I'm Going to Win, and I Won't Have to Fight
Notes
Transcript
Announcements
Announcements
Visitors etiquette
Worship Songs:
Worship Songs:
Blessed The Lord, Oh My Soul
Shine on Me
Lord You Are Awesome
All The Glory Belongs To You
Alpha Omega
Bless That Wonderful Name of Jesus
I’ve Got A Feeling Everything Gonna Be Alright
Introduction: A Nation’s Plight of Undependable Kings
Introduction: A Nation’s Plight of Undependable Kings
Opening Statement: This passage is one of great encouragement. It is a passage of hope and refuge for those stricken by the terrible circumstances of life. We often go through different things in our lives, things that we may never share with others, that will warrant an encouraging word from God. This is one of those passages that answers the cry of the burdened and oppressed; helpless and confused. It provides a compelling reminder that God cares about His children and will never leave them to survive on their own strength.
However, it is much more than that. It is a passage about how God protects his people under the sort of rule that honors His will. It is not simply the individual affairs of men that are considered in this passage. Rather, it is the providential declaration of how God protects a nation under godly leadership.
We don’t always talk about the importance of leadership. Most messages tend to admonish and instruct solely those who are considered followers, implying that God holds the leader and followers to a different standard. However, the leader-follower motif is designed to establish chronology and not hierarchy.
That is the role of the leader is not to do something different from everyone else, but rather do what is expected of everyone else before everyone else—setting an example.
This text is about what is needed to preserve an entire nation, and it is concerned with describing the sort of leadership that allows God to step in when things are too difficult to handle.
How might things be if we prioritized Christ-centered leadership in our country?
Interestingly, an article by Pew Research declares that out of the 46 presidents America has had, only 2 of them were non-Christians, Thomas Jefferson and arguably Abraham Lincoln.
With a country as the one we live in today, this leaves us to inquire, “Just what does it mean to be Christian in America?” What does it mean to have “godly” leadership in this country that boasts in its freedom of religion? Is it possible to be president of America and truly Christian?
This is important, because as the king goes so does the nation.
Judah’s Story of Leadership & The Dark Days
Judah’s Story of Leadership & The Dark Days
Judah had its share of undependable leaders. This plague of bad leadership hindered the nation in ways that is often overlooked.
Before the coming of Jehoshaphat, was the king Asa who was not among the bad kings, but a leader of integrity and great reform. During the days of Asa, the previous king before Jehoshaphat, Asa was determined to reform Israel. The writer describes what he calls, the Dark Days of Israel. During these time, Judah was a bad place to be. He writes,
5 “During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land.
6 Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem.
There are two reasons for these dark times:
No teacher.
No law.
We need teachers of God’s law.
3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them.
18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.
The reason a nation experiences no peace and cycles of war is because there’s no reliable leadership in place to stir the people in the will of God. This is the case in all forms of government. This is why Jesus’s prophecy speaks of wars and rumors of war, which entails the end of a nation that refuses to be led by God. You can tell when the end of a nation or Institution is near by its ability or inability to maintain peace.
Jesus said concerning the last days of Israel,
6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
When’s the last time America had a leader that promoted the teaching of God’s law?
The relevant duty of God’s people is to courageously work to spread God’s law and His righteousness.
Jehoshaphat’s Reign
Jehoshaphat’s Reign
Jehoshaphat faced no less responsibility than that which was given his ancestors. He was called to maintain and continue the cause of national reform.
Most people would assume they are leading in this effort. However, they are only using the name of God to forward their own efforts and reforms. This only ends in another element of godless leadership, which masquerades itself as godliness.
A. W. Tozer once wrote,
What comes into mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
John Mark Comer writes, we become like what we worship.
In short, a nation cannot claim to be worshipping God, if they fail to look like Him. So, Jehoshaphat made sure Israel looked like the God of their fathers.
Jehoshaphat’s Reform
Jehoshaphat’s Reform
Here are a few lessons from the leadership and reform of Jehoshaphat’s rule:
Principle: God will establish you AFTER you choose Him.
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.
Principle: Education is the most efficient way to change.
7 In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.
8 He sent Levites along with them, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah. He also sent out the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9 They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.
Nations are not afraid of us, because we are more capable than they. It is not our education or our personal status. National peace comes when people are able to discern that you know enough about a power [God] to let Him do all of your fighting.
10 Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat.
The reason we are always fighting is because no one is afraid of our god and king.
This is why we are careful with who we connect with.
Watch Who You Connect With
Watch Who You Connect With
In chapter 18, Jehoshaphat’s connection with Ahab nearly ruined his reign. He was connected to the wrong people.
Sometimes, what you are connected to has the risk of overshadowing who you are. Some people lose their lives, not because of who they are and what they’ve done. They lose their lives, because they are connected to the wrong people, and they are sometimes mistaken for those they are associated with rather than being known for who they really are.
31 So when the Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. “There is the king of Israel!” they shouted. But Jehoshaphat called out, and the Lord saved him. God helped him by turning the attackers away from him.
32 As soon as the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.
Thank God you didn’t suffer the casualties of those you were connected to.
33 An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. “Turn the horses and get me out of here!” Ahab groaned to the driver of the chariot. “I’m badly wounded!”
34 The battle raged all that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans. In the evening, just as the sun was setting, he died.
Re-Establish Yourself!
Re-Establish Yourself!
Principle: Your relationships makes or breaks your reputation and identity.
Some of us are suffering because of the people we have connected with and though we survived it, we lost our credibility and reputation.
Some things are beneath you. Some things, we shouldn’t waste our energy and time on.
People don’t see us the way they once saw us, because we entered relationships we should not have been in. We were found in places we should not have been. Now, people are willing to “try us”.
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.)
But, though we left God, God never left us!
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.
Three things that distinguished Jehoshaphat:
Man of prayer
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.
Man of faith
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.”
Man of worship and praise.
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!”
Exhortation and Encouragement: Let God win it!
Exhortation and Encouragement: Let God win it!
We are not oblivious to the fact that God’s people are called to take up arms and fight those battles that are only won with human participation. Yet, we are not ignorant to the fact that we often fight battles that we are not supposed to fight!
This example of Jehoshaphat shows us that God will fight for us, which means victory is ours only when God fights for us!
These are the three things we must do to win without fighting:
Position yourself.
Stand still.
See the Lord’s deliverance.
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!”
Stop fighting and win!
It’s time to stop fighting. You should be tired of fighting battles that only God can fight.
Song: Victory, Victory Shall Be Mine!