R690 Finding Encouragement in Conflict

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton on this edition of The Encouraging Word.

None of us enjoy conflict. It's just not something we want to dive into, but there is a possibility, like today's message indicates, to find encouragement in conflict. That's the message from Dr. Don Wilton as we head to 2 Chronicles for our Bible study today. While we do so, we want to remind you we're connecting on our website 24 hours a day at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. While you're there, you can hear today's broadcast, see other videos from Dr. Wilton, or sign up for the daily devotional from Dr. Don.

It heads out email-a-phonically every day. Again, sign up today at www.tewonline.org and you'll begin receiving the devotion tomorrow. Now let's open our hearts and God's Word together with Dr. Don Wilton. I'm going to invite you to open your Bibles this morning to 2 Chronicles and chapter 20.

2 Chronicles and the 20th chapter in the Old Testament. You'll find that on page 438 in the pew Bible and our subject this morning is finding encouragement in conflict. Our world is in conflict even as we speak. Our world is in conflict. We don't know what goes on. I want to submit to you today, ladies and gentlemen, that God has a very special and particular message for our hearts.

We are convinced that God will encourage your heart through the Lord Jesus Christ and by His Spirit in His Word as we study His Word together. There is much conflict in the world. There's conflict at home. We are a people that live in conflict, but how grateful we can all be that today we live in a place like this and that we have peace on our front doors. We are very blessed indeed in the United States. For those of you that are of the younger persuasion, I would simply remind you that we have been spared wars here in the United States of America.

And so where does that leave those of us who love the Lord Jesus Christ? I want to read to you from one of the greatest epic battles that was ever recorded in Scripture. It happened under the leadership of King Jehoshaphat, and I'm reading from 2 Chronicles chapter 20. After this, the Moabites and the Ammonites with some of the Manuites came to make war on Jehoshaphat. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the sea.

In fact, it is already in Hazan, Tamar, that is in Engedi. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and so he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord.

Indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek Him. Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the temple and the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the front of the new courtyard and said, O Lord God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over 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 we'll 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. All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jehoshiel, son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jael, the son of Mataniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, and he stood in the assembly, and he said, Listen, King Jehoshaphat, and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem, this is what the Lord says. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow march down against them.

They will be climbing up by the pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions. Stand firm and see the deliverance that the Lord will give to you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you. Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. May he write his word upon our hearts on this Lord's day. There are five directives that God gives to his children here in this particular remarkable moment in time in the history of Israel. There are five biblical directives that I believe God would write upon our hearts in America today as believers, as Christian men and women who have placed their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the one true God. I want to share these five directives with you. They are rather simple, somewhat elementary, and yet when we understand what it is that God was saying as he was writing these things across the annals of history, we come to a fresh understanding that he indeed is the same yesterday and today and forever. We come to a brand new appreciation, perhaps, of our mandate as believers and as disciples of Christ as our president leads our nation through this time of conflict. From whence do we gain our encouragement? Where do we turn?

There are five directives. Number one, stand up. Stand up. That's what God said to Jehoshaphat.

That's what these people did. If you look with me in scripture, you'll read about it in verse five. Jehoshaphat stood up in the house of God. If you go to verse nine in the latter part of verse nine, you'll see we will stand up in your presence. If you go to verse 13, all the men of Judah, together with all their families, they stood up there in the presence of the Lord. Ladies and gentlemen, Americans, and above all those of us who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, I want to submit to you today in the presence of God and in his temple that the clarion trumpet call of God in the midst of conflict is that we ought to stand up. Stand up. We need to stand up as men and women of God, for we have a message to share. We know who God is, and we know that he is sovereign, and we know that he is in control, and we know that Jesus Christ is our Saviour and Lord, and we know that he has given us eternal life, and we know that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Stand up in the midst of conflict.

Therein lies our encouragement. What does it mean to stand up? It means to be counted. What does it mean to stand up? It means to be bold and unapologetic. What does it mean to stand up in the midst of conflict as a believer?

It means to be focused. This morning in our prayer time together with the ministry team, we began to pray together because we have faced tragedy in our church family this week, and our hearts are so saddened. We've had to deal with things.

We began to talk about traveling and youth trips and spring breaks, and before we knew it, we were being caught up in all of the things of life, and when it came down to the time to pray, we looked at each other, and we said, but now we're going into the house of the Lord, and there might be indeed a broken heart on every pew. It is time for those of us who are called to lead to stand up, to stand up. What does it mean to stand up? It means to be counted. It means to be bold. It means to be focused.

It means to be dependable. Directive number two, cry out. Cry out in the latter part of verse nine. Jehoshaphat and his people make the point that we will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us, and here in the Hebrew text, that is literally translated that God expects of those of us who belong to Him, who are His children, to prostrate ourselves before the throne of grace and to cry out from the very depths of our being. It carries with it that heartfelt yearning for the presence and the voice of God. Oh God, God, who is above all and through all, God, hear us, oh pray we pray. We repent of our sin. We cry out to you. Turn not your face from us. Oh God, we cry out to you from the depths of our being. So difficult for those of us in America.

After all, our boys and girls in uniform need to handle the problems. That doesn't affect us. We're quite comfortable, thank you. We still have our air conditioners. We're not living in the desert. We don't have to deal with sandstorms. We don't have to stare down the barrel of a gun.

We can still go and have lunch. There is no need for us. We somehow become lulled into some kind of apathetic self-contentment. It is time in America for believers to stand up and then to cry out. Now why did God call upon them to cry out?

Well, there are four reasons in this text. I wish I could preach on every one of them for the next six weeks. Number one, we cry out because God is the God of history. According to the first part of verse six, he's the God of our fathers. He has a track record. God doesn't have to prove himself.

He is proof. Number two, we cry out because he is ruler over all. Not only do we cry out because he's the God of history and the ruler of all nations, but we cry out according to verse six because he is all powerful. Bible says, power and might are in your hand.

We cry out because he is irresistible. The Bible tells us in the latter part of verse six, no one can withstand you. One soldier said one time, it matters not if I have in my hands a machine gun or strapped around me hand grenades or a knife in my pocket. When I have the word of God in my heart, I have the sword and the shield of his strength. I want you to know if God be for us, who can be against us? And if you belong to Jesus Christ, the battle is not yours. But God's do I hear an amen this morning. That's what it's all about.

Forget the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of today's message. Finding encouragement in conflict with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment. Oh, what a powerful statement Doc just mentioned. When we belong to Christ, the battle is not ours, but God's.

But oh, how we want to fight it. I pray that you know that we're here to win the battle with you, to see God work in and through us as prayer intercessors. We have a great team ready to pray with you right now at 866-899-WORD. I hope you'll open your cell phone, hit that plus in your contacts and store us there.

Again, as Dr. Don would say, we all need some 2 a.m. friends and we'd love to be one of yours. Call us anytime at 866-899-9673 or you can meet us online as well at www.tewonline.org. If you haven't heard about the Call for Courage resource that's available on our website, I pray you'll drop by www.tewonline.org and take a look. You know, many people of faith are concerned about what the future holds for Christians in America. We wake up to a nation and a world that's increasingly hostile to those of us that are followers of Christ. How do we respond? You'll discover more on our website with this Call for Courage resource that's at www.tewonline.org.

Again, www.tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Wilton and the message, Finding Encouragement in Conflict. We must not only stand up and cry out, but the third directive is we must listen to. Verse 15, the prophet said, Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem. And so what are we to pray for?

We are to pray that not only for ourselves that we would stand up and cry out and listen to, but that would be the hallmark of the President of the United States. Why listen to? Well, there are three reasons in this text. Number one, because the Lord speaks.

He carries on a conversation with his children. Number two, because the Lord directs. And number three, because the Lord encourages.

But there is a fourth directive. Not only must we stand up and cry out and listen to, but we must lie down. According to verse 17, he said, Listen, you will not have to fight this battle. Some people believe lying down in the presence of God means capitulating, that what God was saying is that you are not going to have to be engaged.

That's not what he's talking about. What he means by lying down is number one, remember his promises that I will take care of you. Number two, that you need to accept your responsibilities.

The Bible says take up your positions, whether you're a mother or a father, whether you're in uniform or whether you are at home. Number three, that you stand firm in your convictions. He says stand firm and see the deliverance of the Lord. Number four, that you would release your fear. That's what it means to lie down in Christ, to take your rest in him, to let go of the fear that you and I have. And number six, it means, number five, it means to claim victory. The Bible says here in verse 17, go out and face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you.

What an incredible mandate. Stand up, cry out, listen to, lie down. And finally, bow down. Verse 18, Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.

We are told in Chronicles as well that if we repent of our sin and humble ourselves and pray, God will listen and heal our land. And so, my friends, I give to you just six practical suggestions on how to overcome the matter of discouragement in the midst of this conflict. Number one, pray, pray. Tonight, I'm announcing that at 5.15, we are calling our community to join us and our friends right here in the sanctuary.

Maybe for just three-quarters of an hour, we're going to pray. Number two, promote. You want to find encouragement in conflict, promote Jesus Christ, promote your faith.

Number three, invite. I'll guarantee there's at least one person here today who is saying, if only my son was here, if only my daughter was here, if only my neighbor was here, do you know still the number one reason why people come to church is because somebody invited them to come? Invite people to come. It'll encourage your heart. It'll encourage their hearts. Why? Because they are going to hear about Jesus Christ.

Number four, explain. Moms and dads, a special word to you. Take time to talk to your children. Don't turn a blind eye. Don't switch the television set off. Please don't misunderstand me.

You must protect your children, but if you don't explain this to them, somebody else will, and most of the time it'll be some person who has no idea of what's going on. Sit down. Look at those pictures. Explain the scroll at the bottom of the TV. Explain the darkness.

Explain those flashing things that go off. Explain why we're doing this. Explain to them what is going on, and they will rise up and call you blessed. Number five, worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness. It's time to worship God because of who He is, and number six, be a witness for Him, my friends. I would say to those of you that own your own businesses, tomorrow morning, do something different. Call your employees in and say to them, listen, we always have meetings to discuss business, but I'm calling you here today for us to pray together.

Be a witness. Would you bow your heads with me this morning? Our Father, we want encouragement today. We desperately need to hear from You, and You have spoken. Father, as You have done so many times in history, so it is that You do for us today because You are unchanging.

You are the same yesterday and today and forever, and Father, we hold these truths in our hearts today, and Father, we want to be encouraged, and we want to be blessed. We want to be a people who stand tall upon our convictions. Yes, Lord, we want to stand as one as Americans because we are a free people, and we hold these truths dear, but above all our Father today, as Christian men and women, we understand that we are citizens of the King, that we have forfeited our earthly citizenship, that we belong to You, and our Father, You are our great Commander-in-Chief, and it is into You that we direct our thoughts as we pray for our President, as we pray for our loved ones, and Father, today we pray that as men and women, we might not only stand up, but that we might bow down in Your presence and that as we bow down in Your presence, we might understand like never before that there is none like unto Thee. Father God in heaven, bless America today. Bless our troops. Please bring them back safely. Help us to end this conflict as quickly as possible and that we have a mandate to protect our sons and daughters so that they too in years to come might be able to enjoy the same benefits that we have today. Above all our God and our Father, we want to thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ, for none of this makes sense outside of Him, and we pray, our God, that if there is anyone here today who does not know You as personal Savior, that they would surrender their hearts and lives to You, and they too would be born again of the Spirit of the living God in whose name we pray together.

Amen. If you're ready, we're ready to meet you. You need to know that our phone number 866-899-WORD will always connect you with one of us, 24 hours a day ready to listen, to pray, to connect you with resources.

That's 866-899-9673. As you've heard Dr. Wilton teach today from 2 Chronicles on today's message on finding encouragement in conflict, I pray you now open your heart to the most important part, perhaps, that Doc's going to share next as he steps in the studio today. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ?

I'm so happy to hear that. Why don't you pray this prayer with me today? Dear God, I know that You love me very, very much, and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on a cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin. I confess my sin to You, and I invite You to come into my heart and into my life by faith. In Jesus' name I pray. If you've prayed that prayer, let me be the first one to welcome you to the family of God.

This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying for you and how very important this is for me. Call us so that we can talk to you and connect you in the right place so you can begin this wonderful journey.

And in just a moment, I'm going to come back with a final word. We are thankful as a team here at The Encouraging Word for what God is doing in your life right now. For some of you, we're rejoicing already because we believe you were praying along with Dr. Wilton moments ago, and you gave your life to Jesus Christ. Or perhaps you rededicated your life, and today, from this day forward, you have a greater, more deep commitment to live for Jesus. Either way, we have wonderful resources we want to put in your hands.

Dr. Wilton has prepared these resources for you. If you just gave your life to Christ or rededicated your life to Jesus, why don't you call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. Or meet us online at www.tewonline.org. We're here for you to not only connect you with these great resources, but also share other resources with you, resources like this. No one is born courageous, but everyone hopes to have courage when the time comes. This month, for your gift of $25 or more to the encouraging word, you will receive Be Salt and Light, a powerful two-message series by Dr. Wilton that includes a Christian's response to a nation in crisis and a Christian response to a personal attack. Plus, you will receive A Call for Courage, a soul-stirring book that will help motivate you into action. Both of these ministry resources will help you know why you should respond and how to respond when under attack. Remember, God has not given us the spirit of fear.

You can stand up. Call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. And request to be salt and light in the bonus book A Call for Courage today. Thank you for listening and thank you for supporting the encouraging word. Now is the time to spread the gospel. that he imparts to everyone he came in contact with, including our teacher and pastor, Dr. Don Wilton.

All the details are on our website at TEWOnline.org. And before we get away, closing thoughts from Dr. Don. You know, before we go today, what a day of worship we've had. You know, you and I have in the middle of our hearts our beloved nation, don't we, how much I love America. I'm so proud to be an American.

You know, this broadcast is seen by so many of our armed forces across the world. And we hear from many, many of them, and we love them. We admire them.

We respect them. They are our real heroes. And I want you to join with me as we are praying for them, that God would protect them and their families and loved ones. Let's do that right now, shall we, just before we go? Why don't you join with me? Lord Jesus, I'm joining with thousands of people right now and praying for our members, our brave, brave members of our community and our world who are in uniform.

Many are overseas in strange and difficult places, families left behind. Lord Jesus, bless them. Keep your hand upon them in every way in Jesus' name. Amen. Our time's gone for today, but tomorrow it's What's Next.

That's the message from Dr. Don Wilton. I hope you'll join us between now and then. Stay connected on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org.