A Shelter In The Time Of Storm

HoHum: There’s a story about Sir Robert Watson Watt, the inventor of the radar who was arrested for speeding. He was reportedly pulled over by a policemen with a radar-gun. And allegedly Robert Watts said to the policeman, "Had I known what you were going to do with it I would never have invented it!" Shortly after he wrote this poem: Pity Sir Robert Watson Watt Strange target of his radar plot, And this, with others I could mention, A victim of his own invention.

WBTU:

The image in Vs. 7 is vivid. Sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind. It is a fact that when we sow that we reap more than what is sown. Take corn. Plant seeds and produce a lot more corn than the seed sown. The image here is that sow to the wind reap the whirlwind.

Everything we do has consequences. The sins that we do have consequences. The good things that we do have consequences. The priorities we have in life have consequences. The choices we make in life have consequences.

"They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind." Just as the whirlwind is much greater than the wind so the consequences of our actions end up being greater than the deed itself. There are many things that start off small but that lead to greater things. Great oaks, for instance, grow from tiny acorns.

Sin Will Take You Farther- As a child I foolishly turned God away Not knowing the heartache a sinner must face But God in His goodness has let me return To share with His children this lesson I’ve learned Sin will take you farther than you wanna go Slowly but wholly taking control Sin will leave you longer than you wanna stay Sin will cost you far more than you wanna pay

Thesis: Let’s talk about those who reap more than they want from sin

For instances:

Idolaters

Vs. 4-6 talk about this. The calf that Jeroboam had set up.

Reap 3 years siege of Samaria by Shalmaneser King of Assyria and deporation and ruin.

“At Horeb they made a calf and worshipped an idol cast from metal. They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass. They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. So he said he would destroy them--had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.” Psalms 106:19-23, NIV.

Ever since that day idolatry was a source of grief to God and to the Israelites.

Put other things before our King, Slowly but wholly taking control

Tyranical rulers

Beginning of vs. 4 talks about this.

What happens if someone gets into our government who is like Hitler. Hitler was elected by a democracy. This is a concern. Someone who is power hungry and full of pride.

Max Lucado has organized 40 days of prayer before the elections at church in San Antonio. Here are some quotes from him that might calm us. “We have reason to be concerned but I would suggest that we do not have reason to panic. We, the children of God, can stay peaceful because we know that no matter who inhabits the White House, we know that God still sits on His throne. Christians take into an election cycle a different view that the rest of the world and that is a view of faith. We believe first and foremost this truth: that God is the God of the nations. Congress doesn’t direct the future, God does. Washington doesn’t call the shots God does. A nation is blessed when it has godly leaders. But even if a nation does not have a godly leader, that nation can still be led by God because He controls the hearts of the kings. He directs what happens.

Look at these cases of what happens to people who are tyrants:

Pharaoh- Firstborn son died and his country decimated by plagues and drowing at Red Sea.

Ahab and Jezebel- Ahab died in battle, bled to death. Jezebel was thrown out of a window and her body was run over by a chariot until smashed into pavement and dogs licked up her blood

Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Tried to take over Judah not long after destruction of northern Israel. 185,000 soldiers died. “One day, while he was worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.” Isaiah 37:38, NIV.

Haman tried to eliminate the Jews because Mordecai refused to bow down to him. “So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.” Esther 7:10, NIV.