Worship

“Back to Life” by Bethel Music, featuring Zahriya Zachary

Scripture

“Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord ’s, and he will give you into our hand.” When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.” -1 Samuel 17:45-48, ESV

From Bethlehem to Bethlehem

Here comes David, just a shepherd from Bethlehem running to the battle field for God’s people. Everything wells up within him to defend the name of the Lord and the people of God. Years later there will come another Shepherd King from Bethlehem who will be the greatest Defender, Savior, and Champion of all mankind!

David was chosen by the Lord, anointed as king, with the foreknowledge of his failure and frailty. David’s humanity qualified him for his position because the Lord knew him deep unto deep, and the Spirit of God was on him. He steps on the scene with his first victory, and the rest of his days would be given to see God’s people delivered from the hand of their enemies.

But David was just a precursor to the One who would deliver all of humanity for all of eternity from the hand of the enemy.

The Greater Champion

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” -Isaiah 9:6, ESV

Jesus steps onto our battlefield, for all of humanity, to win a war we could not win on our own. Nor could we even begin to fight it. It would take more than one stone. It would take the life of a perfect Lamb, who became our perfect sacrifice. This was a battle for the eternity of every soul on the planet, not just one growling giant. The morning Jesus was born was the end of the victory of the enemy. He took back your life that the enemy held in his hands. He declared victory over your past, present, and future. Jesus now had the final word! And although it came as an infant cry, it was the beginning of a war cry of deliverance, healing, freedom, and victory!

Hope in Today’s Battles

I know many of you are standing on a battlefield you have never stood on before. The scenes and smells are entirely unfamiliar. It can look like hope deferred. But it can also look like a new level of warfare you don’t know how to fight. ’Tis the season! And here comes His long-awaited cry in the silence and despair.

“The reality is we are in a moment of extreme tension right now between the hopelessness and hope deferred the enemy is wanting you to buy into and the fresh hope God is revealing. We are in the tension of the battle that we see raging around us and the promise of God and it’s fulfillment. We are in the place of extreme contention where the warfare seems to have increased because delivery is just around the corner! This is the bottleneck of breakthrough. It’s where everything you have been standing for and all the pieces of transition seem to converge into one moment of time. We are in that moment. Do you have your eyes fixed on the breakthrough or the pressure?” -Nate Johnson, prophetic word

Jesus comes. He always comes.

The Victorious Christ

He never expected you to win without Him—that’s not possible. He never declared your victory and then sits back and hopes you work for it. He does expect you to run to Him and let Him fight for you. He does expect for you to win this battle as you hide in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91). He has not forsaken you nor has He turned His gaze from you. This Christmas is a time to worship, even if all you have is a whimper. It’s your only option as you wait for victory and deliverance.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” -Colossians 2:13-15, ESV

Jesus Comes. He always comes. He’s coming again.

“God is always near us. By the way, Bethlehem was just the beginning. Jesus has promised a repeat performance. Bethlehem, Act 2. No silent night this time, however. The skies will open, trumpets will blast, and a new kingdom will begin. He will empty the tombs and melt the winter of death. He will press his thumb against the collective cheek of his children and wipe away all tears. ‘Begone, sorrow, sickness, wheelchairs, and cancer! Enough of you, screams of fear and nights of horror! Death, you die! Life, you reign!’ The manger invites, even dares us to believe the best is yet to be. And it could all begin today.” -Max Lucado, Because of Bethlehem

A Prayer for Victory

Lord, You fought a fight we could never win. It wasn’t just a battle for our salvation but a battle for our victory over the enemy. Lord Jesus, You have the final word over the battles of our lives! You are our rescue and our salvation, and we are completely dependent on You. If nothing can separate us from the love that is in Christ Jesus, then I pray You would send a tsunami of love over Your daughters today. Take them to higher ground. Battle for them where they are weak. Lord, let them see Your right hand of power on their behalf today! May every scheme and weapon and tool of the enemy fall at Your feet Jesus as You march in with a war cry that all of Heaven hears. The manger may have been humble and not fit for our King, but what on Earth could contain You and the glory of Your presence and the majesty of Your goodness? May worship arise in my sisters who are standing on a battlefield right now, looking Goliath in the eye. Give them resolve and focus and strength and perseverance to wait in surrender and worship to see the outstretched arm of the Lord on their behalf. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen!

A Few Key Notes

• Join us for a time of prayer from 2:30-3 p.m. on Wednesdays through December 15. We will hear from a sister working in one of the hardest to reach places and learn about her ministry. Email Allison Despres at [email protected] for a Zoom link.
• We only have $8,000 left to raise in our $50,000 match to expand the Arise movement into 70 cities in 2022. You can give to the Arise match now through December 31.
• On January 8, we will be going to Houston to reach out to those from the Middle East. Email Allison Despres at [email protected] for more details or to RSVP.