Back in the 1960s, there was a ground-breaking show that premiered on NBC, and the opening monologue was spoken by Captain James T. Kirk every week: “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!”
When I was a kid I loved that. Every week I was glued to the TV as I watched the crew of the Starship Enterprise… and (of course) Captain Kirk, face seemingly overwhelming odds. And every week they triumphed over the evils of the Universe. They boldly went where no man had ever gone before!
They faced and conquered overwhelming odds because they had Captain Kirk. Kirk was a leader… a man of skill and guile who always maintained that he refused to believe in “no-win” scenarios.” And whatever challenge he faced each week he always did what had to be done to save his crew and ship. And – of course – to overcome evil with good.
In Star Trek, we’re told that when Kirk was in Starfleet academy he was required to take a test. It was a computer simulation – where he would be faced with a life and death scenario that was impossible to win. The enemy would surround the ship and, no matter what decision the captain made, 100s of people would die because it was impossible to win that battle.
But Kirk did win… because he cheated. He got INTO the computer and reprogramming it so that it would be possible to rescue his ship. And the theme of the show was that Captain Kirk did what he had to do to win because he refused to believe in the no-win scenario.
Now, that brings us to our text today: The King of Judah was a man named Jehoshaphat. According to II Chronicles 17 “The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. II Chronicles 17:3-5
Well, that great wealth and honor soon got the attention of 3 nations from the East who decided they wanted that wealth for themselves, and they formed a huge army to attack Judah. They were NOW just about 25 miles away. And we know this was a bad situation because we’re told King “Jehoshaphat was afraid….” 2 Chronicles 20:3
He hadn’t counted on this. Judah was a couple days away from being conquered by an enemy that outnumbered and out-gunned them… and they had no chance of survival. It was a no-win scenario and King “Jehoshaphat… was afraid.
What was he to do? Should he have a council of war with his advisors? Should he muster a huge army (on short notice) to face the threat? OR should he just face the fact that he’s not going to win anyway and just… surrender?
Well, Jehoshaphat didn’t do any of that. What he did do was, he “set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD… and (prayed), ‘O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.… ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you — for your name is in this house — and cry out to you in our affliction, and YOU will hear and save.’”
REALLY?
He prayed, and he fasted? He didn’t examine his options first? He didn’t bring out his military? He didn’t make great plans on how to confront his enemy? He simply turned to God… and prayed and fasted. In fact, ALL of Judah prayed and fasted.
WHY? Because they knew the God who didn’t believe in No-Win Situations. They had a Captain (God) who would do what had to be done to save them.
And how did God respond? "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you." II Chronicles 20:16-17
There’s an old song that sums up the rest of the story this way: “Well the army rose early next morning, they marched on out with the King Jehoshaphat… chose some singers and he told them singers to sing. And they praised the beauty of holiness… instead of shouting out a battle cry. And all the way down to the enemy’s camp they sang to the Lord on high.
"Well the Lord God set up an ambush and got the enemy all turned around. They started into killing each other you know till they all lay dead on the ground. And the riches and the jewels that they left behind, it took Judah 3 whole days to haul.The children of Judah all praised the Lord for He saved them one and all.” (“Great Jumping Jehoshaphat” - a song written and performed by Don Francisco)
Judah listened to their God, and their God did what needed to be done to save them from disaster.
Now, I’ve told you all that to tell you this: Today is New Year’s Eve and we’re about to enter into a New Frontier. This year (2024) is filled with 366 days (it’s a leap-year) and those 366 days will provide us with brand new opportunities.
Scott (our Family Minister) revised the old Star Trek statement: “These are the adventures of the Church of Christ at Logansport. Its mission in the year of 2024 is to explore new opportunities, to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, and to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
I want to challenge US to boldly go where we’ve never gone before. I want to challenge us to REFUSE to accept ‘no-win’ situations. I want to challenge US to realize … we serve Jesus Christ, and that He’s a leader who will do whatever it takes to do what has to be done so that we can fulfill our mission as a church that belongs to Him.
Now… here’s where the rubber meets the road. Do you believe our god can do what needs to be done? Do you believe he has the power to defeat no-win scenarios? Good… because we’ve got to have a talk.
We had our Annual Meeting a couple months ago and I heard some things from a few people that disturbed me. Back in 2019 we were running about 150 in attendance … and things were cooking. There was lots of activity, lots of plans and lots of enthusiasm (pause) and then COVID hit. We lost a few families and we’re now running about 110 to 120 each week.
At the annual meeting I heard a few people talking about facing reality. We’re a congregation that’s getting older, money’s a little tight, and there was an undercurrent of a feeling that we’re facing a NO-WIN SCENARIO
ILLUS: When things aren’t going well folks tend to think negative thoughts. According to research done a few years ago, our brains are wired to pick up on negative stuff more than positive stuff. In fact (they say) about 2/3s of our brain cells in our amygdala (that’s the flight-fight part of your brain), and those cells are wired to pick up on what’s wrong in life rather than on what’s right in life (Hanson, 2010).
So, it’s kind of normal for folks to see the negative - like in our present church situation. But what we should FOCUS on is: Who OUR GOD is!!! We need to remind ourselves that we serve a powerful God. A God who can do mighty things. A God who doesn’t believe in no-win scenarios.
ILLUS: When I was first hired here, this congregation was really discouraged. The previous minister had fallen into immorality and you folks hadn’t been able to find a preacher for about a year. And some believed they’d never find a preacher because of the damage. The Church Was Faced What They Thought Was A No-Win Scenario.
But I saw something different. This church had to let that preacher go but you’d paid for marriage counseling. You wanted to help the preacher save his marriage. And I realized our God was could do mighty things here. So we prayed, and we worked together… and in a few short years, we’d paved the parking lot; we’d built the picnic shelter; we’d hired a youth minister, and ultimately built this sanctuary. Don’t tell me God can’t do mighty things.
There was a time a few years back when the congregation struggled with lower offerings. Many were afraid they couldn’t afford to pay me my salary. Some people were upset that the Elders wouldn’t allow fund raisers: garage sales, chicken noodle dinners, etc., but the Elders refused. They said we shouldn’t expect the community to support us if we’re not willing to do it ourselves. The church faced what they thought was a no-win scenario. But I don’t believe in no-win situations because we serve a God who doesn’t believe in them either.
ILLUS: Shortly after this began to a problem, a couple of my close friends came to my office door and asked for the Church by-laws. Whenever someone asks for the “church by-law” you know you’ve got a problem, because those folks are looking for a way around decisions that have been made in the church… like the decisions of the Eldership on fund raisers. I said “I’ve never seen the church by-laws. In fact, I wouldn’t even know where to find them. But, if anyone ever does find the by-laws and those by-laws say anything other than ‘what the Elders have decided is what we’ll do’ – I’ll burn them in front of the entire congregation, because that’s not going to happen here.” A few months later, the offerings were up… and all was well, because we serve a God who can do mighty things.
So now – here we are again. COVID’S hit; attendance is down; we’re just meeting our bills. The excitement and dreams we once had … are gone. It’s as if we’re facing another no-win scenario all over again. But I don’t believe in them because I’m convinced God doesn’t either - because we serve a God who can do mighty things.
Now let’s review our situation: Attendance is down. If we could just get more people, that would fix the problem, wouldn’t it? Well – of course it would!
So I want us look at a very important verse in the Bible. Acts 2:47 tells us that the early church was “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
I’m sorry… what did that say? THE LORD added to the church? Can God do that? Well, of course He can… because our God can do mighty things. And that’s the reason God can solve all of our problems. God can bring more people to this congregation!
But now, how does that work? Well let’s review our text this morning about King Jehoshaphat: Judah was trapped a huge and vicious army was on their doorstep. And that looming disaster motivated the nation to turn to God.
They prayed and fasted and praised and went out to meet the enemy… together. And God destroyed their enemy. God solved their “no-win” scenario. The nation of Judah was MOTIVATED to turn to God solve their problem. The question for us today is this: are we motived to turn to God to solve our problem? When Judah was motivated, the nation committed themselves to praying and fasting. So now, the question is are we motivated to that as well?
So I’m going to give you a challenge. Scott and I pray EVERY MONDAY, and one of the things we pray for is for God to make this church grow to being 500 in worship. And what I want YOU to do is pray that God adds new people to this church as well – just like He did in Acts 2. If He could do it there in Jerusalem… He can do it here in Logansport.
And then I want to challenge you to FAST - maybe for one meal… maybe one day. That’s probably all Judah did when they faced their enemy. And according to Isaiah 58 a faithful fast is like putting your prayers on speed dial. If it worked for Judah, I’m convinced it will work for us. Do it today, or do it tomorrow… but do it soon! Otherwise… you’ll forget.
So here’s the challenge: are you motivated to look to God in prayer & fasting… to turn things around here? The battle is not OURS to win … the battle belongs to our God, and all Judah had to do was to pray/ praise and fast, and God solved their problem for them. If they simply obeyed God… God did what had to be done.
CLOSE: I want to close with a true story that illustrates God’s power. Every Sunday for nearly three years Walter had a routine. Just before 10:00 AM he would open the doors and prepare the church for worship. If the weather was cold, he would build a fire in the old wood stove. If it was hot he would open all the windows and distribute the hand fans that had a picture of Jesus on one side and an ad for a local funeral home on the other. Then, Walter would open the Bible located on top of the wooden pulpit and read the selected scripture for that week. Then it would be time for prayer. And Walter ended every prayer with a plea for God to remember and bless his beloved church building. What makes this story so unique is that with very few exceptions, Walter began and ended the Sunday morning worship service... alone. Why? Because many years before, the church was built on land donated by a neighboring farmer. But if for any reason the church building was unused, the property would revert to the original owners.
But what was the big deal? Why didn’t Walter face the inevitable and allow the building to stop being used for worship? What harm would it do? For Walter, it was a big deal. Walter just knew God had a divine purpose for his life and for the building he loved. So, for 3 years, Walter was faithful in his task… and worshipped God alone.
AND HE WAITED. Psalm 40:1 says “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me and he turned to me and heard my cry.” Isaiah 40:31 declares “Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary.” And Hebrews 9:28 says “(Christ) will bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”
One Sunday morning a young family, new to the area visited the church building and they talked with Walter and joined him in worship. They found something unique about this little church nestled among the trees and about the old man who faithfully opened her doors. The following Sunday they came back, and within a few weeks they invited others and after year or so they hired a preacher. (Ed Ellington)
That’s just an example of what our God can do when His people are faithful and they look to him for their help.
INVITATION
