He is Still in The Fire// Week 3//Testing our Faith

Testing of our Faith

2 Chronicles 20:20 November 1, 2020

I. Introduction:

A. We learned last week when we are going through trials, through adversity,

afflictions, tragedy, trouble, persecution, challenges, difficulties, hardship, losses,

grief, etc. that one of God’s key purposes is to test our faith – are we going to trust

Him or try to figure it out and fix it ourselves?

1. We learned the week before that one the our key responses to all these

different kinds of trials is faith.

2. A faith that will continue to rely upon, worship and obey Him no matter what

the outcome is!

B. This morning I want to share with you a true story from the Old Testament that

God has used repeatedly to help me regain my bearing when I am facing

situations that are smarter than I am smart and stronger than I am strong.

1. We find this story in 2 Chronicles 20. Turn

2. It is the story of King Jehoshaphat when he found out that three nations had

come together for a surprise attack against him and they were just 25 miles

away. Bottom line Jehoshaphat was afraid!

• From this story, we are going to learn two important ways to respond when in the

middle of deep deep trials. The first is

II. Locking our eyes on Jesus!

A. Read 20:3-4

1. Jehoshaphat turned his attention, literally, he turned his face away from

everything else that was occupying him and gave all his effort to connecting

with God!

2. He called all Judah together to seek God for His help!

B. He starts this prayer by focusing upon God and the fact that He is bigger than the

problem they are facing. I do not know a better way to get our footing in trials

than coming to God and acknowledging and praising Him for being bigger than

what I am facing! Read v6

C. Now let’s jump down to the heart of his request in v12. Read

1. After acknowledging God’s bigness he is acknowledging his own smallness

and inability both in his ability to fix the problem, “powerless” or even figure

out what to do - “do not know what to do”

2. But look at what he declares, “Our eyes are on you!”

D. This has brought me so much personal encouragement and freedom in my trials

because I do not have to be smart enough to figure out what is going on or what to

do and I do not have to be big enough to fix it!

1. What I do need to do is lock my eyes on God, on Jesus, my head, my vine,

my God!

2. I have come to this place and this passage literally hundreds of times in my

life – I do not have to fix, I do not have to figure I just need to have faith in

my God who is smarter than I am smart and stronger than I am strong. By

the way, He is smarter and stronger than the problem as well!

3. Here is me, here is the trial, here is God

a) This trial may be bigger and smarter than me, but God is bigger and

smarter than the trial

E. I remember being in the middle of a deep and long depression which I tried

everything I could to figure it out, to no avail and I tried everything I could to fix

it but came up empty.

1. God kept bringing these two passages to my attention

a) Psalm 112:4

a) Isaiah 50:10-11

(1) He is speaking here to people who fear God and obey Him yet they

still are walking in difficult times and do not know what to do! –

trust and rely upon God

(2) V 11 speaks of those who are seeking to create their own light

while in the darkness. They are relying upon their own insight,

understanding, and maybe even the advice of others. Look at the

outcome of that – they will only find further trouble

2. 2 Chronicles 20 and these two passages make me think of Proverbs 3:5-6

B. Earlier this year as I was feeling overwhelmed with everything going on in 2020

and my responsibilities as a pastor, husband and father and found myself swirling

in the midst of all the trials.

1. One morning I read a devotional by David Jeremiah and he simply said this:

“are you focusing on your problems and acknowledging Jesus or focusing

upon Jesus and acknowledging your problems?”

2. That is exactly the point of this passage and the question many of us need to

ask ourselves this morning

3. When I confessed my sin of focusing on the problems and not Jesus and

turned that around, my circumstances did not change but the peace and faith

in my heart sure did!

• Second way to respond to deep deep trials is with …

II. Praise and thanks to God in the middle of the trial

A. After this prayer as Jehoshaphat and all Judah stood their waiting upon the Lord,

the Spirit of God stirred on of the priests as he said this in v15-17. Read

B. So the next morning they arose and Jehoshaphat encouraged them with this. Read

v20

He is saying trust in God and trust in His Word

1. Those are the twin pillars when it comes to the object of our faith.

a) A mature faith trusts both God and what He said in His word.

b) So many people are trusting God for what is in their heart and desires

rather than what God said He will or has already done for us in His

Word!

2. That is what we saw modeled for us by Abraham the father of faith! Read

Romans 4:19-21.

C. Now what they did next, you will never learn by watching other nations to learn a

strategy nor would any Israel growth expert suggest what God led them to do.

Listen to what happened.

1. Read 20:21-22.

2. Yes, a melody was their weapon. A song of thanks for God’s mercy and

lovingkindness to them

3. In addition, when they started to praise God – God went to work and set up

ambushes!

4. Listen to what happened, read v 23-24

D. I know that on more than one occasion, I was going through intense battles in my

soul of fear, anger, anxiety, confusion, fill in the blank and my mind was raging.

So I would pull out this little card that lists who we are and what we have in

Christ and one by one thank God for these wonderful gifts in Christ.

1. By the time, I would be half way down the list the battle would cease, my

mind would stop raging, and my heart was full of peace and joy!

• As we go to …

III. Communion

A. Consider these two questions:

1. Are you focusing on your trials and acknowledging Jesus or are you focusing

on Jesus and acknowledging your trials?

2. When is the last time you thanked and praised Jesus in the midst of your trials

rather than after they were done? Maybe today you need to praise and thank

Jesus for all the He has done for you on the cross and all the implications of

that upon your life and trials!