Battle is not yours but God's.

  

Date of Sermon Delivery: 19. mar. 2023

Place of sermon Delivery:  Delhi, India

Sunday Worship Service

Speaker: Jatin Bisht

Title : Battle is not yours but God's.

Bible: 2 chronicles 20:1-30

Key verse : 2 chronicles 20:15

Praise the lord

I welcome you all to the house of the lord.

I pray that this Lord's day brings you joy in life and draws you closer to God.

Thank you all for taking the gospel of the lord to the people.

Through our offerings and prayers, we travelled around 650 km in 36 hours and reached more than 250 people with the gospel of the lord.

I hope next Sunday we will  come with PPT.

I am so thankful that we all contributed to it.

This is what the Lord wants from all of us to work together. I hope in the coming day, we all together will do more great things for the kingdom of the Lord.

Hallelujah.

 

Let’s read2 chronicles 20:1-4,12,15,16,17,20-21,24.,25

 

Lets pray. 

I met many people around me  who used to handle their things at their own will.

But in these words of the Lord, we can see many people who did not lead their lives by their own strength, but who raised their voice to the Lord, and the Lord corrected their circumstances by his strength.

Do you want things to happen in your life by God’s strength (will)?

If you want things not by your own strength but by the strength of God, then listen carefully today God’s word.

In today's Bible, there is one man called Jehoshaphat.

Jehoshaphat, the fourth king of Judah, came into power after the death of his father (Asa).

When he came into power, many people in Judah offered and burned incense in the high places, but he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah, he removed practicing prostitution, and Jehoshaphat proceeded to teach the people the word of God (2 Chronicles 17:7-9).

As a result of these reforms, God was with Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:10).

But one day the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battle (2 Chronicles 20).

Jehoshaphat did not have a large army, and those who came to attack him, were many times more.

They had a trained army, good protection, and good weapons, they came against Jehoshaphat with their best.

When Jehoshaphat heard, a large army was going to attack me.

The first and most important

The Lord gives us strategy (Ranniti)

God’s strategy, where God gives us strategies to save families, how to manage finances, how to save relationships, and how to come out of sickness, is all this.

 

When Jehoshaphat heard that a large, strong army was going to attack him and his country, he fled.

He had many options, he could get help from neighbors countries, he could rent an army; he could make new weapons day and night.

He had many options.

But verse 3 says 

Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. (ESV)

To get God's strategy. We have to seek the Lord. 

If he wanted, he could have taken help from the world, because his problem was bigger than its worth. His problem was bigger than he was.

 

Today, it is possible that you have a disease bigger than your capabilities.

आज हो सकता है आपकी योग्यता से बड़ी आपको बीमारी लग गयी हो

 

You maybe surrounded by bigger problems than you are capable of. 

शयद आपकी योग्यता से ज्यादा बड़ी परेशानियो ने आपको घेर लिया हो

 

Today I want to encourage you to learn from Jehoshaphat, it is written that Jehoshaphat started to seek the Lord.

He didn't see help in the world, but he saw God.

4. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

They didn't prepare for war, but they prepared in their hearts to meet God.

Always remember, when you are in trouble, people can help you up to a limit.

Jeremiah 17:7 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord." (ESV). 

Every person in this world has limitation, but Jehoshaphat has revelation that if I will to get help from other country they have some limitation.

As a result, he began to seek God; they did not prepare for war, but rather to seek the Lord.

 

Dear brothers and sisters on this earth, everyone has some limitations.

Even I have some limitations, but the Lord, who is mighty, who is creator, who is lord of lords, who is the real savior, and who is coming soon, is the only one who has no limit.

 

Your doctor has some limitations, your relatives have some limitations, your spouse has some limitations, your parents have some limitations, your money has some limitations, and your office boss has some limitations, and all these can help you to the limit.

Psalms 118:26a says blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Psalm 34:5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Jehoshaphat knew that people can embarrass him, but there is one who will never embarrass me, and that is God. Hallelujah….

If there is any one among us whose things are getting out of control and you are very tired of how to control those things,

You are trying a lot but are not able to do it, so this morning you can learn one thing from Jehoshaphat: that you should start seeking the Lord.

Seeking the Lord means to pray to God or to find God’s will.

 

Jehoshaphat set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all of Judah (verse 3).

Jehoshaphat and all of Judah fasted and prayed.

In the Old Testament, when people used to fast, they used to tear the clothes they were wearing, take ashes and put them on their heads, lay a carpet, start praying, and say that they were in fasting, but even then they didn't repent.

That's why in the Bible, God says to his people, "Don't tear your clothes, but tear your heart.

Do not tear your clothes, but tear your heart for me.

Fasting means rebuilding a broken relationship with God.

Whenever you are fasting, do not just take it, because it is Friday or the last Friday of the month; whenever you are fasting, check your relationship with God and fix it.

Fasting means spending time with the Lord; spend time with him in his presence.

In the Bible, when people fasted with broken hearts, restored their relationship with the Lord again, or repented, God turned that situation around.

Wherever the fast was held, the Lord showed his strength.

 

When they were seeking God and doing fasting and prayer, God sent this message through Jahaziel: "Do not be afraid, do not be dismayed at this great army, because the battle is not yours but God’s.

Hallelujah.

 

In our horrible situation or hard time, but when we seek the Lord with a humble heart and fast, then God gives us strategy.

Verse 20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord, your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed."

God said to them, "Go into the battle field, God gave them strategy.

When we humble ourselves before God, when we surrender our things in front of God, when we fast and pray  then God shows us the way.

How to get out of debt

How to Fix a House Problem

How to Fix a Broken Relationship

How to protect your brothers and sisters from evil

How do you get the job?

How to give a job interview and

How do you take your business forward?

When we keep our relationship with God in the right way, then God gives us the right strategy.

When the Israelites were entering Jericho, God also gave them a strategy, take one round for six days and seven on the seventh day, worship loudly, and the wall will collapse.

 

Here also God gave them, strategy in verse 16&17

16.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. 

¹⁷ 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.”

 

God gave them strategy, go against them, but do not fight. (repeat again)

God is saying here to his people, "Your work is to stand firm, and there is no need to fight, as he did in front of the red sea."

When they surrender their problem in front of God, when they humble themselves in front of God, when they have given their battle in front of God, God says now you have to stand firm, because now I will fight for you and it is my battle.

²¹ And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

When God gave him strategy, and said, "Go into battle, not to fight. 

So here is Jehoshaphat, the appointed worshiper to praise God, and they go before the army. 

He said to sing them.

Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever. 

A king, whose country was attacked by three countries and a huge army was against them, and Jehoshaphat is saying to sing them a song. 

What was that song? Give thanks to the Lord and his steadfast love.

Did you ever sing a "thank you" song for your disease? 

Did you ever sing a thank you song when you hadn't received your salary for the previous six months?

 

When we thank God in every situation, it pleases him, and when the people of Judas thank God, it pleases him.

 

The best Thanksgiving is not only when all things are good and you are thanking the Lord, but the best Thanksgiving is when you are surrounded by troubles, medical reports are against you,  but still you are saying, "My Lord is great, my God is alive. 

 

On the battle field, Jehoshaphat praised God before the battle, as did all the Jews before the battle. 

And nobody even got to use their swords because they were all dead.

 

Dear brothers and sisters!

Do not use your force to correct your things; let the force of God correct your things. 

Let the Lord use his strength to remove your troubles, and fix your things. 

 

You must fast, pray, and praise him in order to accomplish this.

Those who praise God in every situation, whether a lot of new things are happening or nothing is happening for them, will see God arise. 

 

 

When Jehoshaphat reached the battle field, they saw everyone dead, and they collected a lot of gold, for three days.

Every battle brings loss, but the war in which the Lord is there, that war goes on bringing benefits, They kept collecting gold for three days. 

 

  

Dear brothers and sisters. 

Do you want to experience how the Lord fights for you?

Do you want to stand while the Lord is fighting for you?

Do you want to be free from every bondage?

Do you want to see victory in your life? 

 

Then trust in your Lord; he will never put you to shame. Seek the Lord, increase your praise, and increase your thanksgiving.

then God will also say to us, "This is not your battle, but my battle. 

May God bless you.