This sermon emphasizes the importance of a proper response before God in times of trouble and judgment. It highlights the need for prevailing in spirit, living by faith, seeking the Lord, righteousness, and meekness. Proper responses include being still in God's presence, gathering together, obeying the word of the Lord, and trusting in God's promises for deliverance and salvation.

Things that we're seeing right now, that we are seeing scores of people leaving the church, sitting, just removing themselves from the pews. No, no concern about their eternity, no concern about their children's eternity. They've forgotten God and they've lost God, and God has withdrawn himself, but the remnant that remains must prevail in spirit. That must be within us, that the proper response before God, that when God says, and I looked for a man, and I searched, but I wondered that I couldn't find one, because there was nobody that with anguish would be prevailing over the conditions that were at hand. Micah chapter 5, verse 3, we must prevail to bring forth proper response. No prevailing, no bringing forth. In the book, following Micah, Nahum, coming to the book of Habakkuk, proper response. In chapter 2, verse 4, same verse that we've seen, I think it's three times in the Bible, the just shall live by faith. Proper response, faith. Without faith, let's go to Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Verse 6, but without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that comes to God must believe that he is, that he is what? That he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The just shall live by faith. What a proper response that is in this day. Habakkuk chapter 2, verse 20 is the the only other verse of proper response, but the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the silence before him. Now again, we looked at that in the judgments, improper response that men want to talk, talk, talk, but there comes a time to be still and know God. We want to go back to that very beginning because of a lack of knowledge. Why is there a lack of knowledge? Because men won't be still to know God. So all these things are coupled together and they work hand in hand. There's a time in our day that we must be still. No television, no cell phones, no computers, no people, just you and God. And you're not telling God everything you want to tell him, but you shut your mouth and you listen. You wait upon the Lord. So it is proper response to be still in his holy presence. Go on to the book of Zephaniah chapter 2, verses 1 through 3. Gather yourselves together. You've seen that and the other things. Call an assembly. Bring the people together. Yea, gather together, O nation, not desired. Before the decree brings forth, before the day passes as the chap, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you. Urgency. Before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you. Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. Seek the Lord. Again, repetition. All you meek of the earth which have wrought his judgment. Seek righteousness. Seek meekness. It may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. Self-preservation. A little bit is found here, but a proper response. Gather the people together. Seek the Lord. Seek righteousness. Seek meekness. Humble yourself. Do it God's way. Book of Haggai chapter 1, verses 5 and 7. Consider your ways. Proper response. We must understand where we're at and what's going on. If you don't consider anything, then you're just running amok in chaos. Chapter 1, verse 12. Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Josaphat, the high priest, with all the remnants of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord. Two proper responses. Children of Israel here were trying to rebuild the temple. There was some conflict because of the other tribes and nations that were around about them. The word of the Lord comes saying, build the temple. Get it re-established here, proper, so they obey. And they feared. God may require of us, ask us some things to do that we may say, I don't know how I'm going to do that. Obey the word of the Lord. Proper response. And again, chapter 2, verse 4, a moment of hope. I'll give you one other verse like this. And God says, chapter 2, verse 4, Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, saith the Lord, and be strong, Joshua, the son of Josaphat, the high priest, and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work. For I am with you, saith the Lord. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. Hebrews 13.5, blessed promise. Lo, I am with you unto the end of the ages, saith the Lord, a promise. I am with you, saith the Lord. If God be with us, who can be against us? It is a hopeful thing. It is a proper response as man. God reciprocates and says, I am in the midst of you. In the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, with all the improper things that he saw in his church, Christ was still walking in the midst of that, wasn't he? His people, His church, His name, bearing the seven stars in His hand. It was under His name. We bear the name of Christ, not our own. And so there is the proper response that we find. And the last one in this study is found in Zephaniah, Zechariah, chapter 1, verse 3. Therefore, say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you. I have been quoting that since the very beginning. And so there is the verse, Zechariah 1, verse 3. Return to me, and I will return unto you. Return to me, and I will return unto you. Draw nigh to me, and I will draw nigh to you. All these promises from God. God, who promises, cannot lie. Now, in the midst of all these judgments, with all this unfolding and happening, there are many occasions in the scriptures outside of these that I have given to you that shows the example of David. Shows you the example of Samuel. Shows you the example of Moses, of proper responses. The Bible is full of them. The book of Acts, proper responses, after Ananias and Sapphira, after the Grecian widows complained that they weren't being treated right. When there was a discrepancy of Paul and Barnabas. When there was conflicts happening about circumcision versus uncircumcision. They properly did it, and God blessed them. Now those are found, and those can be used as coupled as another series of sermons under a proper response by the church in times of judgment. But I want to give you this one here in 2 Chronicles chapter 20 that gives to us a clear picture of when things were bad, of judgments happening. But God's leader, God's man, God's people, they did it right, properly, and God responded with deliverance, salvation, and they saw the work of God manifest. This is a glorious passage of scripture by King Jehoshaphat that I want to look at real quick in this. Now, 2 Chronicles chapter 20, it begins with this story of how things have unfolded and how things are going. And I want to look at this, not to read the entire chapter here, but to look at the proper response by Jehoshaphat, by the children of Judah, and then what God's response was to that proper response, because it is again at the conclusion of this. It is the same for us today, right here, right now. And it came to pass, verse 1, after this, that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them other besides the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. The children of Lot, Moab and Ammon, from the daughters of Lot, who impregnated themselves when they made Lot drunk, these Ites, Moabites and Ammonites, set themselves against the people of God. The forces of hell always come against the people of God. Our Lord's enemies are our enemies. We've got too many people today trying to compromise and trying to get back and forth between that we want to be friends. And we have a clear instruction, you adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that friendship with the world is enmity against God? Proper response is a proper perspective of who's on whose side. So they come against Jehoshaphat to battle. And there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, there comes a great multitude against you from beyond the sea on this side of Syria. And behold, they be and has on tomorrow, which is in Gi, and Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord, proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. Now again, of all that we saw in this line of prophecy, seek the Lord, fast, mourn, weep, look at that verse. He feared, whether he was fearing the enemy or not, but he also, we know, feared the Lord, and he sought the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast and fasted himself. Judah gathered themselves together, assembled the people, gathered the people together. Gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord. Turn to the Lord, seek the Lord, call upon the Lord, come to him, look unto Jesus. Again, proper, proper response. To seek the Lord and to ask help of the Lord, even out of all the cities of Judah, they came to seek the Lord. So Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court and made this prayer. Verse 6, O Lord, God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? And rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? Proper response of who God is. How does he know that God rules over everything? Because he has understood the knowledge of the word of God. And he only had the law at that particular time that declared these truths to him. Know who God is, talk to God, because you know who he is and what his attributes and his ways are. And in thy hand is there not power and might, so that there is none able to withstand you? Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel? And you gave it to the seed of Abraham, thy friend, forever. And they dwelt therein, and they had built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name. Now he goes to the prayer of Solomon here that says, if we get into trouble, if judgments come, if these things are happening to us because we have provoked you and offended you and sinned against you, if we return to you, great prayer of 2 Chronicles 7, if you return to me, then you will help us, deliver us, and aid us. Verse 12, O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us, and neither do we know what to do. But our eyes are on you. Proper response. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. Get your eyes where they're supposed to be. Proper response. And all Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, their wives, their children, everybody. Then the word came upon Jehazel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jael, the son of Madani, a Levite of the sons of Esau. Came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation, and he said, Hearken ye all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you king Jehoshaphat. Thus saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, because the people have done it rightly, properly, in the way that God has expounded to them to do it. And God said, I'm coming. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon them and gave them clear instructions and precise instructions. Glorious. This is glorious. Thus saith the Lord unto you, be not afraid, nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, faith. For the battle is not yours, but God's answer to prayer. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz. And you shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jerusalem. You shall not need to fight in this battle. Set yourself, stand still, see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not, nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord will be with you. Why in the world are we going out, going out, going out, church starting, church planting, doing all these crazy things, and God is not with us. Get God with you, and then you can go out and fight the enemy. We're doing it improperly by reverse order. But if we do it this way, rightly, the Lord will be with you. And so, it goes out, and Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshiping the Lord, proper worship of God. The Levites and the children of the Kohathites and the children of the Korah stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high. Why not? The enemy was coming. God comes into the midst of the people because they did it rightly. God gives them a promise. I'm with you. I'm going to help you. I'm going to deliver you. Everything was from God, by God, unto God for His glory. And what do the people do? They worship Him. Oh, you are God, and there is nothing beside you. You are the Lord God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, creator of all things. There's nothing too hard for you, God. The enemy has set itself round about this little church. Darkness is there, and the demons are knocking, and the sin is prevalent, and men are perishing, and all things are happening against the church and against His name, but God is still God. When God's people properly meet God and do it right, and they are in the midst of judgments, then there is a man, there is a woman, there is a people that stand up and say we will do it rightly, and God will respond. That's the understanding of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. That is the understanding of church history for the last 2,000 years. That is understanding of God, who is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He has never changed. He has never compromised. He has never wavered in all these things that we have examined of the seven judgments. He has been consistent in judging in an increased manner when men would not repent, when men would not turn back to Him. He has slew thousands of men, women, and children because of their rebellion, because they would not properly respond to Him. And when the church continues in an improper status, then it is that the judgments are ratcheted up, and we find ourselves in destitute need as we are tonight, as we are presently in this day, and will continue to be until we properly meet God. You can hear Him now, even now, speaking and beckoning, can't you? The Spirit of God coming into the midst of His people saying, have you understood this? Do you understand this knowledge? Knowledge is increased now. You have got it up here, but do you have got it here? Are you ready to meet God? Are you ready to obey God? Are you ready to find God? Are you ready to labor before God? Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel did. And they went out to the battle, just as God told them to do. And the choir went first. Don't you love that? Not the soldiers, not the infantry, the choir went first. And hear the song that they sang. May it be our song tonight in closing. His mercy endures forever. Every time that that's found in Scripture, God's Spirit is in the midst. His mercy endures forever. All it is to focus on that. God has come. God is speaking. God is working. God is moving. Jehoshaphat did it right. Time after time in Scripture that I can take for the rest of this night to point out to you of the consistency that when God's people did it God's way, then God was glorified. And when they do it improperly, God is not in the midst. We turn unto me and I will turn unto you. So it is that tonight judgments are falling all around us. We've seen all seven levels happen in our lifetime. From one through seven we've seen it. God comes beckoning one more time with an invitation saying, you're coming to the end now. Turn and live. Seek me and live. Seek goodness. Forsake evil. Do it my way. God says if you do, stand still and you shall see the salvation of the Lord.