Breakthrough

2 chr 20:1-

2 Chronicles 20:1–4 NLT

After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.) Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.

2 Chronicles 20:12 NLT

O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

2 chr 20

2 Chronicles 20:15–17 NLT

He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

2 Chronicles 20:20–22 NIV84

Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” As 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.

2 chr 20:20-21

2 weeks until the move.

I want to get you ready for what God is going to speak to you about tonight cause I believe if you come to church with an expectation, an expectation of meeting and talking and hearing from the most High God, He will show you his spirit and all that he is.

So I want you to turn to your neighbor and tell them, declare for them,

“God has a breakthrough for you.”

Cause that is what we are talking about today. We are talking about breakthroughs. We are going to be reading our of and will be peering into the life of King Jehoshaphat and this is going to encourage anybody…anybody in need of a breakthrough. Come on church, is there anyone in need of a breakthrough in this place?

If there is anything you need help on…if the words, “I dont know what to do about this situation” has come up in your vernacular in some way or form, I would say you need a breakthrough in your life right now. If you are scratching your head, losing sleep at night, stress eating krispy kreme donuts, you might be in need of a breakthrough tonight.

Great news, Ivy and Ryan had their baby. Ivy was in labor for 40 hours. 40 hours yall?! If anyone needed a breakthrough it was her…or was it Payton. Somebody needed a breakthrough in that room...

And heres the good news yall, Jesus Christ has come down, given his life, and poured out himself as a sin offering for our sins once and for all, and instead of staying dead, he rose again from the dead telling the powers of darkness, you aint got nothing on me, and he sat down at the right hand of God to show the whole world who the real king is and that King is Jesus. He has already won the day, he has already vanquished the devil, he as already slaughtered the enemy, all we have to do is march on down victory lane with him.

Heres the funny thing about coming to church or being a pastor, we hear about the miracle working power of Jesus, we hear the stories of the mighty hand of God, some of us even nod our heads in agreement to it, and some of us go even further and believe that it is entirely possible for God to work amazing breakthroughs in people’s lives but for many of us, that miracle doesn’t exist for ourselves. We believe it is possible out there in theoretical land, but right here on a Sunday night…oh no no…that is much too personal, and much too real. And in some way, because of our disbelief, we have already decided that breakthrough isn’t possible for us tonight.

I remember the first time I went to Amy’s grandmas house. She told me all kinds of stories of playing in the fields, riding the tractor, chopping some wood, feeding the horses. And I nodded my head and smiled, but what she didnt know is that I had already resolved that certain things were not going to go down like she thought they would. You all know Im a city guy, so city guys and horses do not jive. I had never even seen a horse up close in real life, up until that point in my life. They just freak me out man…big ol eyes on the side of their head…like a walking fish, that you can ride on...

It’s like when Kalel looks at any vegetable that isnt corn and his immediate reaction is, nope. Not going to like it. Im like, “dude you havent even tried it yet.” But he has already decided in his heart that this wasn’t going to be good.

And for some of you, it doesnt matter what I say up here, how good I preach, how much I yell and scream, you have this wall that you built up and no matter how much I huff and puff, you know it aint coming down…word?

Now, we got circumstances that we’d love to see changed…circumstances that we’d love to see get sorted out…you ever notice, how we want God to change our circumstances, but not change us?

We think, we got shackles. This circumstance is like a weight around my ankle. This problem is like chains on my hands. I feel like a slave to these problems. God if you would take away my circumstance then I would be free.

God isn’t interested in just transforming our circumstances, God wants to transform us because true freedom lies within transformed lives, not transformed circumstances

Breakthrough needs purposeful prayer.

In , King Jehoshaphat is in trouble. The bible says that three armies have come to make war on King Jehoshaphat and all of Judah.

2 Chronicles 20:2–3 ESV

Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

2 Chr 20:2-

2 Chronicles 20:12 NLT

O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

2 Chr 20:

King Jehoshaphat had a right to be afraid. The word “great multitude” or “vast army” is the Chroniclers way of describing the overwhelming numerical superiority of the invaders. En Gedi was around 25 miles from Jerusalem. This vast army, whos mission is to decimate the nation of Judah, is at their doorstep.

See the stage is set. KJ is in trouble. He sees his circumstance and it seems to bleak to move forward. It is too big. It is too bad. It is beyond his comprehension.

I learned something this week. I got to sit down with some members from our church and realized something that I already KNEW to be true, but definitely needed reminding in.

Look to your left and right…somebody in your row, or somebody in this room is currently going through something that feels insurmountable. A crushing hopelessness, a vast loneliness, marriage problems, parenting problems, job problems, theres addiction, depression, self defeat and self righteousness. I was reminded this week that even though everything looks good on the outside does not mean that everything is good in their life.

We all struggle with an enemy that feels overwhelming superior to our ability to cope sometimes. We need answers. We need solutions. We need help.

So we should do what King Jehoshaphat did…we should start by seeking the Lord. And this is were a lot of us begin and thats good, but what isnt good, is we stop there. We pray and then we wait. We wait for God to show up. We wait for God to come down. We wait for our circumstance to resolve themselves and then we get frustrated when they do not.

King Jehoshaphat doesnt stop with just praying, he calls for a fast throughout all of Judah…why does he do this? Prayer and fasting are often linked together in the bible because the purpose of fasting is to take your focus off the things of the world and bring it to the things of God. Fasting doesnt have to be just food, it can be anything that can distracts your focus. The Chronicler is showing how serious and focused KJ was on receiving help from God.

He doesnt just toss up some empty prayers. Oh God help me…but not expecting any help. How many times have we prayed for God to help us, but never really expecting an answer in return. KJ prays AND fasts, cause he needs answers and he’s willing to devote all his focus to finding those answers. He is willing to sacrifice because he believes God will answer.

How different would our prayer life be if we KNEW God was going to answer? What would we say? What would we expect?

This prayer closes with a real, human, response…and I love it.

I love verse 12 because it is just so honest. “We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

Breakthrough needs a change in Perspective.

At the end of this prayer, the army is still coming. The circumstance hasnt changed. There is still a lot to be stressed about. The fear and discouragement are still very present.

The thing about God is…he HAS the power to move mountains and change lives…so we wonder…why doesn’t he just do it?

I believe its because God isn’t just interested in making you feel better…he wants you to be better.

Kalel likes to play video games with his dad. And we play them together frequently. Its our way to bond and I enjoy playing games with him. It’s really cool to see him get better at games. Now, he is not in a position to beat his old man at anything yet, but I know the day that he will wipe the floor with me is coming because I already see it happening. See in the beginning, I would play and lose on purpose…cause it made him feel good. He felt like a boss and that made me feel good too, but I knew, unless I challenged him, he would never get truly better because my goal for him isnt for him to just feel like he was good, but I want him to BE good.

Do you want to just feel better or do you want be better?

Do you want to just feel strong, or do you want to be strong?

Do you want to just feel like your getting wiser, or do you want to be wiser?

Because a breakthrough in circumstance will make you feel better, but breakthrough to your self will make you be better.

Cause a breakthrough in circumstance will make you feel better, but breakthrough to your core will leave you changed, altered.

In verse 15, God commands King Jehoshaphat to what...”Do not be afraid or discouraged...”

God doesn’t just take away the circumstance first…first, he asks KJ to change his perspective.

What circumstance has demoralized you? What vast enemy has left you deflated and afraid?

To that God says, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.”

And God isn’t saying that because he is unsympathetic to your plight. He is saying that because he is the only person that has the power to back up what he says.

“Don’t be afraid” coming from God carries the same assurance that the sun will rise tomorrow because there is power in his words. There is power in his promises.

And his promise is this…”this battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Breakthrough requires us to get into position.

This next part is so important because we don’t stop at praying and we don’t stop at changing our perspective. This next part comes the hard part. The next part is the part that many of us shy away from. This next part is where many of us fall short.

Have you ever played that hypothetical game to see what your dignity is worth?

Like…

Would you eat dog food for $100?

Would you eat a ball of hair that was pulled out of your bathtub for $500

Would you eat poop for $1000?

Would you eat a camel spider for $50,000?

This part is all about putting your money where your mouth is.

Faith is more than just belief. Faith is action. Real faith isnt just talking about jumping, its getting to the end of the cliff and leaping. It’s saying you have the guts to eat a camel spider and then having the guts to go ahead and do it.

2 Chronicles 20:16 NLT

Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.

KJ

2 Chronicles 20:17 NLT

But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

Breakthrough requires us to not fight the battle. The battle is already won. Christ has already given us the victory over sin and death. He has vanquished the enemy.

Romans 8:31–39 NIV84

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Nothing. No one. The bible says that we are more than conquerors…not because we ourselves are brave, or strong, or intelligent, or special…we are more than conquerors THROUGH Jesus. It is because of Jesus that we have won…but we have to do one thing. We have to do our part. We have to jump. We have to leap. We have to take action. We have to get into position.

Many of us stop or never get into position because facing the enemy head on is terrifying. To dig ditches when you see no rain doesn’t make sense. To ask a friend to church that has rejected you on every turn is hurtful. To extend an olive branch your ex wife or ex husband makes us angry. To love someone different from us makes us anxious. To choose to be thankful and hopeful in a desperate situation seems counter intuitive, but thats what getting into position means.

Breakthrough requires us to get into position. We have to align ourselves with what we know to do in regards to his will.

We will talk more about understanding God’s will next week, but today…we know that it is not our job to fight a battle that we can’t win, but to get ourselves into position to watch God reveal his power.

We need a breakthrough as a church…but we do not control any outcomes. Our move to TBK8 is us getting into position. Spending the 80k for equipment and advertising is getting into position. Moving to a morning service is us getting into position. When you serve our church in a ministry, that is you getting into position. When you sing your praises to God that is you getting into position. When you take the time to become friends with a stranger from our church that is you getting into position. When you invite your hurting friend into a relationship with Jesus, that is you getting into position.

What breakthrough do you need? Maybe you’ve prayed, maybe you’ve tried to change your perpective, but maybe you haven’t gone the whole nine yards. Maybe you have stopped short of getting yourself into position. So I urge you today…get yourself into position.

We need to march down to the battlefield, we need to get into position.