Sermon Tone Analysis

A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management.

He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?"

The students’ answers ranged from 20g to 500g.

Then he said, "It does not matter on the absolute weight.

It depends on how long you hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, it is OK.

If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance.”

It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

Jesus gives us this invitation in Matthew to come to him — and as we come to him we will find rest.

To come to Him means to trust Him.

This invitation is open to those who are exhausted and burdened down

How often do we try to take care of things on our own... the longer we hold onto our burdens the heavier they are going to become....

The major difference between the Pharisees teaching and Jesus teaching is Jesus said “come to me” and the Pharisees said “Do something.”

we carry things and it is no wonder that we find ourselves getting tired and burnt out?

There are things that can ware us down.. responsibilities, pressures, challenges, life in general… slowly if we allow it these things can ware us down...

We are in this Series of sermons entitled, ‘mentored’ We are learning lessons from the Kings of Judah.

The kings of Judah either followed the example of their fathers who were often impacted by alliances with foreign nations and caught up idolatry … or they returned to the example of David who sought after God.

They were those Kings who depended on themselves and their alliances with other nations and those who depended on God.

The kings who sought after God were faithful and those who didn’t were unfaithful and subject to retribution and judgement.

`Kings Saul’s death is attributed to his failure to seek God.

David, in contrast, sought God when he brought the ark to Jerusalem.

When preparing the temple, David encouraged Israel’s leaders to seek God.

What does it mean to seek after God?

Seeking the Lord means a longing for his presence.

Seeking God means that we are trusting and depending on Him… We are not trying to solve issues that come along in our own strength.

Why do we need to depend on God?

Part of the reason is the environment that we are in… as Christians we are involved in a spiritual conflict… we walk in the flesh and there are spiritual forces… at work in the world...

Paul reminds the church at Corinth that battles that we are going to face in the world are not fought in the natural realm – rather need to be fought in prayer.

Our walk is first in the world -- but this is not where the real battle is fought.

we don’t use weapons of the world… don’t have muscle our way through things… we don’t have to push through…

but rather as we walk in the world GOD EMPOWERS US .... so we can live in victory and overcomes.

T/S How do we Depend on God?

1. RESPOND TO THE CHALLENGE WITH PRAYER

King Jehoshaphat is a great leader and reformer in Judah who brought back worship and established righteous judges.

Jehoshaphat had his ups and downs.

He was spiritually up most of his career as a low point was when he compromised in his alliance King Ahab--- Northern tribe (Northern king Apostate)

Jehoshaphat gets word of an imminent threat - an invading army from the direction of Transjordan, a coalition of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites.

A “great multitude from Edom and beyond.”

Before this moment things are going relatively smoothly.

Jehoshaphat continues to put in place good structures of government.

He has appointed priests and restored worship and righteous judges to rule in the nation... the cities have been fortified they are in good shape…

Then He gets bad news…confronted with a problem… a situation.

We all know this narrative.... don’t we...

We open email …. gets that phone call … some trouble in our backyard.

Pam was with a friend this past week when she learned that she lost custody of her child… difficult to comprehend.

This vast army gathered is gather at Engedi (territory of Judah) which is just 35 miles southwest of Jerusalem… it is a real problem!

WHAT WAS THE CHALLENGE?

1.

They were hopelessly outnumbered.

2. There were no human solutions.

3. Their plight was overwhelming.

That is a lot of weight to carry…

We can respond to problems and crisis in different ways…we can try and cover it up, we can just give up.. we deny we have a problem (Keep bleieivein.com)

Jehoshaphat’s initial response was to fear but then immediately “He set his face to seek the Lord”

In fact, the two verbs “feared and set” begin the verse in Hebrew almost as one verb.... Jehoshaphat set his face to seek the Lord...and … he calls the people from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.

We already know that when Jehoshaphat tore down the high places he was courageous in the Lord… You can be a courageous person and still experience fear… It’s okay to acknowledge a threat… it is not fear but what you do with that fear.

How desperate do things need to become before we seek God.

Leonard Ravenhill , “Revival tarries because there is a lack of urgency in prayer in the church.”

He went on, and said, “Hell has nothing to fear but a God anointed, prayer-powered church.

Jehosophats father King Asa --- refused to seek the Lord - even when his own leg had withered…

Soon as the threat comes - Jehosophat devoted himself to seek God’s remedy.

He called his people to fast, and summoned them to Jerusalem to seek God together..

2. RESPOND TO A CHALLENGE WITH PRAISE.

A bricklayer in the French West Indies sent this letter to his boss, explaining why he needed to take some sick leave:

I arrived at the job after the storm, checked the building out and saw that the top needed repairs.

I rigged a hoist and a boom, attached the rope to a barrel and pulled bricks to the top.

When I pulled the barrel to the top, I secured the rope at the bottom.

After repairing the building, I went back to fill the barrel with the leftover bricks.

I went down and released the rope to lower the bricks, and the barrel was heavier than I and jerked me off the ground.

I decided to hang on.

Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down and received a blow to the shoulder.

I hung on and went to the top, where I hit my head on the boom and caught my fingers in the pulley.

In the meantime, the barrel hit the ground and burst open, throwing bricks all over.

This made the barrel lighter than I, and I started down at high speed.

Halfway down, I met the barrel coming up and received a blow to my shins.

I continued down and fell upon the bricks, receiving cuts and bruises.

At this time I must have lost my presence of mind, because I let go of the rope and the barrel came down and hit me on the head.

I respectfully request sick leave.

Have you ever had a day like that?

When everything went South… We take comfort that all of us have these kinds of days… When we living in Maine we locked one of our kids in car with engine running in like -10 degree weather… stuff happens..

life is full of these kinds of challenges… this are going to break, things are going to go wrong…

In the book of Acts 16 - Paul and Silas were stripped and beaten and put in the city prison.

It looked like the end of their witness in Philippi, but God had other plans.

Instead of complaining or calling on God to judge their enemies, the two men prayed and praise God…

We are told that at the midnight they were praising God and place was shaken..and God saves them… THE WORD PRAISE in the OT is halal which is connected to making a noise… an int eh NT the word is Yada - gesture of Praise… for example lifting your hand is a gesture of praise…Zamar is associated with playing instruments… Here is the thing it is easy to Praise when things are going well.

Charles Spurgeon once said.. “Any fool can sing in the day,” said .

“It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but the skillful singer is he who can sing when there is not a ray of light to read by … Songs in the night come only from God; they are not in the power of men.”

Spurgeon

We learn from King Jehosophat that Praise has a FOCUS..

1. Praise FOCUSES ON the Greatness of God.

• GOD IS CONTROL.. SOVERIEGN… When you loose control… you can say with confidience God you Rule…

You rule over all kingdom and nations...

• There are somethings that happen in life where you don’t have the power… Maybe it is in the form of authority --- it affects you… you are powerless.

In those situations we PRAISE BY DECLARING

In your hands are power and might --- none can stand against you.

2. Praise FOCUSES ON THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

He recalls how God conquered their enemies in the past, and promised the land to the descendants of Abraham for ever.

God also promised that the temple in which they now were standing would be the place where he would hear and help in times of need.

He reminds God of the covenant In times of peril the people will stand in God’s presence and cry to him, and he will hear and save.

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV