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God who made
Jehoshaphat victorious
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2
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[2 Chronicles 20:21]
After
consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to
praise
him
for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army,
saying:
"Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever."
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3
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Jehoshaphat, king of
South Judah, was a king who tried to live righteously before God.
After becoming king, Jehoshaphat destroyed all the idols that God hated. In
addition,
he taught the people the law and made him serve only God.
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4
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Jehoshaphat founded
judges all over Judah to make Judah his rule a fair and honest country.
Ask them, "Be careful because you are judging for Jehovah, not for man,
so be careful.
Jehovah will be with you." He asked them to have a fair trial.
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5
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In the capital city of
Jerusalem, Levites, priests, and leaders of each tribe were established as
judges to help keep Jehovah's laws right. He helped the people to live
according to God's will by warning them not to commit sins against the law of
God.
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6
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Then one day, a person
came to the king in a hurry to spread the news of the war.
It was news that the nations of Moab and Ammon were coming into Judah with
the Meunites.
¡°A large army is coming towards the king, they have already entered En Gedi.¡±
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7
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Jehoshaphat was afraid,
but he decided to ask Jehovah God what to do about this war.
And the people of Judah were ordered to fast while he was praying.
Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah prayed earnestly to God for help.
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8
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Jehoshaphat prayed for
God's help in front of the people gathered in the temple courtyard.
He pleaded with God to punish those who attacked Judah, even though nothing
had been
done to Moab and Ammon.
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9
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After that prayer, the
Spirit of God came to a man named Jahaziel.
Jahaziel shared what God had said to him to the king and the people.
"Don't be afraid, no matter how big
this army is. This war is not your war, it is God's war.
You do not have to fight in this war. Just stand firm in your place.
Then the Lord will save you. You will see.¡°
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10
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Jehoshaphat and the
people of Judah fell to the ground and worshiped God who had heard their
prayers. Among them, Kohathites and Levites stood up and praised Jehovah with
a loud voice.
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11
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When Jehoshaphat and
his troops were encouraged to hear God's response,
they relied on the Word of God and went out into the desert of Tekoa for war
early in the morning.
Jehoshaphat courageously told the people who went to war,
"Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm.
Believe in your prophet, and you will be successful."
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12
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Jehoshaphat selected
people from among the people to praise the holy and high God.
He put people at the front of the army to praise Jehovah God.
Jehoshaphat put people
at the front of the army to believe in and praise God for the
victory of this war.
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13
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Praisers began marching
with loud praises in front of the Israeli army. They praised,
"Give thanks to God, and Jehovah's love is eternal."
The sound of praise rang out all over the earth.
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14
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As the sound of praise
rang, an amazing miracle happened.
With the sound of praise, the soldiers that God had hidden began attacking
the enemy.
The people who came together to attack Judah were startled and began to fight
each other,
and eventually fought among themselves and destroyed them all.
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15
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Jehoshaphat and the
people of Judah arrived at the place overlooking the wilderness.
The only thing they could see was the dead bodies on the ground.
No evil men who came to attack Judah escaped.
God heard Jehoshaphat's prayer and defeated the enemy.
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16
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Jehoshaphat and the
people of Judah who had a great victory exalted and praised the
God who had won the
war. They played the harps and trumpets and went to the temple of Jehovah.
After hearing this news, the surrounding nations became afraid of God.
God has firmly established the kingdom of Jehoshaphat and granted peace.
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17
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God answered the prayer
of King Jehoshaphat, who was in harmony with God's heart.
God has clearly shown that he is the master of all wars.
He believed in the word of God and went to war, allowing Jehoshaphat who
praised
God first, a great
victory.
We who have heard today
must act with the same faith as King Jehoshaphat.
Whatever you encounter, if you pray to God first and exalt Him and praise
Him,
you will experience
God's grace that makes everything happen.
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(This
is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the
conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)
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