In this message, Pastor Ben speaks about four tactics for fighting the good fight of faith. 1. Know what God has promised you 2. Trust completely in the Lord your God 3. Do not fight alone, but together with your fellow-soldiers 4. Encourage Joshua
Good morning. Good morning.
In 1987, there was a band you may be familiar with by the name of Petra. Like most bands in those days, they released an album every year or two. The title track of their new album was a song called “This Means War.” I want to read you the chorus:
This means war. And the battle’s still raging. War. And though both sides are waging, The victor is sure and the victory’s secure. But till judgment we all must endure. This means war.
I have to say, this song has become very familiar to my own heart—and hopefully to all the other Petra fans out there. It summarizes really well why we get these second and third chapters in Deuteronomy.
At first glance, you might be puzzled why they’re there. There’s a lot of talk about geography, land boundaries, peoples, and names that aren’t always easy to pronounce. You might wonder, in God’s wisdom and providence, why do we get these two chapters?
They are valuable, and second, these chapters catalog a very important battle. They describe God’s people on the march—people working toward their inheritance, waging the battle of a life of faith. What we might call the good fight of faith.
Today, from God’s Word, I want to talk to you about four tactics for fighting the good fight:
- Know what God has promised His people.
- Trust in His power alone to possess it.
- Do not fight alone—fight together.
- Encourage Joshua. (That last one may sound peculiar, but there’s a reason.)
First tactic: Know what God has promised His people.
We’re going to cover a lot of ground today, surveying two chapters. Let’s start in Deuteronomy 2:3:
“You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward and command the people, ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.’”
As we talked about last week, Israel reaped the consequences of their fear, rebellion, and belief in the lie that the Lord hated them. The last generation desired to return to Egypt. Rather than returning to bondage, they died out in the wilderness. Now the new generation is preparing to inherit what God promised.
God says, “No more wandering. Time to get down to business.” If you have the bulletin insert with the map, flip it over—you can follow along.
They pass through Edom (the land of Esau’s descendants) and God says, “Don’t contend with them. Don’t fight. You won’t get an inch of their land.” The same instruction comes for Moab and Ammon: “Don’t touch their land. It belongs to them, not you.”
This may seem obvious—we know the promised land is across the Jordan. But God repeatedly warns Israel so they’ll know exactly what belongs to them. What has God actually promised?
Think of it like this: Imagine arriving in 1905 at a train station in Saskatchewan, ready to claim your free quarter-section of land from the government. You’d better be sure you’re on the right property, or you’ll have an angry neighbor chasing you off with a pitchfork!
The same is true for Israel. If they claim land God hasn’t promised, there will be disastrous consequences.
Turn back to Exodus 6:2–8—even before they left Egypt, God promised:
“I am the Lord… I established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan… I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians… I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God… I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”
Canaan is the promised land—the land flowing with milk and honey. No other land compares. It’s the only place they have a right to claim.
The same applies to us as Christians. We don’t have a physical inheritance in Israel, but we have every spiritual blessing in Christ—the promise of eternal life. We have every right to claim these blessings as children of God.
Just as Israel shouldn’t settle for less, covet what belongs to others, or wave the white flag and stay in Edom, so we must press on. If God has promised you eternal life, seek it with all your heart. If He has promised peace and joy in Jesus, pursue it until you possess it fully. These are yours by grace—don’t settle for anything less.
Second tactic: Trust in His power alone.
History is full of generals and conquerors—Alexander the Great, Napoleon—who thought they could win by their own strength. What makes God’s people different? Faith in the power and presence of God.
Look at Deuteronomy 2:24–25:
“Rise up, set out on your journey… Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon… Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle… This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven…”
This is the opposite of the first generation, who doubted God and said, “There are giants; the Lord hates us.” The second generation trusts God’s power.
Then comes Og, king of Bashan—a giant (his iron bed was nine cubits long!). Yet Deuteronomy 3:3 says:
“So the Lord our God gave into our hand Og also… and we struck him down until he had no survivor left.”
Victory came not by Israel’s might, but because God granted it. He withdrew protection from Og’s people and gave the victory.
Remember Caleb’s words in Numbers: “If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land.” What mercy—that even after the first generation failed, a second generation could rise up in faith.
No matter how well-equipped we are, victory belongs to the Lord alone. If God is not on our side, no army, no strategy, no general will succeed.
For us, our greatest enemies—sin, death, and the devil—are already defeated by Christ. Yet we still battle sin and temptation daily. Only by God’s power can we overcome. No worldly distraction or quick fix will do. God doesn’t just want us spared defeat—He wants us to overcome through His strength.
Third tactic: Do not fight alone—fight together.
Two and a half tribes (Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh) received their inheritance east of the Jordan. Yet God commanded their fighting men to cross over and help the others conquer before returning home (Deuteronomy 3:18–20).
Why? Because no one gets left behind. If Israel is to inherit the promise, they must fight together.
The same is true for us. Think of a sin or trial you’ve battled for years. Someone who has overcome the same struggle could be your greatest help. We need one another—mature believers to encourage, guide, and walk alongside those who are struggling.
No one should sit back and say, “I’ve earned my rest.” If you’ve overcome by God’s grace, reach out in humility. Pray, encourage, disciple. We all inherit the fullness of salvation together—in the new heaven and new earth. We cannot leave each other behind.
Fourth tactic: Encourage Joshua.
Moses won’t enter the land. God tells him in Deuteronomy 3:27–28:
“Go up to the top of Pisgah… look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. But charge Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people…”
Moses’ final task: encourage Joshua, who will lead the people in.
We must do the same—encourage the next generation. If you’ve prayed for years for someone’s salvation or longed to see God’s work advance, don’t lament when you can’t finish it. Equip and strengthen those who will carry it on.
We have a greater Joshua—our Lord Jesus Christ—who has gone before us. He has purchased our eternal inheritance by His blood. If we follow Him, we will inherit it by grace.
So how do we fight the good fight?
- Remember what God has promised—don’t covet what isn’t yours; claim what is yours in Christ.
- Trust in His power alone—our victory is in Him.
- Fight together—don’t leave anyone behind.
- Encourage the next generation—raise up “Joshuas” in the faith.
Let me close with the Petra song again. Satan rebelled, grasping for what wasn’t his—and he fell. Let this passage encourage us with Christ’s finished work and warn us not to grasp at things God hasn’t promised.
God hasn’t promised ease, but joy through hardship. Present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed. Stick it out. If we waver, He remains faithful.
Let’s pray.
O Lord, You are a merciful God. Thank You that when we are weak, You are strong. Despite our failings, You are faithful and gracious. There is a battle to fight, but we fight because You’ve already won. Help us treasure what You have promised and hold fast to it by faith in Jesus. We ask it in His name. Amen.