When God Fights For You - Part 2
080402 When God Fights For You
Tim Franklin
II Chron 20:17
Introduction:
· Last week we started a new series on Wednesday nights—When God Fights for You.
· I want to begin to position us for the upcoming children’s conference as we begin praying into it and our future.
· I want to also equip you to fight your own personal battles. We are all involved in the big picture but I think we forget as believes following the main directive that we have our personal hand to hand battles getting to the thing the Commander in Chief calls the objective.
· The battles I like the best are the ones that the Lord is fighting for me!
· In II Chron 20:15 Jahaziel prophesies “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” vs. 17, “You will not need to fight in this battle.”
· Jahaziel gives us three things we must do to see the Lord fight for us.—Postion Yourselves, Stand Firm, Believe!
· Tonight lets go deeper into the positioning. Hebrew word for postion. Yatsab—to place, stand or station/position ones self.
1. Positioned physically so God fights for us
a. Jehoshaphat and Judah bowed worshipping the Lord.
i. To bow is an act of submission. It is where real worship begins.
ii. It is where real followership begins
iii. It is where our real strength is.
b. The Levites stood and Praised the Lord of Israel with voices loud and high.
i. They began to sing- Hebrew is rinnah-to shout, to proclaim
ii. They began to praise- Hebrew is tehillah-to praise with a song of thanksgiving.
c. You are positioned tonight. You are positioned when you have your devotions in the morning. You are positioned when you have Gospel pumping to your head. You are positioned when you are lost in God in worship
d. You have to be where God calls you to be. Look at these positioning scriptures.
i. God is always making something out of us if we will submit to the process and let him. Notice these passages say if you follow me I will make you fishers of men, and not you are a fisher of men as soon as you follow.
1. Matt 4:19-20 Then He said to them, "Follow Me , and I will make you fishers of men." 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. NKJV
ii. It is not always easy and the one of the greatest hindrances to following God are our emotions. Matt 8:21-22 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me , and let the dead bury their own dead." NKJV
iii. When life is not fair—don’t lose your position! John 21:18-19 when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me ." John 21:22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me ." NKJV
e. The battle in staying positioned physically is one of simply following Jesus/or the Lord’s directive.
2. Positioned mentally so God fights for us. This is where the battles is won or lost. Battle of the mind. It has to do with the Stand still part that the prophets Jahaziel speaks to Jehoshaphat.
a. Heb 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NKJV
b. To do what Jesus did, He had to have occupied the place of peace.
i. Isa 26:3-4 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. NKJV
ii. Isa 26:3-4 People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit. 4 Depend on GOD and keep at it because in the LORD GOD you have a sure thing. (from THE MESSAGE.)
iii. Look at what he did—for the joy before him!
1. Endured the cross—
a. He was willing to pay the price to reach the dream/to have the Father rejoice in Him.
b. To take up your cross means you have to deny current pleasures and distractions for the long-term goal. Mentally people get taken out here to often.
2. Despised the shame, his rights were taken away!
a. The top ‘dog’, most powerful, wipe you out with a word—Son of God, did not care about his will but only that of the Father.
b. Son of God, disrobed in public, beaten beyond recognition, whipped to a pulp, beard pulled out, thorns jammed on the head—did not consider his rights but joyfully submitted to the place (POSITION) God had called him.
c. Things that are heaven sent and Kingdom bound require a “foolish” level of faith and trust! They make no sense to the world.
3. Sat down at the right hand
a. To stay in the fight you have to understand what God wants to give you, know that He loves, and know that He will be the one who gets you there.
b. Col 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. NKJV
3. Positioned Spiritually so God fights for us.-this realm is totally by faith.
a. This is what God has done for me. And it should be what I believe about me. It should be the way I think about me and others as it applies.
b. It is where I should be standing.
i. Eph 1:3 blessed us with every spiritual blessing NKJV
ii. Eph 1:6 made us accepted in the Beloved. NKJV
iii. Eph 2:5 made us alive together with Christ NKJV
iv. Eph 2:6 raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus NKJV
v. Eph 2:10 we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works NKJV
vi. Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. NKJV
vii. 1 Peter 2:24 by whose stripes you were healed NKJV
viii. Mark 9:23 all things are possible to him who believes." NKJV
ix. 1 Cor 2:16 we have the mind of Christ. NKJV
c. Gal. 5:13-19 Stay in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Therefore if it is outside the fruit of the Spirit you are not spiritually positioned.
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