Planted - Week 3
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Intro
Intro
Review: If you’ve been with us the past few weeks, you know we are on a series called, “Planted”
We’ve said that where you plant your life matters. That God wants us to be fruitful for him, but we need to make some conscious decisions about planting ourselves in the right soil so that we can grow.
Oranges don’t grow in the frozen northern parts of Alaska - The environment will kill them. Some of us in our lives, we’ve planted ourselves in places and things that are choking the life out of us.
Last week Brooke spoke about being planted in love.
Over the next couple of weeks as we continue in this series, I want to look at some solutions to some our problems.
We often plant our lives in fear - But instead we should plant our lives in love. There’s a security that comes from knowing that We are broken, fully known by God, yet fully loved by him!
We often plant our lives in worry - And tonight, I want to encourage us instead to plant our lives in worship.
Opening Story/Illustration: The truth is that our perception often determines our reality. The way we see or perceive a situation, often determines our reaction to it. And here’s the thing: We’re really good at seeing the negative. We are really good at seeing all the ways things can go wrong. This often turns into worry or it can even turn into a habit of negativity.
Transition to the Text: There’s a situation in the old testament that could have easily turned negative. King Jehoshaphat of Judah was, for the most part, enjoying a time of peace and prosperity. He obeyed God and God was blessing. He has done his best to bring the people back to the Lord. He has worked to bring restoration to the judicial system and has tried to teach the people the Law of God. But he is then notified that an army is coming to attack.
Text:
1 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 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). 3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
1 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. 2 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.)
3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.
5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’
10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 12 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.”
13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.
15 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. 16 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. 17 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!”
18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”
21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to the Lord;
his faithful love endures forever!”
22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other.
Transition to Points:
Transition to Points: I want to point out just a couple of things from this passage tonight.
Points
Points
Jehoshaphat admits his fear
i. He was afraid (20:3)
He was afraid (20:3)
1. He has 3 different groups of people coming after him.
He has 3 different groups of people coming after him.
2. It says that they are “a great multitude”
It says that they are “a great multitude”
ii. They did not have what it took to stand up against this big army. (20:12a)
They did not have what it took to stand up against this big army. (20:12a)
They did not have what it took to stand up against this big army. (20:12a)
1. The Ammonites and the Moabites had a history of picking on Israel.
The Ammonites and the Moabites had a history of picking on Israel.
2. Both nations descended from Abraham’s Nephew – Lot. (The Night his daughters got him drunk and slept with him)
Both nations descended from Abraham’s Nephew – Lot. (The Night his daughters got him drunk and slept with him)
iii. Jehoshaphat did not deny his feelings, he did not deny the size of the army – he faced it.
Jehoshaphat did not deny his feelings, he did not deny the size of the army – he faced it.
It’s ok to admit to God what you’re worried about
Jehoshaphat realizes he is inadequate
Jehoshaphat realizes he is inadequate
i. He admitted that he didn’t know what to do
He admitted that he didn’t know what to do
ii. He was a good king
He was a good king
1. He was doing a great job of strengthening his nation
He was doing a great job of strengthening his nation
2. You would think that he would know exactly what to do
You would think that he would know exactly what to do
iii. Jehoshaphat did not have some weak army
Jehoshaphat did not have some weak army
1. Just a few chapters earlier we get a great picture of exactly how great this guy is.
Just a few chapters earlier we get a great picture of exactly how great this guy is.
2. , ,
, ,
12 So Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful and built fortresses and storage cities throughout Judah. 13 He stored numerous supplies in Judah’s towns and stationed an army of seasoned troops at Jerusalem. 14 His army was enrolled according to ancestral clans.
From Judah there were 300,000 troops organized in units of 1,000, under the command of Adnah. 15 Next in command was Jehohanan, who commanded 280,000 troops. 16 Next was Amasiah son of Zicri, who volunteered for the Lord’s service, with 200,000 troops under his command.
17 From Benjamin there were 200,000 troops equipped with bows and shields. They were under the command of Eliada, a veteran soldier. 18 Next in command was Jehozabad, who commanded 180,000 armed men.
19 These were the troops stationed in Jerusalem to serve the king, besides those Jehoshaphat stationed in the fortified towns throughout Judah.
10 Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat.
1 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
1 Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king. He strengthened Judah to stand against any attack from Israel. 2 He stationed troops in all the fortified towns of Judah, and he assigned additional garrisons to the land of Judah and to the towns of Ephraim that his father, Asa, had captured.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father’s early years and did not worship the images of Baal. 4 He sought his father’s God and obeyed his commands instead of following the evil practices of the kingdom of Israel. 5 So the Lord established Jehoshaphat’s control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed. 6 He was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah.
3. He is strong enough that the nations around him fear him.
He is strong enough that the nations around him fear him.
iv. Jehoshaphat and discovered a secret – There is power in knowing when you are inadequate.
Jehoshaphat and discovered a secret – There is power in knowing when you are inadequate.
Jehoshaphat and discovered a secret – There is power in knowing when you are inadequate.
Jehosaphat admits he doesn’t know what to do
Jehosaphat admits he doesn’t know what to do
Jehoshaphat turns his face to seek the Lord, Puts his eyes on God, and worships
Exegetical – Jehoshaphat put his eyes on God (20:12)
Jehoshaphat was afraid, and was inadequate, but he put his eyes on God.
Jehoshaphat and the people worship
a. Exegetical – Jehoshaphat put his eyes on God (20:12)
God speaks to them after they admit their inadequacy.
i. Jehoshaphat was afraid, and was inadequate, but he put his eyes on God.
Jehoshaphat was afraid, and was inadequate, but he put his eyes on God.
ii. God speaks to them after they admit their inadequacy.
He tells them not to fear (20:15, 17)
1. He tells them not to fear (20:15, 17)
The Battle is not theirs, it is his (20:15)
2. The Battle is not theirs, it is his (20:15)
God will be with them as they go out to fight.
3. God will be with them as they go out to fight.
They go out to fight and they simply do one thing - They worship!
iii. They get to the Battle and God has already won it for them, it took them three days to take all the spoil!
They get to the Battle and God has already won it for them, it took them three days to take all the spoil!
You may feel afraid, worried, or inadequate regarding your situation.
Take it all to God
Set your eyes on him
Worship
You’ve got to make the choice to worship instead of worry.
Plant your life in Worship
What you’re doing is this - You realize that what you see around you might look bad, but there is a reality that is unseen. There is an unseen God who will work on your behalf.
We get so worried about what we see - But we need to shift our focus to what is unseen.
Illustration: It’s so easy to do - A few weeks ago I dealt with this in my own life. We are in the midst of some changes in my family. We just had a new baby. My role/job here at the church has shifted. Brooke’s job has changed/shifted. We are sorting all of this out. All of that can feel overwhelming. When you get your eyes on that, it can worry you to death - But I am reminded that I need to shift my focus. To choose to worship instead of worry.
When you plant your life in worship, you’re planting your life in this reality:
God is bigger, greater, and more capable than anything you face.
There is an unseen reality that is of greater influence and importance than what you see.
God loves you and is in control
Conclusion
Conclusion
Tonight I want us to conclude with a time of worship. A time of just setting our focus on him. If you want to move around the room and pray, raise your hands, sing, whatever. Let’s take and plant ourselves in worship instead of worry!