Faith Wins Every Battle
Part Two
3/5/06
The tale of two
kings
One king was a
man of faith. The other king was a man
of unbelief, fear and doubt. God
rewarded the man of faith and became very angry with the king who refused to
believe Him.
The king who
believed was Jehoshaphat and other king was Ahaz.
The year was 896 B.C.
2 Chr. 20:2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming
against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon
Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
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Jehoshaphat
didn’t wring his hands!
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He didn’t
place his confidence in his military commanders.
Perhaps Jehoshaphat knew what was written by David....
Ps. 33:16 No king
is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great
strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
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He didn’t
pack up and run.
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He didn’t go
out and hire other armies to join him.
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“He
resolved to inquire of the Lord!
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All of Judah
followed his example.
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Leaders set
the example. Whether it’s over a nation,
over a church, over a business, or over a family!
This battle was a
miraculous victory!
2 Chr. 20:15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in
Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or
discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but
God’s.
2 Chr. 20:16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up
by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the
Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this
battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the
LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’”
2 Chr. 20:22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes
against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and
they were defeated. 23The men of
Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and
annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they
helped to destroy one another.
Now the year is approximately
742 B.C. 154 years after the tremendous
victory God gave Jehoshaphat. Ahaz is
king and he is a wicked king. He only
lived to the age of thirty five.
Remarkably his son was
Hezekiah!
Is. 7:1 When Ahaz son of
Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son
of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they
could not overpower it.
2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has
allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken,
as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you
and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper
Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 4Say to him,
‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these
two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram
and of the son of Remaliah. 5Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have
plotted your ruin, saying, 6“Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart
and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
“‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,
8 for the
head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head
of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you
will not stand at all.’”
10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11“Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths
or in the highest heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not
put the LORD to the test.”
Ahaz couldn't
because it wasn't inside of him! He had
no faith, he couldn't trust God. When
real faith is put on the line you can't fake it!
1 3Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of
David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience
of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a
sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call
him Immanuel. 15He will eat curds and honey when he knows
enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the
right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of
your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring
the king of Assyria.”
Faith is not an option!
As the Lord told Ahaz....
“If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”
There is no getting around
it. If we lack faith we hold back what
God can and would do.
Mat. 13:53 When Jesus had
finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54Coming to his
hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed.
“Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55“Isn’t
this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers
James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56Aren’t all his sisters with us?
Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they took
offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “Only
in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”
58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their
lack of faith.
Mk. 9:17 A man in the crowd
answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has
robbed him of speech. 18Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the
ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked
your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
19 “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long
shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it
immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled
around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been
like this?”
“From childhood,” he
answered. 22“It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything
is possible for him who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe;
help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the
scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I
command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came
out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27But
Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
Jesus again emphasizes the
power of faith...
Mk. 11:12 The next day as
they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance
a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached
it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then
he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his
disciples heard him say it.......
Mk. 11:20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig
tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus,
“Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23“I
tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into
the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will
happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever
you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mat. 9:27 As Jesus went on
from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of
David!”
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him,
and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According
to your faith will it be done to you”; 30and their sight was
restored.
Whose example will you
follow--Jehoshaphat or Ahaz?