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Today’s Scripture Reading
2 Chronicles 20:15
The Battle Belongs To the Lord
If I could learn just one thing from:
Nadab and Abihu
2 Chronicles 20:15
Do We Believe Our Hymns?
 We sing: Be with me Lord, I cannot live without
Thee – I dare not try to take one step alone…
 Do we really believe the words of this
song?
 We DO truly need God’s strength to lean
ourselves upon.
 Sometimes we forget that, and try to fight
battles by ourselves – with our own
strength.
The End Is Often Disastrous
 If we try and fight all our battles ourselves, we
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will often find ourselves overwhelmed and
defeated. Some battles ONLY GOD CAN
FIGHT!
Whatever battle we’re involved in, we need God
to show us the way.
Are we prayerful enough?
Are we faithful enough?
Let’s consider these questions as we learn just
one thing from Jehoshaphat
Jehoshaphat?
•Bible says precious little about this king of
Judah.
•Most people only know him from a funny
saying: Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!
•Yet he was a mighty man of God in a
troubled time.
Godly Character Counts
•In 1 Kings 22:41-50 we learn:
•Jehoshaphat was a great man of God (vs. 43)
•His godliness was reflected in his behavior
•Followed the reforms started by his father
Asa
•Fought against idolatry and ungodliness
•Removed idolatrous worship, including
temple prostitution from the nation of Judah
•Stood in contradistinction to the
wickedness of neighbor Israel
When Trouble Came
•2 Chronicles 20:3-4 (Ammon and Moab
attack Judah)
•Jehoshaphat immediately turns to God in
times of trouble
•“Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of
the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all
Judah. The people of Judah came together to
seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came
from every town in Judah to seek him.”
If You Seek Help From the Lord…
• James 1:5-8 -- If any of you lacks wisdom, he
should ask God, who gives generously to all
without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
But when he asks, he must believe and not
doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of
the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That
man should not think he will receive anything
from the Lord; he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all he does.
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat
•We’re all familiar with the prayer of Jabez.
•Are you familiar with the prayer of
Jehoshaphat?
•It is a beautiful prayer full of trust and
dependence upon the Lord.
•Let’s notice certain elements of the prayer of
Jehoshaphat to mark his faith in God.
Praise To God For His Sovereignty
•2 Chronicles 20:6 -- and said:
"O LORD, God of our fathers, 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.
Thanksgiving To God For His Blessings
2 Chronicles 20:7
O 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?
•Has the Lord ever done anything wonderful
for us? We should continually count our
blessings.
Humbleness Before the Lord
•2 Chronicles 20:9
•'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.
Request For Help and Judgment
•2 Chronicles 20:10-11
•"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. See how they are
repaying us by coming to drive us out of the
possession you gave us as an inheritance.
Divine Intervention: When God Fights For
Men!
•The battle belongs to the Lord
•Verse 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.
God’s Part In The Plan
 Verses 22-23 – God carries out His part
 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 men
of Ammon and Moab 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.
Their Part In The Plan
 Verses 16-17 – They had to be obedient to
God’s commands.
 Verses 18-21 – They had to offer up praise and
trust to God. They did not have to fight,
because God was doing the fighting. They
praised God and waited on His deliverance.
 Verses 24-27, 30 – They reaped the benefits of
God’s blessings – it took them three days to
collect all the bounty from the defeat of the
armies.
Will God Fight Our Battles?
 What kind of battles do we face?
 Spiritual battles
 Political battles
 Social battles
 Is there any battle too great for God?
 What is the best time for prayer?
God will help if we will ask in faith!
 1 Peter 5:5-7 -- Young men, in the same way be
submissive to those who are older. All of you,
clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, because,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble." Humble
yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty
hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast
all your anxiety on him because he cares for
you.
Romans 8:31
 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If
God is for us, who can be against us?
 If God is for us, can we be defeated by other
nations?
 Other religions?
 Other ideologies?
 Other anything?
 Is God for us? Are we for God?