WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.120 Would you turn with me to 2 Chronicles chapter 13. That's page 342 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:12.220 I'm going to begin by reading verses just 1 through 3, and then what we're going to do is we're going 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:17.199 to actually just walk through the passage step by step as we go. So as I read a passage, we'll put 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:21.320 it up on the screens, and then she and we can take it down after I read it, and it'll be really clear 00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:25.760 how we go through. But we're going to start with verses 1 through 3, and we're going to dive in 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:33.939 together. All right, 2 Chronicles chapter 13, page 342. In the 18th year of King Jeroboam, 00:00:34.780 --> 00:00:41.140 Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah, 00:00:41.260 --> 00:00:50.840 the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now, there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah went out to 00:00:50.840 --> 00:00:59.020 battle having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men, and Jeroboam drew up his line 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:11.400 of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. So have you ever felt like you were up 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:21.400 against overwhelming odds? As parents, Beth and I have sometimes joked that having one kid is easy 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:27.460 because you can always double team, right? But then having two kids, that's still manageable because 00:01:27.460 --> 00:01:35.140 you can always play man-to-man, right? But then when you have three kids, well, then you're outnumbered. 00:01:35.140 --> 00:01:41.659 So you have to slip back into his own defense and just hope for the best. Even then, sometimes it 00:01:41.659 --> 00:01:49.219 feels like overwhelming odds. But on a serious note, on a serious note, isn't the spiritual life, 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:56.460 the life of following Christ, a life that often feels like we're up against overwhelming odds? 00:01:57.540 --> 00:02:04.240 Think of your workplace or your school or your neighborhood. How many genuine fellow followers of 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:12.400 Jesus can you name? One, two, maybe three? You know, for us New Englanders, I think if you can name 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:16.479 three or four in one of those spheres, it feels like a revival is happening, right? 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:25.099 But now in reality, this is the calling of the church to live as salt and light in the midst of 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:31.740 overwhelming odds. You see, the church has been given this great mission to proclaim the gospel of 00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:40.320 grace and to make disciples of all nations. This commission, remember, was given to a handful 00:02:40.320 --> 00:02:45.360 of former fishermen, former prostitutes turned disciples. 00:02:48.160 --> 00:02:53.180 Go, make disciples of all nations, he told that original group of men and women. 00:02:53.180 --> 00:03:01.140 Overwhelming odds. And this mission, as Jesus and His apostles taught us, would be a spiritual 00:03:01.140 --> 00:03:06.040 battle. But this battle is not against flesh and blood, as the Apostle Paul will say, 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:13.600 but against spiritual forces in the heavenly places. In other words, we aren't fighting a culture war. 00:03:14.480 --> 00:03:22.060 We're in a much deeper spiritual battle, because the human heart is captive to sin, 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:27.879 to Satan, to idolatry, to death. These are the great enemies arrayed against us. 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:34.360 And who would not feel overwhelmed and afraid against those overwhelming odds? 00:03:36.259 --> 00:03:41.520 You know, when Abijah stepped out onto the battleground that day, he knew right away that 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.819 he was vastly outnumbered. The kingdom, you'll remember at this point in Israel's history, 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:51.719 the kingdom was in the midst of a civil war. The ten tribes in the north had broken away, 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:58.159 during the days of Abijah's father, Rehoboam. And now the king of those ten breakaway tribes, 00:03:58.219 --> 00:04:04.060 whose name was Jeroboam, was coming to attack the south. Jeroboam and the ten tribes were coming down 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:09.460 to attack and take over the south to make one kingdom under his rule. And Abijah goes out to 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:16.459 meet him. Abijah goes out to meet him with 400,000 chosen men. But as he looked out, he saw that his 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:24.500 opponent, Jeroboam, had outnumbered him two to one with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. 00:04:26.159 --> 00:04:31.379 Now, if you're thinking that those numbers seem impossibly large, it's good to note that some 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:37.399 Hebrew scholars think that the word thousand here may also have been used for a military unit of some 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:42.959 kind. So it's likely that these numbers aren't a specific head count. Rather, it's saying that 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:53.159 Abijah had 400,000, that is 400 units, 400 platoons of men. And Jeroboam, though, had 800,000, that is 800 00:04:53.159 --> 00:05:01.379 units. But no matter how you interpret the numbers, either way, Abijah is, in the words of Hamilton, 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:10.480 outgunned, outgunned, outnumbered, and outplanned. He's up against overwhelming odds. 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:18.860 Have you been there? Have you been in the place where the fight seems overwhelming, 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:25.839 like there's no way you're going to win the battle? You know, the people in the chronicler's day, 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:30.839 when the chronicler was writing this in the fifth century, they must have felt outnumbered, 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:36.339 end up against overwhelming odds. They were a fledgling people, embattled on all sides. You can 00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:41.179 read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah to learn more about all that they faced in that time. 00:05:41.179 --> 00:05:47.599 How could they possibly hope to succeed? And perhaps you feel similar today. 00:05:48.299 --> 00:05:55.739 When you consider the spiritual battle before you, perhaps you feel outnumbered by overwhelming odds. 00:05:55.740 --> 00:06:02.519 A relationship that's so broken, you've lost any hope that it could be restored. 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:10.060 A habitual sin that's so ingrained, you don't think victory is a possibility. 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:17.639 A trial you're facing that's so great, there doesn't seem to be any way through to the other side. 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:29.699 But what 2 Chronicles 13 shows us is that what may seem like overwhelming odds to us 00:06:29.699 --> 00:06:40.259 are not overwhelming for God. And the key to victory is not reliance on ourselves, 00:06:40.259 --> 00:06:50.300 but reliance on the Lord. We'll see, as the story goes on, that God saves Abijah and his men that day, 00:06:51.039 --> 00:06:58.199 even though they're outnumbered two to one. And God saves them because, as we'll read in verse 18, 00:06:59.079 --> 00:07:02.240 they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:11.240 But what does this reliance look like? We're told so often to just trust in ourselves, right? 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:17.560 Look to yourself, improve yourself, you can do it, find the strength within yourself. 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:26.019 That is the message we hear so much around us. So where do we begin to learn something radical 00:07:26.019 --> 00:07:32.939 and countercultural reliance on God? Well, let's take a look at our passage and let's see. 00:07:33.699 --> 00:07:40.819 I think the first thing that we see here is that reliance on God in the midst of being spiritually 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:48.539 outnumbered, reliance on God looks like prioritizing the right things. It looks like prioritizing the 00:07:48.539 --> 00:07:54.099 right things. In verse 4, Abijah gets up on the hillside and calls out to Jeroboam and his army. 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:59.720 Now, remember, at this point in Old Testament history, Israel often refers just to the northern 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:05.879 kingdom with its capital in Samaria, but Israel can also refer to the entire people of God in both 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:10.580 the north and the south. The context usually makes it clear. So keep that in mind as we walk through 00:08:10.580 --> 00:08:16.620 the story. Let's pick it up. Let's pick it up in verse 4. And we're going to read through verse 12. 00:08:17.140 --> 00:08:22.600 Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemariah, that is, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:28.439 Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel. Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:37.019 kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:41.440 a servant of Solomon, the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his Lord, and certain worthless 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:46.860 scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and 00:08:46.860 --> 00:08:53.000 irresolute and could not withstand them. And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:59.000 the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:06.139 that Jeroboam made you for gods? Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of 00:09:06.139 --> 00:09:12.399 Aaron and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:19.840 ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. But as for us, 00:09:20.579 --> 00:09:27.399 the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:33.699 of Aaron and Levites for their service. They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burn 00:09:33.699 --> 00:09:39.299 offerings and incense of sweet spices. They set out the showbread on the table of pure gold and care for 00:09:39.299 --> 00:09:44.359 the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening, for we keep the charge of the Lord our 00:09:44.359 --> 00:09:51.699 God, but you have forsaken Him. Behold, God is with us at our head, and His priests with their battle 00:09:51.699 --> 00:09:58.799 trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:03.059 the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed. 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:17.419 Now, notice what Abijah prioritizes in his speech to Jeroboam. He prioritizes the promise of God 00:10:17.419 --> 00:10:25.319 and the worship of God. We see the promise of God in verses 4 through 7. Abijah reminds everyone 00:10:25.319 --> 00:10:32.819 listening that God gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt. 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:37.819 Now, you think, what in the world is a covenant of salt? That seems really strange, right? 00:10:38.419 --> 00:10:44.519 But think of it this way. Salt in the ancient world was a preservative, right? So, salt became a metaphor 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:50.939 for something that was enduring, something that was perpetual. So, a covenant of salt was a way of 00:10:50.939 --> 00:10:56.219 saying that it was a covenant that was perpetual and enduring, a binding commitment that could not be 00:10:56.220 --> 00:11:08.080 broken, a promise that would last. So, there's Abijah staring at 800,000 troops, a great multitude, 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:16.220 as verse 8 says. And instead of turning around and counting his men and then recounting them 00:11:16.220 --> 00:11:28.220 and wondering if he's got enough, what does he do? He goes back to God's promise. God promised that David's 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:39.060 sons would hold the kingship forever. So, it doesn't matter how great Jeroboam's multitude is. God's Word 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:52.219 is more enduring and more sure than a million mighty warriors. God fashioned the stars. God dug out the oceans. 00:11:53.419 --> 00:12:04.859 God's presence melts the mountains like wax. If God has promised it, how could it not be true? 00:12:04.860 --> 00:12:16.279 God's presence. This is what reliance on God looks like, friends. It looks like taking the promises of 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:24.840 God and reminding ourselves of them in the face of the circumstances. Yes, the odds look overwhelming, 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:29.279 but what has God, the Lord of heaven and earth, said? 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:39.139 If you are in Christ this morning, if you are His son, His daughter through faith in Jesus, 00:12:39.539 --> 00:12:47.220 this is what God has said. He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. 00:12:48.839 --> 00:12:54.659 God has promised to work all things for your good so that you might be conformed to the image of Christ. 00:12:54.659 --> 00:12:59.620 God has promised. God has promised that nothing will separate you from the love of God in Christ 00:12:59.620 --> 00:13:06.919 Jesus our Lord. God has promised that these light and momentary afflictions are preparing for you an 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:13.879 eternal weight of glory. God has promised that if we run the race with endurance and share in His 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:23.179 sufferings, we will also certainly share in His glory. Think about what that means. Consider, 00:13:23.179 --> 00:13:29.979 friends, the glory of the glory of the risen and ascended Christ, sovereign over the nations at the 00:13:29.979 --> 00:13:39.959 Father's right hand, you will share His glory. Peter is even so bold as to say that through faith you've 00:13:39.959 --> 00:13:49.899 become a partaker of the divine nature. Can you contain these promises that God has given you? 00:13:53.179 --> 00:14:00.419 Reliance on God looks like prioritizing the promises of God in our minds, in our hearts, 00:14:00.719 --> 00:14:10.139 in our speech throughout our days, holding them, meditating on them, running them through our hearts, 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:16.719 memorizing them. And then in the moment of trial, that's what will come out when we're on the mountain 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:26.779 staring at the multitudes. But reliance on God also looks like prioritizing the worship of God. 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:34.519 In verses 8 through 12, Abijah reminds Jeroboam and all the troops that are gathered that their gods 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:41.259 are not gods and that their priests are not the priests that God had instituted. You see, 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:48.419 after the ten northern tribes broke away from Judah and Benjamin in the south, Jeroboam immediately made 00:14:48.419 --> 00:14:53.639 two golden calves and set them up in the northern kingdom for the people to worship. That way, the 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:58.120 people in the north wouldn't be tempted to go back down south to the temple in Jerusalem. They could 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:03.720 just stay up in the north and worship the idols, and their allegiance wouldn't take them back to the 00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:13.220 kings of David. But these gods, of course, that Jeroboam fashioned, as verse 9 says, are not gods. 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:22.000 They're empty idols. And Abijah goes on to say that the priests and the practices of the temple in 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:29.080 Jerusalem, that's what the Lord has set up. The priests in the north are illegitimate imposters and 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:33.519 hucksters who've bought their priesthood in the north just to have a position of authority. 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:41.200 But Abijah says, no, our priests are the real ones, the right ones, in the line of Aaron, 00:15:42.519 --> 00:15:50.500 in the line of the Levitical priests. Now, you have to admit that on the surface, 00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:57.639 this is a bit of a strange thing to be talking about on the verge of war, right? I mean, compare 00:15:57.639 --> 00:16:02.840 Abijah's speech here to Winston Churchill's speech in the midst of World War II, right? 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:08.560 We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields 00:16:08.560 --> 00:16:15.160 and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. That rouses your spirits, 00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:24.700 right? But here's Abijah facing down an army twice his size, and he's talking about lampstands and showbread. 00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:30.340 That doesn't really get your blood pumping for battle, does it? What is he doing? 00:16:33.920 --> 00:16:34.900 But then again, 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:40.540 consider how Abijah ends his speech. He says, 00:16:40.539 --> 00:17:03.759 That's a pretty rousing conclusion. How does Abijah get from the particularities of the priesthood 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:10.539 and the nuances of temple worship to confidence that God is with them in the battle? 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:19.059 Well, on the one hand, these particular practices are what God commanded His people to do under the 00:17:19.059 --> 00:17:25.019 Old Covenant. And by forsaking those practices, the people in the north had forsaken the Lord. 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:28.680 That's how verse 11 ends. Abijah says to Jeroboam, 00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:32.840 When we keep the charge of the Lord our God, you have forsaken Him. So you see, 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:40.580 great assurance of God's presence comes when we worship and obey God as He commands. 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:49.860 Walking with God in His ways does not guarantee an easy life or a trouble-free life. 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:55.580 Here is Abijah, after all, taking on an army twice the size of his. 00:17:55.579 --> 00:18:03.000 But walking with God in His ways does bring assurance of God's presence. 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:09.019 If you want courage for the battle, if you're feeling weak and afraid, 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:13.559 friend, then lift your eyes up from the battlefield. 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:18.720 Lift your eyes up from the armies and from the odds, 00:18:19.439 --> 00:18:21.879 and take in a fresh vision of God. 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:25.560 Exalt Him in His holiness and in His majesty. 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:31.460 Lift up your heart and walk in His ways. 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:39.160 And you see, what happens then is that prioritizing the worship of God 00:18:39.160 --> 00:18:44.260 begins to then magnify the reality of God in our hearts. 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:49.039 And when the reality of God is then heavy upon us, 00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:54.519 then the promises of God are more powerful and more weighty 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:56.960 than anything that might stand against us. 00:18:58.879 --> 00:19:03.500 That's how we get from worship to confidence in the battle. 00:19:03.500 --> 00:19:10.119 Because it brings us again face to face with the awesome reality of who God is. 00:19:12.339 --> 00:19:17.420 This was the message that the chronicler wanted His people in the 5th century B.C. 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:20.059 to really glean from this episode about Abijah, 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:22.500 which was taking place in the late 10th century B.C., 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:23.599 almost 500 years before. 00:19:24.859 --> 00:19:25.539 He's telling them, 00:19:25.660 --> 00:19:29.019 prioritize the worship of God in the midst of your spiritual battles. 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:34.119 Yes, the temple worship might seem irrelevant to the outside observer. 00:19:35.339 --> 00:19:37.579 Why would you come to church on a Sunday morning? 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:41.539 Aren't there better things you can do with your time? 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:43.920 Why not rest? 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:46.400 Why not spend time with your family and friends? 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:48.559 Why not at least catch up on some chores? 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:50.079 Right? 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:54.879 Surely singing songs and praying prayers and reading a centuries-old book 00:19:54.879 --> 00:19:58.900 can't be the most important thing you can use your time for, can it? 00:19:59.019 --> 00:19:59.660 Ah. 00:20:03.339 --> 00:20:09.740 But friends, song and prayer and proclamation 00:20:09.740 --> 00:20:13.599 and the Scriptures read and understood, 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:15.519 what are these things? 00:20:17.619 --> 00:20:22.859 These practices are meant to realign our hearts to God. 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:29.539 We spend all week contending with things that are not gods, 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:35.000 but those non-gods can grow bigger and bigger in our vision, can't they? 00:20:35.679 --> 00:20:41.199 We need to be reminded week after week that God is God, 00:20:41.959 --> 00:20:45.899 the maker of heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen, 00:20:45.900 --> 00:20:49.019 and that Jesus Christ is Lord. 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:53.860 Not the petty kings and rulers and politicians of this passing moment. 00:20:54.860 --> 00:21:00.420 And we need to be reminded that the Holy Spirit is the giver of life. 00:21:00.420 --> 00:21:07.860 The Holy Spirit is the giver of life, not money, not power, not human approval. 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:16.539 The most important thing you can do every week is gather in person with God's people 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:22.519 around God's Word and encounter Him and give Him the praise He is due. 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:30.200 And then here again, His great and precious promises, as the Apostle Peter puts it. 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:36.680 You know, gathering as the church on Sunday is at one and the same time 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:41.720 the most soul-restoring act a human being can participate in 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:46.579 because it's realigning us to who God really is and who we really are. 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:51.619 It's at once the most soul-restoring act, and it's at the same time 00:21:51.619 --> 00:21:56.720 the most publicly revolutionary act a human being can participate in. 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:02.960 The church gathering for worship is a public demonstration 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:09.179 of the supreme worth of the triune God above all other gods, 00:22:09.740 --> 00:22:14.759 above all other goods, above all other kingdoms, above all other aims. 00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:21.059 Here we are at the corner of State and Grove staging a demonstration 00:22:21.059 --> 00:22:27.240 about what's really real and what really matters through our gathered worship. 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:36.500 So in the midst of our spiritual battles, when the odds seem overwhelming, 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:39.500 what does reliance on God look like? 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:43.200 Well, the first thing we see is that reliance on God looks like 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:48.920 prioritizing the right things, the promise of God and the worship of God. 00:22:50.420 --> 00:22:54.299 But then the story goes on, and next we see that reliance on God 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:56.580 doesn't just look like prioritizing the right things. 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:59.100 The reliance on God is even more than that. 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:03.400 Reliance on God also looks like a heart 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:07.860 that cries out to the Lord in times of trouble. 00:23:07.859 --> 00:23:15.439 It's not just right priorities, but it's desperate, dependent prayer. 00:23:17.159 --> 00:23:18.919 Dependent prayer. 00:23:19.679 --> 00:23:22.259 Let's pick up the story in verse 13 through verse 19. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:23.579 Verse 13, 00:23:23.579 --> 00:23:40.799 And Abijah and his people struck them with the sword. 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:47.079 And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:51.339 The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:54.460 And Abijah and his people struck them with a great force. 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:58.119 So there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:02.139 Thus, the men of Israel were subdued at that time, 00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:04.019 and the men of Judah prevailed, 00:24:04.019 --> 00:24:09.879 because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:14.339 In the moment of battle, when you're surrounded, 00:24:15.139 --> 00:24:17.579 when the enemies feel like they're in front and behind, 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:19.980 who do you cry out to? 00:24:21.819 --> 00:24:23.799 Whether it's at work or at home, 00:24:24.599 --> 00:24:27.059 whether it's a besetting sin that's plagued you for years, 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:29.920 or a physical affliction you know will be with you your whole life, 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:31.259 who do you cry out to? 00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:37.119 Some of us haven't reached the place where we cry out at all. 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:39.779 We're still trying to fix ourselves, 00:24:40.139 --> 00:24:42.879 and we're still trying to muster the strength, 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:46.139 the inner resources to conquer without any help. 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:50.819 And, you know, that's just as true for us Christians 00:24:50.819 --> 00:24:52.460 as it is for those outside the faith. 00:24:52.920 --> 00:24:54.400 You know, we can worship on Sundays, 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:58.500 but then on Mondays act as if the battle belongs to us. 00:25:00.879 --> 00:25:02.879 But what does Jesus Himself say? 00:25:04.019 --> 00:25:05.440 Jesus says, 00:25:06.299 --> 00:25:08.920 blessed are the poor in spirit, 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:11.839 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:15.639 What does it mean to be poor in spirit? 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:20.799 It means to know that you don't have the resources, 00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:23.440 you don't have the inner strength, 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:25.240 you don't have the natural capacities 00:25:25.240 --> 00:25:27.160 to face the battle before you. 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:30.900 It means admitting that you're powerless. 00:25:33.540 --> 00:25:37.580 And then you do what the people did in verse 4. 00:25:38.620 --> 00:25:39.660 Verse 4 says, 00:25:40.320 --> 00:25:41.640 they cried out to the Lord. 00:25:43.220 --> 00:25:46.019 They came to see that the Lord 00:25:46.019 --> 00:25:48.140 was the only one who could save them. 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:51.660 Pressed in front and behind, 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:52.779 they had no other option. 00:25:52.779 --> 00:25:56.119 How about us? 00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:00.420 Are we still trying to figure out things in our own strength? 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:06.099 Or have we achieved the poverty of spirit 00:26:06.099 --> 00:26:07.599 that Jesus talks about, 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:12.000 realizing that we have no other option 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:14.940 but to cry out to the Lord 00:26:14.940 --> 00:26:16.819 who alone can save us? 00:26:18.819 --> 00:26:21.059 Whether it's in the midst of your broken marriage, 00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:23.799 or in your toxic workplace, 00:26:24.420 --> 00:26:27.079 or in just the meaningless day-to-day 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:29.019 that leaves you on the brink of despair, 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:33.440 reliance on the Lord looks like, 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:36.099 genuine humility before Him 00:26:36.099 --> 00:26:38.279 and crying out to Him 00:26:38.279 --> 00:26:41.319 that His will would be done 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:43.500 and that His kingdom would come 00:26:43.500 --> 00:26:47.660 and that He would get all the glory 00:26:47.660 --> 00:26:50.319 for any victory that's won. 00:26:50.619 --> 00:26:52.339 Notice in verses 15 and 16, 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:54.599 then the men of Judah raised the battle shout 00:26:54.599 --> 00:26:55.779 and when the men of Judah shouted, 00:26:55.779 --> 00:26:58.539 God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel 00:26:58.539 --> 00:26:59.639 before Abijah and Judah. 00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:02.359 Then the men of Israel fled before Judah 00:27:02.359 --> 00:27:04.420 and God gave them into their hand. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:07.940 You see, God wins the battles, not us. 00:27:08.899 --> 00:27:11.000 And He gets the credit and the praise. 00:27:12.639 --> 00:27:13.079 You see, friends, 00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:17.299 any endeavor that we pursue as a church 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:19.180 for the advance of His kingdom 00:27:19.180 --> 00:27:20.139 and His gospel 00:27:20.139 --> 00:27:22.220 must, at the end of the day, 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:24.460 be His work. 00:27:25.779 --> 00:27:27.819 And He will get the glory. 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:34.019 That's why fervent, dependent prayer 00:27:34.019 --> 00:27:37.460 must be at the center of a church's life. 00:27:39.399 --> 00:27:41.680 Why do we pray so much in our Sunday gatherings? 00:27:43.720 --> 00:27:45.339 Why do we have monthly prayer meetings? 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:49.180 Why do our small groups devote so much time to prayer? 00:27:50.420 --> 00:27:52.500 Not because it's a religious thing to do, 00:27:52.500 --> 00:27:56.259 but because it's what reliance on the Lord looks like. 00:27:57.940 --> 00:27:58.759 Hearts that say, 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:00.079 not to us, O Lord, 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:02.339 but to Your name be the glory. 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:04.319 We are weak, 00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:05.579 but You are strong. 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:08.660 We are pressed before and behind, 00:28:08.799 --> 00:28:11.319 but You are sovereign over all. 00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:17.779 So, this is what reliance on God looks like. 00:28:19.159 --> 00:28:22.039 Right priorities and dependent, 00:28:22.259 --> 00:28:24.559 yes, even desperate prayer. 00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:27.579 But there's one more thing. 00:28:29.539 --> 00:28:32.299 And this last thing is a bit more subtle in our passage, 00:28:32.439 --> 00:28:35.659 and it helps to see and know the context 00:28:35.659 --> 00:28:37.659 to really kind of see it and get it. 00:28:37.660 --> 00:28:43.640 But the last thing to realize about reliance on God is this. 00:28:45.100 --> 00:28:51.380 Reliance on God is not about perfect people trusting God. 00:28:53.140 --> 00:28:59.180 Reliance on God is about imperfect people receiving grace. 00:29:00.540 --> 00:29:03.840 It's about imperfect people receiving grace. 00:29:03.940 --> 00:29:05.400 Let's read verses 19 through 22, 00:29:05.540 --> 00:29:06.580 and then I'll show you what I mean. 00:29:06.579 --> 00:29:07.699 Verse 19, 00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:11.099 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, 00:29:11.439 --> 00:29:12.519 Bethel with its villages, 00:29:13.199 --> 00:29:14.779 and Jeshunneh with its villages, 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:16.399 and Ephron with its villages. 00:29:17.299 --> 00:29:19.859 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah, 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:22.379 and the Lord struck him down, and he died. 00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:24.159 But Abijah grew mighty, 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:26.259 and he took fourteen wives 00:29:26.259 --> 00:29:28.559 and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:31.079 The rest of the acts of Abijah, 00:29:31.379 --> 00:29:32.740 his ways and his sayings, 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:36.259 are written in the story of the prophet Idu. 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:41.460 Now, we don't have the writings of this Idu or Idu. 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:43.419 They haven't come down to us. 00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:47.839 But we do have another work that describes Abijah's reign in character. 00:29:48.740 --> 00:29:52.639 In the book of 1 Kings, chapter 15, verses 1 through 8, 00:29:52.639 --> 00:29:56.059 we're given an earlier account of Abijah's reign. 00:29:56.679 --> 00:29:58.339 And there he's called Abijam. 00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:01.019 It's the same person with a slightly different spelling to the name. 00:30:01.019 --> 00:30:03.819 Now, if you were to go back and read 1 Kings 15, 00:30:04.259 --> 00:30:05.740 what would you notice right away? 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:11.200 You would notice that Abijah was not a good king. 00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:14.579 1 Kings 15, 3 says, 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:18.699 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him. 00:30:19.259 --> 00:30:21.960 And his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:23.899 as the heart of David his father. 00:30:27.899 --> 00:30:29.220 And here in 2 Chronicles, 00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:32.259 if we were to go on and start reading the next chapter, 00:30:32.359 --> 00:30:32.960 chapter 14, 00:30:33.139 --> 00:30:34.899 we see that Abijah's son, Asa, 00:30:35.099 --> 00:30:36.179 who was a good king, 00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:38.480 Asa had to remove from the land 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:41.720 a whole host of foreign altars and high places 00:30:41.720 --> 00:30:43.380 and idols and false gods, 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:46.000 presumably Abijah didn't care enough 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:47.740 to remove those things during his reign, 00:30:47.860 --> 00:30:49.160 so his son had to do it. 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:54.839 Unless we just skip over verse 21 in our passage, 00:30:55.460 --> 00:30:58.819 Abijah having 14 wives is not a good thing. 00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:03.799 Polygamy in the Bible always leads to bad consequences, 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:07.160 even if God in His sovereign grace 00:31:07.160 --> 00:31:08.940 is able to bring about His purposes 00:31:08.940 --> 00:31:11.140 through human folly and sinfulness. 00:31:13.420 --> 00:31:14.600 So what's the point? 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:19.680 The point is that reliance on God 00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:23.380 is not just for people who have it all together. 00:31:25.460 --> 00:31:27.120 We can think that, can't we? 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:30.060 We can think that God hears the prayers of good people, 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:31.360 of faithful people, 00:31:31.360 --> 00:31:34.200 but we're not so sure if He hears my prayers 00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:36.400 because I know my heart. 00:31:37.160 --> 00:31:38.660 And I know my own failings. 00:31:40.320 --> 00:31:42.560 But 2 Chronicles wants to show us 00:31:42.560 --> 00:31:45.860 that reliance on God isn't for perfect people. 00:31:47.779 --> 00:31:49.740 Reliance on God is about receiving 00:31:49.740 --> 00:31:51.820 God's undeserved grace. 00:31:53.720 --> 00:31:55.200 Abijah in the kingdom of Judah 00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:57.840 didn't deserve to win the battle that day. 00:31:59.120 --> 00:32:01.360 They threw themselves upon God, 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:03.500 and God rescued them by His grace. 00:32:05.500 --> 00:32:07.659 You know, in all of human history, 00:32:08.259 --> 00:32:11.459 there was only one human and one king 00:32:11.459 --> 00:32:13.659 who deserved to be victorious. 00:32:14.699 --> 00:32:16.240 There was only one king 00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:18.679 who deserved to triumph over His enemies. 00:32:20.279 --> 00:32:23.379 Only one who was righteous and good in all His ways. 00:32:23.380 --> 00:32:27.980 And that one was the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:32:28.780 --> 00:32:30.860 And what did that king do? 00:32:31.720 --> 00:32:35.360 That king actually became weak and suffered and died. 00:32:36.020 --> 00:32:39.760 The one who deserved to conquer was conquered. 00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:41.539 Why? 00:32:41.539 --> 00:32:41.599 Why? 00:32:43.400 --> 00:32:45.140 So that by dying, 00:32:46.140 --> 00:32:48.680 He might defeat the greater enemies 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:50.539 of sin and death 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:52.480 on behalf of everyone 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:54.059 who cries out to Him 00:32:54.059 --> 00:32:55.539 and relies on Him 00:32:55.539 --> 00:32:56.660 and not on themselves. 00:32:58.259 --> 00:32:59.660 And three days later, 00:33:00.259 --> 00:33:01.799 Jesus was raised from the grave 00:33:01.799 --> 00:33:04.619 as proof that the battle had been won, 00:33:05.059 --> 00:33:07.200 that sins had been forgiven, 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:10.360 that death had been swallowed up in victory, 00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:11.860 that through His death, 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:13.319 the devil had been silenced, 00:33:13.400 --> 00:33:15.620 that condemnation had been overturned, 00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:17.200 that the curse had been lifted. 00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:21.200 You see, for all who cry out to Jesus as Lord 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:23.180 and rely on His record 00:33:23.180 --> 00:33:24.240 and not their own, 00:33:24.620 --> 00:33:25.759 His perfection 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:27.980 and not yours, 00:33:29.019 --> 00:33:30.740 that's what's now true of you. 00:33:33.380 --> 00:33:35.480 Your greatest enemies are conquered 00:33:35.480 --> 00:33:37.720 and your victory has been won 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:39.720 not because of what you've done, 00:33:40.120 --> 00:33:41.640 but because of what He's done. 00:33:45.339 --> 00:33:46.900 Now, friends, the truth is, 00:33:47.059 --> 00:33:49.579 if you are not in Christ, 00:33:50.579 --> 00:33:53.559 the battle that is arrayed against you 00:33:53.559 --> 00:33:57.039 is actually greater than you can withstand. 00:33:59.000 --> 00:34:00.620 Because the spiritual truth is, 00:34:00.700 --> 00:34:02.700 your sins outnumber you, 00:34:03.319 --> 00:34:04.579 not just two to one. 00:34:04.579 --> 00:34:06.379 but a million to one. 00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:09.739 Christ entered the field on your behalf. 00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:12.759 He waged a war with sin and death, 00:34:13.099 --> 00:34:15.579 defeated them through His own death for sinners, 00:34:15.960 --> 00:34:17.059 rose again in triumph, 00:34:17.440 --> 00:34:19.019 and He offers eternal life 00:34:19.019 --> 00:34:20.699 for all who come to Him. 00:34:23.799 --> 00:34:24.739 The question is, 00:34:24.779 --> 00:34:26.840 will you face the battle alone, 00:34:27.400 --> 00:34:29.739 or will you face it 00:34:29.739 --> 00:34:31.380 under the banner 00:34:31.380 --> 00:34:33.640 of the victorious King Jesus? 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:36.460 That's the choice 00:34:36.460 --> 00:34:38.340 before all of us. 00:34:39.559 --> 00:34:40.680 And the good news is, 00:34:40.760 --> 00:34:41.160 today, 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:43.360 you can receive this King. 00:34:43.800 --> 00:34:45.760 You can put yourself under His banner, 00:34:46.140 --> 00:34:48.300 and His victory will be yours. 00:34:49.880 --> 00:34:50.980 Just cry out to Him. 00:34:51.820 --> 00:34:53.420 A simple prayer from the heart. 00:34:53.420 --> 00:34:54.659 Remember, 00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:56.780 reliance on God 00:34:56.780 --> 00:34:57.400 is not about 00:34:57.400 --> 00:34:58.519 perfect people 00:34:58.519 --> 00:34:59.539 trusting perfectly. 00:34:59.700 --> 00:35:01.000 It's about imperfect people 00:35:01.000 --> 00:35:02.039 receiving grace. 00:35:03.539 --> 00:35:04.680 Acknowledge Him as King, 00:35:05.659 --> 00:35:07.000 confess your helplessness, 00:35:07.380 --> 00:35:08.820 and receive the salvation 00:35:08.820 --> 00:35:09.720 that He offers 00:35:09.720 --> 00:35:11.559 through His death and resurrection. 00:35:13.360 --> 00:35:15.440 That offer is not for perfect people. 00:35:15.579 --> 00:35:17.059 It's for sinners like you and me. 00:35:17.059 --> 00:35:19.199 And if you call on Him, 00:35:19.639 --> 00:35:20.659 He will answer. 00:35:21.059 --> 00:35:22.000 He will save. 00:35:22.719 --> 00:35:25.119 His covenant is more sure 00:35:25.119 --> 00:35:27.820 than any promise you've ever heard. 00:35:30.599 --> 00:35:31.599 And for Christians, 00:35:31.860 --> 00:35:33.259 if you've come under this banner, 00:35:35.019 --> 00:35:35.980 friend, are you still living 00:35:35.980 --> 00:35:37.940 as if reliance on God 00:35:37.940 --> 00:35:39.199 is only for perfect people? 00:35:39.739 --> 00:35:40.920 Or are you living as if 00:35:40.920 --> 00:35:41.840 it's also for sinners 00:35:41.840 --> 00:35:42.559 like you and me? 00:35:43.860 --> 00:35:44.199 You know, 00:35:44.259 --> 00:35:45.559 you may have drawn near 00:35:45.559 --> 00:35:46.639 to Him for salvation, 00:35:47.059 --> 00:35:49.639 but are you crying out to Him 00:35:49.639 --> 00:35:50.840 for all your needs? 00:35:52.139 --> 00:35:52.440 You see, 00:35:52.500 --> 00:35:53.400 becoming a Christian 00:35:53.400 --> 00:35:54.940 and growing as a Christian, 00:35:54.980 --> 00:35:56.059 growing as a Christian, 00:35:56.259 --> 00:35:57.759 it happens in the same way 00:35:57.759 --> 00:36:00.639 through utter reliance on the Lord, 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:03.000 taking hold of His promises, 00:36:03.579 --> 00:36:05.259 worshiping Him above all other gods, 00:36:05.639 --> 00:36:07.019 crying out to Him in prayer. 00:36:08.659 --> 00:36:09.699 But brother, sister, 00:36:09.699 --> 00:36:12.019 you cannot do this alone. 00:36:14.179 --> 00:36:15.579 Perhaps the reason the battle 00:36:15.579 --> 00:36:17.119 seems to be so overwhelming 00:36:17.119 --> 00:36:18.480 is because you're trying 00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:20.079 to fight this fight by yourself. 00:36:21.059 --> 00:36:22.199 You can't do it alone. 00:36:22.579 --> 00:36:24.199 You must join with others. 00:36:25.659 --> 00:36:27.380 That's part of what church membership 00:36:27.380 --> 00:36:28.139 is all about, 00:36:28.699 --> 00:36:30.139 is joining together, 00:36:30.279 --> 00:36:30.639 formally, 00:36:30.739 --> 00:36:31.739 with a body of believers 00:36:31.739 --> 00:36:33.279 to fight the good fight 00:36:33.279 --> 00:36:34.000 together, 00:36:34.179 --> 00:36:34.960 arm in arm. 00:36:34.960 --> 00:36:38.960 Are you welcoming others 00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:39.679 into your fight? 00:36:39.740 --> 00:36:41.019 Are you sharing your struggles? 00:36:41.420 --> 00:36:42.619 Are you joining with others 00:36:42.619 --> 00:36:43.159 in prayer 00:36:43.159 --> 00:36:44.679 for their battles 00:36:44.679 --> 00:36:45.679 and for yours? 00:36:46.679 --> 00:36:48.960 The odds may seem overwhelming, 00:36:49.420 --> 00:36:50.960 but when we join together, 00:36:51.260 --> 00:36:53.039 when we share our struggles, 00:36:53.300 --> 00:36:54.940 then the Lord's power 00:36:54.940 --> 00:36:56.659 begins to work in fresh ways 00:36:56.659 --> 00:36:59.440 because we are united to Christ 00:36:59.440 --> 00:37:01.139 and we are united 00:37:01.139 --> 00:37:02.820 to one another in Christ. 00:37:04.900 --> 00:37:05.340 Friends, 00:37:05.460 --> 00:37:06.539 that's how the kingdom of God 00:37:06.539 --> 00:37:07.920 advances in our lives 00:37:07.920 --> 00:37:09.240 and in our communities. 00:37:10.820 --> 00:37:11.900 Reliance on God, 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:13.519 not alone, 00:37:14.639 --> 00:37:15.220 but together. 00:37:16.360 --> 00:37:16.980 Let's pray. 00:37:20.980 --> 00:37:22.139 Oh Lord, we pray 00:37:22.139 --> 00:37:24.700 that we would learn 00:37:24.700 --> 00:37:26.559 this reliance 00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:27.440 by your Spirit. 00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:28.380 Jesus, 00:37:28.519 --> 00:37:29.199 you said that 00:37:29.199 --> 00:37:31.579 we have a good Father 00:37:31.579 --> 00:37:35.480 and if we give good gifts 00:37:35.480 --> 00:37:36.139 to our children, 00:37:36.239 --> 00:37:36.940 how much more 00:37:36.940 --> 00:37:38.920 will our Heavenly Father 00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:40.099 give the Holy Spirit 00:37:40.099 --> 00:37:41.059 to those who ask? 00:37:41.159 --> 00:37:41.840 So we ask 00:37:41.840 --> 00:37:43.039 for a fresh 00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:45.000 pouring out of your Spirit 00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:47.320 and a filling of your Spirit 00:37:47.320 --> 00:37:48.960 that would teach us 00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:50.619 this deep dependence on you, 00:37:52.219 --> 00:37:53.059 a deep trust 00:37:53.059 --> 00:37:53.880 in your promises, 00:37:54.880 --> 00:37:56.239 a deeper worship of you 00:37:56.239 --> 00:37:57.119 and acknowledgement 00:37:57.119 --> 00:37:58.139 of you as God, 00:37:59.339 --> 00:38:01.939 a deeper life of prayer 00:38:01.939 --> 00:38:04.239 and intimacy with you, 00:38:04.839 --> 00:38:07.919 and a deeper awe 00:38:07.919 --> 00:38:08.799 and wonder 00:38:08.799 --> 00:38:09.919 at the beauty 00:38:09.919 --> 00:38:10.719 of your grace. 00:38:12.599 --> 00:38:13.639 God, for those 00:38:13.639 --> 00:38:17.299 who are not yet Christians, 00:38:18.059 --> 00:38:19.879 I pray that you would help them 00:38:19.879 --> 00:38:22.919 to take the step 00:38:22.919 --> 00:38:24.619 towards trusting in you 00:38:24.619 --> 00:38:25.420 and entrusting 00:38:25.420 --> 00:38:26.480 their lives to you. 00:38:28.079 --> 00:38:28.559 Spirit, 00:38:28.719 --> 00:38:29.460 call them 00:38:29.460 --> 00:38:31.039 and would they respond. 00:38:32.400 --> 00:38:32.940 And for us, 00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:33.420 your church, 00:38:33.519 --> 00:38:35.319 would we rise 00:38:35.319 --> 00:38:38.179 and join the fray 00:38:38.179 --> 00:38:39.799 confident 00:38:39.799 --> 00:38:41.819 that we serve 00:38:41.819 --> 00:38:42.699 a risen King 00:38:42.699 --> 00:38:44.259 and the victory 00:38:44.259 --> 00:38:44.779 is sure 00:38:44.779 --> 00:38:46.319 because He's gone 00:38:46.319 --> 00:38:46.920 before us. 00:38:47.500 --> 00:38:48.659 Pray this in His mighty name. 00:38:48.900 --> 00:38:49.119 Amen. 00:38:49.119 --> 00:38:49.219 Amen. 00:38:49.219 --> 00:38:49.259 Amen. 00:38:49.719 --> 00:38:49.279 Amen. 00:38:49.279 --> 00:38:49.279 00:38:49.279 --> 00:38:49.279 00:38:49.279 --> 00:38:49.279