Jehoshaphat
Our precious father, how Mighty you are and how worthy of Praise honor and glory for you, truly are the mighty one that has created all things including each of our lives and you have given us life then have shared with us the the promise of Salvation through Jesus Christ. How Exciting. It is to know that we have a future and we thank you for that. And as we come together to worship you, we need to remember that our lives. I'm sorry. I put together by the Mighty God. And so thank you. And we praise you, pray that you would be with us. Now as we lift you up and honor you in are in Jesus name. Amen.
A reading this morning is taken from Psalm, 37 verses 3 to 6. Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart, commit your ward trust in him. And he will do this. He will make your righteous reward shine. Like a dawn your Vindication like the Noonday Sun. Okay. Some things we probably need to be in prayer. For, you know, is you've been following the news, you know, that Afghanistan is an incredible turmoil. Particularly. If we think about the Believers that are there, the thousands of believers who have come to know Jesus Christ there and their very lives are being threatened and being taken by the Taliban, as well as literally thousands of American citizens that are still there. So we need to be in prayer for that country. It's interesting. We just got a connection praying for the Christians here in the United States. That their eyes would be open to the danger that they have seen. And that we would recognize that we are
Trouble and being persecuted by Satan himself as they feel the call. So they're praying for us. We need to be in prayer for them. Also Leona goes in for surgery on Tuesday. Pray for Leona and for Jan and Shirley because I know that they'll blow their way side because they can't go in with her. So that in itself is a struggle. So let's be in prayer for that. Let's pray. Our gracious Father in Heaven, Mighty and worthy of Praise honor and Glory. You are the mighty king and we are your servants saved through. Jesus Christ to honor you in this world that we live and father and that is with that, in mind. We recognize that there are many in our world who desperately need to know you particularly in our community of powers. We remember the people here and father our hearts go out to them to their need and somehow to their understanding of that need the need to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for he is the one that makes the difference. What we believe about Jesus Christ, makes all the difference in the world and yet they walk in darkness because they haven't chosen to follow and honor him and help us to be faithful in our walk with you. And if opportunity arises in our ability to reach out and touch their hearts, for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, father. We also remember the needs that are in a world and printed his Arisen, over the last few weeks of the country of Afghanistan, a country that Indian incredible turmoil for the last 70, 80 years, at least and probably threw most of the hair existence. Father, we pray. Your hint to be there. Two person who truly in your name or worshipping you, and they must stand against Satan's rat, is it rises in that country. And even understand that they face even a death sentence because of their faith. In you, may you give them strength and energy, and power to stand firm even in this difficult time and we pray that you would lift them up. That you would guard their lives and father if possible preserve their lives. But may they stand in you, no matter what. We also pray for the citizens of our country of America that live there, and that There are two are facing dangers. We pray that they would be helped and getting out of the country and back to the United States. And father, we also pray that. Their hearts, are Hearts, would be lifted to understand, did the, the struggles in our world. Satan is rising more powerfully day by day and the only barrier against him is the holy spirit that lives in the lives of people who followed Jesus Christ. And so, we are that barrier that stands may we be faithful and true to your call for our lives? We do pray for the needs of Leona and Jan and surely as they go through this whole process, we pray that you would be with them to encourage and give strength for this talk, that each heart that is crying out to you for your Aid, in helping the circumstances of their lives. Lord, that you were the only one who can bring peace. And each of these circumstances. You are the Mighty Guy in the strength. I'm so help us to trust in you. And father is we go forward. In this says service, that is to honor and worship. You are Lord and King. We pray that our hearts would be drawn to you that week.
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Alright. Well, let's get started with a word of Prayer.
Our gracious father, how thankful we are that we can come to you at anytime anywhere and call upon your name and you are ready to hear every word. We cry out to you. Lord, it is wondrous that you were so attentive to our lives, the best, especially when we recognize who we are and how insignificant we seem and you have in your heart. We are incredibly significant and we thank you and pray that father may you be here in power and strength with each and everyone of us that our hearts would truly be open to listen to your word and respond to it. Touch. Each of us. May your spirit be active and Alive moving in us and father moving in me. That is I Minister your word that I would do. So not in my power and strength knot in my wisdom, but in yours that you would truly be the guide for father, apart from you. I have Only clanging cymbals to speak and so may you speak clearly. Your spirit in Jesus name? Amen. Well, we're going to be moving on to a another section. Today. We're going to be taking a look at the king Pasha fat over the next four weeks, and he's an interesting guy. I enjoy studying him because his life is kind of like our lives in so many ways. There are times when we really respond to the Lord and other times when we are We don't even recognize what's going on in our world and as we walk through these next four weeks and look at his life weekend rejoice in some great things at Shake our heads at some of the foolish things that he goes through. And if we truly look at her own law, probably could do that with ourselves as well. So he is a picture of what we might possibly be ourselves. And, and in actuality. There are some really incredible things and we'll look at one of those are some of those things today. As we look at his life. Yates and everyone has been influenced by someone else in our world. If you take a look back at your life and how you came to know, Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, you can picture certain individuals that had an incredible influence on that. The trust Jesus Christ, as your lord and savior, there are always people involved in those situations that bring about other people and that's God's plan. That's why he put us here on this Earth to make us available to other people to help them see through Christ. And as we look at this first episode of Josh, a bad, we will see that his life began, or his rule began with some powerful. Steps toward the Living God, and if he'd have just settled down where he was, it would have been an incredibly great rain, but he again, take some other steps that will take a look at in the future.
If you will be patient with me today, we are going to get into some names as I read some of these passages, and if I happened to stumble over these words, please forgive me as we move along. But there are some big ones in here. Anyway, we're going to start off a second Chronicles chapter 17 and take a look at these first steps of Jehoshaphat where he, where he goes, verses one through six. Josh, if that his son that's ASA is it was a a ruler who for the most part, follow the lord as well. And so, when you look at Josh, A Pet's life in the the passing-down of his recognition of God, that his father. You've had something to do with that. Josh about his son succeeded King and strengthen himself against Israel. He stationed troops at all, the Fortified cities of Judah and put garrisons and Judah. And the towns of Ephraim that his father Ace. I had captured the Lord was with Joshy fat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult a biles but sought the god of his father and follow his commands, rather than the practices of Israel, the Lord establish his kingdom under his control and all Judah brought gifts to Joshy fat so that he had great wealth and honor, his heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord. I think that's a huge statement is heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord. Furthermore. He remove The high places in the asherah poles from Judah. It's not a great start, when I write great beginning. Yeah, that's a great beginning. And if all of our Lives, portrayed this great, beginning of following God in this manner, you know, it, we see tremendous success going on.
Following the Lord is powerful. It gives us a great beginning. Psalm 34 9 and 10, says, fear the lord, you his holy people, that's you and I we are holy people. If we claim Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, we are God's holy people. Now, you may look at your life and say, while I'm stumbling around and falling down and picking myself up half the time. Well, because you have went been washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. You Are Holy in the eyes of the Living God. It doesn't. It also calls us to strive towards that Holiness, but you are continuing on for those who fear Him, lack nothing. In other words. We have everything we need for this life. The lion, May grow, weary, and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack, no, good thing. And we see in the life of The hardship that as he takes over the reins of the tribe of Judah, and its and, of course, Benjamin and a little bit of Ephraim here. As we found out, that he is taking steps in the right way. He's trying to be devoted to God and to follow all his lead, very powerful first steps for him. He does some other things that are also really good in in what he does. Will Point them out here. One of the things that we need to do is to recognize Satan and how he is rising in our world around us. And so we need to be looking around our lives and seeing where Satan is trying to weave his way into our lives and the lives of our dear ones. And so we have to have open eyes while he recognized that. There was something wrong with the community North of him, the tribe of tribes of Israel that were north of him. He recognized that they were worshipping, idols, and all of these things and he wanted to take a stand against them. And so that's why he fortified garrisons that were on the border of Israel now, One of the funny things that will learn about in the next few weeks is that, you know, there are sometimes blind spots in our eyes as well and we'll find out that Israel was one of his blind spot because he didn't keep those barriers up that he had set up there, but that's for next week and the following weeks, but we need to recognize Satan and his ability to rise and he recognized. Okay, there's evil north of us. I've got a block that evil from coming down to my people and so I'm going to plant, garrisons are put Garrison's up in the towns up there to protect us from their influence in the lives of the people here in Judah and this Lam and so he does some 37 back to David some 47, verses 27 and 28 says turn from Evil and do good. Then you will dwell in the land forever. Is that great? I will dwell in the land forever. Remember back to the earlier, part of that song that I read early on our reading today. It said that if we are looking to the Lord, we will dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture and that was his desire. He wanted to stand against Satan, and he wanted to dwell in the land and have that safe. Pasture, not only for himself, but for his people, he was watching out for his people for the lord, loves a just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Okay. God will not forsake us pay for one. So when we're trying to seek him out to follow him. We know he's going to follow us. Just like Tanya said earlier, when talking about that song. God is good to those who looked at him. He will watch over us and we will walk in safe pastures. They also trust in God, he wants God to be evident in his life and the life of his people Matthew. 6:33. Jesus, speaking on the Mount of The Sermon, on the Mount, but seek ye first, the kingdom, and his righteousness. And all these things will be given to you as well. You know, he was seeking after God and along those lines. Came, great wealth, and comfort and peace to his land. All those things, because he was truly seeking after God. How are you doing with that? Are you finding the peace that God wants for your life because you have chosen to seek after him first in your life. That's what Josh if that is showing us here, that he is truly seeking after God and his piece in his land. And so God is blessing him powerfully. Blessing him.
The circumstances of Our Lives. Don't give us peace. It's the relationship with God. That gives us the peace that we need. Okay? And finally, there is obedience that he demonstrates going on here. He wants to get rid of those things that influence our lives in this world. Think about that in terms of our day. What are the things of this world that caused us to be drawn away from the Living God? That keep us from him. Well, he was looking at these asherah poles and these worship of Baal in the high places that go up. And and so he decided to get rid of those things. He decided to destroy them. Why? Because it's a Temptation for the people. And so he went out and he destroyed those things. Exodus 3413 says break down their altars smash their Sacred Stones and cut down their asherah poles. So way back, even in Exodus is the people were wandering in the desert. God was These are the things that you have to do. So, great beginning for Jehoshaphat. He's devoted to God. He's strengthening his land. He's following God's lead in the things that he says that he's trying to get rid of those influences in his land, that will lead the people astray, because he wants the people walking with him. Great great. Beginning, continuing on. This is where it's going to get a little struggle. So bear with me. 2nd, Chronicles 17, 7 through 11 in the third year of his Reign. He said the officials Ben Hale, Obadiah, Zakaria nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah. With them were certain Levites Jamiah nethaniah zebediah, SEL Shimmer, Amo Jonathan adonijah to buy. Anto adonijah and the priests Elijah mama and your horim. There you go. You got all those. You can correct me later if they talk to real Judah, taking with them, the book of The Law of the Lord. They went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people. The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the land surrounding Judah. Think about that as People begin to understand and turn to God. Here comes on the Nations around them. think about that, is the influence that we have as our
Study and desire to understand and know God increases. It causes a change in the people that surround us.
Think about the influence of God in that respect, powerful stuff. Anyway, continuing on surrounding Jude is so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat some Philistines. If you know that evil tribe to the southwest of Israel, these Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver is tribute and the Arabs brought him flocked 7000, 7700 Rams, and 7700 goats.
Isn't that amazing? I mean, not only is Josh very concerned about his own walk with the Lord. He's devoted to the Living God. He wants the people to be devoted to the Living God. And so he sends the missionaries out. Essentially. That's what he's doing. He's sending people out to minister to the people of Judah, to make sure they understand, the need to worship the Living God. And that wonderful. I think this is so exciting. When we read this chapter. I wish it were the only chapter of Josh fat, but it's not. There's other things that can teach us, but The most important need that we have, is that relationship with the Living, God. It's the most important thing you have. You know, and we need to take it. Seriously. We need to respect that need in our lives. That that is the most important. Most valuable thing that I possess in this world. Is that relationship with my living God. And if that is part of my life, the other stuff begins to fall in line. But that has to be the important thing for my life and for your lives. If you're truly a follower of Jesus Christ that has to be the most important. Most valuable thing, you two have Deuteronomy 4 9 says, only be careful and watch yourself. So close closely. So that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart. As long as you live, teach them to your children and to their children after them, okay? We need to remember, we need to know, God, we need to seek after God, but we also need to be passing God on to those who are following in our footsteps. And that's what Josh about what was doing. He was following. Those are he was leading those were following in his footsteps as leader of the land. It comes with obedience. Deuteronomy 6:25. And if we are careful to obey, all this law before the Lord, Our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.
You understand, obedience is intricately, intricately connected to our obedience for righteousness is connected to obedience. Did I say that right? No, I didn't. I missed it. I saw my wife's face and she was kind of shaking her head and saying, no, you totally missed that one. She helps me out. We need to be in obedience to our obedience, to the Living. God. You knowing if the struggle with our churches today is they have chosen to turn away from God. We talked about a little bit and Sunday school today that our love for people has obscured the fact that we need to call them to live as we need to live before the Living God. In obedience and we're willing to look beyond that and love people and love their sin and accept their sin. And what that does is, it brings corrosion into your own lives. We become corroded and we've become less, not less righteous, but less able to recognize that sin is swallowing us and around us. And we're struggling with that, and that's kind of what the Vatican churches were are calling and praying for us today that we don't get swallowed up in the Sim that is around us.
So anyway, it is protection to our Lots obedience and following God's word is protection for our lives. Remember, they are at peace with the countries that surround them. Why? Because they were being obedient to God, and seeking after him Genesis 35, 5 says, then. They set out in the terror of God fell on the town's all around them. So that no one pursued them. That was Jacob in his family. As they walked through. They were being obedient to God and fear fell in the lands around them. When we follow the Living God, we can trust that he will guide us through. He will guide us through all things. God protects the righteous and then there is provision. Exodus 12:36. The Lord has made the head, made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people and they gave them what they asked for. So they plundered the Egyptians.
John wants to provide for us abundantly, you know. If you take a look at your limes, you know that you have been abundantly blessed in this life. If you take a look at the rest of the world, you know that you are in riches. Why? Well this country as sought-after the Living God, we as a nation head. Truly followed him and that was Central to our commitment.
Gary and I were talking a little bit ago and as we were walking at toward the sanctuary and we were talking about how we have lived, our lives from the time. We were born in. In our age church was foundational to life in our country, and people got up on Sunday morning. And they went to church and it was powerful and evident in. And in that time we were seeing God's incredible blessing on our land. We have been blessed so much. and I fear that that blessing is going to be taken away as we turned further and further away from him and seek to be more and more Godless in her live life, but, As we walk with God, even our enemies will bless us. It's when we turn away from the Lord, that we find that division. We are a blessed people. Well, continuing on. Let's finish it off and I'm going to read this section, but I'm going to go to a few other notes on this. Just to kind of give the, ah, more of an idea of what it is. Walking with God 2nd, Chronicles, 17, 12 to the 19th became more and more powerful. He built for its in-store cities in Judah, and had large supplies in towns of Judah. He also kept experience fighting man in Jerusalem there. Enrolled by families, was it was as follows from Judah commanders of units of 1000 adna. The commander with three hundred thousand fighting men. Next Johanna, the commander with 280000 and then Amazon son of Zachary who volunteered himself for the service. The Lord with 200,000 in from Benjamin. Iliada Valium soldier with two hundred thousand men with bows and shields. Next Joe has a bad with a hundred and eighty thousand men armed for battle is not think about that this little country of Judah. Has over a million armed armed, armed Warriors at hand. I mean, if you think about that today is real might not have a million armed men today. So it's just amazing when you go down there and you see how God has blessed this little nation that that chose to honor got any way. These were the men who serve the king. Besides those, he stationed in fortified cities throughout Judah. You know, when we choose to look to God and follow his lead, we find his energy and his strength and entering into our lives and they chose to follow God. And this time, you know, when I say there was a great beginning, it truly was a great beginning and it started with their dedication to the Living God that made a huge difference Zakaria 10-6 as I will strengthen Judah and save the tribes of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. In other words, Judah. This is a call that Judah is going to respond to the Living God, you know, it will be a response and this is Future response, believe it or not. If we're looking at Zachariah and one of these days, I truly believe that Israel is going to respond to the Living God and they will seek Him and God will honor that and build Israel, back up. This is a prediction from the Lord from Zakaria, but he is honoring the people now in Judah in the time of Joshua bet, because you strengthen them. The second thing that we need to remember in all of this is that the battle is not against the people surrounding, you know, we sometimes lose sight of that fact, you know, the battle isn't really against the Taliban. It's against the forces of evil, that lie around them, that is in the battle. And so, sometimes our prayers go in a different direction than they ought to. We need to be seeking prayer against the evil one, who desires to Weaver's way, not only in the lives of the people in Afghanistan, but in your life and my life. And so that needs to be part of our prayer Ephesians 6:12 States. This very clearly for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers against the authorities, against the power, Of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly Realms, you know, that's the war. You know, is as Believers in Christ, that's the war because it is Satan who wants to deceive people and keep them from looking to God and following him and if we want to change the lives of our neighbors are friends, are family to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that's who we're fighting against. And we need to have a god leading us and arming Us in that war against the evil one. And then we need the second thing. I want to point out. If so, we need to be conformed to God's image, not the image of the world. You know, we have a world that is trying to condemn the church for its practices because the church is trying to follow God and are we going to conform to the world's practices? Are we going to conform to God's practices? And so Romans 12:2 says, do not conform to the pattern of that the world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, then you will be able to test and approve. What's God's will is is good pleasing and perfect will you know, and that's a Pursuit that we have it will not be finished. As long as we're on this Earth. That's a Pursuit that every Christian has in this life to conform, to God's will, to his Desires in our lives and oppose the forces of the world, because the forces, the world are the controlled by the evil. One, and he desires to turn us. Against the Living God.
And finally, our strength is found in God himself and not in our forces. Now Judah gained all these forces. They had over a million soldiers at their disposal and all these things and we'll learn later on that. It wasn't all those forces that ever won battles or them. Or we'll look at it and we'll see, they lose one battle. They win another battle. They won the other battle, because they trusted in God, they lost one battle because they didn't trust in God. It's not the forces that we have. It's the god that we have back to Zachariah.
So, he said to me, this is the word of the Lord is the rubble. Not by might, nor by power. But by my spirit, says the Lord Almighty. You know, our power and our strength is found in the Living. God. So the question for each of us is you know, what am I relying upon in this world than my relying upon are my finances and my relying upon where I live, you know, we we get to live a little bit more off the grid out here in Powers. Is that something that brings you peace and comfort? You know, where is your reliance? And our alliance needs to be on the Living, God. That's the first step. The only step that we should take is to rely upon the Living God, to be the guy and director of our Lots. If so, when we rely upon him that we find that we have success in this life. God will determine what is successful by the way, and he desires us to find that success trusting him. so, as we take a look at the beginning of jehoshaphat's rain, we need to recognize that his Reliance was The Living God that was his devotion. His desire was to follow him and God bless those first years. Abundantly. he bless them abundantly and we'll take a look at that then, but There is another part and so come back next week and find out the downside of all this as well as the upside. Let's pray.
Our gracious. Father. We thank you for your word and for all that it shows us in terms of how we live our lives and how we ought to live our lives. We thank you for this chapter of 17 and 2nd Chronicles. That describes how it should go. As we yield Our Lives into your hands and trust in you good things. Come our way. And father help us to recognize that but help us to also be able to see that if we don't do what you called us to do that, bad things can settle in. So help us to be Reliant upon you, trusting you. Each and every day. Through our Lots. May we seek after you and find you. Sufficient in all our needs in Jesus name? Amen? I stand as we close.
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Our Father in Heaven, as we go out from this building and the fellowship we have together. May you go with us powerfully that we would be true light to a community of Darkness that has need of you. And that father, Your Love would flow from this facility in so doing in Jesus name, we ask these things. Amen.