Message: “Facing A Crisis Part 3” from Joe Summers
Joe Summers - December 18, 2022
Facing A Crisis Part 3
Facing a Crisis Part 3 Lesson Objective: To continue to discuss how we can respond when facing what we think is a crisis Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20: 1-29 (20-21) Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.” A. Review i. STEP ONE REPLACING FEAR WITH FAITH ii. STEP TWO: RISE UP TO SEIZE YOUR DESTINY iii. STEP THREE: REFOCUS YOUR ATTENTION iv. STEP FOUR REJECT REASON FOR REVELATION v. STEP FIVE: RESPOND IN OBEDIENCE vi. STEP SIX REVERSE THE CURSE b. Replacing fear with faith i. Fear acronym False Evidence Appearing Real ii. Faith acronym For Anything Impossible Trust Him c. Rise up to seize your destiny d. Refocus on God i. Not being distracted by the crisis ii. Seeking God for who he is B. Reject reason for Revelation a. Then the Spirit of the Lord came 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, in the midst of the congregation; And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: "Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you." And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. (2 Chronicles 20:14-18) b. Reason is the same as seeing with our own eyes and has to be rejected. Reasoning causes fear and we must replace fear with faith. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. ~Proverbs 3:5-6 c. Dismay clouds the mind and inches out faith. d. Recognize that the battle is not ours but God’s. Noah rejected reason, built an ark on dry ground, and his family was saved. Moses rejected reason and led the Israelites across the Red Sea. Joshua rejected reason and conquered Jericho with shouts and blasts of rams' horns. A poor widow rejected selfish reasoning, baked a cake for the prophet from the last of her meal and oil, and her supply of staples was replenished continually for the duration of the famine. e. POSITION YOURSELF FOR VICTORY: C. Revelation- six steps God always talks to us and reveals his will. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." (Isaiah 30:21) a. Step 1 Vexation b. Step 2 Revelation c. Step 3 Hesitation d. Step 4 Resignation e. Step 5 Verification f. Step 6 Exaltation Moses: Exodus Chapters 1-15 Vexation: Experienced vexation in Egypt killed an Egyptian Revelation: Comes through a voice from a burning bush Hesitation: Moses raises objections Resignation: Moses decides to go Verification: Miracles before Pharaoh and Israel's deliverance from Egypt verify his commission Exaltation: Joy and praise to God after crossing the Red Sea Gideon: Judges Chapter 6 Vexation: While threshing wheat, Gideon pours out vexation (verse 13) Revelation: Comes from an angel (verses 12 and 14) Hesitation: "My family is poor, I am the least" (verse 15) Resignation: Gideon resigns himself to God's plan (verse 17) Verification: "Show me a sign" (verses 17 through 23) Exaltation: Builds an altar and praises God (verse 24) Mary, Mother of Jesus: Luke Chapter 1 Vexation: She is troubled (verses 30-31) Revelation: An angel brings a revelation from God ( verses 30-31) Hesitation: She questions and hesitates (verse 34) Resignation: She resigns herself to God's plan (verse 38) Verification: The plan is verified by Elizabeth (verse 45) Exaltation: Mary exalts God (verse 46) We have completed 4 of the six steps. Next week we will complete the series by looking at obedience and reversing the course. This will lead us into the week of Christmas.
Scripture References: 2 Chronicles 20:1-29