good idea to read the bible through and have everything refreshed in your mind. In this case, when I think of God as Defender, I am reminded of all the battles in the old testament. There are so many examples in the old testament showing God defending and protecting His people in battle. You can really get to know who God is by learning about how God defends and helps His people in battle. And what works, in battle. 

Let’s take David as an example, and Goliath. David seemed to be the only person in the entire Israeli army who knew his God.  Everyone else was not trusting in God. God had been there with David when he was a shepherd and he just knew God was with him as a shepherd and God would be with him now. God was there in the small areas and He is there with gigantic enemies too. He stood up against Goliath and said, “I come up against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.” He believed in this might God. And he said the battle was the Lords. That didn’t mean he just stood there and didn’t do anything, but he used the skills God gave him and put his trust in God. He had victory in the battle because he knew His God and knew that God was with him. That is why it is so important to know who this God is when He comes to your defense. You can’t trust in human devices for your personal or even our national security. You must put your trust in God for your security.

So many times, when the Israelites were getting ready for battle or someone was coming to challenge them in battle, what was really important to God was that they consulted Him before they went into battle. If they didn’t consult Him, they lost battles. 

·         One time when they didn’t do it right was when they brought the ark of the covenant out because they thought that would bring them victory. They didn’t consult God about it and the battle went even worse for them. 

·         One king received a letter from an enemy stating all they were going to do to the Israelites. The king laid the letter out in the temple and he presented his request to God. These were things that pleased God when facing a battle.

·         I also liked how God prepared people for battle and Gideon is my favorite example. When he was getting ready for battle, he first went to God and put out a fleece. If God made the fleece dry and the grass wet, he knew God would be with him in battle. Then the second day requested God make the fleece wet and the grass dry and God did as he requested. But God directed Gideon and Gideon listened to God, to basically dwindle down the army to 300 soldiers. The bible says the enemy’s numbers were more than grains of sand on the shore. Why would God ask Gideon to do such a crazy thing? God said, “In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her.” So many times, God placed Israel in what seemed a place of weakness and there was no way they were going to win, the odds were against them from a human standpoint. But then God was able to show Himself, that He would give them the victory. God does not want us to feel like we are doing it ourselves.

·         Many times, God gave specific instructions on how to defeat the enemy. One time He said to get into position and wait for the trees to rustle and then move in.

·         Also, in the battles He doesn’t ask them to defeat the enemy the same way each time. One example was when Joshua and the Israelites faced their first battle when going into the land of Canaan at the city of Jericho. God told them to circle the city 7 times, blow the horns and then the walls came tumbling down. You might have thought then that this was going to be the formula or method to defeat the other cities but as far as I know, no other battles were fought that way. I believe it is again intentional so that they had to go to Him for direction and guidance each time. If you trust in God, He will tell you what to do. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. Don’t fear and don’t be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. You can have that confidence that God is with you, don’t be afraid. God is on your side. 

·         Reading the old testament will show you leaders who did things right and those who didn’t do things right. Good leaders surrounded themselves with good counselors. Solomon’s son Rehoboam, after his father died and became king, he consulted his father’s advisors on how to handle a situation and then he consulted his buddies that were his age and he took the advice of his friends and they situation did not go well for him.

·         Saul who was king before David decided to consult a medium and that was definitely not the wise choice and shortly thereafter, he and his sons lost their lives in battle.

·         II Chron, a leader Jehoshaphat, gathered everyone together and they prayed which was such a great thing to do as a leader. And he told God, “we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” They knew they had no power to face this army that is about to attack them. God said, “do not be afraid or discouraged, for the battle is not yours but God’s, you do not have to fight, take your positions, stand firm and see.” God loves for us to watch Him give us the victory.  Jehoshaphat said to all the people, “have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld, you will be successful.” Jehoshaphat pointed men to sing too and to praise God in advance for the “splendor and beauty of His holiness.” They worshiped believing His Almighty power and beauty and that the victory was theirs.

As you recall these old testament battles, it should strengthen your resolve. God was there for the Israelites and He will be there for me now. There is great value in knowing the God of the old testament. If the last time you read these stories, you read them as a kid, then read them now as an adult. Or read them now as a mature believer. There is a lie that you think you know everything about a passage because you read it once. Read the old testament again. God’s word is so simple yet so in depth that you never stop learning from it.

I.        How God is revealed through the Word

After saying all that, when I looked up verses in the bible it was more about God defending us in a legal sense. Like an attorney who is your defender in a courtroom. Deut 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving them food and clothing.” Jer 50:34, “Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is His name. He will defend their causes that He may bring rest to their land.” Ps 10:17, “don’t move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, because their defender is strong. He will take up their case against you.” Is 51:22, “the Sovereign Lord says, the God who defends His people,” Is 49:25, “I will contend with those who contend with you.”

When God was putting together, under the old covenant, all the things they needed to do as they were governing, He was very concerned that people were not exploited, especially the poor and the weak who had no one to come to their defense. God is a defender to the powerless. This should bring you comfort. God says I hear their cries. No one, if you are disabled, impoverished, or powerless, is to be exploited. Don’t deprive them of justice. This would greatly displease the Lord. He also said, don’t do a second sweep of your fields, leave the extra food for the poor and needy. The Lord says when you treat these people properly, the Lord will bless you in all the work of your hands. If you are impoverished, God will take care of you. He promises to do that.

II.      How God is revealed through Creation

Best example I could think of is that God uses His creation to defend and protect His people. The most elaborate one was when He brought His people out of Egypt. God said to Moses that “the cry of the Israelites has reached me. I have heard their crying out because of their slave drivers and I am concerned about their suffering. I have come down to rescue them.” Here He comes, He is going to take care of His people who are enslaved. Why wouldn’t God find some quicker simpler way to bring the Israelites out of Egypt? But He didn’t. He decided to use His creation in a big way and used not one but many plagues to try and get Pharaoh to let His people go. He turned the river to blood and used frogs, gnats, flies, livestock died, boils, hail, locust, and complete darkness came over Egypt. Each time He showed Pharaoh He was in command as creator of the world and He had the power to do whatever he wanted but Pharaoh hardened his heart. God does one more plague where all the first-born die and Pharaoh finally concedes.  God takes His people out, He divides the Red Sea, they walk through, and then they watch as God uses the river to collapses onto Pharaoh’s chariots and defeats the enemy.  He uses His creation in such an elaborate way to rescue the oppressed and to be their defender.

The ways that God handles things are for our good and His glory and He knows what He is doing. God knows we are very visual and experiential beings. When we see a tangible way that God displays Himself and His power, displays how He defends us, it sticks more than mere words. God had the Israelites remember this event every year and it is called the Passover because anyone who used the lamb’s blood on the doorframe would be saved from death in their homes. This was a foreshadowing of the blood sacrifice that Jesus had. He was the final sacrifice that would save the whole world.

III.    How God is revealed through Jesus

I John 2:1-2, “If anyone sins, we have one who speaks to the Father in our Defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” So, Jesus is also our Defender. NIV bible study notes say that Defender here is referring to someone who speaks in court on behalf of a defendant and in God court the Defender must be and is, sinless. Jesus can be the only one who can stand in our defense before God. 

I love the imagery I received when I was younger of my standing before the throne of God and then being asked why I should be allowed in heaven. Standing with all my unholiness and sin against me. The Jesus as steps in and stands in between god and me and become by Defender. Instead of God seeing my unworthiness, He sees His Son standing on my behalf. Jesus is the only sinless way to stand in God’s holy court and escape the deserved judgement for our sins. If Jesus isn’t there then you stand accused and condemned. There is no other way for a man or woman to be saved. Not by any works you have done, those are all worthless but only by believing and putting your faith in the Son who loves you and gave His life for you. But not just for you but the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. This is how God our Creator set it up to be saved. His ways are the only right and true ways as explained in the word of God.

In the new testament, Jesus ushered in a new covenant. It is no longer an eye-for-an-eye but He brought in new weapons against the enemy. And His ways to deal with the enemy were to love your enemy, overcome evil with good, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you, turn the other cheek, give the enemy more than they ask, go the extra mile, show mercy and forgive thus heaping burning coals on their heads and on their consciences. No more is there revenge; the Lord says vengeance is mine. Doing it Jesus’ way is not easy. I Pt 2:20-23, “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. He committed no sin and no deceit was found in His mouth. When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” So, Jesus leaves us an example of how we are to treat our enemies and people who are against us. 

Paul tells us in Eph 6:10-14 that the battle really isn’t physical any more but a spiritual one. We are to put on our armor but this is not physical armor.  It is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word. I had a realization of this armor when I was going through a difficult time in my life. I felt the enemy was really trying to oppress me. When I thought of putting on the armor of God it seemed like such a heavy overwhelming thing to do when I felt so weak and vulnerable. But I receive a vision of Jesus as my defender in this moment. He stood between me and the enemy and every weapon the enemy tried to through at me dissolved into Jesus. I understood that Jesus was the full armor in one person. He is Truth, the Word and He is Righteousness those are His names. He is the representation of the gospel and the Prince of Peace. He is my Savior and He is the author of my faith. Everything in that armor is Jesus. There is nothing that the enemy can through at Jesus that would penetrate Him and get through to me. So, when you are in trouble, all you have to do is call out to Jesus and He will be right there to defend you.

IV.   How God is revealed through your Heart

Some people are afraid of the enemy, believing him to be strong. He is evil and someone to recon with but if you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, greater is God your Defender in you than he that is in the world. Even if you are weak, you can still stand firm as the bible tells you to do. Stand firm against him, you have that authority inside of you to say God is my Defender, you have no place here, you must leave. And he must and he will. It brings me great peace and rest when I know I have this great defender on my side. I feel safe and protected and having peace in my heart is all I want to live for personally. You don’t have to try to make anything happen, He will take care of it for you. 

You have to be like David and put your faith in God your defender. Believe that He is who He says He is. Why is it so important to believe God is your Defender? Every battle, every temptation, every obstacle, He will fight for you. Some of you are fighting against bad habits and addictions and it seems overwhelming. Believe in Him, trust in Him, do all the things He tells you to do to fight that battle and face the enemy and you will come out victorious. 

When God is on your side in the battlefield or in the courtroom, you are perfectly defended and safe. 

Living a Radical Life for Jesus means believing that God is Defender