Psalms 68:1-3 NKJ
Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
Is their anyone here this morning, who has a need in their life? And your feeling like your in the fight of your life? You've done all you know to do to no avail. And now you're just tired of fighting! Let me ask your question, why are you the one doing the fighting?
Text Illustration:
“Who can ever forget Winston Churchill’s immortal words: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills." It sounds exactly like our family vacation.” (Robert Orben)
How many of you grew up with siblings? Fighting probably never happened at your house did it?
The passage of scripture we read just a moment ago, describes the children of Israel. They have been through a lot. They had been through slavery, they had been wondering in the desert for forty years, they had been doing it all or so they thought!
But by this time, we read through the authors words. That they had come to realize that all their efforts had been wasted energy! When they stood still and let God do the fighting for them, the battle was so much easier! And for that, they were thankful!
The MSG says it like this;
Up with God! Down with his enemies!
Adversaries, run for the hills!
Gone like a puff of smoke, like a blob of wax in the fire—
one look at God and the wicked vanish.
When the righteous see God in action
they’ll laugh, they’ll sing,
they’ll laugh and sing for joy.
Sing hymns to God; all heaven, sing out;
clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.
Enjoy God, cheer when you see him!
There is nothing that god can’t do, everything is possible for him who believes, in the God of the impossible. Amen? Amen!
Why does human nature say amen with one breathe and we got to keep fighting with the next? What ought to follow amen is, Let God arise and Let His enemies be scattered! When the righteous see God in action, they’ll laugh, they’ll sing, they’ll laugh and sing for joy.
Why? Because they know with God, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!! The greatest weapon that we have in the war against not only the enemy, but with everything we will ever face, is God himself! He’s the one who makes all things possible!!
TBS.
Reliance on self we like to think, will get the job done….I mean after all, it’s a lets gitter done mindset in the world out there!
But when your faced with a battle and a mountain gets dumped on your front door step. It doesn’t take long to say, “lets get God to gitter done”! Amen? Amen!
And the longer a person takes to make that realization, the longer their fighting a needless battle!
And when He does get it done for us, we should always be quick to give Him all the Glory for His miraculous Help in our time of need.
Far too many always want to say when the dust has cleared from the battle, look what I have done. Look what I have done, should be forever wiped from our vocabulary, replaced by “look what God has done, is doing and continues to do, to God be all the Glory!”
2 Chronicles 20:1-4 MSG.
1-2. Some time later the Moabites and Ammonites, accompanied by Meunites, joined forces to make war on Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat received this intelligence report: “A huge force is on its way from beyond the Dead Sea to fight you. There’s no time to waste—they’re already at Hazazon Tamar, the oasis of En Gedi.”
3-4. Shaken, Jehoshaphat prayed. He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast. The country of Judah united in seeking God’s help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to God.
Sometimes, what’s happening to us and what’s going on around us, will shake us up.
That's when we can’t be moved by our circumstances! Because as much as were moved by them, God is not moved by them!
What we should be moved by, is how much bigger He is than they are! It's only then, that we are able to realize this powerful truth.
When we are willing to Believe and put our faith and trust in God! Our circumstances become His circumstances, Our battles become His battles and we don’t have to fight our way to victory!
And this is true, no matter what your fighting for! Health, finances, temptations, God is willing to go to bat and fight for your every care! When He said to cast all your cares on him, He meant it! Amen?
2 Chronicles 20:14-17 MSG.
Then Jahaziel was moved by the Spirit of God to speak from the midst of the congregation. (Jahaziel was the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah the Levite of the Asaph clan.) He said, “Attention everyone—all of you from out of town, all you from Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat—God’s word: Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any mind to this vandal horde. This is God’s war, not yours.
(Who's War? We must never forget Who's War it is!)
Tomorrow you’ll go after them; see, they’re already on their way up the slopes of Ziz; you’ll meet them at the end of the ravine near the wilderness of Jeruel. You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch God’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you.”
Putting your faith and trust in God, gives you the confidence to face whatever it is your facing, with Boldness! Because you realize, It has nothing to do with your ability, but it has everything to do with His!
Vs. 18-19 Then Jehoshaphat knelt down, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God. The Levites (both Kohathites and Korahites) stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!
I’m sorry, what did they do? They praised God, at the top of their lungs?
But sometimes I don’t feel like doing that! Ok, then don't! You don't have to, you can always go back to plan A and fight the battle all by yourself! But I must ask you, how's that been working out for you so far?
How dare we not feel like singing the praises of someone who is willing to get in there and fight until their Victorious for us, each and every time we ask them to!
Has anyone ever became upset with someone, after you went out of your way to help them. Maybe even spent your blood, sweat and tears and they were completely thankless towards you?
Its not about what you feel, its never going to be about what you feel, so stop trying once and for all making it about the way you feel.
Make it about what you know, what you know God is capable of! And what's God capable of? EVERYTHING!!! What you may feel will change with the weather, but God TBS. changeth not! And that is what you know my friend!
Vs. 20. They were up early in the morning, ready to march into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Listen Judah and Jerusalem! Listen to what I have to say! Believe firmly in God, your God, and your lives will be firm! Believe in your prophets and you’ll come out on top!”
21 After talking it over with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed a choir for God; dressed in holy robes, they were to march ahead of the troops, singing,
Give thanks to God,
His love never quits.
22-23 As soon as they (I’m sorry, how quick was Gods response time?) As soon as they started shouting and praising, (that very moment) God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead. The Ammonites and Moabites mistakenly attacked those from Mount Seir and massacred them. Then, further confused, they went at each other, and all ended up killed.
They called on him, they believed on him, they sang praises unto him and it was at that very moment God did what He said He would do!
There is nothing that God can’t do, everything is possible for him who believes, in the God of the impossible. Amen?
The greatest weapon that we have in the war against the enemy is God himself and when we unite our faith with His Love for us, everything becomes subject to what God wants to do for and in our lives!
Ill. In the book, called “Hand on the Helm” by Katherine & Pollard Carter there is a story that happened in 1968.
A whole village in South Vietnam experienced a miracle of Divine intervention and protection.
Under the cover of darkness a Viet Cong soldier, one of a battalion of over one thousand in the area came to the village and warned,
“Tomorrow is your day. So if you need to get out of this village get out now”
It turned out that most of this village were Christian.
They met together and decided that they were greatly outnumbered but that indeed Christ was their defender;
The whole village agreed that they would turn to Jesus in prayer.
Fervently they sang and prayed. Then at dusk they could see the enemy moving toward the edge of the village,
The Lord filled their hearts with peace and they continued to sing. Shots began to ring out, but as soon as they started they stopped.
All night the villagers prayed! Then in the morning it was obvious that the enemy had scattered.
Several days later some of the Viet Cong were captured by advancing forces, and brought to the village as prisoners.
When asked what had happened, they replied.
“As we began to shoot, the village was surrounded by beings dressed in shining white,
as we shot at them they just increased in brightness and advanced toward us, they wouldn’t fall, so we ran and didn’t stop.
God caused them to be blown off like smoke and to melt like wax in the fire! He was the greatest weapon on that day and everyday!
We often forget that sometimes we need to adjust our view of our circumstances, to lift our heads up, towards what God can do!
Human nature tends to look straight ahead at the circumstances and wonder how and if there is anyway to get out of them. And that’s when we stand in the way of our need being met,
We look to the left and right and in the mirror for help, but if we would just look to Jesus, we would see our deliverance and victory, ready and waiting for us, every step of the way, each and everyday
Amen?
Let's pray!
