“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”He answered, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.And he answered, Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them.
5 sermons cite this verse
And if you would allow me to, I want to spend some time talking about some of the barriers that keep us from reflecting God's image. I am in 2 Kings chapter 6, verses 16 through 22. This is, for those of you who like to take notes, I've titled this, Trust What You See. Trust What You See. but I'll be honest God has shown me so much in this text that I'm going to have to trust what I see and hopefully I can translate it into truths that meet you where you are in this season of your life. Can you do me a favor and turn to your person because I would just say you look good you smell good I'm glad you're here in the house of the Lord and then it's a little old school, but just say, God bless you. Not like one of those Texas God bless yous, but like really, I don't know what you're going through, but I pray that God blesses you, that God gives you strength and wisdom and courage, that you feel the love of God and peace of God in everything that you do. …
From the servant's perspective, it was over. They were trapped, outnumbered, defeated, but Elisha wasn't afraid. He looked at the exact same situation and said, do not fear for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. If you are struggling today with an addiction, Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. If you're looking at a cancer diagnosis, at any kind of heart disease or thing that you're battling, those that are with us are more than those who are with them. The servant could only see the army. Elisha could see something greater. And Elisha prayed one of the most powerful prayers in all of Scripture. Elisha prayed, Lord, open his eyes that he may see. That is my prayer for every single one of you this morning. Lord, open their eyes that they may see. I love that prayer because Elisha didn't pray. Lord, remove the army. Lord, remove the circumstances. Lord, make the problem disappear. …
… if it submerges you. So regardless of what you see with your senses, don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Isn't that good? And Elisha prayed, And Elisha prayed, open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see. Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. One more verse from Romans 8, 18, King James Version, please on the screen. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For I reckon, I thought about it a little while. I did the math on it. I added and subtracted and multiplied and divided. I sat down with my situation and I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, what I'm going through right now on the outside. I reckon that that is not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in me. Now let me give you my title. Turn to your neighbor and say, I know it's crazy, but keep it in context. Keep it in context. Keep it in context. …
… what are we going to do? And remember what Elisha said to him. 2 Kings 6, 16, Elisha said to his servant, do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Now think about that. There were two guys in the house, Elisha and his servant, an entire Syrian army with horses and chariots surrounding them. If you're Elisha's servant, you're thinking the old guy has lost his mind. He may be a prophet, but he's no mathematician. There's two of us and a ton of them. But what happens? Then Elisha prayed and said, Oh Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So in this moment, Elisha's servant got a glimpse of the spiritual world and realized that the Syrian army was indeed outnumbered, not physically, but spiritually. And in this moment, when the invisible became visible, everything changed. …
… What are we going to do? And he answered, fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, not his physical eyes, but his spiritual eyes. And he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. Now the enemy had his soldiers. God had his soldiers. And the point that I want to make is this, that when you're afraid and when the devil intimidates you and blusters against you, you need to understand that the angel of the Lord encamps round about those that fear him. And what we need to do when we're afraid is to say, Lord, open my eyes. Help me to see, Lord, that you are with me. So many times we're in danger and may not even know it. So many times God may send an angel escort to pick us up, to take us and take care of us. …