The Illusion of Impotence

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Illusions of Impotence

 

READING: 2 Chron. 20:1-30

TEXT: 2 Chron. 20:5-13

    And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, [6] And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? [7] Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? [8] And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, [9] If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. [10] And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; [11] Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. [12] O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. [13] And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

   An illusion is a false idea or a mistaken appearance. And we have mistaken ideas and false concepts about ourselves, about God and about others.

   Brothers and sisters, I want to propose this proposition, and I want to announce this advocacy; that there is an illusion about impotence; an illusion about powerlessness. And in order for us to escape this illusion, we must cross the bridge of disillusionment, because, real power is only seen in weakness; real strength is only seen in our inabilities! Real power looks like this: the eyes are blindfolded, the mouth is gagged the ears are plugged up, the hands are cuffed, the knees are bowed and the feet are shackled. It’s the kind of power that Paul was talking about when he said, “I take pleasure in infirmities…for when I am weak, then am I strong.” It’s the kind of power Zechariah was talking about when he said in Zech. 4:6; “… [It’s] not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” It’s the kind of power that Paul once again refers to when he says, “God hath not chosen the mighty things of the world but rather he has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty.” God is not calling us to be strong; God is calling us to be weak; to admit our helplessness and our weakness so that we can grab hold to his strength.

   Meet Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. He was a man who loved God; he was man who walked in the way of David. In fact the chronicler says he walked in the first ways, or the earlier ways of David (2 Chron. 17:3). That is the ways of David, before the Bathsheba affair. He also walked in the ways of Asa his father. He was a reformer; not to the height of Josiah of Judah, but rather a reformer who saw that if there was going to be revival in the land, there was going to be a need to focus on the scriptures. And so he sent princes and Levites and lay people throughout all the towns of Judah, to teach the word of God. He began to call people back to God, and as a result God blessed the kingship of Jehoshaphat. God blessed him materially, God blessed him financially, God blessed him spiritually; God extended his territory and his boarders. And brothers and sisters, God protected him so much so, that 2 Chronicles 17: 10; 20:30 says that the fear of God came upon the nations and they were afraid to attack Jehoshaphat because they saw what God had done for him. God has blessed him, but it’s true that when God is blessing, the devil starts his messing. It’s always the case! This is why Paul says, “If any man thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall.”

   The bible says that three nations made a coalition, the Moabites, the Ammonites and Meunites, who are probably the Edomites as is found in verse 10 in this chapter, and also verses 22 and 23. Mount Seir; the Edomites, relatives! These three nations really are (if you will) cousins to the Jewish people. Ammon and Moab are the children and grandchildren of Lot. Lot is the nephew of Abraham. And the Edomites are descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. And the bible says that God had not allowed the Jewish people when they were making their trek from Egypt through the wilderness into the promise land to attack their relatives. But here, their relatives have formed a tri-fold coalition. And they have decided that they are going to annihilate the people of God.

   But, Jehoshaphat does not turn to a coalition; Jehoshaphat turns to God. The bible says, in verse 3, that Jehoshaphat seeks the Lord. Now, GOD REALLY IS NOT AN OBJECT OF OUR INVESTIGATION. GOD REALLY IS THE SUBJECT OF HIS OWN REVELATION. We cannot know anything about God, unless God reveal Himself to us. In fact, we cannot even speak about God unless God give us words to speak of Him about. And even when God gives us these words to speak of Him about; as eloquent as we can be, as fluent as we can be, we merely at our best stammer and stutter when we try to talk about God. Jehoshaphat sought the Lord! And the Bible says he calls a fast, and in verse 4, the people of God come from all the towns in Judah and they also seek the Lord, and there is a national day of prayer.

PRAYER

   Prayer is the most neglected ministry in the entire church. If we were as negligent about our finances as we are about prayer, the average church would be bankrupt in ninety days. If all the non-praying members of our church were removed off the roll we wouldn’t have enough members to sing in the choir the next Sunday, because we’ve taken the focus off of prayer. Brothers and sisters, I find it interesting that following 9-11, the president of the United States, and the former president of the United States had enough sense to go to the Washington Cathedral and pray; not to Camp David to strategize, but to the place of God where they could pray. God is calling us to a place of prayer. He sought the Lord ...and the people of God along with the king prayed. I want you to notice that three inquiries are made of God:

1.      In verse 6, there is an inquiry into the Sovereignty of God; “…are you not…” Are you not the God who rules over the kingdoms of the world; its God’s sovereignty! Now, I know that God has innumerable attributes, but the sovereignty of God is the glue of God that holds together all of the attributes. It is the place of intersection, where all the attributes must flow through. Because, let’s face it, if God is not sovereign (i.e., if God is not in control), what does it matter if God is holy. If God is holy, but not sovereign, He has no power to make me holy. If God is sovereign, and if God is in control; that means that all the other attributes become active and not passive. If God is not sovereign, and yet God is immutable; what does it matter? If God is unchangeable and yet He’s not in control; He cannot change my circumstances. If God is not sovereign, but He is omnipresent; then He can be present in everyplace at the same time, but He’s not able to move and work and walk in such mysterious ways that His wonders are performed. If God is not sovereign, but God is omniscience and he knows everything; he can know everything but not be able to do anything about everything that He knows. “…are you not God…” It’s really a rhetorical question and anticipates an affirmative response. The answer is yes!

2.      The second inquiry into the existence of God is found in verse 7, “…did you not…” It’s an inquiry into the history of the mighty acts of God in the midst of the people of God. “…did you not drive out [our enemies]…” You brought us out of bondage in Egypt, you brought us through the wilderness, and then you evicted the present tenants who had been there for some time and you placed us there and we lived in houses we did not build and we ate from trees we did not plant. And God you allowed us to build a temple in your name, because you kept your promise to your friend Abraham that you were going to give us a land. And we built this temple. And you said if calamity would rise, as you spoke through your king, through judgments, through sword, through peril, whatever would happen, you said: “if we would stand in front of this house and call upon your name, you said you would hear.” And he’s really echoing the sentiments of Solomon’s prayer that even when we come to the most difficult place in our journey; “if my people, who are called by my name, would humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” “…did you not…”

   Were you not the God who worked in our history? And because you worked in our history in the past, you will work today. I hear a lot of young people criticizing older people because of their home spun proverbs; their home spun wisdom. And old people will be quick to tell you, “Life will teach you, better than I can tell you.” Howard Thurman once said, “You cannot describe the sun set, if all you’ve ever seen is the sun rise.” And what he was trying to say is you don’t have enough history!

   {Brothers and sisters, one of the reasons I believe in God, is because of what God has done in my past!} I don’t have to start off each day with a blank slate; I don’t have to start off each day with a new beginning, I am extending my experience with God. The reason why we take aspirin today is because we took aspirin yesterday and it relieved our head aches. We’re not wondering whether or not this aspirin is going to do any good; based upon what it has done all the years in the past, I believe it will work today. The reason why I ate food today was because I found out it will nourish today because it nourished yesterday.

   And Jehoshaphat is saying, I remember a time when I went into battle, really with my eyes closed. There was King Ahab who convinced me to go into battle against Syria, to reclaim Ramoth-Gilead, and Ahab told me you put on your robes and I’ll disguise myself. But what I didn’t understand was that the King of Syria said we’re not fighting against Judah and Israel, we’re fighting against the King of Israel, Ahab. So thirty-two chariot commanders, I want you to kill only one person, kill Ahab. And when they came, and got ready to attack, Jehoshaphat cried out and God stepped in and let them know you’ve got the wrong man. And Jehoshaphat is saying, “…did you not…” Since you’ve done it in the past, I know you can do it in my present.

   And, thanks, be to God, we serve a God that we don’t have to question the history of His mighty acts in our lives. The God that we serve today is the God who brought us through yesterday. Now, I’m not trying to emotionalize you, but I’m trying to get you to look back on your past and see how far God has brought you. Has He not been faithful? Has He not made a way? Has He not lifted you up? Has He not kept your family together? Has He not healed you body? Has He not given you joy? Has He not given you faith? Has he not given you an extension? Has He not given you a second chance? BECAUSE GOD DID, HE IS! It’s an inquiry into the history of the mighty acts of God in the midst of his people. The bible says, in verse 10, that Jehoshaphat said in his prayer, “But now [Lord, our relatives that you extended mercy to] and would not allow us to attack as we made our trek from Egypt to the promise land, they have decided that they are going to pay us back and attack and annihilate us.

3.      The bible says in verse 12, that he raises a third inquiry. It’s an inquiry into the equity or the fairness of God. IS GOD FAIR? I want to say conclusively and adamantly no! GOD IS NOT FAIR! There was a conference on justice that was held just a few years ago, it is described for us in Ps. 85:10. Mercy and truth met together, truth said we should not live, truth said we were not deserving, but, mercy met with truth and said I know it’s not fair that LeBlanc should be spared, but by mercy, withhold from him what he deserves. And then there was another segment of that conference where righteousness and peace kissed each other. And I had not lived up to the standard of righteousness; which is perfection in keeping the law of God. Breaking the law even in one place meant breaking it in every place. And righteousness said no! He should not be given permission to serve you, but peace said let him have it. “Truth and mercy met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other.” And I want to tell you this morning that I’m so glad that God is not fair! Grace is not fair! Grace gives me what I don’t deserve; mercy withholds from me what I do deserve! That’s why David could close the 23rd Psalm by saying, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

   The only reason I’ve been able to persevere so far is because God’s sheep dogs of goodness and mercy have been following after me all the days of my life. And we put that to music and when we put it to music we say “Your grace and mercy, brought us through. We’re living each moment because of you. And I want to tank you and praise you to; your grace and mercy brought us through.” It’s an inquiry into the equity and fairness of God. And dare any of us; we’re a strange brew, when we know that God is blessing us and we don’t deserve it, we don’t tell God to take it back. But, when something’s happen in our lives, we’re quick to blame God! But I need to tell God in spite of it all you are still faithful and I love you!

   The bible says, in verse 12, that Jehoshaphat closes his prayer by making an admission. He said, “We have no might…” We’re helpless! He’s talking about his military, because it is being challenged by this three nation coalition of Moab, Ammon and Edom. And in the face of this battle, he says “we have no might.” THAT SOUNDS MIGHTY STRANGE in the light of 2 Chronicles chapter 17. In that 14th verse, he has 300,000 soldiers; verse 15, he has 280,000 soldiers; verse 16, he has 200,000 soldiers; verse 17, he has 200,000 soldiers; and in verse 18, he has 180,000 soldiers; that’s 1,160, 000 soldiers. And verse 19 says this doesn’t even count those stationed in the fortified cities. And yet, he says, “We have no might.” He understands! {Help me Jesus!} He understands that his strength does not rest in his military arsenal.

   Brothers and sisters, he’s making an admission that we need to make. We don’t know what to do! Have you been there? It’s the place that God must take us if we are to really have power. God wants to knock away every prop, everything we are leaning on; that’s why God had to challenge Abraham to forfeit his future; do you trust Isaac more than you trust me! And God wants to bring us to the place where we say I don’t know what to do. I don’t have any options, I don’t have any alternatives; but our eyes are upon you. He could not get to “our eyes are upon you” until he said, “…don’t know what to do.” As long as I’m looking at myself, as long as I am full of myself, as long as I’m counting on myself, I can never say “my eyes are upon you.” But when God helps me to see how trivial, how insignificant, how dispensable, how inferior I am; and turn my eyes from inward to upward, then I can find strength in a time of a storm.

   Verse 13 says, after he concludes this prayer that the people again stream in from all the towns of Judah (men and women and children), “stood there before the Lord.” Jehoshaphat has led them in prayer, and now Jahaziel is going to lead them in prophetic proclamation.

PROPHETIC PROCLAMATION

   Jahaziel is a Levite; his line goes all the way back to David’s minister of music, Asaph. And the bible says that the spirit of God came upon him; that’s the first thing. “The spirit of the Lord came upon him,” and he said “Listen, Jehoshaphat, and [listen] Judah! Thus saith the Lord…” I don’t doubt that preachers have a real desire to say, “Thus saith the Lord;” but we cannot say “thus saith,” until we know what saith the Lord. We preach to people who are biblically illiterate, and we must fault ourselves largely for that, because preachers are ever becoming biblically illiterate. We study the bible for sermons, we study the bible for talks, we study the bible for lessons; we don’t study the bible for spiritual sustenance. We don’t take it and eat it up, we don’t take it and let it overwhelm us; we study it so that we can speak eloquently, because we know on Sunday morning people want to hear something. And therefore, we take and make a quick drive through a certain text, just to satisfy the needs of the moment. But brothers and sisters, I need to know what thus says the Lord, if I’m going to say, “Thus says the Lord.”

   He leads them in this prophetical proclamation. He says I want you first of all, verse 15, “to not be afraid.” Fear not; don’t be afraid! I’m told that there are 365 “fear not(s),” in the bible; that’s a “fear not,” for every day of the year. I have not read intentionally all 365, but I believe they are there. The first “fear not” is in Gen. 15:1, “…the Lord came unto Abram… saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” There’s another “fear not” and it comes near the end of the bible in Rev. 1:17-18 where the resurrected Christ says to John; “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore...” Now if there are no more “fear not(s),” I am in good shape, because with the first “fear not,” God says “I’m you shield, and exceeding great reward; and in the last “fear not,” God says I’ve got the keys. Now if He’s got the shield, He’s got my back, and if He has the keys, and can open doors for me; then I have no reason to fear.

   “Don’t fear” He says, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” When God goes into a battle He goes with a sense of relaxed aggression. He does not sweat; He does not flex His muscles; He doesn’t even use any energy; in fact, the very root of the word Yahweh is to be. God simply causes to be! That’s why the centurion could say to Jesus, you don’t need to come to my house and heal my servant; all you have to do is just speak the word. And you word is active and your word will cause things to be. If I can just accept the fact, that God does not need me as an assistant, for the battle really is His, it’s not mine; then I can be a spectator and see what God is doing through me and even in spite of me. The battle is not yours it’s the Lords! We sing the song take you burdens to the Lord and leave them there; and we go there with our burdens and we drop our burdens and we wait for God to do something, and if God hasn’t done something according to our chronology; not His kairos, but our chronos, then we pack up our burdens and we take them back ourselves. But, brothers and sisters, if I am going to bring the heavy burden to God why would I take the heavy burden back and work on it myself. “The battle is the Lord’s, it is not mine!”  We need to come to a place where we trust the God of our yesterdays who will take care of us today and will provide for our tomorrow.

   Verse 16, the bible says that God spoke to Jahaziel and said look; I want to inform you what their plans are, “Tomorrow morning they’re going to be coming up a path called Ziz, and you will find them near the wilderness of Jeruel. In other words, God knows, even before they start off. He does not have to look at the 10 o’clock news to see what took place during the day. He knew in advance; it’s that great word “providence.” It really means that God is working behind our backs, and we don’t even know it. I know that Joseph said, “You meant it unto me for evil, but God meant it unto me for good,” but it took him twenty years to come to that conclusion. God had been working behind Joseph’s back all of those years, and God is working behind your back. You don’t know what is happening! You don’t know what it’s all about! You don’t know what God is fixing up! But, when He brings it to pass, it will be more than a holy hunch, it will be a wonderful revelation, because God is providentially bringing things to pass according to his own design and time. Tomorrow this is what you’re going to see. The Bible says in verses 18 and 19, Jehoshaphat who has led them in prayer and Jahaziel who has led them in prophetic proclamation, now will lead them in praise.

PRAISE

   The bible says, “He bowed with his face to the ground and the people of [God] fall to the ground [and] worship.” And the bible says in verse 19, and the “Levites from the Kohathites and the Korahites stood and lifted up their voices in praise unto God.” Oh! My sisters and my brothers, God is trying to teach us that He does not need our participation; He really does need our praise! And even when we participate through the divine instrumentality, it is God working through us; even providing the will to do of His good pleasure.

   Well, here, Jehoshaphat now is going to lead them into procession; that is what God wants them to do in terms of pre-battle plans. What a pre-battle speech! He says, “Have faith in [God].” LOOK WHERE HE’S MOVED FROM, IN VERSE 3, HE’S FEARFUL, BUT IN VERSE 20, HE HAS FAITH. “Have faith in [God].” Have faith in God and He will uphold you. Have faith in His prophets and they will cause you to be successful in your work.

   “Have faith in [God.]” This is laughable! What God does, sometimes ought to cause us to laugh. What do you mean appointing a choir to go before the army? That’s unthinkable, that’s laughable. Sarah laughs in Genesis 18, am I going to be a mother and I’m almost 90 years of age. She laughed within herself inside the tent, but in chapter 21:6-7, when Isaac is being weaned, she says God has caused me to laugh and others will laugh with me, because, not only am I a mother but my child is nursing from my breast. That’s laughable! And there’s things God does in your ministry and there are things God does in your life that ought to cause you to just break your side laughing. Incredible, astounding, un-figure out-able, things you can’t measure, some things ought to make you laugh.  

   I’m not talking about laughing because of unbelief; I’m talking about laughing because God has far exceeded your imaginations. And that’s what God is trying to do in the church; God is trying to produce some laughter in the church. God wants to show us that it’s not according to our budget, it’s not according to our membership, it’s not according to our ministry; God wants to do something. The budget is not there, but God is! The membership is not there, but God is! The training is not there, but God is! And God wants to start something in your ministry. In fact, your own ministry! You’re a wilderness preacher! You’re not supposed to make any great acclaim, in high school you were voted the most likely not to succeed. But God wants to make everybody laugh! You weren’t supposed to escape poverty, you weren’t supposed to get an education, your church was not supposed to get out of the store front existence; but God wants to make folk laugh! You’ve been picked on, you’ve been put down; folk have told you that your ministry is dried up, folk have given up on you, but God wants to make folks laugh. And when I think about my ministry and think about my life, and see how far God has brought me, I have to laugh sometimes!

   Put the choir before the army, I want some singing to take place. Don’t need any fighting. I’ve already told you just to take your positions. You’re not going to fight. I just want the choir to sing. Before the battle has even started, I want them to sing. And I don’t want them to sing after the victory, I want them to sing before the battle. You see Miriam led a concert, on the other side of the Red Sea, in Exodus 15:3, “The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. [The horse and the rider has He thrown] in to the sea.” But that was after they saw the floating bodies of Pharaoh’s host on the sea, called the Sea of Reeds. But God says even before a fire is shot, I want you to sing, and praise. And what God is calling on some of us to do is not to wait till the battle is over not even to wait until it gets started, but go on and praise in anticipation of victory, in anticipation of renewal, in anticipation of healing, in anticipation of marital relationships, in anticipation; go on and shout. I want you to notice the song, it’s not a long song; two lines. “[O Give thanks unto] the Lord; for his [steadfast love] endures for ever.” Two lines; just keep singing that over! You’re talking about praise courses; we’re not doing anything new, just two lines, “[O Give thanks unto] the Lord; for his [steadfast love] endures for ever.” Now that song was first song in the act of installing the Ark of the Covenant in the ministry of David, that’s when they song that song. They also song when the temple was completed in Solomon’s days. “[O Give thanks unto] the Lord; for his [steadfast love] endures for ever.” It was song when Solomon got through with his dedicatory prayer at the temple and the fire of God fell and consumed the animal sacrifice, and the priest could not even go in and minister. “[O Give thanks unto] the Lord; for his [steadfast love] endures for ever. It’s found in Ps. 106:1; it’s found in Ps. 107:1; it’s found in Ps 118:1, 29; it’s found in Ezra 3:11 when the foundation of Zerubbabel’s temple is laid. “[O Give thanks unto] the Lord; for his [steadfast love] endures for ever.” But these are songs song during some kind of temple ritual, some type of praise service; but here is a song, song while they are making their way to the battle field. “[O Give thanks unto] the Lord; for his [steadfast love] endures for ever.” And when you read Ps. 136, every line is filled, is impregnated with that verse, all twenty-six verses clothed with; “[O Give thanks unto] the Lord…” You talk about redundancy, it is intentional redundancy; “O Give thanks…” Because, we got such a short memory, “[O Give thanks unto] the Lord; for his [steadfast love] endures for ever.” The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They’re new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness O Lord, great is Thy faithfulness to me. And He says just sing that song over and over and over again. I know it doesn’t make sense, but God is not a rational God. God is beyond rationality.

   The bible says in verse 24, when the folk got up the next morning and looked out on the field; now the bible does not give the word, but it must have been a word some what synonymous with the word “wow.” All they have done is to render a concert. They haven’t used any weapons, and as far as they can see, “were dead bodies” and no one had escaped. Because as soon as they started singing, the bible says that God sent ambushes. What ever that means, it’s mysterious. But as soon as they started singing, God power was released. As soon as, not before; but as soon as they song, God set ambushes. So that a kind of military insanity breaks out and the Ammonites and the Moabites make their own pact and they fight against the Edomites, kill them and then they commit mutual homicide and kill themselves. But nothing happens until they start singing. It’s what happened at Jericho. They’re marching around Jericho, and the bible says on the seventh time that seventh day, they shouted and God pulled down the walls. It’s really what happened in the Philippians’ jail when Paul and Silas are singing. The bible says that they started singing! Now I don’t know who prayed are who song, but the old preachers use to say that since Paul’s name began with a “P,” he must have prayed; and since Silas’ name began with a “S,” he must have sang. But whoever prayed and whoever sang, the jail house began to rock and the jailer got confused and got ready to kill himself, and Paul said this ain’t a jail break. And before it was all over the jailer was converted. As soon as they began to sing! God set ambushes that confused this three nation coalition. And when they looked out, they were amazed. It’s mysterious. One of the things that concern me about my preaching and the preaching of others is that we try to demystify the mysteries of God! We try to unscrew the inscrutability of God! We try to make sense out of what God has done. I don’t know what it meant by ambushes, but God set it, and I ought to understand this; that God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps on the sea and He rides on every storm.

   And now it is their job to do something. They have participated in what John Michael Spencer of Duke University calls Theo-musicality. That is the music of God, it is lifting up God. It is not singing about our burdens, it’s not singing about weaknesses, it is not singing about how people are giving us a hard time; just let God be the focus. The steadfast love of God never ceases. Thanks, be to God! Just lift up God! It changes your worship, if gives you power in your preaching, it changes your singing; let God be the focus of worship. Well, they look out; all these dead bodies; and it takes them three days to collect all the equipment, the clothing and the jewelry. In fact, the reason God wanted to make this coalition so large was to provide them with more merchandise; and it takes them three days to collect all the valuables.  

   And the bible says in verse 26, they come to the valley of Beracah, which means blessings. That might be an awfully good name to name a church; I wonder about some of the manes of our churches. But Beracah means blessings; there needs to be some Beracah Baptist Churches; the blessings church.

   In verse 27 they began to walk home, they’re rejoicing. In verse 28, they come to the temple, they have an instrumental recital. In other words, they started the battle; and they praised, they praise during the battle, and they praised after the battle. The bible says in verses 29 and 30, when the nations saw what God had done; how he had put Judah under divine protective custody that fear came upon them. And in Jehoshaphat’s reign there was rest. The one thing that the world is beginning to see is that God is an awesome God. We in the church are beginning to lose this idea that God is amazing; of being awesome. There ought to be something about God that literally causes us to have trembling adoration. Here they are in the temple praising God. And the reign of Jehoshaphat seemingly has come to an end; we see in verse 33 some sad incident that he did not completely get rid of all the high places. And in verse 37 the bible says he formed an alliance with Ahaziah who is the son of Ahab and in this joint shipping, trading venture, the ships get wrecked at Ezion-geber. And we look at him and we say this is all we hear about Jehoshaphat. It is all, until we come to the New Testament. Because the bible really is not about Jehoshaphat, it’s about Jesus. And the bible says in Matt. 1:8, that there is a Jehoshaphat who is born in the line of another king. Jehoshaphat the son of Asa was born in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Jehoshaphat had a fleet of ships that were wrecked at Ezion-geber. But there is another king who does not need a fleet of ships. He just has one ship! It’s called the Old Ship of Zion! And it has never been wrecked. It has landed a many a thousand; Get on Board! Ain’t no danger in the water; Get on board! King Jesus is the captain; get on board! Here is King Jesus, the son of Jehoshaphat and yet the God of Jehoshaphat. Allowing this man, whose reign ends in tragedy: to be inducted into his family line. And we understand why God could not allow Ammon, Moab and Edom to annihilate Judah, because God had made a promise to Abraham, that out of his seed, in fact, out of Judah. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, or a law giver from between his feet, until Shiloh, being Jesus come. God could not afford Jehoshaphat to loose to this three nation coalition, because had in the womb of Judah the Christ child who would come. Here is this Jesus, re-incarnated. In other words, God remained who He was and yet became who He was not. God remained God, and yet became man. In weakness, Jesus the man was born in a barn. But in strength, Jesus the God, dispatched angels from the paradisiacal shores of eternity and caused them to serenade those at the nativity scene. Caused the angels to stand in rarified air, on the roster of the atmosphere, and to render a concert in one song! “Glory, be to God in the highest; and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. In human weakness, Jesus the man was one who went forty days without eating anything. But in strength, Jesus the God took and fed the Israelites from heaven’s kitchen for forty long years. In human weakness, Jesus the man went to sleep on a boat on a turbulent sea. But in divine strength, Jesus the God took and walked on water as if it were a moving sidewalk. In human weakness, Jesus the man rode on a colt in the triumphant entry, But is strength, Jesus the God caught the clouds of glory and rode back to eternity, sat down at the right hand of the father to make His report. In human weakness, Jesus the man seemingly died on Friday. And in human weakness, Jesus the man said “tetélestai” (it is finished); but they didn’t hear Him clear enough, He didn’t say, “I am finished,” He said, “It is finished.” And on Sunday morning, Jesus the God caused death to die. Jesus died on Friday, but death died on Sunday morning; because He got up, with all power in His hand. Well He went back to Glory, but there’s just one more battle, that I think I ought to tell you about. This was a colossal battle; here’s Jehoshaphat fighting with Ammon, Moab and Edom and the war is won by God. But at Armageddon, in eschatological terms; in future, end time events, there will be one more battle. And God will line up against the kingdoms of this world, but it really won’t be a battle, because God does not have to fight. And don’t you understand that when God fought against the kingdoms of this world God won, because the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Christ. And He is Lord, and He shall reign for ever and ever. Brothers and sisters, when the battle is really over that’s when I’m really going to worship. Brothers and sisters, worship is really just a rehearsal down here; but when my feet strike Zion, I’m really going to worship. As soon as I get to glory, brothers and sisters, I may be tempted to linger in the suburbs of eternity for a hundred years. When I get to glory, I may be tempted to conduct interviews with the saints of the ages for a thousand years. When I get to glory, I may be tempted to spend time on Blessed Blvd. for billions of years. When I get to glory, I may be tempted to walk up and down celestial courts for billions of years. When I get to glory, I may be tempted to go down to praise place for zillions of years. But as soon as my feet strike Zion, I’m going to make my way to hallelujah courts {yes Lord}. Bow down, take my crown off of my head, and cast my crown at His feet. All hail the power of Jesus name. Let angels prostrate fall; bring forth the diadem and crown Him {crown Him!} Lord of Lords. You brought me—crown Him! You taught me—crown Him! You saved me—crown Him! You healed me—crown Him! You held me—crown Him! You loved me—crown Him! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!  

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