GOD IS ON OUR SIDE
Text: 2 Chro. 32:1-22
Introduction:
A. When I was a young I played a lot of sports or pick up games
1) And I loved to win!
2) And because of that I wanted the best player on my side! Because I knew that with the best player I was going to be on the winning team!
3) As I got older I still wanted certain people on my side!
4) I wanted them at play times or times of battles or fights! Why? Because I knew if I had those certain people (big, strong and fast) on my side I was going to win!
B. How many like to lose?
1) They’re no fun in losing!
C. We all learn as we go through life that we need to learn that winning is not everything in sports!
1) BUT I STILL WANT TO WIN!
D. And it is right winning in a sport or some type of game is not everything, but how many know that winning in the battles of life it is everything!
1) I want to be victorious in my battles of life!
2) I WANT TO WIN!
E. We may lose some battles, fights and find times in our life when it’s seems like we lost everything, Our Peace, Hope, Comfort, and our Healing our Blessing seem so far away! And it’s seems like maybe somehow we have ended up on the losing team!
1) But let me give you some comfort! Let me just give you some hope, let me just give you something to think about at those times that everyone of us will at one time or an other find ourselves in when it seems like the game about over and your behind and you don’t like that feeling that your about to lose!
2. Let me remind you that God is on our
SIDE! (3x)
II. Text: 2 Chor. 32: 1-8
A. In the O. T.
1) Many instances of times of battles, wars that Kings were almost always in
2) This king would go up against this King and that King would go up against that King.
B. Or you read in the Word over and over especially in the book of Kings and Chronicles and this King did what was right in the sight of God, or That this King did that which was evil in the sight of God!
C. So not only was there war in the natural realm, but there was also war in the spiritual realm Good against evil, demon forces against God plan for mankind!
1. How many know that those same battles are still going on today! All you have to do is pick up the new paper or watch the news
Man against man at war with each other!
Evil against good!
D. Here in our text
1) We see one of those many battles that going on between Kings
2) We see King Hezekiah which means: Strength of the Lord!
Hezekiah because king when he was 25 yr. old
(2 Chro. 29) and in verse 2 it tells us
And he did what was right in the sight of Lord according to all that his father David had done!
Hezekiah was a godly king and one of the first things we see him do is that he opened the doors of the house of the Lord! And That He repaired them.
Then he said to the Levites (priest) “Hear me Levites!
Sanctify yourselves; sanctify the house of the Lord God of your father! (Notice he said the God of your fathers he knew that he was not their God!)
Get it together; it’s time to get right He not just the God of your father, But He needs to be you’re TOO!
And while you’re at get his house in order too!
So he clean out the house of the Lord and he restore worship back to the house of the Lord God!
In 2 Chro. 29: 35 the last part of that verse says
“So the service of the house of the Lord was set in Order!
And we see in 2 Chro. 31: 20-21
So He prospered! He was blessed!
We pick it up here once again in our text v. 1
After these deeds of faithfulness! After this what king Hezekiah had done deeds of faithfulness, deeds of doing what was right in the sight of God! I want you to hold on to that thought as we go through and see what the after is all about!
(Read verse)
The king of Assyria Sennacherib came! (sen-khay-reeb)
Means: Sin multiplied brothers!
Sin always multiplies if you don’t deal with it!
He comes up against Judah (Praise) and he encamped he plans on staying awhile! He thinks I am going to tear Hezekiah up!
“Thinking to win them over to himself”
He is planning on taking the kingdom over!
v. 2 Hezekiah know what he up too!
v. 3 and we see here that even though he was the king, he knew that there was wisdom, strength in seeking guidance from his leader and commanders or what it was saying was he knew to go to the mighty men!
And they help him!
Thus many people gather together!
There is nothing more that the enemy like than to keep those that find themselves in a battle to stay alone in that battle! And when the enemy comes around to encamp, to stay awhile, to win them over! They try to fight the enemy all by themselves!
You got to stop that!
Eccl. 4:9-10
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labour for if they fall, one will lift up
His companion v.12 Though one may be overpowered by another two can withstand him and a threefold cord is not quickly broken!
The enemy has come King sen-khay-reeb is ready to destroy Hezekiah reign notice what this godly king does
v.5 “he strengthen himself”
“You got to strengthen yourself ” The enemy has come to encamp himself around you!
1. Notice that he does this first in the natural
He dams up the water so the king of Assyria will not have any water
He built up the broken walls around the city raise up towers he even built another on the outside for more protection he make more weapons and shields in abundance!
He set up military experts Captains over the people
Yet there is one more thing and it was the most important one for it was not of the natural but
Spiritual the supernatural!
The godly king “gather all of them together
And give them a word of encouragement
You see he knew the people knew what was going on
The king of Assyria had encamped around them and was getting ready to overtake them!
So Hezekiah says let me remind, let me give you some hope in the mist of this problem we are facing!
I done all I can do in the natural, we are ready!
But let me remind you what has encouraged me I remember the Words of our father of old I remember the stories they have told us!
“Be strong and Courageous”!
You see I believe that they had been told the story over and over of how God had brought them out of the bondage of Egypt how God had rip open the red sea and they went through on dry ground!
“Be strong and courageous!
Be strong and of good courage do not fear, nor be
Afraid of them for the Lord your God He is the one who goes with you!
They had heard how God had make the bitter water sweet, they had heard how God had provided manna and quail for them
They had heard how God had sent a cloud, how the glory of God filled the temple !
Be strong Be Courageous !
“Do not be afraid nor dismay before this king of Assyria!
I don’t know but perhaps Hezekiah is remembering what the other kings had done in the past, you see his father Ahaz was one of those we read about that he did that which was not right in the sight of God, he worship false gods, he molded images and sacrificed his children in the fire, he closed the doors to the house of God
2 Chron. 28:19 tells us “The Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord!
Perhaps maybe he remember and remind the people of what king Jehosphat had done when the Moabities and the Ammonites and other beside them came to battle against him, How Jehoshphat sought after the Lord and fasted and prayed
And God responsed by sending the Spirit of the Lord on Jahaziel and he said to them
“Listen all of you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jersalem and you king Jehosphat thus says the Lord!
“Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great muilitude for the battle is not yours BUT GOD’S
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE!
And you won’t even need to fight!
(Worship singer went ahead)
Hezekiah might of have thought hey it work for Jen
It will work for US!
So do not be afraid nor Dismayed!
It’s does matter how many he has with Him!
Because I remember the story of what happened to Elisha in Dothan when the Syrians surrounded him and his servant came running into the house crying “Master what shall we do?
And Elisha answered “Do not fear! For those who are with us are more than those who are with them!
I can almost see the servant rubbing his head what in the world you talking about Elisha!
I say this because it tell us in the Word that Elisha prayed
“Lord open his eyes that he may see”
And the servant eyes were opened and behold, the mountains was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha!
“For there is more with Us than with them!
You see God is on our side!
You need to see that God is on YOUR SIDE!
I want us to see here he didn’t try to encourage the people with what he had done!
Oh don’t be afraid I have built walls raised up towers got us more weapons!
No he encouraged them to remember God is on Our Side!
And with them “The arm of flesh!
Jer. 17:5-7
They were trusting in their own abilitiy
But as for us (2x)
“The Lord our God is going to help us and to fight our battles!
Oh come on Be strong, Be courageous do not be afraid nor dismayed!
The king of Assyria is coming in his own ability!
We have not just only built up walls raised up tower got more weapons BUT GOD IS ON OUR SIDE!
To help us and to fight our battles!
“And the people were strengthed by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah!
Oh I like to sometimes read in between the lines
I kind think that maybe there was some shouting going on perhaps maybe someone was running around saying
God is our side I got a feeling everything is going to be alright!
Notice what the enemy does next!
He begins to discourage the people trying to get then not to trust their leadership
VV-9-22
But God was on there side!
III. Application for us today
A. That was nice to see what God did for them!
1) I here to tell what God did for them He Will (3x) Do for you today!
B. We need to see that as Hezekiah who did what was good and right and true before the Lord from his heart, and was blessed!
Remember “That after this deeds (of doing what was right) The enemy still came!
Jesus told us in this life there will be trails and tribulation But don’t forget he also said
Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world
I want us to look at v. 11 one more time!
“Thinking to win them over”!
In other words the enemy thought that he might, that he might be able to buff his way in that he might get the people to think he was stronger than they were!
He is still trying to do the same thing today!
YOUR enemy is only thinking he can win!
What ever it might be, sickness, woes, family problems whatever! He buff ! He thinking he might get you to forget! Who you are!
And I here to tell you that what work for Hezekiah will still work for you and I today!
Remember what Hezekiah done
1. He sought out counsel from the mighty men
We need to seek counsel from godly servant of God!
Quit thinking you can do it on your own!
“Thus many people gather together!
How many know the strength in number!
SOMETHING HAPPEN WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE GET IN TO AGREEMENT IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST POWER HOLY GHOST LED PRAYER!
2.He strength himself
Build up walls of prayer
Tower of fasting
And most all get many weapon
The sword of the Spirit THE WORD OF GOD!
And not just what someone else tell you they stood on or they believe God for
YOU GO TO GOD AND ASK FOR WHAT WEAPON TO BEAT THE DEVIL HEAD IN WITH!
GET SOME WORD TO STAND ON NOT ON THE ARM OF THE FLESH!
When you have the Word then you got GOD ON YOUR SIDE!
BE STRONG the more of us than of you
I got people praying I got charroit of fire!
Ready to move out on my behalf!
The words says Ministring spirit sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation!
And remember Hezekiah remember the past!
Which was the WORD!
THE WORD THE WORD and not your words of doubt and fear BUT THE WORD OF THE ONE
THAT IS ON YOUR SIDE READY I SAID R4EADY TO DO BATTLE FOR YOU!
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE!
DO YOU BEIEVLE IT DO YOU TRUST IN IT DO
YOU TELL YOUR EMNEMY
I GOT GODON MY SIDE AND THIS WHAT HE SAID ABOUT IT!
But it has to words spoken in faith!
That when you can with confidence and faith and hope say you come thinking to win me over, my family, my health my whatever you facing, but you only coming with your puny little arm of flesh
But as for ME!
With me is the Lord Our (MY) God to help me and to fight my battle!
God is on my side!
