Jehoshaphat - Heart of Courage

Bringing God up in a conversation with a friend.  Confronting a classmate who is teasing or bullying another student.  Leaving the comfort of being with your friends to initiate a conversation with someone who is alone.  Sharing your belief about creation in a science class where the teacher is teaching evolution.  Telling your coach that you’re not going to be able to play/practice on Sunday morning because of your commitment to worship.  Choosing not to drink when all of your friends are doing it.  Sharing the gospel with a friend of family member who does not know Christ.  For many of us, these situations bring fear to our hearts.  Fear of looking stupid, fear of being wrong, fear of what someone might think, fear of how someone might respond, fear of losing someone or something important to us, . . . fear prevents us from doing the things we know we should be doing.  Every day we encounter situations and have to make decisions that involve fear.  What do we do when we feel fearful?  How do we overcome situations in which we experience fear?

READ:  2 Chronicles 17:1-10, 19:5-11

Walking with God requires COURAGE!  As believers in Christ, there are many situations we encounter which demand courage.  Being courageous is not the absence of fear, courage is not allowing fear to prevent us from saying or doing what we know we are supposed to do.  2 Chronicles 17:6 says that king Jehoshaphat was, “courageous in the ways of the Lord”.  That must mean that Jehoshaphat experienced enough fear while he was king to prevent him from doing what was right.  What are some of the circumstances that Jehoshaphat had to overcome fear?  What are some things that take courage in order to be able to accomplish as a believer in Christ?

1.  It takes courage to live in God’s WAY (17:6) – As with any king, Jehoshaphat was under much pressure.  Fear of the people and his enemies constantly got in the way of his desire to walk obediently with the Lord.  Jehoshaphat must have overcome these fears often because we are told he was characterized by a heart of courage.  Having a heart that wants to live in the ways of the Lord is not easy.  At times, in fact, living our lives for God is frightening.  Why?  Walking in the ways of the Lord often means going against the crowd.  It’s easier to think, speak, and behave in ways that are the same as everyone else around you.  It is in these moments that we must courageously walk down the path that God places before us no matter how fearful it may be.

2.  It takes courage to TEACH the commands of the Lord (17:7-9) – One specific way that Jehoshaphat was courageous and walked in the ways of the Lord was teaching the people God’s commands (the Book of the Law).  Proclaiming the truth of God’s word is not always popular.  When we try to teach others about the standards of right and wrong that God has given to us in His Word, there are going to be those who get offended by our message.  Fear of what others might think or how they might respond must not prevent us from speaking the truth that God has given to us.  We must be courageous and faithfully teach God’s commands so we may be reminded and others may know of how to be in a right relationship with Him!

3.  It takes courage to JUDGE on behalf of God and not men (19:5-9, 11) – Another specific way that Jehoshaphat was courageous and walked in the ways of the Lord was by judging the people of Israel with godly justice and impartiality.  Jehoshaphat did not allow personal preference (benefit) or discrimination (favoritism) to corrupt his decision making, but rather based his judgments on the rightness or wrongness of a matter.  When making judgments about ourselves and others we must not allow our personal biases to cloud our decision making.  Right must be right and wrong must be wrong, no matter who we are dealing with or the consequences.  Take Jehoshaphat’s advice in making judgments about others and, “deal (with others) courageously”.

CONCLUSION

Jesus Christ is a King who was COURAGEOUS!  In Luke 22:42-44 Jesus sweats drops of blood in fear of the going to the cross and yet He prays to His Father, “not my will, but yours be done”.  Jesus courageously went to the cross, overcoming fear, in order to save us from sins.