A country preacher sold a mule to a friend, and told him the mule was trained to go when the rider said "Praise the Lord," and to stop when the rider said, "Amen." The buyer mounted the beast and commanded, "Praise the Lord," and the mule shot off like a rocket. The startled rider panicked. "Whoa!" he screamed. The mule was headed straight for a cliff, "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" At the last second he remembered the minister’s instructions. "Amen!" he shouted, and the mule screeched to a halt right at the edge of the cliff. As the new owner peered over the precipice, he wiped his brow and sighed, "Praise the Lord."
II Chron. 20:20-24
II Cor.10:4, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;"
The weapons of our warfare:
1. Prayer
2. Praise
2 Chronicles 20: 1 ¶ It 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.
2 Then 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.
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
6 And 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?
7 Art 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?
You wont really have faith unless you know Whom you are trusting. (Resurrection)
12 O 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.
13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
Dr. Bob Jones Sr. often admonished: "A man is a fool to lean on the arm of the flesh when he has access to the power of Almighty God in prayer.
Gil McMasters told of a preacher watching a marble cutter at work. He exclaimed, "I wish I could deal such changing blows on stony hearts!" The workman retorted, "Maybe you could if you worked as I do—on your knees."
Verse 14, "then"
We look for revival to begin in pulpit. But every revival starts in pew, not in pulpit.
In the mid 19th Century - Jeremiah Lanphier advertised prayer - 1st week, 6; 2nd week, 14; 3rd week, 23 everyday.
Not long after Horace Greeley visited 12 meetings - 6,100 men. Soon 10,000 per week were converted. Revival starts in prayer, not preaching.
Our weapons of warfare are:
1. Prayer
2. Praise
14 ¶ Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
15 And 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.
God addresses our fears!
16 To 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.
17 Ye 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.
J. O. Sanders, "Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God!"
18 And 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.
19 And 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.
20 ¶ And 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.
Moses crosses Red Sea - begins to praise
Exodus 15 - right song but it is on the wrong side of the Red Sea.
Most people praise God when He does them a favor — when circumstances allow it.
"Good job, God" — We keep God on probation it as if God has to earn our praise.
We need to Praise God in every circumstance
Maybe sacrifice of praise
Jonah 2:9, 10
Even fish couldn’t stand backslidden preacher — makes the fish sick
Belly, seaweed on his ear, stomach acid, sucked up his nose - gastric juices
No Holiday Inn
Finally when Jonah said, "Thank you, Lord - He was delivered"
Acts 16:25-26
Paul and Silas - didn’t complain, unsanitary hole in ground
"How Great Thou Art"
Then God opened prison doors
21 And 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.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.
29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.
The Dynamics of Praise - why does it work?
Must have objectives
Air, land, model
Swartzkoph VS. Dumkoph
Soviet model - Hannibul
envelope, cut off, isolate th Republican Guard
God doesn’t gives us all of our problems! Some come from
Satan, some from our enemies, some storms are refiners storm, some are rebeller’s storms, and sometimes problems are just a fact of life.
But God has an objective in each of our problems even the ones He did not cause directly. The primary example that I can think of was Joseph. Joseph’s brothers were not led by God to sell Joseph into slavery but God used the action of the brothers to prepare Joseph to become the Prime Minister of Egypt. Many years later Joseph would say, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."
Romans 8:28 - all things
Wicked men crucified Christ but because Jesus responded correctly God could use the crucifixion for our salvation.
Christ’s reaction determined who’s objective were achieved. God’s (our salvation) or Satan’s (1 Peter 2:21 indicates that Satan’s objective might have been for Jesus to have a sinful reaction with His mouth [the opposite of praise]) were achieved.
Hebrews 12:1, 2
I Peter 2:21-24
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
And because His response was right in verses 22 and 23 God could use His death for our salvation in verse 24.
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
What are the Devil’s objectives?
Satan too can use your troubles for his objectives. So who’s objectives are achieved in your trials depends on you.
A couple of Biblical examples are Peter and Job.
Perhaps Satan’s objectives are best seen in his confrontation with God about Job.
Job 1: 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Satan’s obvious objective in Job’s trials were for Job to curse God.
Job’s wife was even in favor of Satan accomplishing his goal in Job’s life when she said, "curse God, and die."
But who’s goal was won and how in Job’s life?
Job 1:20 ¶ Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
God won because Job praise instead of cursing.
In the case of Peter. Satan won a battle but lost the war.
Jesus said to Peter, "Satan hath desired to have you to sift you. . ."
Who won when Peter cursed? Temporarily? I say temporarily because although Peter cursed Jesus and denied him, 43 days later after a loving confrontation with Christ by the sea. Peter preached a sermon praising the Resurrection and 3,000 were saved in one day. It is great to know that even when we fail miserably and Satan wins a battle by Praise we can win the war and God’s objective can still be accomplished.
The two greatest weapons of our warfare are:
1. Prayer
2. Praise
The citizens of Feldkirch, Austria, didn’t know what to do. Napoleon’s massive army was preparing to attack. Soldiers had been spotted on the heights above the little town, which was situated on the Austrian border. A council of citizens was hastily summoned to decide whether they should try to defend themselves or display the white flag of surrender. It happened to be Easter Sunday, and the people had gathered in the local church. The pastor rose and said, "Friends, we have been counting on our own strength, and apparently that has failed. As this is the day of our Lord’s resurrection, let us just ring the bells, have our services as usual, and leave the matter in His hands. We know only our weakness, and not the power of God to defend us." The council accepted his plan and the church bells rang. The enemy, hearing the sudden peal, concluded that the Austrian army had arrived during the night to defend the town. Before the service ended, the enemy broke camp and left.
