BREAKING The CYCLE In A LAND MISLED--IV—
2Kings 16:1-4(16:01-18; 18:01-07, 13-16; 19:1-7, 14-20, 35-37)
Overcoming Political Compliance/Acquiescence
Overcoming The Politics of Spiritual Acquiescence.
Attention:
President Ronald W. Reagan’s statement of concern for his country—"Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience....without God there is a coarsening of the society; without God democracy will not & cannot long endure....If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under."
•King Ahaz of Judah’s reign was marked/defined by political expediency, acquiescence, & compliance.
•A land defined by those things is misled & to be pitied.
•Why should the cycle of misleading be broken?
•18 reasons for breaking the cycle of misleading in our land.
*In a misled land there is much that is Wasted, until that cycle of mismanagement is broken.
Previously, we’ve found that...
The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
1. PRIVILEGE(16:1)
2. RESPONSIBILITY(16:1)
3. YOUTH(16:2)
4. TIME(16:2)
5. CHOICE(16:2)
6. HERITAGE(16:2)
7. DEPENDENCE(16:3-4)
8. CONFIDENCE(16:5)
9. EFFORT(16:6)
10. ALLEGIANCE(16:7a)
11. AID(16:8-9)
12. PURPOSE, DIRECTION, & TESTIMONY(16:10-18)
13—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
TRANSITION(18:1-7)The cycle has potential to break!
Explanation:(18:1-7)Contrasts
2Kings 18:1-7—“Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, & he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places & broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image & broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, & called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. The LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria & did not serve him.”
Now Ahaz has died & his son, Hezekiah is on the throne of Judah.
This is a study in contrasts—between Ahaz & Hezekiah.
Ps. 11:3—“If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
This transition is proof that you cannot rightly blame your situation on somebody else. Just because you had a rotten childhood doesn’t mean that you have to let that past & remaining heartache control your now &/or your future. You are an individual & you personally are a decision maker. God has made you individually & personally responsible/answerable to Him regardless of your circumstances. Yes, others may have been noticeably instrumental in bringing about your particular pain, BUT you are responsible for giving whatever you are given & everything you are given to the Lord!
•Furthermore, in Christ Jesus you will make wise decisions, which is something the ones you blame did not do!—your parent, your family member, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your neighbor, your abductor, your enemies who burn your home, kill your children & rape your wife.
Rise up above your circumstances by trusting in the Savior Jesus, the One anointed of God to be your loving Lord!
Argumentation:
2Cor. 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Eph. 4:21-5:5—“if indeed you have heard Him & have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, & be renewed in the spirit of your mind, & that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness & holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, & do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, & evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication & all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ & God.”
Illustration:
For some years now, there have been many in America who believe that we should gravitate toward transitioning from capitalism to socialism—which I know to be a grave mistake!/After worship this morning(July 7, 2019) I was sitting at home enjoying lunch while watching Trinity Broadcasting Network(which I cannot ‘wholeheartedly’ recommend)/I was watching PowerPoint Ministries’ Dr. Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX/He has a series entitled ‘Straight Up’—& on that particular Sunday morning he gave a fantastic sermon entitled ‘Socialism & Capitalism’, where he exposed the dangers of both ‘systems’ to the reality of Christian truth—I encourage you to watch & listen to it at jackgraham.org /All this to keep yourself & America from experiencing a Wasted TRANSITION by operating in our own strength rather than in the strength of the Lord!
Application:
Are you married to an abusive spouse?
Will you be the Transition point, the change agent?...for yourself & others? Will change for the better begin within & with you?
Are you the product of an abusive family?
Will you be the Transition point, the change agent?...for yourself & others? Will change for the better begin within & with you?
Are you married to an alcoholic spouse?
Will you be the Transition point, the change agent?...for yourself & others? Will change for the better begin within & with you?
Are you the product of an alcoholic family?
Will you be the Transition point, the change agent?...for yourself & others? Will change for the better begin within & with you?
Are you married to a drug addicted spouse?
Will you be the Transition point, the change agent?...for yourself & others? Will change for the better begin within & with you?
Are you the product of an drug-addicted family?
Will you be the Transition point, the change agent?...for yourself & others? Will change for the better begin within & with you?
Are you the product of an impoverished family?...poverty is NOT a sin!...It is definitely a hardship, but it is NOT a sin!
•Will you be the Transition point, the change agent?...for yourself & others? Will change for the better begin within & with you?
•Will you cease making excuses for the sin & for the hardship & be the transition point & change agent for a contrasting walk/lifestyle?
•There are multitudes of inspiring ‘rags-to-riches’ stories!
Are you living in a ‘non-nurturing land’?...Consider those who live in countries whose governments are oppressive to Christian living!
•Will you be the Transition point, the change agent?...for yourself & for others? Will change for the better begin within & with you?
?Is there TRANSITION that has gone to waste in our/your Land’s Governance?
?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?
14—The cycle must be broken in a misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
PROTECTION(18:13-16)
Explanation:(18:13-16)
18:13-16—“And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah & took them. Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver & thirty talents of gold. So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD & in the treasuries of the king’s house. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, & from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, & gave it to the king of Assyria.”
Hezekiah faces a different king than his father Ahaz had. Not Tiglath-pileser III but Sennacherib(704-681BC--~23yrs.) now reigns over Assyria...But Sennacherib maintains the same Assyrian values & the same imperialistic agenda!
•Tiglath-pileser III(2Kgs. 16:7ff.) is followed by:
•Shalmaneser V(2Kgs. 17:3ff.) is followed by:
•Sargon II(Isa. 20:1) is followed by:
•Sennacherib(2Kgs. 18:13ff.) is followed by:
•Esarhaddon(2Kgs. 19:37), etc.
It may ‘seem’ that King Hezekiah is following Daddy Ahaz’s example. BUT Hezekiah does not want to offend the Assyrians for fear of losing all of the spiritual reformation he has led Judah to embrace under his reign...
*Hezekiah though briefly:
•Rid Judah of the high places, & cultic symbols of false gods(2Chron. 31).
•Rid them of Nehushtan, the bronze serpent from Moses’ day(2Kgs. 18:4; cf.-Num. 21:4-9—referenced positively in Jn. 3:14-15).
•Cleansed, refurbished, & rededicated the temple(2Chron. 31).
•Reestablished the God-ordained sacrificial system(2Chron. 31).
•Reinstituted the Passover celebration(2Chron. 30).
•Built up the wall of Jerusalem(2Chron 32).
•Stopped the running springs so the Assyrians wouldn’t have water if they came(2Chron 32).
•Brought the water from the upper Gihon into Jerusalem proper via a tunnel(2Chron 32).
•Encouraged the people of Jerusalem in the Lord(2Chron 32).
A partial role for any king is to protect the lives & the way of life of his people!
You will always face pressures from outside the family of God. These believe that your trust in Christ is based on your ignorance & is a sign of personal weakness on your part.
You will also face pressures from inside the family of God! Pride can rear its ugly head & denigrate & belittle the Church of God.
?What Protective examples are you setting for your family, church family, the world?
Illustration:
America’s immigration policies are being questioned(<2019+)/Some want open borders to the degree that they want guarantees for aliens(citizenship/healthcare/education, etc.) that are meant for citizens only!/Wasted PROTECTION
Application:
?Is there PROTECTION that has gone to waste in our/your Land’s Governance?
?Is the Cycle of our Land’s being Misled broken with you?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
President Ronald W. Reagan’s statement of concern for his country—"Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience....without God there is a coarsening of the society; without God democracy will not & cannot long endure....If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under."
Action:
The cycle must be broken in a land misled misled land, due to it’s WASTED...
13. TRANSITION(18:1-7)The cycle has potential to break!
14. PROTECTION(18:13-16)
1. PRIVILEGE(16:1)
2. RESPONSIBILITY(16:1)
3. YOUTH(16:2)
4. TIME(16:2)
5. CHOICE(16:2)
6. HERITAGE(16:2)
7. DEPENDENCE(16:3-4)
8. CONFIDENCE(16:5)
9. EFFORT(16:6)
10. ALLEGIANCE(16:7)
11. AID(16:8-9)
12. PURPOSE, DIRECTION, & TESTIMONY(16:10-18)
Presented 07/07/2019pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 SE Ave A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
