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2
Chronicles 20:1-37
verses: 1-9, 14-15, 22-23, 30
When you trust in God, there is no need to fear.
After this, the Moabites and
Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat.
2Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against
you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon
Tamar" (that is, En Gedi). 3Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to
inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4The people
of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came
from every town in Judah to seek him. 5Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the
assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front
of the new courtyard 6and said: "O LORD, God of our fathers, are
you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the
nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
7O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before
your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham
your friend? 8They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for
your Name, saying, 9`If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of
judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before
this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our
distress, and you will hear us and save us.'. . . 14Then the
Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of
Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant
of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. 15He said: "Listen, King
Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the
LORD says to you: `Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast
army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.. . . 22As they began to
sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab
and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23The
men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy
and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir,
they helped to destroy one another.. . . 30And the kingdom of
Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
(NIV)
When you trust in God,
there is no need to fear.
Introduction
Life can be difficult. Being a Christian in a
non-chrisitan world poses all kinds of problems. The world does not know
Jesus. The world does not love Him. The world does not understand why He
came. You, on the other hand, do know Jesus. You do love
Him. And, you do understand why He came. He came to save you from
your sins and to give you new life. He came to bring you peace and joy in
the Spirit. He came so you might have fellowship with God.
These things you already know. And you also know
that though you are saved from sin and filled with the Spirit of God, life
in this world still is not perfect. It is still difficult.
The Christian is, in a sense, in a battle with
the world. And the world is at war with the Christian -- with you. The
world offers vices, self-fulfillment, and greed. The world wants to
convert you to its paganism, to its ungodly devotion to the unholy. And if
you don=t conform, if you don=t bend the knee to its idols and sacrifices,
you will be ridiculed, mocked, and attacked.
So the world is against you. The evil one is at
war with you. And in the battle there are all sorts of struggles. On the
inside, you struggle against sin: pride, lust, greed, boasting, and
various wantings. On the outside, you struggle against illness, poverty,
marriage problems, job difficulties, an unsure future, and more. Maybe
right now you are facing a serious struggle. Or maybe you=ve recently had
to deal with a difficult situation. Maybe you fear that one is coming.
As a Christian, what do you do when life is
coming down on you hard, when there seems to be no way out, when your
relationship with God is being affected? When you are worried or afraid?
When you are in distress?
What do you do when you are facing such
monumental obstacles? How do your resist temptation, flee from evil, or believe
beyond your ability to understand how your problems can be solved?
The answer lies in the Word of
God.
Context: Israel and Judah
were divided.
- Jehoshaphat was the 4th king of
the separated kingdom of Judah around 850 to 875 B.C. He was a
zealous follower of the commandments of God. In his 3rd year he
sent out certain princes, priests, and Levites, to go through all
the cities of Judah, teaching the people out of the Book of the
Law. Because he sought the Lord, riches and honors increased
around him. "Jehoshophat sought the Lord with all his
heart" (2 Chr. 22:9).
- Moab, Ammon, and the Meunites,
came to make war against Jehoshaphat.
- Jehoshaphat was afraid; and
rightly so, for the army approaching him was indeed a mighty one,
beyond what he would be able to handle. He was in trouble.
Read 2
Chronicles 20, verses 1-9, 14-15, 22-23, 30
- You should trust God and not fear
because of who He is. Please look with me at v. 6.
"and he [Jehoshaphat]
said, 'O Lord, the God of our fathers, art Thou not God in the
heavens? And art Thou not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?
Power and might are in Thy hand so that no one can stand against
Thee.'"
- Jehovah is:
- "...the God of our
Fathers"; therefore, He is the God of History.
- of Adam and Eve.
- of Noah
- of Abraham
- of Moses
- He also lives in heaven;
- Therefore, He is the God of
Holiness. Heaven is the holy dwelling place of God.
- Therefore, He is above all
things. He is pure, righteous, and incapable of sin.
- He is also the ruler of all the
nations; therefore, He is the God of Sovereignty. All kings
and peoples are His. And as such He has the right to rule them as
He pleases.
- He is all powerful;
therefore, He is the God of power.
- He can do as He wishes. He can
create or destroy. Raise up or tear down.
- Who is God to you?
- Is He big or small?
- Is He all powerful or is He a
wimp?
- Does He love you or does He just
put up with you?
- How you perceive God affects how you
respond to Him.
- The people of Judah knew who God
was and that is why they looked to Him and trusted Him.
- In other words, you should trust
God because He is holy; He is a King; and He is all powerful, and
because He loves you very much.
- You should trust God and not fear not
only because of who He is but also because of what He has
already done.
Please look with me at verse 7, "Did
Thou not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy
people Israel, and give it to the descendants of Abraham Thy friend
forever?"
- God has already accomplished great
things:
- He gave the land of Canaan to the
descendants of Abraham.
- God chose Abraham and promised
him he would be a great nation.
- God raised up Moses and, through
many miracles, delivered His people from the bondage of the
Egyptians.
- He parted the Red Sea; He
destroyed the Egyptians.
- God raised up Joshua and the
Hebrew armies to take the land of Canaan. And there, God planted
them in the land that they might bear fruit as His chosen people
so they could worship Him, honor Him, serve Him, and prepare the
way of the Messiah.
- The Hebrew could reach down, grab
a hand full of dirt, and touch the promise, feel the reality of
God's accomplishments. He could touch the promise!
- *** Because
the Hebrews knew God and what He had already done for them, they
sought Him again.
Then look at what they
did...
- They sought God, v. 12,
"O our God, wilt
thou not judge them? For we are powerless before this great
multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to
do, but our eyes are on Thee."
- They praised God, v.
19, "And the
Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of
the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with
a very loud voice."
- They put their trust in God,
v. 20, "...Jehoshaphat
stood and said, 'Listen to Me, O Judah and inhabitants of
Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God, and you will
be upheld....'"
- They gave thanks to God,
v. 21, "And he
said, 'Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is
everlasting."
- What do you do when you
face trials and tribulations? Do you praise God? Do you put your
trust in Him? Do you give thanks to God?
- Did you know that a Christian's
true character is often revealed when he faces a real problem. How
do you handle your problems? Do you panic? do you complain? do you
raise your fist in the air and shout at God? do you begin to doubt
and then run for a quick fix (run to a sin, the television, or
"not talk about it")?, or do you go the Lord in prayer,
humility, praise, and trust, and refuse to give fear and worry any
place?
- As you can see, God had already done
great things for the Hebrew people. He has already done great things
for you as well...and more.
- He has delivered you from the
enemy called sin, by redeeming you through His Son.
- He has brought you out of the land
of the Valley of the Shadows of Death and given you a place to
rest, and caused you to lie down on green pastures.
- He has taken your heart, at one
time the home of evil, and delivered it into the hands of His Son,
Jesus.
- The cross is the only reason you
have for any hope of deliverance from any conflict, problem,
battle, or worry.
- The cross is the absolute
guarantee of God's commitment to you. You will never be
forsaken. You cannot be forsaken; you cannot be
forgotten by God.
- They were delivered from the mere
threat of mortal death. You have been delivered from the threat of
eternal death.
- They were delivered from an enemy
that sought to kill them.
- You have been delivered from an
enemy that has sought to have you damned.
- The cross, the blood, the pain,
the humiliation of Jesus 2000 years ago has bought you peace,
safety, and security in the land of promise: eternal life with
God.
- This battle so long ago was not
only an attempt by Satan to destroy God's people then, but it
was also an attempt to destroy you now. No messianic line, no
Messiah, no salvation. Then you are lost, too.
- God has given you salvation.
- Will He do any less for you when
you face difficulties in your life? Will He let you be destroyed?
No!
- How do you handle sin, sickness,
heartbreak, pain, uncertainty, etc...
- Do you trust God or do you
doubt?
- Hasn't He fed you, clothed you,
warmed you?
- Hasn't He freed you from your sin?
- God has called you not that He
might forsake you, but that He might sanctify you, make you
holy, and that you might enjoy Him forever.
- Because He loves you...very
much.
- You should trust in the Lord and not
fear not only because of who He is and what He has
already done, but also because of what He will do.
- The people of Judah did not know what
would happen. But they trusted in the Lord.
Please look with me at:
- v. 15 - Do
not fear or be dismayed...for the battle is not yours but God's.
- v. 17 - Stand and see the
salvation of the Lord on your behalf (v. 17).
- These were statements in the
future tense. These were God's words of Promise!!
- So they people rested, they feared
not.
- v. 30 - So
the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest
on all sides
Conclusion
Is God
any different now? Are His words
of Promise any less true?
Jesus
said,
- Come to Me all who are heavy laden
and I will give you rest
(Matt.
11:28).
- "I am with you always, even to
the ends of the earth"
(Matt. 28:19).
- He said that His words will not pass
away (Mark 13:31).
- He said that He would raise you up
on the last day (John 6:40).
- He said that whatever you asked in
His name would be give to you. (John 14:14).
- He said He would disclose Himself to
you (John 14:21).
- He said that He would reveal the
Father to you (Matt. 11:27)
- And He said He would return in the
clouds and that every eye will see Him (Mark 13:27).
Because of who
God is and what He has already done for you, you can trust Him even more
for the future and have no fear that He will continue to uphold you, love
you, and continue His wonderful loving plan in your life.
Will you trust Him? How much will you trust Him?
How much will you rest in Him? Its up to you.
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