"VICTORY THROUGH UNION"

MF Blume
JULY 4, 1999 pm

Judg 6:2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: [and] because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which [are] in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
Judg 7:12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels [were] without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

Judg 7:16-23 And he divided the three hundred men [into] three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man�s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be [that], as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that [are] with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, [The sword] of the LORD, and of Gideon. So Gideon, and the hundred men that [were] with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that [were] in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow [withal]: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man�s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, [and] to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath. And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

This morning we read John 20:11-12, when Mary looked in Jesus� tomb and saw two angels sitting on the slab where Jesus� dead body previously laid.

I want to introduce this message by beginning with what we learned this morning.
Mary looked into the tomb and saw one angel by the head and the other angel by the feet.
And blood between them where the Body of Jesus laid.
JUST LIKE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT AND ITS MERCYSEAT, WITH A CHERUB ON EACH END AND BLOOD SPRINKLED BETWEEN THEM.
The most powerful object in the temple and tabernacle, the Ark of the covenant, represented the entire Gospel.

When Mary saw the empty tomb she saw a perfect representation of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Because God used the Ark of the Covenant so powerfully, and because it symbolized the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, we know that the most powerful work of God is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ � the GOSPEL.

God told Moses He would meet with Israel there, between the cherubims.

And when you compare the picture of the ark and the blood sprinkled between the cherubims, with what Mary saw in the tomb, we see God said He would meet with man in the GOSPEL � death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

We know that Jesus died, was buried and resurrected.

But the New Testament teaches us that we also died, were buried and resurrected with Him.
We truly did meet God on the mercy seat.
We met God through the mercy work done for saving us from our sins through the GOSPEL.
We came into UNION with Christ through the GOSPEL.
Once baptized into His death, we were buried with Him and resurrected with Him.

Ephesians teaches that God raised Christ to sit in heavenly places above all powers.

And we also we raised with Him to sit with him in heavenly places.

UNION with Christ means help for our troubles.

It means healing for our sicknesses.
It means answers to our prayers.

Since the Ark represents the GOSPEL, and since it was a vivid symbol of God�s power, not only is the Gospel shown to be powerful, but it is a picture of OUR UNIONS WITH CHRIST.

Our UNION with Him is a powerful thing.
As the ark opened up the swelling Jordan River for Israel to cross over, and as it was carried around Jericho to bring down the walls in victory, OUR UNION WITH CHRIST is the focal point of God�s power in this world.

We are in union with Christ.

He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor 6:17).

The entire Bible teaches this truth.

It is called eating bread and drinking wine.
Bread is his slain body.
Wine is His shed blood.
And that is a picture of the Gospel, too.... bread and wine.
OUR UNION WITH CHRIST.
Eat all the bread of the Word you can eat.
Drink all the wine of the Word you can drink.
You are feasting on truths regarding your union with Christ.
The more you feast upon the fact that you were crucified, buried and resurrected with Jesus, the more you see you are in union with Him.

We are in union to the extent that we are seated with Him in heavenly places.

This union is real in the spiritual realm.

In heavenly places.
And the Lord�s prayer that deals with our Father who art in Heaven, also says:

Matt 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.

We are in a place of power in Christ.

That is in heavenly places.
Pull that down into the earth... let that which is in heaven be here in the earth.

The ark shows our union to Him in also being seated with Him in heavenly places.

Union in death, burial and resurrection.
But also being seated with Him.

REALIZING that union with Him is all important.

REALIZING IT is making it real to us.

The KINGDOM and the POWER OF CHRIST CAME when the saints in Rev 12:10-11 saw their Testimony�s union with the shed Blood of the Lamb.

Reve 12:10-11 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

A TESTIMONY is so important.

Enter into His death as us, and burial and resurrection as us.
God gave Adam dominion over earth, and this is how we get that back.
Seated with Christ in dominion.

Israel was beaten down by the Midianite nation, whose armies numbered as the sand of the sea.

God told Gideon to defeat them in a strange way.
300 men were to be divided into three groups of 100 each.
Each held a jar with a torch inside, and a trumpet.
And late at night, with the Midianites camped in a valley, these 300 men were to wait for a signal.
When Gideon and his group blew the trumpets, they broke the pitchers which had the fire inside.
The rest of the 300 did the same thing.
And the Midianites fought each other and ran in terror.

Victory that day.

But notice a picture here.
Gideon represents Jesus Christ.
The breaking of the jar with fire in it, speaks of His body being broken on the cross to release the Spirit of God within Him to all the world.
And the trumpet blown represents the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY.
The Bible often uses the term �THE VOICE OF THE TRUMPET.�

Isai 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

Reve 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord�s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

And the three hundred men with Gideon were told to do the same thing that they saw Gideon do.

Judg 7:17-18 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be [that], as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that [are] with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, [The sword] of the LORD, and of Gideon.

Three hundred people blew the trumpets as Gideon did.

300 broke their pitchers and released light of fire as Gideon did.
And this signified that WE WERE BROKEN WITH CHRIST IN DEATH when he died.
WE DIED WITH HIM.
And the trumpets sending forth a single blast of the noise of victory indicate that the Church must come to a place where we all, each and every one of us, give forth a unified TESTIMONY and proclaim it all over the world!
WE DIED WITH CHRIST.
PROCLAIM IT.

Psal 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say [so], whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

The Midianites were like grasshopers and sand of the sea on a beach.

Evil was being done through these people given over to sin - vessels of evil.
But 300 people given to the will of God, vessels of God, sounding forth their faith that they are in UNION with Christ, are far more powerful than the hordes of hell.
Almighty conquering glory will smash every enemy.

When the host of God Stood, the enemy cried, ran and fled.

Judg 7:21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

Blow the trumpet, child of God!!

SOUND FORTH your testimony.
Here is the TESTIMONY:
We understand that we came into UNION with Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
We know the work done on the cross saved our souls and we came into union with Jesus through that.
THAT IS THE REASON WE CAN PRAY MIRACLES INTO EXISTENCE AND PRAY FOR HEALINGS AND NEEDS TO BE MET �In the Name of Jesus Christ.�
Just that phrase IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST is a testimony � indicating we are aware of of UNION WITH HIM.
In a nutshell, it says we know we died, were buried and raised with Him.
Furthermore we are SEATED in heavenly places in Him, and WE�RE ABOUT TO USE THAT POWER.

The Ark of the Covenant that symbolizes the Gospel, was also called...

Exod 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

ARK OF THE TESTIMONY.

The picture of the GOSPEL is called the ark of the TESTIMONY.
The Gospel speaks of OUR TESTIMONY.
We died with Jesus.
We were buried and raised With Jesus.

Our testimony is the result of filling our hearts with the truth of our union with Christ.

Luke 6:45 ...for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Eat the bread and rink the wine of the truths of UNION with Him until our hearts are filled with faith and we speak forth and proclaim our testimony!!!

We are seated in the heavenly places with Christ.

Now let us proclaim it into this world and into our battles we face in life.
This is true in Heaven.
Now, let us pray His will into the earth as it is in Heaven.
Unleash that power of God into our situations.
Testify it here.
IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.

THE ENEMY WAS DEFEATED when we died with Christ.

The Midianites were defeated.

Christians are in union with Christ.

Have faith in it.
Faith allows this authority in Christ to be worked out into our lives.
Work out your own salvation.
Testify it forth.
Pronounce it forth.

The church is called the temple of God in the New Testament.

Each person is a living stone that builds up this temple.
And deep within the temple was this Ark of the testimony.
That's where the power of God dwelt.

The temple is a picture of a gateway of God's people that He might flow forth what is true in the spirituals and heavenlies into the physical realm.

Sword of the Lord and of Gideon.

Combination of God and the human vessel of flesh in which He incarnated Himself, called the Son of God.
MIDIAN means STRIFE.
Midianites and all strife were defeated by Christ on the cross.
And when a Midianite of the enemy comes to face you, TESTIFY him down!!!
Invoke the authority and power Christ gave to you to cast out devils and heal the sick... IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.

IN UNION with Him.

In His name.