“YOU’RE IN BIG TROUBLE!” 2 Kings 19:20-37
FBCF – 4/28/24
Jon Daniels
INTRO – This sermon today may be somewhat of a heavy sermon, but I believe it is needed. Title may seem a little off-putting, even a little offensive. But as we get into this message, you’ll see the truth in it.
Sermon last Sunday – as I was working on it & editing it, I actually eliminated an entire point. The point would have been:
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE……WHEN GOD IS DISRESPECTED – 2 Chronicles 32:16-19
Listen to these words:
- V. 16 – “…his servants said still more against the Lord God…” TLB – “…the ambassador mocked the Lord God and God’s servant Hezekiah, heaping up insults.”
- V. 17 – “…he wrote letters to cast contempt on the Lord…& to speak against Him…” – NLT – “The king also sent letters scorning the Lord…mocking the Lord (NET)…ridiculing the Lord (NIV).
- V. 19 – “And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the works of man.” MSG – “They contemptuously lumped the God of Jerusalem in with the handmade gods of other peoples….”
All of these disrespectful actions against the Lord really rub us the wrong way – Can’t stand to hear people do this, saying that their little “g” gods are just as important, just as powerful, & just as worthy of worship as the one, true living God - & saying that anyone who worships the one, true living God is rigid, narrow-minded, bigoted, homophobic, old-fashioned, & out of touch. But that’s to be expected b/c Paul warned us in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 – “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”
So even when our God – the one true living God – is being disrespected, we who are His children can still be encouraged b/c He is still by our side, no matter what anyone may say about Him.
But the sermon today is directed to those who are doing the disrespecting & the rejecting. I simply say to those people, whether in this room or watching this service: YOU’RE IN BIG TROUBLE! That can change! But at the present time, if you are disrespecting & rejecting God, you’re in big trouble.
We preach a Gospel of GRACE (Ephesians 2:8-9) – a Gospel of the love of God (John 3:16; Romans 5:8) – a Gospel of the free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23) – a Gospel of the patience & longsuffering of God (2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow in keeping HIs promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” NIV). All of these Biblical truths about the Gospel are reasons why the word “Gospel” means “Good News!” God loves you! God wants to have a relationship w/ you! God sent Jesus to be your Savior! God wants to give you the gift of eternal life!
But that same message of the Gospel makes it clear that God hates sin – He will judge sin - & those who reject Him will pay the price for their sin & spend eternity in hell. Jesus came & died on the cross to pay the price for your sins so you wouldn’t have to. But those who choose to stay in their sin will pay their own price for their sin. And that price is death – spiritual death. As we’ve already said, Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death…” – eternal separation from God.
EXPLANATION – 2 Kings 19:20-37
“A Faithful Life” – King Hez – strong, Godly king of Judah, leader of God’s people. Enemy king of Assyria, Senn, attacked Judah, capturing multiple cities & towns. Came to Jerusalem w/ the intent of taking that city, too. Attempted to undermine Hez, discredit him, ridicule him & his faith in God, & turn his people against him. But it didn’t work. Hez turned to the prophet Isaiah for prayer & counsel. God spoke through His prophets in the OT. They were His spokesmen. V. 20 – Isaiah said to Hez, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel. Your prayer about Senn has come to me & here’s my answer:” The passage we are considering today is that answer.
APPLICATION – Opposing & rejecting God is futile & deadly.
Senn gives us a sad example of a life that has rejected God. If you are rejecting & opposing God, you’re in big trouble because:
YOU ARE OPPOSING GOD HIMSELF – v. 22-23a
It’s easy to oppose God’s people. All sorts of ways that can be done – gossip, slander, undermining, ostracizing, ridiculing, bullying. This type of opposition of followers of Jesus happens all the time & make the one doing the opposing feel superior & successful. Makes the opposer feel like he/she is really accomplishing something – can see the fear they may be causing – the losses that they are causing – the pain that they are causing.
But when you are opposing God’s people as Senn was, you’re actually opposing God Himself. And He won’t be bullied into submission. He won’t be frightened into inaction. He won’t be hurt or damaged in any way.
YOUR RESOURCES ARE NO MATCH AGAINST GOD’S RESOURCES – v. 23-24
From a human standpoint, Senn’s resources were imposing & intimidating. Had massive military might at his disposal & had a track record of some massive military conquests. And that’s what Senn was counting on as he came against Hez & Jerusalem. You can hear the pride & arrogance dripping from his words.
You may have a lot of financial resources & power…influential & powerful friends…a cunning & scheming mind. But you are stepping up against the God of all creation who owns & commands the resources of the entire universe at his fingertips.
- He is called “the Lord of hosts” at least 261 times in the OT – “the God of the armies of heaven.”
- Psalm 20:7 – “Some men trust in horses & some in chariots. But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL – INCLUDING YOU – v. 25a, 27
Here’s a humbling truth for Senn & the Assyrians & for anyone else who is opposing God: They thought & you might think that it’s b/c of your mighty power that you’re able to accomplish as much as you are accomplishing when you come against the Lord & His people. But the reality for the Senn & for you is that the only way you can do ANYTHING is if God, in His sovereignty allows it to happen.
God’s got a plan. And He is going to accomplish His plan, even if He has to use evil people to do that.
- Think about Job. God allowed Satan to test Job in some very difficult ways. Satan could not do anything apart from or outside of God’s sovereign hand.
- Think about the persecution of the early Church. Definitely hard for the Christ-followers to have to endure, but it scattered the Church around the world, causing the Gospel to spread “to the ends of the earth.”
YOUR SUFFERING IS GOING TO BE SEVERE – v. 28
Surely Senn thought he was smart enough or powerful enough to be able to avoid suffering. After all, he was a powerful king w/ seemingly unlimited military might. He definitely knew how to inflict severe suffering on his defeated foes – literally putting hooks in their noses & bits in their mouths, stringing them together & making them march in painful humiliation. But he certainly wasn’t expecting that suffering to be turned back on him.
No one thinks they deserve to suffer. When you oppose the Lord, your deceived & depraved mind convinces you that somehow you’re going to get away w/ it. But just as God spoke clearly through Isaiah about Senn, He has spoken clearly through His Word to us. If we oppose Him & reject Him, tremendous, eternal suffering will be the end result of our existence.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WIN – v. 32-37
Senn had a strategy to take Jerusalem – whether through a direct military assault on the city, or by laying siege to the city to starve them out. But listen to God’s words – simply put – “It ain’t happening!”
Same is true for you if you are opposing God & His people. You are not going to win. You’re going to lose big time in ways you can’t even begin to fathom.
CONCLUSION – I’m done. I warned you at beginning that this sermon might be heavy & offensive.
- The heaviness comes from the weight of sin – the weight of the conviction of the Holy Spirit on that sin – the weight of the reality of the consequences of our sin.
- The offensiveness comes from the truth that the Gospel IS offensive. It tells you things you don’t want to hear:
o That you’re a sinner separated from God.
o That your good works will never save you.
o That the Gospel is exclusive – there’s only 1 way to be saved, no matter what all the other world religions say.
But here’s the Good News: It doesn’t matter how long you’ve rejected God or how viciously you’ve opposed God. Today can be your day of salvation! You don’t have to be in big trouble anymore! If you’ve been rejecting God & rejecting the Gospel, but know you need Jesus, pray this prayer w/ me today:
“Lord Jesus, I confess to you that I’ve been rejecting you. But no more! That ends right now. I turn from my sin & I turn to you & ask you to save me right now. Thank you for saving me! Help me to live for you for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
