GOD'S ARMY IS OFTEN INVISIBLE!
1) God has an army (II Tim. 2:3-4)
a) If you serve Him, then you are in His army and you will
experience opposition.
No pain no gain as the weight lifters say.
I Tim. 6:21 fight the good fight of faith.
Rom 5:3-6 We glory in tribulations ....
b) Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye when men shall hate you,
and when they shall separate you from their company ...
God glorifies those that suffer because of their stand
for righteosness.
c) Do you experience miracles, these are the norm in the God's army.
Acts 6:8 "Stephen full of faith and power did great wonders
and miracles.
I Cor. 12:28-29 God hath set some in the church... miracles,
Acts 19:11 "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.
Gal. 3:5 "He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit and worketh
miracles among you, dosth he it by the works of the law?
d) Beware if the world likes you.
Luke 6:26 "Woe unto you, when all mena shall speak well of you!
so did their fathers of the false prophets.
2) Much of the time God's army is invisble:
a) In the loins of Abraham God's army was invisible!
b) Elijah said, "I only remain..." I Kings 18:22, and 19:14, but he
was wrong. There were a hundred other prophets, I Kings 18:13
and 7000 that had not not bowed to Baal, I Kings 19:18.
The army was invisible!
c) Elijah asks the Lord to open the man's eyes to see the invisible army
II Kings 6:17
d) Daniel 2. Daniel was just one of the Hebrew children until the Lord
made that invisble warrior a visible symbol.
3) Why is this army so often invisble? Because He has chosen the humble to confound the wise, and to the world the humble are invisible.
I Cor. 1:27
Matt 19:30 Many that are first (visibly righteous, prominent)
shall be last, they that are last
(not visibly righteous, prominent) shall be first.
4) While invisible, the army is in training, training to trust in Him!
a) Before their deliverance from Egypt by God, Israel was an invisble army.
b) There is always a righteous remnant preserved by God.
Rom. 9:27
Rom. 11:5
2
5) The enemy and the world have a sentence of death on every member of God's army. But God preserves them all.
Zech 4:6 Not by might, not by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.
It was not Moses that delivered Israel.
Job, the Devil would have killed him if he could.
Joseph, Brothers wanted to kill him, God wouldn't let it happen.
Joseph, he would have died falsely accused by Potipher's wife,
but God stopped that and promoted him instead.
Moses, they tried to kill him as a child
Moses, was under sentence of death from Pharaoh
Esau wanted to kill Jacob-Israel.
Jesus, Herod wanted to kill Him.
Jesus, when He went to Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30) they would have
stoned Him.
Jesus, in the Temple they tried to take Him, but it was not the time.
Jesus, when they came to arrest Him, He said I am He, and they
fell backwards.
Peter, the Pharesees tried to kill him, God delivered him from the prison.
If you are hated by the world and experiencing strong opposition as you speak His word with boldness, then be assured you are in His army!
6) Be of good cheer I Have overcome the world (John 16:33)
And if we serve Him he dwells in us!
Col. 1:26-27 "the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is mad manifest to His saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of thie mystery among the gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
That is the promise, given to Abraham!
Heb. 13:5 I will never leave you nor forsake you. Also Jud. 2:1
Therefore (I Peter 4:12) Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial ...
(Luke 3:16) as John the Baptist said He that comes after me
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with Fire!
I Peter 3:14 If ye suffer for righteousness sake ....
I Peter 4:17 Judgement must begin at the house of God.