Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon. It is so good to be with you again this week. I pray that all of you are blessed and doing well.
I want to thank you all for your prayers. Things have been going well at my new job, and writing is doing fairly well. I hope to get another job soon. Please continue to pray about this.
This week, please keep praying about the situation with the Ebola virus in Africa. I heard today that there are now cases in the nation of Mali. Pray that the spread of the this disease will stop, and pray for those who are sick that they might fully recover. Also, continue to pray for peace in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.
Last week, we began a series of messages about some of the kings who reigned over Israel and Judah. We looked last week at Asa who started off well, but in the end, he did not place his full trust in the Lord.
In this week's message, I want us to look at four kings who all have something in common, and see what their lives can teach us today.
The first king I want to focus on is a man named Jeroboam. Jeroboam became king of ten tribes of Israel when he led a rebellion against Solomon's son Rehoboam. I Kings 11 records why Jeroboam was allowed to become king.
As Solomon grew older, he actually turned away from God. Solomon built temples for the gods of his many wives, and his heart was led astray. Because of this, God took the kingdom from Solomon's descendants. God told the prophet Ahijah to tell Jeroboam that God was giving part of the kingdom to him.
Jeroboam did not follow the ways of the Lord. He instituted the worship of golden calves in the kingdom of Israel. Because of this, God told Ahijah the prophet to tell Jeroboam that Jeroboam's descendants would not reign over the nation.
The second king I would like to focus on is Ahab. Ahab was probably the most wicked man to rule over any part of Israel. He and his wife Jezebeel caused the people to serve the god Baal. They tried to eliminate totally the worship to the true and living God.
Ahab was confronted in his treachery by the prophet Elijah. Elijah told Ahab that a great drought was coming, and that is exactly what happened. Later, Elijah would have an epic encounter with the prophets of the false god.
Ahab clearly saw the power of the true God. In fact, Ahab seems to acknowledge the existance of the God Elijah served. However, Ahab chose to reject Elijah's God and follow false gods.
The third king that I will mention is Jehu. God raised up Jehu to be king in order to eliminate the worship of Baal from the nation of Israel. Jehu rebelled against Ahab's son and killed Jezebeel and all of Ahab's descendents. Jehu would also destroy Baal worship in its entirety. However, Jehu would not worship the God of the Bible. Instead, Jehu reinstituted the worship of the golden calves begun by Jeroboam.
Finally, we come to a king named Jehoash. When the great prophet Elisha was sick, Jehoash rushed to Elisha's side and recognized the greatness of the prophet. Jehoash even asked Elisha to help him defeat an enemy. Elisha told the king that the king would have some victories against his enemies. All transpired as Elisha predicted, but in spite of this, Jehoash did not turn his heart to the Lord. He continued in his idolatry.
So, what was it that these four kings had in common? They all received a word from the Lord and saw the demonstration of the power of God, yet they refused to follow the True and Living God. They rejected God, and they continued in their sin and idolatry.
What does this have to teach us today. First of all, this same thing happens today. God has given all of humanity the revelation of Himself in creation, yet the majority of the human race continues to deny God and follow the gods of their own imagination or no deity at all.
The Father has fully revealed Himself in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, yet people everywhere deny Him and turn their backs on Him. Jesus rose from the dead, something I believe is beyond refute, but the vast majority of humanity remains unconvinced. They see the greatness of God, and follow the devices and desires of their own hearts.
Jesus said that it would be this way. It was this way in His own day. The people of Jesus' day saw Him perform countless miracles. However, they would say, "Crucify Him. We will not have this man to rule over us." The cry, "We will not have this man to rule over us" continues today.
Jesus said in His story about the rich man and Lazarus that people would not believe even if one came back from the dead. And this statement has been borne out. Jesus has risen and is alive, but people will not yield to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
This isn't just true in the pagan world. Christians are sometimes guilty of acting the same way that the four kings acted. We know the truth. We can clearly read the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and His other discourses. We know what Jesus expects of us His followers. However, we deny the words of Jesus or their relevance to us, and we do what we want to do in the way we want to do it.
The four kings described in our message today did not end well. Those who deny the power of God and true revelation of Jesus Christ will not inherit the forgiveness and eternal life that that Lord offers.
If you have heard the preaching of the Word of the Lord, do not turn your back on it. Sin is blinding you to what is right, but the power of the Holy Spirit is at work in your heart to bring you to salvation. Trust in the Lord Jesus today, and don't be like those who have heard the truth but will not yield to it.
If you are a follower of Jesus, follow Him completely. You know the truth. Don't turn your back on it. Obey the commandments and teachings of the Lord, and put your trust totally in Him.
Next week, we will look at the life of another king, and try to learn from his life. I will post the verse on Monday. I will probably have a review on Wednesday. Next Saturday, I will post another sermon. In the United States, Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. I want to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving. On that day, think of all the Jesus has done for you, and give Him thanks. Amen.
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