How to Conquer Any Crisis - June 27, 2010
How To Conquer Any Crisis - June 27, 2010
2 Chronicles 20:1-30
1. The Problem (2 Chronicles 20:1-2).
King Jehoshaphat arid the kingdom of Judah were about to be invaded by their enemies, and thus they faced a national crisis. This crisis was unique to Jehosphaphat and to the people of his day (you can be sure that tomorrow you will not be invaded by the Moabites!). Yet, the way in which he handled the crisis suggests to us certain principles which if properly applied can be used in conquering the crises and solving the problems that we face in our daily walk with the Lord.
2 Chron 20:1-2 1It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.
2. The Procedure (2 Chronicles 20:3-22).
1) SEEK THE LORD FOR HELP (3-4).
The living God has the solution to our problem. Christ is greater than any crisis! Therefore, before we do anything else, we must turn to Him. The King (v.3) and the people (v.4) decided to seek the Lord’s solution.
2) RECOGNIZE WHO GOD IS (6).
As the King prayed, he said, art not thou _GOD__ in ___HEAVEN___ (He’s the Sovereign Lord)? and _RULEST_ not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen (He’s the Supreme Ruler)? and in thine hand is there not _POWER_ and _MIGHT__, so that none is able to withstand thee (He’s the Almighty God)?
2 Chron 20:3-6 3And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. 5And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
3) REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN THE PAST (7).
The God who drove out the Canaanites (in the days of Joshua) is certainly able to keep out the Moabites and Ammonits (in the days of Jehoshaphat). The God who gave them the land can certainly help them to keep the land. Likewise, the God who saved you from eternal condemnation (your greatest problem), is He also able to deliver you from the lesser problems that you might face? _YES_ If He took care of your eternal needs, can He also very easily take care of your temporal, day by day needs? __YES_
2 Chron 20:7 7Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
4) REMEMBER GOD’S PROMISE (8-9).
God promised that if His people should cry out to Him in their time of great distress, He would HEAR_____ and HELP______(verse 9–the word ‘help’ means God would save and deliver and rescue them from the crisis). God will do the same today!
2 Chron 20:8-9 8And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 9If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
5) GIVE THE PROBLEM TO GOD (10-11).
Instead of holding on to the problem and worrying about it, what should we do according to 1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:6? __PUT ALL OF YOUR CARES UPON JESUS – PRAY WITH THANKSGIVING______
Did King Jehoshaphat do this? __YES___
1 Peter 5:6-7 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Phil 4:6 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
2 Chron 20:10-11 10And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 11Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
6) ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR INABILITY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN YOUR OWN STRENGTH (12).
Jehoshaphat said, "we have no __MIGHT____" (verse 12). Who did have MIGHT (see verse 6)? _GOD__
When is a believer strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)? _____WHEN THEY ARE WEAK______
2 Chron 20:12 12O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
2 Cor 12:9-10 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
7) CONFESS YOUR LACK OF WISDOM (12).
The King also said, "we do not know___WHAT___ to _DO____" (verse 12). "I don’t know the solution but I know Someone who does!" If a believer lacks wisdom in the middle of a great trial or crisis, what should he do (James 1:2-7)?
James 1:2-7 2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8) MAKE SURE YOUR EYES ABE FIXED UPON THE LORD AND NOT UPON THE PROBLEM (12).
Even though the King confessed that he and his people had no might and no wisdom, he confidently said, "but our _EYES___ are upon Thee" (verse 12). When our eyes are fixed upon the Lord, the problem becomes very insignificant. The danger comes when we become so engrossed with the problem that we forget the Lord and we forget His promises. What person in the New Testament took his eyes off the Lord (Matthew 14:25-33)? ______
Matt 14:25-33 25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
9) BY FAITH, CLAIM THE PROMISE THAT THE BATTLE IS TUE LORD’S (15-17).
In this remarkable battle, who promised to do the fighting? _GOD___ (verses 15 and 17). Did God say that the people would FIGHT the enemy or FIND the enemy (verse 16)? __FIND______Is there a difference? __YES__ The battle belongs to God and not to us. God’s responsibility is to solve the problem. Our responsibility is simply to trust Him. God never asked us to solve our problems in our own strength or in our own wisdom. God has the solution and there is no problem too big for God.
2 Chron 20:14-17 15And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.
10) HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE THE LORD (18).
The King and the people bowed down before God in humble adoration and worship. In our particular problem or crisis, we must do the same. We must humbly recognize our weakness and claim God’s. strength (2 Cor. 12:9-10; Eph. 6:10; 2 Tim. 2:1). We must humbly acknowledge our insufficiency ("I do not have the adequate resources to handle this problem or crisis") and realize the sufficiency of God (He does have the resources to handle and solve this problem–2 Cor. 12:9; John 15:5; Philippians 4:13).
2 Chron 20:18 18And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.
Eph 6:10 10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
2 Tim 2:1 1Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
John 15:5 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Phil 4:13 13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
11) PRAISE THE LORD WITH GENUINE ENTHUSIASM (19).
These Jews praised the Lord with an exceeding loud voice. They put their whole heart into it! So too, we need to enthusiastically tell God how great He is (Psalm 34:1-3).
2 Chron 20:19 19And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
Psalms 34:1-3 1I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
12) BRAVELY FACE THE CRISIS (20).
The people rose up _EARLY__ in the morning and went out according to God’s command (verse 20). They wasted no time in obeying God! The believer does not need to run away from the crisis (as we discussed in chapter 12). With full confidence in the LORD the believer can meet the problem head on. Did Daniel run away from the lions?_NO__ (he faced them end God took care of them!). The world does everything possible to avoid and escape their problems. The believer who had God as his Helper (Heb. 13:5-6) can enter the heat of the battlefield with full assurance of faith (compare Romans 8:31)!
2 Chron 20:20 20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper
Note: Even though the "battle is the LORD’s" we are not to be completely passive as God solves the problem. There are some things that we are able to do and that God expects us to do. David did his part with his sling and his atones. God did His part with the giant. In Acts 12:1-9 Peter had a problem. He was in jail and could not break his chains. This was something only the Lord could do. There was something, however, that Peter was able to do and which the Lord expected him to do. What was it?
13) TRUST IN THE LORD AND IN HIS WORD (20).
Faith is taking God at His Word. Faith is believing that God is able to keep His promises. "_BELIEVE___ in the LORD your God, so shall ye be _ESTABLISHED______" (verse 20). In other words, if you put yourself in His hand, He’ll hold you up! If you come under His wings, He’ll shelter and protect you! If you stand on the ROCK, then you will be established on the ROCK (Psalm 40:2)!
God has spoken and said, THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S!!! Are we going to believe that word? Are we going to claim that promise by faith?___YES_"___BELIEVE___ His prophets, so shall ye_PROSPER__(have success–verse 20).
14) THANK THE LORD (21).
The expression "Praise the Lord" can be translated "Give thanks to the Lord." Philippians 4:6 tells us that we are to pray and give our problems to the Lord "with _THANKSGIVING__."Notice that the people gave thanks to God IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CRISIS, even before it was over. Later when the crisis was all over, they gave thanks again (see verse 26-28). We need to learn to give thanks in the middle of the problem and in the middle of the battle, end then again once God has conquered the crisis!
2 Chron 20:21 21And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Phil 4:6 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
15) SING AND PRAISE EVEN THOUGH YOU DON’T YET SEE GOD’S VICTORY (22).
When did God begin to do His great work? "when they began to______and to" (verse 22). What did the Apostle Paul do in the middle of a prison cell (Acts 16:23-26)?