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Sermon Notes

Exodus 15:2-3

2 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
3 The Lord is a man of war;
The Lord is His name.

Stage 1: General intervention

 Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Stage 2: Special Benevolence

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Stage 3: Call to War

Numbers 21:35 So the Israelites struck down Og and his sons. And they wiped out his whole army. They didn’t leave anyone alive. They took over his land for themselves.

Stage 4: America's relevance

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Stage 5: Spiritual Warfare

2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Bonus Verse
Psalm 18:2- The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Sermon 2: 26 Bible verses
Acts 16:31 "And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house

Mathew 5:10 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"

Mathew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God"

Psalms 99:5 "Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy"

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"

Matthew 5:42 "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you"

Proverbs 10:12 "Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs."

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"

Deuteronomy "Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee"

Romans 12:9 "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good"

Proverbs 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not"

Romans 8:39 "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"

Mathew 7:4 "Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?"

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid"

Psalms 119:88 "Quicken me after thy loving-kindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth

Exodus 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy"

Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"

Joshua 1:5 "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee"

Psalm 25:1 "Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul"

John 10:1 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber"

Isiah 5:21 "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight"

Psalms 127:1 "Xcept the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain"

Matthew 5:14 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid"

Psalm 97:8 "Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O Lord"

Holy Warfare

Exodus 15:2-3 The Lord is my strength and song,And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name.
The term "Holy War"will likely conjure up images of the ill-advised crusades or even the jihad being waged by Muslim extremists against our own country. However, despite the many negative connotations placed on this term by our society, a "Holy war" does have historical and Biblical support. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". Would this not also apply to war? A good example would be the battle of Ramoth-gilead.
Considering that King Ahab and his wife were pretty much the two worst rulers Israel had to suffer through, it is reasonable in my view to assume that the randomly aimed enemy arrow that lethally wounded him was guided by divine providence. However, I will admit that not everything, in peace or war, is directly caused by divine intervention. France and Germany were defeated not by a miracle but by their inability to realize that invading Russia during the Wintertime was a very bad idea.
Still, not only do I believe that God guides battle in general, but that he provides special benevolence to those who fight in his name. This is evident throughout the Old Testament, but especially in the campaigns of King David. God gave him such victory over his enemies that his son was able to rule Israel in almost complete peace. This is not a phenomenon restricted to Biblical times either. So-called secular history shows us that the untrained and inexperienced American forces of the Revolutionary war won many battles against the greatest military force on Earth when by every right they should have been utterly defeated.
While this may be able to stump the secular, the explanation is really quite simple for a Christian and probably said best by George Washington himself: "The Hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all of this, that he must be worse than an infidel who lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has no gratitude to acknowledge his obligations". Put simply, at the time America was a God-fearing Nation fighting for those beliefs, while Britain was not. Their are numerous fascinating accounts from throughout the war of how "chance" and luck" constantly favored the Americans. Even the weather seemed to fight for them: For just one example: During the crossing of the Delaware, minutes before daylight, a thick fog rolled in and hide the American boats. When the British tried an identical maneuver, a extremely violent storm ruined the entire endeavor. Even now, It is reasonable to assume that the outcome of entire battles is being decided by the prayers of loved ones.
An important thing to make note of, however, is that God does not indiscriminately favor one side in a war just becuase they profess to be believers. The conquest of Jericho was only accomplished by falling a specific set of directions. The Israelite forces were routed in their attack on Ai due to the sin present in their own camp. King David accomplished much more on the battlefield than the Lip-service only Christian King Saul ever did. Thousands of years later, both in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, American forces suffered their greatest defeats when they overstepped their boundaries and went on the offensive against Canada. Truly, our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Of more importance than all this, is that God does occasionally call his children to go to war for him. The Israelite's were called to commit outright genocide against the many inhabitants of Canaan after-all (Although anyone who has carefully studied these people can tell you that it was more than justified). It is also my belief that America was called to fight for her freedom in order to establish a land where one could worship God however they wanted, and a Nation founded on Christian principles.
Now, I will not deny that Religion has been used to justify many horrendous acts throughout history, and that so-called "Holy wars" such as the Crusades were almost always just political power grabs. I also suspect that many people would point to Luke 6:29, the popular "Turn the other cheek" passage, as evidence that God does not support violence. However, I would in turn point to John 2:13-17 where, put simply, Jesus beats the snot out of those desecrating the Temple With a Whip.
Second Timothy 1:7 states plainly "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind". God may not endorse violence as a first response, but if push comes to shove, I fully believes he is okay with and even expects us to stand up and defend ourselves and his way of life. What's more, we can be confident in the fact that he has given us a spirit of power and that if we fight in his favor, there isn't a force beneath the Sun that can stand against us.

Adi Gallia Respect Thread

Normally, I wouldn't make another Thread so soon after my last one. However, I got a request to make one for Adi Gallia so, combined with my recent hunt for Gallia pics, I saw no reason to not go ahead with this. With all that out of the way, let's begin!
1. Ona Nobis

First off, if I miss or misrepresent some of Gallia's feats. I am sadly not in possession of the Jedi Apprentice series and am thus working off of second hand information. However, I feel fairly confident putting this on here. Ona Nobis was a skilled bounty hunter, capable of taking on Jedi with her Light-whip (Although not the same kind of Light-whip wielded by Sith). However, it was Master Gallia, not her rival of sorts Kenobi, who ultimately put an end to Nobis's career, destroying her weapon and sending her to her death over a cliff.
2. General Grievous

Perhaps Galli's most (in)famous fights were her three separate rounds against the cyborg Jedi killer General Grievous. In there first fight, Jedi and Jedi hunter fought on even ground, there duel being interrupted before a clear winner could be determined. There second fight was something of a repeat, with Grievous apparently driving Gallia back before subduing her with a physical strike. In there third and final fight, Grievous finally slew the Jedi Master. However, in there two previous fights the General had relied on two blades only: in the final match Grievous used his second pair of arms to surprise and fatally wound Gallia. Although I do peg Grievous as the better warrior, I find his ability to overwhelm Gallia through pure bladework in doubt.
3. Savage Opress

In the penultimate fight of her life, Gallia was pitted against the powerful Dark Jedi Savage Opress. Although it is true that Savage dominated there fight from the start, it should be noted that Savage has previously driven back both Obi-wan and Anakin at once, something very few could accomplish. Gallia did manage to hold her own with the blade against the Nightbrother, largely put on the losing end by Savage's overwhelming physical (Not martial) skill, and she was ultimately brought down by a Force push.
4. Sparring Matches

Although that's the end of Gallia's true Lightsaber duels (As far as I can find) there are a few more things we can touch on. First of that would be the Non-life or death duels she has been involved in with fellow Jedi: Before the Battle of Naboo she would engage Kenobi in a sparring match and would be one of many to duel the unnamed protagonist of the Clone Wars: Adventures MMO. Although she lost both to the much younger duelist, it should be noted that even much higher up Jedi Masters (Like Plo Koon and Mace Windu) lost in the same circumstances and that Gallia was almost certainly not going full out on her fellow Jedi.
5. Field Missions

Although she has had comparatively few chances to show off her dueling ability, Gallia was far from an armchair Jedi. She was a veteran of the Stark Hyperpsace war, Yinchorri Uprising, Hunt for Aurra Sing, Mission to Malastare and, of course, the Clone Wars. Facing everything from Akk Dogs to Cortosis armed Yinchorri warriors to Magnaguards, Adi Gallia has proven her worth as a warrior time and time again. It's also worth pointing out that Siri Tachi, an impressively accomplished Jedi in her own right, was Gallia's Apprentice.
6. Force Powers

Although I mostly skip over Force powers for these Threads (Being much more interested in Lightsaber dueling myself) Gallia's Force powers are worth noting. Her basic telekinesis was advanced enough to hurl massive stones with ease and send enemies flying. Her Force sense was precisely attuned, being able to search out others and there intentions. Perhaps her most unusual ability was her mastery of precognition, which allowed her to predict the future more accurately than most other Jedi, even in the heated midst of combat. Although Gallia was most likely a Jedi Guardian, her prowess with the Force should not be underestimated.
7. Physical & Equipment

To just briefly touch on the other two categories commonly featured in the Versus Series: Gallia was a female Tholothian of unknown age. Although her species did not have any inherent advantages over your average Human, Gallia herself was a competent unarmed fighter, capable of changing these moves into her Blade-work. She was as strong, swift and acrobatic as would be expected from a Jedi Master (Read: Very) and tough enough to survive a direct explosion. Her Lightsaber hilt was of standard make, and while it originally sported a rare red blade, Gallia replaced it with a more common blue crystal after the return of the Sith.
8. Forms & Style

Jedi Master Adi Gallia was a master of Form five Lightsaber combat. Specifically, she preferred the more uncommon Shien variant. This was most obvious in her preference for a reverse grip on her Lightsaber and an absolute mastery of blast deflection. Gallia Was also more than capable of fighting staff and dual wielders, and seems to have circumvented Form fives primary weakness (Lack of mobility) with a heavy dose of agility.

All things considered, I will stick to my guns: Adi Gallia is a peer of Qui-gon Jinn, both in status and skill.

Aayla Secura Respect Thread

Jedi Master Aayla Secura: Not one of the greatest, most skilled or most powerful Jedi of her time. However, those who underestimate her have a painful lesson on the difference between Slave dancers and Jedi Masters coming. There's a reason Secura is one of the few original Legends characters to appear in the films after all.
1. Quinlan Vos Round 1

The first time we see Secura in a proper Lightsaber battle is against her own master on Kiffex. In the thrall of powerful Dark Jedi Volfe Karkko, a thirsty-for-blood Secura engages Quinlan Vos twice: The first time she manages to overwhelm him, although after she took him by complete surprise. In there rematch not long after Vos fights dead even with Secura, even while restraining from lethal force. Although I don't believe these feats are quite applicable (Secura normally isn't a crazed Dark Sider after all) but there still worth noting.
2. Bok

Although Secura has faced off with this particular Morgukai assassin no less than three separate times, I have decided to address all of them at once. In there first duel, Secura and Bok fought evenly, even while Bok's father fired shots at the Jedi. Soon after, in there second duel, Secura literally disarmed Bok in single combat. The first and last time Secura fought Bok as anything but an Apprentice was during the battle of Saleucami where, despite her Lightsaber being disabled, she proved to be the superior martial artist, outmaneuvering him and fatally Force pushing him into an energy field. Incidentally, these fights prove Secura's prowess against staff wielders and in unarmed combat.
3. Grievous

Yes, Grievous completely tore through the Jedi on Hypori. However, as we all know by know, the Jedi were at an extreme disadvantage for this fight. Completely exhausted and with no prior knowledge of there foe they were clearly outmatched from the start. That being said, Secura did handle herself well in the martial part of the battle (She was taken out by a physical strike) and was one of only four survivors. Considering two of the others were Masters on the High Council and the third was K'kruhk, this is impressive on some level at least. Especially since she was still only a Jedi Knight at this point.
4. Ventress

Alongside fellow Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, Secura faced off against infamous Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress on a mission to Alzoc III. Although the pair of Jedi emerged victorious, it has to be admitted that it is unknown how much of a part Secura played in this victory. It doesn't help that Luminara working with Ahsoka Tano were at the very least capable of driving Ventress back, meaning that this doesn't prove anything but Secura being above your average Jedi Knight, which is something we already knew. In my view, neither Luminara or Secura are capable of defeating Ventress by themselves. However, that's just personal opinion.
5. Shon-Ju

In the first year of the Clone Wars, Secura encountered the Ex-Jedi extremist Shon-Ju. Although he had forsaken the use of a Lightsaber, Shon-Ju was still an accomplished martial artist and lethal combatant, with both the Force and his bare hands. Although Secura was hardly in top shape when they fought (Already being wounded) I should still point out that Shon-Ju dominated there fight, at least until Secura regained her Lightsaber.
6. Aurra Sing

In my view, this is probably Secura's most impressive martial achievement. Aurra Sing was basically Grievous before the cyborg general appeared on the scene. A feared bounty hunter and infamous Jedi hunter, Sing has slain Master and Knights alike and held her own against the likes of Qui-gon Jinn and both Jedi of the Hett clan (Dueling prowess comes with being trained by the Dark Woman after all). However, Sing met her match in Secura, who out fought her in every sense of the word. It may not have been an easy victory, but it WAS undoubtedly a victory.
7. Quinlan Vos Round 2

The most interesting part of this fight is the almost complete turn around from the earlier fight between Master and Apprentice. This time around, Secura is the reluctant Jedi fighting an unbalanced Dark Sider with no intent of using lethal force. Although Secura was defeated, it was when Voss resorted to use of the Force. As the duelists, the two fought dead even.
8. Darth Maul

Strangely, Secura's final feat is probably the most dubious in quality. Alongside Mace Windu, Master Secura confronted former Sith Lord Darth Maul aboard an asteroid station. Despite wielding nothing more than the Darksaber, Maul held his own against the Jedi long enough for one of his Death Watch followers to end the fight with a well placed missile. I guess Maul did manage to contend with Sidious, but still, this isn't either Jedi's proudest moments.
9. Style & Forms

Like her master before her, Aayla Secura was primarily a master of Form four, Ataru. However, she is also described as a practitioner of the Dejem So variant of the fifth form of Lightsaber combat. It should also be mentioned that two separate sources have depicted Secura as wielding a second, green bladed Lightsaber. However, although she has dueled staff and dual wielders, she herself has never used this tactic outside of battlefield engagements and training matches.

Well, hope you all enjoyed this. Thanks for reading and see you next time!