SIDE SWIPED OR SET UP

2 Chronicles 20 - Story of Jehosaphat and the Moabite Army

1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.

2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).

3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.

4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard

6 and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.

7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,

9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’

10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.

11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.

12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.

14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.

15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.

17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.

19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 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.”

21 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.”

22 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.

23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.

25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.

26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah to this day.

27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies.

28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets.

1. Don’t Take it Personal.

2. Beware of the “Some People” Voices

3. Turn your Fear into Fervour

4. Magnify to Nullify

5. STAND in HIS Presence

6. Give action to your Eyes not your Hands

7. Don’t Separate…Congregate…

8. Faith the Promise

9. PRAISE goes first

1. Don’t Take it Personal.

2 Chron 20

1. After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom

The Enemy loves to isolate and make it about the individual.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Our posture is to be ALERT and of a Sober mind..

Satan loves to attack our fragile humanity.

• IT”S NOT YOUR FIGHT….

Vs 15 : ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2. Beware of the “Some People” Voices

vs 2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord,

• “Some People” – They have NO NAME.

• Unlike the men found in Verse 14

  • Jahaziel, a levite, a singer is named, because brings the Word of the Lord.

  • Jahaziel ‘s name means: “Beheld of God”

3. Turn your Fear into Fervour

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.

Jehoshaphat had a spiritual response instead of an emotional reaction.

Spiritual Says…what Psalm 18 declares..

1 I love you, Lord;
you are my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
3 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.

4. Magnify to Nullify

vs 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard

6 and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.

Psalm 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Magnifying: Discoveries are unearthed, which give you a totally different perspective from what you have experienced with the naked eye.

The Microscope has to be focused on the ONE THING and all else is not in sight.

• You cant see anything else accept the thing you are Magnifying

• When you Magnify the Lord, you cant see anything else But Him

5. STAND in HIS Presence

vs 9 NLT 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.’

• His presence can be found in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.

• His promises are characterised by His presence

Gen 28:15…For I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised

6. Give Action to your Eyes not Your Hands

12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Our wounded soul tries to “TAKE CONTROL” of the situation and we get our grubby hands all over it.

Our Natural response is to do something about fixing the situation

We try in our own strength to turns the odds back around somehow.

Some people…run and retreat, some become angry, some throw a self pity party. Some blame others….

What did JEHOSHAPHAT do?

He didn’t get angry, he just stated the truth and LIFTED his EYES

Psalm 121

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!

3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

GOD himself stands beside you, protecting you, watching over you.

• This situation was No surprise. Your situation is NO surprise…

DON’T FIGHT WITH YOUR HANDS, FIGHT WITH YOUR EYES..

GIVE ACTION TO YOUR EYES NOT YOUR HANDS..

7. Don’t SEPARATE…CONGREGATE..

13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.

· When you are feeling overwhelmed, side swiped in life…DON’T RUN..

· Sometime we have an inner feeling that we can run away from situations and it will go away.

· All you do is position yourself to face the circumstance alone.

ALL the MEN… ALL the WIVES….ALL the CHILDREN…and BABIES.. stood before GOD.

There is POWER in UNITY. There is POWER when we lift up ONE voice.

8. FAITH the PROMISE

Vs16 Tomorrow march down against them.

Up until this point, they had not activated anything BUT prayer and standing in HIS Presence. NO aggressive actions till now.

The prophetic word / promise was given…

GOD was now requiring a spiritual faith filled response.

God has done His part by giving His Word, our Part is activating it in Faith..

MARCH OUT:

· Marching is deliberate

· Organised

· Under authority

· You are positioned – You know who you are marching with.

There is an activation of faith that facilities the promise…

1 Sam 17 …..David runs at Goliath

48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.

It’s not your fight, HOWEVER God in His divine process invites us to join in on the miracle.

Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

The miracle of salvation is Grace (God’s part) and Faith (our part).

1. Don’t Take it Personal.

2. Beware of the “Some People” Voices

3. Turn your Fear into Fervor

4. Magnify to Nullify

5. STAND in HIS Presence

6. Give action to your Eyes not your Hands

7. Don’t Separate…Congregate…

8. Faith the Promise

9. PRAISE goes FIRST

21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 22 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.

• Praise is a decision; it is an act of the will.

• Praise is not an earthly language, therefore it is not subject to the restrictions of earthly bias.

• Praise, however is not demanded it is something that flows out of love relationship with Jesus.

• Praise is something you put on.

ISAIAH 61:3

“Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness”.

PRAISE IS AN EXTERNAL EXPRESSION OF AN INTERNAL CONVICTION OF WHO GOD IS..

Fruits of the Spirit Series - JOY

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT series - JOY

Galations 5

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The JOY of the LORD is YOUR Strength.

Nehemiah 8:10
And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

Ownership – HIS JOY not OURS

John 15:11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

Biblical joy—the true joy—comes from filling the “spiritual void” with good relationships, primarily an intimate relationship with the One who is pure joy. Jesus put it this way: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5). That fruit includes much joy!

HAPPINESS HAPPENS BUT JOY ABIDES

Happiness is Based on HAPPENINGS

• The Bible speaks much more often of joy than of being happy.

• “Hap” means chance and is the root of several words— happen,

  happening, haphazard (dependent on mere chance), hapless,

  happenstance (a chance circumstance) and happy.

• Happiness is a glad feeling that depends on something good happening. God wants you to experience happy times (as long as God approves of what is happening).

• But His greater desire is that you have unconditional joy. Jesus said His joy would “remain in you” and “your joy no one will take from you”

Look at this...

John 15:5-11

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

HOW TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE FOR JOY TO ABIDE?

According to Galatians 5 JOY is something that is grown …..patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Fruit is the natural produce of something that is healthy

• “Fruit” is produced by a tree based on its nature and life within, but can and must be cultivated to bear fruit or much fruit

• Contrary…..‘A machine in a factory works, and turns out a product, but it could never manufacture fruit. Fruit must grow out of life, and, in the case of the believer, it is the life of the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).

•  When you think of “works” you think of effort, labor, strain, and toil; when you think of “fruit” you think of beauty, quietness, the unfolding of life.’

• Jesus came to give us “LIFE” and life abundant. Not a works program.

1. GET PLANTED

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,

SIMPLY PUT: “A Tree will not grow if it is not Planted...No planting No fruit.”

Jeremiah 17

7. “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

2. STAY PLANTED – THE REMAINING PRINCIPLE

John 15:7 – remaining in him and His words remaining in you

REMAINING in HIM is characterised by a deliberate decision to NOT GO!

• Tempted to walk away

• Life gets a bit tough

• Your feelings running out of control sometimes

• Want to take the easy way out

• Opting for excuses

Instead REMAIN - Choosing to obey

His WORD REMAINING in you – Trusting His Word through every circumstance

• Your feelings may contradict His Word

• Your circumstances may not always line up with His

  Word

• However His WORD is not subject to your feelings and

  circumstances.

• His WORD is Truth, despite your feelings and

  circumstances.

• Hide the Word on your Heart ......

  Confess the Word

  Obey the Word
  Live it out

  You go in via His Word and His Word comes out via you.

3. RE “THE JOY”
Phil 4:24.. Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS and again I say REJOICE..

• RE–JOICE Re–theJoy • Go over the Joy

• Your looking back helps you to MOVE forward. **

Philippians 4
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Isaac Watts wrote “Joy to the World”

Vs 2 Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

Habakkuk 3:
17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

4. WELCOME THE TESTS - GO TO THE HILLS

Cyclist – The real test of a cyclist is whether you can endure the hills.

The hills represent that TEST of your health and growth, just the same as TESTINGS and trials do.

“The Joy of the Lord is your STRENGTH....Deeper JOY, greater strength...

James 1:2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

Corinthians 8:2 (NLT) 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.

You can be in physical pain, poverty, poor, homeless, but it doesn’t have to affect your JOY. Because you Joy is not dependant upon your circumstance but is dependant upon your God

Augustine writes....Joy not only does not come from favourable human circumstances but is sometimes greatest when those circumstances are the most painful and severe.

2 Cor 6
3 We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.

4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.

5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.

6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.

7 We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defence.

8 We serve God whether people honour us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.

9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed.

10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

CONCLUSION:

“New Testament Joy is a quality which belongs to the Christian life in its essence, so that in our definition of joy we must be very careful that it conforms to what we see in our Lord. The world has never seen anyone who knew joy as our Lord knew it, and yet He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” So our definition of joy must somehow correspond to that....Joy is something very deep and profound, something that affects the whole and entire personality. In other words it comes to this - There is only one thing that can give true joy and that is contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He satisfies my mind; He satisfies my emotions; He satisfies my every desire. He and His great salvation include the whole personality and nothing less, and in Him I am complete.

Joy, in other words, is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. ”

— Dr Martin Lloyd Jones

Christian, no Joy no strength. The unspoken weapon of the Christian army is Joy. Lets put on the full armour of God, however let us understand where and whom our strength is found.

A person full of Joy is rarely offended.

A person full of Joy loves to worship.

A person full of Joy sees God in every circumstance

A person full of Joy is highly infectious

A person full of Joy loves to sing

A person full of Joy is a threat to the kingdom of darkness

A person full of Joy is tenacious in battle

A person full of Joy continues to love

A person full of Joy has many friends

A person full of Joy attracts the attention of God

A person full of Joy counts it a privilege to serve

A person full of Joy is a Joy to be with

A person full of Joy is strong because the Joy of the Lord is there Strength.