Series: Biblical Cities- Jerusalem [#8]
JERUSALEM- GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES
Matthew 23:37
Introduction:
We are continuing in our Series about some of the most mentioned Cities in the Bible. Tonight, we are going to study the city that is 1st on the list- Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mentioned 811 times in the Bible. Currently, there are 3 different Religions that consider Jerusalem to be a holy site- Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
Matthew 23:37
The Temple was built and functioning- Solomon’s Kingdom was flourishing beyond comprehension; and then Solomon destroyed it all by not obeying God. From the days of Moses, the men of Israel were told to not marry women from other Nations because they would begin to worship their foreign gods. So, what did Solomon do? He disobeyed God at a very high level. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He began to offer sacrifices and worship many foreign gods. Because of his failure, the Kingdom of Israel would be split up; but because of God’s promise, David’s Tribe of Judah would continue.
1 Kings 11:9-13
God keeps His promise regardless of…
1. Your betrayal.
Solomon knew what God expected him to do when it came to other religions; and yet he didn’t care. Solomon was the wisest person on the Earth; but he had all of these foreign wives and concubines. He simply chose to put his wives and concubines desire to worship other gods ahead of Jehovah God.
Even when you sin against God and do your own thing, God still loves you. When God promises eternal life for those who surrender their lives to Jesus, He will fulfill that promise. Praise God that He does not get rid of us and break His promises to us when we fail- If so, we would have no hope.
1 Kings 12:1-5
So, Rehoboam asked the elders and his young friends for advice. The elders told him to get along with the people while his friends told him to treat them harsher than his father did.
1 Kings 12:12-17
God keeps His promise regardless of…
2. Your bad influences.
Rehoboam asked the elders for advice; but did not listen to their wisdom. These men had served his father and knew of the mistakes that he made. Instead of listening to the elders he took the advice of his friends, which was evidence of their lack of understanding. The result was that 10 Tribes went with Israel; and the Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin stayed in Jerusalem with the line of David.
Rehoboam was influenced by those which thought that they knew better. They were being young and stupid; and did not want to hear from the old guys. Even with the splitting of Israel 10 Tribes to 2 Tribes; God still fulfilled His promise to David and the City of Jerusalem.
1 Kings 12:18-24
God keeps His promise regardless of…
3. Your attitude.
Rehoboam sent Adoniram to put everybody in line. He was going to make them work; but the people stoned him to death. Rehoboam had to flee for his life. Once he returned to Jerusalem, he was putting an army together to destroy Israel. God spoke through Shemaiah and he told Rehoboam to not do it. Fortunately for once, Rehoboam listened to God.
Rehoboam’s attitude was one of revenge. Although he did this and caused all of these issues, God still fulfilled His promise.
Conclusion:
Your betrayal of the truths of God, your bad influences, and your bad attitude will still not keep God from fulfilling His promises.
