20/20 Vision
2 Chronicles 20:20
What is the most common surgery performed in the US?
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the most common surgery is:
Lens and cataract procedures… specifically- laser eye surgery
People want their vision restored to 20/20
When it comes to vision, we Christians should want our spiritual vision to be 20/20
This week I wanted to preach on 20/20 Vision
Naturally, if you want 20/20 Vision you have to go to the one who sees all… God
So I decided to go to the scripture and look for each book that would have Chapter 20 and verse 20. I knew that would be only a few.
I started with Genesis and chapter 20 does not have 20 verses.
Exodus 20:20 was pretty good
Leviticus was NO HELP because it goes somewhere I don’t want to go
Deut., Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel… 1 Chron---NOTHING
But then I got to 2 Chronicles and I hit paydirt… the mother load
Today’s message is “20/20 Vision”
Let’s look at the Bible this morning and see what happens when our spiritual vision is 20/20?
Let’s look at 2 Chronicles, chapter 20
Jehoshaphat is king of Judah
--He’s one of the good kings who tried to follow in the footsteps of his father Asa and worked hard at keeping the people of Judah faithful to God
vs. 1 tells us that the Moabites, the Ammonites, and some of the Meunites have conspired together to attack Judah
They know that Judah is God’s people and has the help of God
They cannot take Judah alone, but think they can if they gang up on Israel
b. Jehoshaphat is told, Son you’re in a heap of trouble. A huge army from several countries is coming to whoop up on you. They’re coming from Moab, on the other side of the Dead Sea. You don’t have much time either, they are already o this side of the sea and will be here soon.
You’ve probably heard someone say, “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat”
That is because Jehoshaphat jumped up and said, “we’ve got a lot to do and not much time to do it.
Now, Jehoshaphat was a second generation man of faith.
His daddy was a man who trusted and followed God, and Jehoshaphat did the same thing.
So, Jehoshaphat knew what to do when trouble comes knockin’ and I want us to learn from him
In many ways our church is like Judah
The Judah that Jehoshaphat ruled was “not your grandfather’s Israel.
Israel had been much larger. In fact, the nation Jehoshaphat ruled was only 2/12 of its earlier size.
Look around you… see what I mean
We are also like Judah because we are facing a mass attack from multiple enemies.
Our church is facing a lot of problems… you knew that when you called me.
I had members of this church who came to me and said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
We face problems of our own making and some that are not our fault.
We have those who went out from us and they did it with one goal in mind… to destroy this church.
They have proselyted our members and spread lies about us.
We have other enemies that are against us too.
But Jehoshaphat knew that God had not given up on Judah, like I know God has not given up on First Baptist.
So Jehoshaphat made some very smart moves and I need to follow his example.
The first thing he did was determine to seek God for help and direction.
Look at verse 3, “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD…”
He did not gather advisors or a committee… he knew exactly where to get help.
“He set himself” means he committed himself to hearing what God had to say
He turned all of his attention to seeking God’s vision
That is what we are doing too. We are seeking a vision, a direction and a plan from God.
We’re not just trying to take someone else’s vision… like purpose driven church… but we are seeking God’s Word , God’s plan, God’s vision for THIS church, at THIS time
And God DID have a plan. In fact, God told Jehoshaphat, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got this on lock-down. This is not your fight. I’ll take care of it. ”
He has our future on lock down too
The next thing Jehoshaphat did was declare a national fast.
“… and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.”
Why did Jehoshaphat call for a fast? What does a fast do?
Jehoshaphat knew that the problems he had were not regular problems and the help they needed was not regular help.
Jehoshaphat knew they had to amp it up to the next level
So he told the whole nation to fast… to become so serious about their prayers and seeking God that they did not even take time to eat.
It was a sign, to God, that they were extra serious
I have been asking this church to pray for weeks now, that God would give us His vision for First Baptist
We had a special prayer time 2 weeks ago at the front of the church. I asked you to continue to offer special prayers.
And tonight, though our Vision Casting Meeting starts at 5… I am going to be in the prayer room at 4 preparing my heart for the meeting.
I invite anyone and everyone to join me. If the prayer room gets full, we’ll spill over into the adjoining room. If that gets full, well spill over to an adjoining SS room
God does listen and when we offer special time to Him, He loves it.
The next thing Jehoshaphat led them to do was… have all the people of Judah met together to seek help from the Lord
vs. 4 – “The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.”
They had a special church meeting for the sole purpose of seeking God’s vision, plan and help
They didn’t have Matthew 18:19-20 that says, “"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
But they knew the truth
God still keeps His promises and tonight when we gather, assuming we have two or three, God will be there and God will hear our prayer
Vss 5-12 tell us the next thing Jehoshaphat did was…pray in front of the congregation
Listen to his prayer
– “O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’ But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.*** See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
Let me break that prayer down in words that apply to us… He said…
You are the Great God of eternity who has done many great things for your church in the past
*** insert many great things but time does not allow because Jehoshaphat did not have people in a hurry to get to lunch
Now we are attacked on many sides by many enemies SOME AS A RESULT OF OUR OBEDIENCE
God told them not to attack three tribes…
Deut. 2:5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
2:9 And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.
2:19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.
Israel was obedient and now it was coming to home to bite them in the back side
Let me tell you, after I got here, God made it very plain that we were being poor stewards of what He had blessed us with and we had to change.
Obediently, we did. And what happened? The very people we had helped turned on us.
Then Jehoshaphat prayed, our strength and our resources are not equal to the strength of our combined enemies.
But then, hear those great last words… We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.
They said we are looking to you, asking for your vision, your plan and we will be obedient to do it.
That has to be the promise of this church before the meeting…
We don’t know what you are going to show us… but whatever it is… WE WILL DO IT!!!!
Jehoshaphat and Judah knew what we must understand… IF YOU ARE NOT COMMITTED TO DO GOD’S WILL… DON’T ASK FOR IT
They also knew this… IF YOU HAVE GOD’S PLAN, AND WILL DO IT… YOU CAN NOT LOSE
God is faithful, His promises, they fail not
He is great and powerful and no one can stand against Him and His will
I love what God said in Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
That was not just a promise to Peter or about Peter
This was a “You’ve-got-God’s-word-on-it” promise
God says, This is MY church, MY bride… and NO ENEMY will be able to stand
against her. I will protect her with my strong right hand
Even the powers of Hell… the gates of Hell, will not succeed in their attack on her. I will protect her
The enemy of decay will not prevail against this church
The enemy of finances will not prevail against this church
The enemy of gossip will not prevail against this church
The enemy of worry and doubt will not prevail against this church
The enemy of dissention will not prevail against this church
THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL because God is for us
THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL because WE WILL FOLLOW HIM
THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL because greater is He who is for us that he that is against us
THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL because God has this on lock down
Say it with me… THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL
Again THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL
Listen to Romans 8:35f 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I love verse 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
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I want you to know that the great hope that is found in those verses is not just for this church or for the church
These promises are for YOU
You may be here today and feel that you are cut off from God and His Love because of something in your past or in your present.
Maybe you feel God could never love you because you are unlovable
You may think God will never forgive you because you have been too bad
Did you hear Romans 8… NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM HIS LOVE IN CHRIST JESUS
I have a powerpoint for this sermon... rhpendleton57@gmail.com
