If you'd like to find your place in Deuteronomy chapter 20, Deuteronomy chapter 20, the title of the message is, When the Battle is Raging. We're in a new year, but the same battle that was present last year is still here today. I'd like to be able to say that there'll be no skirmishes and there'd be no battles, that there'd be no difficulties in 2025, but we all know that the Bible says that we are in a spiritual warfare that never ceases. This is a series that over this year of 2025, with the help of the Lord at various times, I'll be preaching in this series of the wins of life. W-H-E-N. 2,673 times in the Word of God, you'll find the word win. the dictionary definition of the word when is at the time, or at what time, at which time, or after the time that. You'll find that the word when is always associated with time. The first mention of the word when in the Bible refers to a time. In Genesis 2 and verse 4, it says, these are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth, and the heavens. You go over to the book of Ecclesiastes and it talks to us about time in chapter 3 where it says, to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. The second mention of the word when is found in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 6, and it says, And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. What we see already about this word when is that everything in life is a matter of when. When were you born? When did you get born again? I ask that question a lot. When did you get saved? When did you ask Jesus to save your soul? Because there was a time, there was a place that you understood that you was a sinner in need of a savior and you called on the Lord. When were you baptized? When did you yield yourself to be used of the Lord? When did you get married? When were your children born? When did you get up today? And when did you get home from work? And we could go on and on, but life is made up of time. The winds of life or the times of life. So some winds We'd probably like to delete from our memory if that was possible. But all I can say is thank God for heaven. And I tell you what, all things will become new up there, praise the Lord. There's gonna be some erasing that takes place and we won't have no memory of some things that we wish we could delete from our mind right now. But life is made up of time. In Deuteronomy chapter 20 and verse 1 it says, When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and people more than thou, be not afraid of them, for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be when you are come nigh unto the battle, that the priests shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies. Let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them. For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. And the officer shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? Let him go, and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? Let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? Let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. And the officer shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart. And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people. When thou comest nigh unto to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. It shall be, if it make thee answer, make thee answer of peace and open unto thee, then it shall be that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it. And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword. But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoils thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself, and thou shalt eat the spoils of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. But of the cities of these people which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth. But thou shalt utterly destroy them, namely the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, that they teach you not to do after all their abominations which they have done unto their gods. So should ye sin against the Lord your God. When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, and making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them, for thou mayest eat of them. And thou shalt not cut them down, For the tree of the field is man's life, to employ them in the siege. Only the trees which thou knowest, that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down, and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued. I'd like to take you back to verse number one. And if you'll notice in verse number one, it does not say how thou goest out to battle, or why thou goest out to battle, or where thou goest out to battle, but it says when thou goest out to battle. What this tells me is that the battle is always imminent. Jesus reminds us that we're in a constant spiritual warfare, that we've got an enemy, a roaring lion that's seeking whom he may devour, and he's constantly out there looking to make war with the child of God. Our weapons are not carnal, but spiritual. There's a battle that is raging against every home in our community and every home in this church. And it's not a matter of how, it's not a matter of why, it's not a matter of where, but it is a matter of when. The battle is on and it's coming to your doorstep. It's just a matter of time. If you cannot see the devil's handiwork in your family, or against your family if you would, at your workplace, in your community, maybe if you're a young person, underneath the sound of my voice, if you can't see the devil's handiwork at your school, or on the news, or even in the church, can I just say that you're not engaged in the fight. The fight is going on, the battle is raging, but you're not engaged, you're not involved in the fight. You just go ahead and take a stand for God or just try to live for God in this ungodly world and you will see that the battle is raging. Every time we meet for church, there is opposition that meets here as well. Not every person that walks through these doors are here to worship the Lord. Hey, there's a battle raging every time the Bible is opened. Hey, the last time I checked, the Bible is referred to as a sword. Hebrews 4.12 says, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. You go ahead and preach, thus saith the Lord. And I can assure you that there's going to be some opposition that's going to raise up underneath the sound of your voice. Hey, why do you think these contemporary churches, they preach a social gospel, a prosperity gospel, which, by the way, is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's another gospel. There is a battle in those places. But right here is the problem. Nobody feels it. because of the three cheers for Jesus sermons and the worldly music and no demand for holy living. In Deuteronomy 20 and verse 1 it says, When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and note this word here, and seest. When you see the horses, the chariots, and the people more than thou, be not afraid of them. What's he saying here? He's saying our eye is going to affect our heart. In these last days and in these perilous times that we're living in, we're going to see that we are outnumbered. But thank God we're not alone. There'll always be a remnant when Jesus comes again. In 2 Timothy 4 and verse 3, it says, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." Hey, take note of this. When you are involved in the battle, then you will notice who's not with you. In our verse it says, hey, you don't mention the enemies. It mentions the horses and the chariots and the people that come against you. When you ride by some of these contemporary religiously worldly churches, most of them, their parking lots are full. Their numbers are made up of people who have decided that the battle is not for them. They've decided that following Jesus and taking up their cross is not for them. They're kind of like Israel was in the Valley of Elah when Goliath was taunting them for 40 days. They have decided that the battle is not worth it. They've decided that there is no cause. They place their own fears above the fear of God. But thank God for the Davids. He was outnumbered. He was outsized. He was outsupported, but one thing was for sure, he was full of the Spirit of God. He thought that the fight was still worth it. He thought that holiness and right living was still important. He saw a cause worth standing for. He saw a cause that was worth getting involved for. He saw a cause that was worth sacrificing for. He saw a cause worth holding on to. Israel had gotten used to the cursing and the swearing and the worldly pagan ways of this Philistine giant. Forty days is all it took for them to get comfortable while the battle was raging. But right here's the deal. They may have been set in array for the battle, but they were living in defeat without ever being involved. They had set their armies in place and they had made it out like a battle, but there was no fight. There was no standing. There was nobody making a difference. There was no victory, just defeat. There was no moving forward. There was no gain. Boy, how many Christians are living that way today? They lived that way in 2024, and they kind of lived on the sidelines. Even though the battle was raging in their own home, even though the battle was raging in their own life, but yet they were on the sidelines, they just got used to what was going on, they got used to the way it was, and they're putting up with things that they shouldn't be putting up with in their own life, but yet they just decided to stay on the sidelines and not get involved. These modern-day churches and their worldly form of worship, it may look like a church setting, but they've become comfortable with the ways of the enemy. It doesn't even bother them. Unholy dress, unholy music, unholy preaching tickle my ears and make me feel good about my lack of surrender, my lack of service, and my lack of holiness unto the Lord. You know what they do? They're bringing God down to man's level instead of pointing people to the holiness of God. You know, in these contemporary churches, you'll never hear mention of Romans chapter 12 and verse 1. You'll never hear mention of that. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And definitely you ain't gonna hear verse 2 where it says, and be not conformed to the world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what that is good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Hey, the battle is raging in our stand for the Lord. You know, the average young person today, I'm talking about a saved young person, does not see the need to take a stand on personal holiness. They don't even see a need for a stand for living for God and living according to godly standards and living a separated life. Oh, I'm telling you, we're living in perilous times. The battle is raging and Satan is wreaking havoc among our ranks, but yet people are on the sidelines not wanting to get involved. There is a mass turning away from the hearing of the truth. People all want to endure sound doctrine, but yet the battle's still raging. That's why they don't understand the battle's still on. In the spiritual warfare, there's always going to be more against you than they are for you. But right here is the key to remember. In verse 1, at the last part of verse 1, what's it say? For the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And boy, if you'll look down, I think it's verse 4. If you'll look down in verse 4 of this same chapter, it says, for the Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you. The same God that saved your soul from hell is the same God that will stand and fight for you in 2025. Hey, let's go to 1 Samuel 17. We've referenced David in this battle that took place in 1 Samuel chapter 17. Let's turn there if you would. 1 Samuel 17, let's go to verse 36. Here's David talking to King Saul and he's telling him about how God had moved and proved himself and told him, basically, I'm already familiar with the battle and I know that God is with me and that God will fight for me. In verse 36 of 1 Samuel 17, it says, Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear. and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said, Moreover, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. Go down to verse 44, if you would. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou has defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee, and I'll give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beast of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's. and he will give you into our hands." Boy, I tell you what, all fear was removed from David because his trust was in the Lord who promised that he would fight for him. Boy, as the battle rages in 2025, our hope, our victory, will only come by one person. It'll come by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Can I just remind you tonight that the battle is on. The enemy outnumbers us, but the Lord will fight for you and me. Let's go back to Deuteronomy chapter 20. Deuteronomy chapter 20 and verse 4. It says, for the Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you. Boy, a lack of faith will keep you on the sidelines in 2025 when the battle is raging. Faith, though, will propel you into the fight with the guarantee of success. Why? Because the Lord will do the fighting. But how many people, hey, we're just right here past quitting day in 2025. where most people quit already the resolutions that they started and wanted to succeed in 2025 and things to do. About how many people's already thrown in the towel? Hey, can I just say, don't cave in to your loved ones who are on the sidelines. Hey, you be the one that'll lead in the battle. Let them see you trusting in the Lord. Let them see you unwavering and going in the power of God. The whole army of Israel took courage when they saw God deliver Goliath in the hands of David. You know, we're just a small church here, but if we'll keep our eyes on the Lord and our trust in him, we can be the one to influence others to get involved in the battle. When the battle's raging, someone is going to have to step up. Somebody has got to step up. If you look in verse 5 of Deuteronomy chapter 20, It says, and the officer shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is he that built a new house? And then he that also, if you go down to verse 6, that planted a vineyard, and then one that betrothed a wife, and then go on to speak to the officers or speak unto the people in verse 8, and shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return unto his house. lest his brethren's heart fain as well as his heart. And it shall be when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people. There's always gonna be those who are not ready to get involved or who simply have a lack of desire to get involved. There'll always be those who have other priorities than engaging in the battle. There will always be those who lack courage to simply take a stand in the battle. But thank God, there will always be those whom God has raised up to make a difference, to take a stand, and to take charge. They'll be given the opportunity and they will excel for the Lord. And most of the time, can I just say it's going to be the most unlikely person in the crowd? Well, I think about David. David was an unlikely person to rise up and to defeat the enemy. But he was given an opportunity. He rose up. to the occasion. Think about it. He was the smallest in his family. He was the youngest in his family. He had the chores that nobody else wanted. He was a keeper of the sheep, but he was faithful. He was obedient, and he was willing to take a stand. He had love and devotion for the things of God. Oh, I think about old Gideon. Gideon was an unlikely candidate. He was the least of his family. He was hiding from the Midianites, and he was sitting there just trying to take care of his little family, but he was faithful, the Bible says, behind the scenes. Hey, the Lord was with him, and God called him a mighty man of valor. Jephthah, the son of a strange woman, rejected by his own brethren, but God called him a mighty man of valor. Oh, that tells me it makes no difference where you come from. It makes no difference your background. Hey, but I cannot say God's just looking for somebody that'll take a stand, somebody that'll say that there's still a cause, somebody that'll say, I'm willing to get involved. Why? Because it's not my battle. It's God's battle. The battle's raging, but I'm with the Lord, and the Lord's gonna do the fighting for me. The bottom line is this. The battle's raging. When is it raging? It's on right now. We'll never be with the numbers, but we'll always have the Lord on our side. Let's close with Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8 and verse 35. It says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Can I ask you where do you want to be in 2025? You want to be on the sidelines or you want to be involved? You want to be in the forefront of the battle or you just want to kind of just have your hands in the air saying, you know, it's not for me. Can I just remind you that you're in a battle whether you fight or not? You're either making excuses and not taking a stand, or you're going to take a stand for Christ. You're either a candidate to be put in a leadership role, or you're not. You're either depending on the Lord and trusting in him to fight the battle for you, or you're like Israel was who was sent in the battle, but yet they had no desire to put themselves out there. You're comfortable with just letting the giants in your life keep you from seeing God do great things with you and for you. Our theme for this year is desiring God's best. You know what God desires for me and you? He desires that we be involved in the battle. What is your desire? Where do you want to be? Do you want to just go through another year of being on the sidelines or do you want to be involved, giving it all you've got for the cause of Christ? The battle's raging whether you're in it or not. Whether you're in it, whether you're involved or not, hey, that's up to you. But everyone that ever stepped in the battle with the Lord on their side, can I just tell you what the outcome was? They won. They won. But right here, the choice is yours. Do you want to be involved? Do you want to be at the forefront? Do you want to see God give you great victories in your life this year? Or are you just satisfied kind of sitting on the sideline watching the battle go by? But right here's what you don't realize. The battle is raging. But yet you've kind of just took your hands off. And you'll never see God do something great in your life. You'll never see a great victory in your life as long as you sit on the sidelines. It's time to go all in.