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2 Kings 10 (Part 2) Bible Study (Jehu Strikes Down the Prophets of Baal) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Let U.S. Open our Bibles to 2nd Kings
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chapter 10 and I ask you to place your finger there at verse
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18. I want to remind you that Jehu
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accomplished what the Lord asked of him and what Elijah
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prophesied concerning the House of Ahab.
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He did bring total annihilation to this dynasty.
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And that is how our study concluded last week in Second
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Kings 10/17. So we might expect then that
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since Jehu's campaign is now over, then we're going to
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encounter what we usually find at the end of a brief account of
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one of the kings, a general summary of his reign.
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But what we're going to discover is that's not the case.
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Jehu is not finished with his efforts.
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Actually, Jehu is much more motivated and ambitious than we
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initially thought, because Jehu is not content in just dealing
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with the House of Ahab. He wants to cleanse the land of
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Israel of all worshippers of Baal.
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And it's in these final verses of Second Kings chapter 10 where
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we're going to study how Jehu is going to accomplish this.
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And so we're going to start by reading verses 18 and 19, pause
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slowly, reflect as we usually do, and continue with that pace
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until we complete this chapter. Let's pray.
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Lord, we thank you for this wonderful book.
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We trust that by the power of your Holy Spirit, You will guide
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us to glean every golden nugget of truth that is necessary for
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our sanctification at this point in our lives.
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Thank you for every person who is here, every person who is
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watching as our brother opened the service with may your voice
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be heard. We want your complete majesty
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and glory and power to be felt and realized in the fruitfulness
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of our lives being lived out. In response to these truths.
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We entrust our hearts, our minds, our emotions, our
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decisions to you. Conform everything of who we are
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to Your complete will. In Jesus name we pray.
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Amen. Verse 18 Then Jehu assembled all
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the people and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little, but
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Jehu will serve him much now. Therefore called to me all the
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prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priest.
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Let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to
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Baal. Whoever is missing shall not
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live. But Jehu did it with cunning in
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order to destroy the worshippers of Bail.
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What a way to open a Bible study, especially you've been
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following this week after week. There are a couple of questions,
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crucial questions that we have to find answers for before we
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move on. The first one is this.
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Is Jehu's determination to eradicate the land of Israel
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from all Bail worshippers something that is legitimate and
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authorized by God? So just just give me a hand if
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you think this is right for Jehu to do 2 people and if it's wrong
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lift your hand more than two people and the rest of you are
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not sure which is OK. Given that we've already studied
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him enough to know that his mandate was very specific, that
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he was to deal with the House of Ahab alone, correct?
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So then at face value we might think this is just another case
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of JU going beyond what the Lord asked of him.
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However, if you are a student of the Law of Moses, then you will
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recall that there are specific laws pertaining to idolaters in
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the land. And when we look at some of
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those laws, we might realize and conclude that JU is actually
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more aligned with God's will than we initially thought.
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Here's a general verse that summarizes God's heart for this
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people in this covenant concerning idol worship.
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Here's a reference for you. In Exodus 22, verse 20, he says
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whoever sacrifices to any God other than the Lord alone shall
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be devoted to destruction. So again, that is a general
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prohibition against, and it is a call for punishment for idolatry
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among this people. But it's not until you go to
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Deuteronomy chapter 13, and that's where I'm going to ask
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you to turn, where you get the specific detailed protocol of
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how this destruction should take place.
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And it's in the latter portion of Deuteronomy 13 where we learn
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what the people ought to do when idolatry becomes larger in
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scale, where communities and cities are infected by apostasy.
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What should the people do then? And here's what we find here in
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Deuteronomy 13, verse 12. If you here in one of your
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cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there,
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that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you, and
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have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go
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and serve other gods which you have not known, that you shall
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inquire and make search, and ask diligently.
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And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination
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has been done among you, you shall surely put the inhabitants
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of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction all
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who are in it, and it's cattle. With the edge of the sword, you
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shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and
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burn the city and all its spoil with fire as a whole burnt
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offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever.
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It shall not be built again. Now we don't have time to delve
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into why such severe punishments were enacted under the Old
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Covenant. The main point is this.
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Based on this, we learned that Jehu is not in the wrong.
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He's not out of line in this pursuit.
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To identify and chase down and discipline those who are
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worshippers of false gods. Now that is clear.
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We've established that. Here's the second question,
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though. The ambition is in alignment
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with God's will. It's his strategy, the way he
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brings us about. Is this something?
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Praiseworthy. Is this something that reflects
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God's methodology? Answer no.
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It's not, and this is not the first time that we found Jehu
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implementing deception in order to achieve his political goals,
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is it? So what are we discovering about
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this man that this manipulation is actually embedded in his
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character? He was very good at lying and he
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often wielded that as a weapon. Oh, you say, well, it's for a
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righteous goal. OK, well we'll talk about that
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in a moment. However, what I want us to see
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here is that this man is pretending to be a worshipper of
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Baal in order to attract worshippers of Baal.
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Now listen, Jehu's goal is far different, but I want to make a
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comparison with many Christians who implement similar tactics in
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trying to attract. The lost.
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If your attempt to draw people who are outside of the truth
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requires you to betray your convictions or to participate in
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their sin, you're outside of God's will, no matter if your
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righteous goal is what you're trying to achieve.
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That never justifies the means and never justify the means.
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And when I looked at this, I remember because it's wonderful
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to look back at things that you've seen before that might
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compliment or add commentary to what you're discovering here.
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This is not the first time a leader in Israel called for such
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a large conference, is it? I think back to Elijah.
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Remember when Elijah called for a showdown between him and the
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prophets of Baal and Ashra on Mount Carmel?
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And here's what I recall, that Elijah didn't have to pretend to
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be a worship of veil to bring in the worshippers of veil, did he?
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No, no, He enticed them by standing true to the Lord, even
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if he stood alone. That's what drew people in to be
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like, OK, is this real? Is his God real?
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Is his God really more powerful than Baal?
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So if we're going to use any way of hooking people in closer to
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the truth, to encounter the truth, let it be because you are
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different, not because you're so similar.
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Yes, his goal is different, but his tactics are copied by many
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today. You don't have to change the way
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you talk. You don't have to sin, you don't
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have to look a certain way as long as it's not sinful.
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Like Paul said, he was willing to converge himself and to
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conform as long as it didn't betray his conscience or God's
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will in order to win some, yes, but never at the expense of your
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holiness and God's honor. And.
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Glory. So we read on.
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He asked them to meet him in the capital Samaria.
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And the Holy Spirit even tells us here that he did this with
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cunning. Just in case anybody thought
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that he became a bill worshipper overnight.
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Let's read at verse 20. And Jay, who ordered sanctify a
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solemn assembly for bail. So they proclaimed it.
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And Jay, who sent throughout all Israel and all the worshippers
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of Bail, came so that there was not a man left who did not come.
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And they entered the House of bail, and the House of bail was
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filled from one end to the other.
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My initial reaction when meditating on these verses was
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where did. All these worshippers come from.
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Do you know why that crossed my mind?
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Because again, look back and remember what we've studied in
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Second Kings when Jeho Ram or Joram, the king who was on the
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throne before Jehu assassinated him and occupied the throne,
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though he was a wicked man, he did not encourage Bale worship.
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Do you recall this? Let me remind you, in Second
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Kings 3 verses one and two, look at Second Kings 3 when he first
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became king. We're told here in verse one in
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the 18th year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Jehoram, the son
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of Ahab, became king over Israel and Samaria, and he reigned 12
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years. He did what was evil in the
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sight of the Lord, though not like his father and mother, for
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he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
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So a wicked man, but he must have observed something living
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in the House of Ahab. Ahab being his father.
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Baalism doesn't work. Baal failed my dad over and over
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again. So he doesn't really repent.
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But as a strategist, as an opportunist, he takes this
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monument that was dedicated to Baal and he tucks it away
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somewhere. Desire in the hearts of God's
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people to worship Baal. It revealed a deep seated
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idolatry that was there all along and bail, yes, he was
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proven false. He was proven weak on Mount
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Carmel and under this administration, Joe Rams
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administration, it was discouraged and it waned over
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time. And yet still, what I learned
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from this is that throughout that time.
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You had a group of people who worshipped Bale all along.
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This is fascinating because you could admire this unwavering
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commitment, can't you? It's toward a false God.
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But the discipline and the dedication is kind of
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convicting. And we see it here, a great
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number of people who still worship Bale.
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But God is going to see this kind of commitment, and in his
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wisdom, it's going to lead to mass casualty.
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Why? Because deception is the fate of
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those who persistently reject the truth.
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Not that God approves of Jehu's trickery, but he permits it.
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How does he permit it? He does not rescue the victims
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of this deception and will allow them to be led to the slaughter
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as punishment. And I don't know if you
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recognize this, but what Jehu does here as a leader and how he
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tricks all these people is a preview of what we're going to
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see in the last days. Because we are told in the New
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Testament that there is going to be a leader known as the lawless
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one, known as the Antichrist. Who?
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Will win the world by way of wicked deception through the
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activity of Satan, and that deception will end up proving to
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be damning for millions and millions of people and.
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Paul, by the Holy Spirit tells us how God works in the midst of
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all of this. And that's what I want you to
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see in Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 9.
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Notice what Paul says about the final moments of human history.
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The coming of the lawless 1 is by the activity of Satan with
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all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked
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deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to
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love the truth and so be saved. We read this a few weeks ago,
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but we didn't touch on verse 11 and verse 12.
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Therefore God sends them a strong delusion.
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God, you would think Satan would send them a strong No, no, no,
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no, no. God does.
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God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is
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false. God wants people to believe what
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is false. Oh, you can cut this verse up
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and make. It sound like that no?
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He's willing to let people believe what is false after they
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have denied the truth. This is not his first move.
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This is his response to the persistent rejection of a
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generation. Let's continue on in order that.
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All may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had
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pleasure in unrighteousness. So for Paul to say, I mean, this
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is incredible. There's so.
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We can make a Bible study just out of these verses, but for
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Paul to say that God sends them a strong delusion.
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Encourages us in this way, you're saying?
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How does that encourage me? I'll tell you because we just
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read about how the Antichrist will rise and he will sweep the
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world off its feet and he will deceive and he'll perform all
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these persuasive things. And you think the Lawless 1 is
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ruling the world? He's governing the affairs of
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this planet and it Paul's quick to say God is actually
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supervising all these events. He is actually sovereign over
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all these things. Not that he's the author of it,
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but he's still in control over it.
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He allows the strong delusion to be unleashed.
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He's the one who lets loose the Antichrist at the right time for
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the right generation. So this is prophetic, but it's
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also practical because in practical terms, what this
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teaches me is that when a people deliberately deny the truth,
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they become helplessly vulnerable to deception.
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There comes a time when someone objects and refuses and stiffens
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their neck so much that they are destined to believe a lie to
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their own destruction. Is it any wonder that over and
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over in the new. Testament.
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You hear this admonition today if you hear his voice.
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Today, not tomorrow. Today, Friday night, Bible study
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at 7:45 if you hear his voice, not Saturday morning.
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Today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your heart.
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Don't harden your heart. And so we see something similar
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here. A deception sweeps over Israel.
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The masses are coming believing it to be true.
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And this is not a people that are just being introduced to the
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idea of Baal. This is a people who have
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experienced God's favor, His intervention, His grace, his
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deliverance, and they denied him over and over.
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You don't want the one that I sent that I'm going to give you
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someone else. You don't want Christ.
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Here's the Antichrist that will come because the Bible says so.
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But there's another comparison that I'd like to make, and it's
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more of a contrast. So we've been studying these
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past couple weeks. Jehu's climb to the throne of
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Israel. But we still have many chapters
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in Second Kings, and one of the kings that we're going to
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discover together is Hezekiah. He's not going to be the king of
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Israel. He's going to be the king of
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Judah. And you don't see this
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explicitly in Second Kings. You find him more in Second
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Chronicles, in the parallel account to 2nd Kings.
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But Hezekiah himself will make a call for the solemn assembly.
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He's going to reach out to the whole nation, not just the
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Kingdom of Judah, but even Israel, all the northern tribes
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to come to not Samaria but Jerusalem, not to worship Baal,
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but to worship the true and living God.
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And when you compare Jehu's attempt and success of bringing
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in these worshippers of Baal to Hezekiah's attempt of bringing
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in the true worshippers of God, you're going to discover a
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heartbreaking outcome. Would you like to see it?
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Well, let's see it together. Go to Second Chronicles 30, and
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I want you to see it in verse one.
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Hezekiah is one of the few reformers.
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In Judah's history, and we read here what he does for the glory
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of God in Second Chronicles 30 verse one, Hezekiah sent to all
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Israel and Judah. Why is that significant?
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Because he's the king of Judah at this time, but he's.
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Even reaching out to the northern tribes, so to all
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Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and
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Manasa that they should come to the House of the Lord at
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Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord the God of Israel.
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Why is he doing this? Because you read in the same
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chapter that it's been so long since they honor the Passover as
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one nation. And so he's reaching out saying
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why don't we do this the way God told us to do it?
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Let's, let's all make pilgrimage and all come to the House of God
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and worship him at the Passover. Here's the response.
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Scroll down to verse 10. So the couriers went from city
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to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh and as far
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as Zebulun. But they laughed them to scorn
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and mocked them. How funny when you call
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everybody to worship Bill. We're going to see how many
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people showed up when it came to worshipping God.
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You had many. You want me to come all the way
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down to Jerusalem? Yeah, right.
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Well, it's not completely bleak. Look at verse 11.
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However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled
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themselves and came to Jerusalem.
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And in the following verse you learn that the hand of the Lord
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was upon the tribe of Judah, and they were one heart to come and
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honor this feast. So let me remind you something.
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You don't have to turn there, but back in Second Kings chapter
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10, we're told there that all the worshippers, not some of the
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worshippers of Baal, all of the worshippers of Baal came to
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Samaria. When Hezekiah calls for the
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worshippers of Yahweh, specifically in the northern
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tribes, some. This breaks my heart, but it
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also stirs a fire in my soul. And I'll tell you why, because
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it teaches and it challenges you and me, that our devotion to the
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Lord should never be outshined. By those who live for idols.
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Never, never listen to this. The gospel of grace should make
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you and I more faithful, more earnest, more zealous, more
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committed, more devoted than those who are working for their
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salvation. This gospel of grace should make
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you more, more committed, more invested.
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Wait to the Lord Jesus Christ, never, never live for this
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legacy that when your family, your spouse, your children
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reflect on your brief pilgrimage on the earth, they can say with
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confidence, he lived for Christ. She lived for Christ.
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Oh, yeah, they, they had this job and, and they had those
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hobbies and, and they, they had those kind of connections, but
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none of that compared to how that person loved Jesus, just
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determine that, that this is what my life will be about him,
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him alone. Everything else will orbit
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around him. This little life that I have a
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breath will be a fragrance unto him.
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So when it came to Baal worship revival, when it came to the
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worship of the true God, the sanctuary was not full.
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Let's read on. In verse 22, Second Kings 10, he
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said to him who was in charge of the wardrobe, bring out the
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vestments of all the worshippers of Vail.
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So he brought out the vestments for them.
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That's quite interesting. So they had even their own
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wardrobe. And I wonder if Jay, who's doing
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this so he can just easily target them.
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So dress them up. They do.
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Verse 23 Then Jay who went into the House of Bail with Johanna
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Dab, the son of Recap, and he said to the worshippers of Baal,
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search and see that there is no servant of the Lord here among
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you, but only the worshippers of Baal.
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Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.
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Don't you find it interesting that right before Jehu executes
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quite literally these worshippers?
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He asked the group. To.
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Scan the room. Ensure that there aren't any
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worshippers of the true God in their midst.
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This should cause you to pause and ask, why would there be any
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worshippers of the true God at this assembly anyway?
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That's a fair question, isn't it?
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Why would there be? You called for the worshippers
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of Baal. Here's the honest truth that
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even for a true believer, they can lapse and they can find
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themselves in the wrong place with the wrong people doing the
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wrong thing. That's possible for a true
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servant of God, and that's what we see here.
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And this is just an imaginative way this could have played out
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in this situation. So just imagine the news.
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Jehu calling the masses to Samaritan worship.
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Bale reaches your neighborhood, right?
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This rising king Jehu, and there's so many different
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discussions about him. There's rumors of what he's all
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about. But this news comes to your
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town, calling all these worshippers to honor Bale in a
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new and fresh way. And your friends and some of
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your family, they're ecstatic. About this, they're absolutely
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thrilled. And here you are in their
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presence, hearing them talk about this is it.
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We're we're going to see Bill bless us now.
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He's going to unleash his goodness on our land.
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And surely he will honor us if we abandoned everything and make
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our way to his house. And as you look out your front
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step, maybe sitting on your little porch, you are watching
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people frantically walking and running, packing their mules and
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their donkeys and their Chariots, and there's Glee on
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their faces and there's a buzz in the air, and finally a few
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colleagues approach you. And they ask.
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Would you come look how many people are going join us?
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We haven't seen anything like this for so long and you think
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to yourself perhaps. It's not a big deal, is it?
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What can one visit the House of Bill really do?
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I mean, how harmful can it be? If anybody asks I can just say I
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was curious. What if Bale is real?
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What if he's making a comeback? What if, what if Bale is
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actually using this to test to see who is truly for him?
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And, and if we don't pass the test, if if I don't pass the
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test, then I'll be judged, I'll be cursed.
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Oh, how wrong you would be to go to the House of Bale on that
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day, because you see Jay who in asking for the room to be
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evaluated. I'm not sure if you recognize
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this is an act of God's intervening grace for a true St.
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who might have made a wrong decision.
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But know this, we don't always walk away from sinful
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experimentation unscathed. That's not always granted to
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people. And I've heard horrific life
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altering stories, especially of young people who are too curious
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for their good and it impacted them for the rest of their
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lives. So let me say this, the best
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thing to do is to always take God at His word.
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If he says it's sin, if He says it's evil, leave it at that and
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walk on and enjoy him and live for him.
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So make sure that there's nobody here who worships the Lord.
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Why would there be there anybody there to begin with?
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Because it's possible for us to waver, and Jehu shows us that
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God is gracious enough to deliver us.
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But sometimes we can't always determine the outcome of our
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sinful choices. Verse 25 of Second Kings 10
29:45
let's. Read back at verse 24.
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Then they went in and to sacrifice, to offer sacrifices
29:51
and burnt offerings. Now J who had stationed 80 men
29:54
outside, and said, the man who allows any of those who might
29:58
give into your hands to escape shall forfeit his life.
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This man is serious. You can't miss one of them.
30:07
I mean business here we have every single worshipper of Bail
30:11
in attendance. Not one is going to leave with
30:13
their life. What happens?
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Verse 25 S As soon as he had made an end of offering the
30:22
burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard and to the officers, Go in
30:26
and strike them down. Let not a man escape.
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So when they put them to the sword, the guard and the
30:32
officers cast them out and went into the inner room.
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Of the House of bail, And they brought out the pillar that was
30:40
in the House of bail and burned it.
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And they demolished the pillar of bail and demolished the House
30:46
of bail. And made it a latrine.
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To this day, you know what they did with that area?
30:51
They turned it into sewage. Now, many things were said here,
30:58
but is there any detail that stands out to you in light of a
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comment that was maybe made earlier in this study?
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Particularly with an object that was mentioned in these verses,
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if you know, you can say it out loud.
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Somebody said it, the pillar of Baal.
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Did you notice that this is the same pillar that Jeharam put
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away in Second Kings chapter 3 and now it makes a reappearance.
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So obviously when Jairam was trying to discourage Baal
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worship, he didn't do it to the degree that Jehu does.
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Here Jairam tucks it away. When Jehu gets a hold of it, he
31:42
crushes it to find powder. And hopefully you agree with me
31:47
in this. I see 2 examples of how people
31:52
handle and relate to sin. Jehoram when he comes to deal
32:00
with this object of idolatry, he recognizes that it's
32:05
unbefitting. He recognizes that it's no good.
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And in like manner you have some who profess Christ that will
32:12
identify patterns, habits, decisions, addictions and they
32:16
they know full well this is unbefitting for a follower of
32:19
Christ. But instead of.
32:24
Putting it to death, they put it aside because down deep inside,
32:33
they, they don't know if at another future time they can
32:37
make use of that. Use of what?
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Anything A harmful substance in times to medicate your anxiety.
32:54
An ungodly relationship that yeah, you ended it.
32:57
But all it takes is one text message or a phone call and a
33:03
night of loneliness so that you can feel loved or even
33:11
dishonorable ways of making money that you vowed to never
33:15
revisit again. But when times get tough and the
33:18
bills start piling up, I put it aside.
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But I can make use of it. Again, we're not told why Joe
33:28
R.E.M. just put it aside. But one thing is for certain,
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that is not a way to deal with idols.
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The example here is JU. He's not the best example for a
33:39
lot of things, but in this case, he showcases the kind of
33:42
ambition that you and I have to have in our fight against sin.
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Here's what you have to do to determine that.
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I'm not going to give this thing another chance to reappear in my
33:54
life. It is that kind of level of
33:58
determination that God will honor and supply strength for.
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That is true repentance, though we may repent over and over
34:08
because sin has a tendency to reintroduce itself.
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In our lives, even sin that you hate and that you put aside,
34:15
even something that you were never tempted by for years, it
34:19
has a tendency of of knocking on the door of your heart and
34:21
saying you Remember Me. We must meet that sin with the
34:26
same force that we have when we originally decided that we are
34:30
going to put it to death. God will honor that kind of an
34:33
attitude, and we see it here. Unfortunately.
34:42
Get ready for probably the most shocking part of this Bible
34:45
study. Unfortunately, Jehu did not
34:50
extend the same determination he had against bail to other idols
34:58
in the last verses of this Bible study.
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We have to honestly conclude that Jehu was an idolater at
35:04
heart. Very successful in honoring God
35:08
in this specific specific lane, but not in the ways that God had
35:13
asked of him and any Israelite of his time.
35:17
So he. Burns down the House of bail.
35:20
He destroys pillars. Any images that reflect him,
35:24
it's all gone. And you would think that he's
35:28
going to be the one, a very few who were honorable in this
35:33
roster of kings. And by way of comparison, he
35:38
still is. But notice what you read here in
35:40
verse 28. Thus, Jehu wiped out Bail from
35:45
Israel. But Jehu did not turn aside from
35:49
the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nabad, which he made Israel to
35:54
sin, that is the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.
36:02
What, you did all that to make sure that not even a stone would
36:12
be left representing Bill? But when it came to those two
36:17
golden calves that Jeroboam erected in Dannon and Bethel,
36:23
you left them. And not only did you leave them,
36:26
you reinforced worship for them and toward them.
36:31
How? How?
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I'll tell you how. This confirms what we were
36:39
suspicious of all along. That though this man Jehu did 1
36:44
honor God in destroying Baalism, there was mixed ambition.
36:52
This man also wanted to arrive to the throne of Israel and
36:56
secure his position as long as possible.
36:59
So here's how we make sense of this.
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He got rid of Baal, but then he remembered now being the king of
37:07
Israel and with the selfish goal of being the king of Israel,
37:11
staying the king of Israel. He recalled what Jeroboam did
37:16
when he was fearful that the people would go down to the
37:20
Kingdom of Judah and worship at Jerusalem.
37:24
Here's how he's thinking. I have to do what Jeroboam did.
37:28
In the same way Jeroboam kept the people by making them
37:31
worship idols and making worship convenient, I will do the same.
37:37
So if he was truly honorable to the Lord, he would have totally
37:40
respected God's wishes that three times a year the people
37:43
were to go down and worship at Jerusalem.
37:45
But no, no, no, that was too dangerous, that was too risky.
37:47
He might lose popularity, he might lose people.
37:51
The king of Judah might take them from him.
37:54
So what does he do? Let's resurrect.
37:57
Let's reinforce the worship that Jeroboam established in this
38:00
land. It's a dangerous thing when you
38:04
idolize power, when you idolize popularity, when you idolize
38:09
your position. And that's exactly what this man
38:11
does. And we read something strange in
38:16
verse 30. And the Lord said to Jehu,
38:19
because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my
38:22
eyes and have done to the House of Ahab, according to all that
38:25
was in my heart, your sons of the 4th generation shall sit on
38:29
the throne of Israel, full stop. So the Lord, hold on, hold on.
38:37
We just learned that this man was not completely devoted.
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And then we get God's not condemnation commendation since
38:47
you've done what was in my heart.
38:49
And so I'm going to reward you to the 4th generation, which is
38:52
quite impressive when you compare the succession of kings
38:57
in Israel for four generations. Your seat is going to rule on
39:00
this throne. But where's the criticism of the
39:04
motive of his heart? Where's the denunciation of his
39:08
worship of Jeroboam's calves? Though God doesn't explicitly
39:14
say it, He is not pleased with it.
39:18
How do we know that in the last verses of this chapter?
39:21
Notice what happens verse 31. But Jehu was not careful to walk
39:26
in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart.
39:30
He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which He made Israel,
39:33
to sin. Here it is verse 32.
39:36
In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel.
39:43
Pause. What was Jehu's desire in
39:46
compromising this way? I want to keep.
39:49
These tribes to myself, I want to keep the population as near
39:52
to me, as close to me as possible.
39:55
They're mine. I want their praise.
39:57
I want their allegiance, even at the expense of them truly
40:00
honoring the Lord. Even if I have to promote
40:02
idolatry, so be it. So you want the people, huh?
40:05
Here's how God disciplines them. I'm going to cut off some tribes
40:07
from your people. Here's how I'm going to humble
40:10
you. You betrayed me for these
40:13
people, so I'm going to take some of these people away from
40:15
you. How does he do it?
40:18
The second part of verse 32, Hazel.
40:21
You remember Hazel? You didn't forget about him,
40:23
right? The king of Syria, Hazael
40:25
defeated them throughout the territory of Israel and
40:29
specifically we were told where verse 33 from the Jordan
40:32
eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gaudites and the
40:37
Rubenites and the Menacites from error, which is by the valley of
40:41
Arnon, that is Gilead and Bashan.
40:47
So remember when Elijah was told by God back in First Kings 19, I
40:52
need you to anoint three people, Hazel to be the king of Syria,
40:55
Jehu to be the king of Israel, and Elisha to be your successor.
41:00
Those three were raised up to ultimately be means of
41:04
discipline towards Israel. The King of Syria does so
41:10
throughout Jairam's Lent reign. We see here that the king of
41:15
Israel, Jehu, does so. But the moment that Jehu now
41:18
turns and joins Israel in their idolatry, now he is personally
41:23
going to be disciplined by the Lord.
41:25
So now Syria is the means of discipline, the main means, and
41:29
he does so by cutting off a particular group of the tribes.
41:32
And this is very important to realize.
41:36
Within the boundaries of the Promised land, you had tribes,
41:39
but you also had certain amount of tribes that were just.
41:43
Over the border, That's the Jordan River.
41:45
Can anybody tell me the tribes that were just over the border?
41:48
If you can, if you know, you can say it.
41:52
Half tribe of Manasseh, not the full tribe.
41:55
Half tribe of Manasseh and the two other ones, Ruben and Gad. 2
42:01
1/2 tribes remained beyond the Jordan.
42:05
They they did not want to enter in.
42:08
Now I'm curious to know, was anybody here?
42:10
Not here, but Friday night Bible study here back when we studied
42:14
the Book of Numbers. Three people?
42:17
Really. Is that more?
42:19
Yeah. Well, we studied the Book of
42:22
Numbers together. And in the.
42:25
Book of Numbers We learn why these 2 1/2 tribes stayed back
42:29
instead of going into the promised land.
42:32
And this is how we're going to end our Bible study.
42:34
Go to Numbers 32. Here's my question as you're
42:43
turning there. Was it God's original will that
42:47
any of the tribes should establish themselves outside of
42:49
the boundaries He determined? Good.
42:52
It wasn't. So why did these 2 1/2 tribes
42:55
choose to settle? There are a couple of obvious
42:57
answers. Let me just show you 1 #32 verse
43:01
one. Now, the people of Reuben and
43:03
the people of God had a very great number of livestock and
43:07
they saw the land of Jazzer and the land of Gilead and behold,
43:12
the place was a place for livestock.
43:17
Read the rest of the chapter on your own time.
43:19
It's a fascinating discussion between these tribes and Moses.
43:23
And they tell Moses, I'm summarizing Moses.
43:25
Thanks for being faithful to us throughout these, you know, past
43:29
40 years. But we'd like to stay here.
43:35
And Moses is I can just imagine because just read it.
43:38
He goes, we're right at the border.
43:41
We're just here. Don't mess this up for us.
43:46
The not the wandering in the wilderness these past four
43:49
decades. Was that enough?
43:50
For you, did you not see what happened to the first
43:53
generation? And so they're going back and
43:57
forth. And Moses even warned if if you
44:00
actually pursue this kind of rebellion and distrust, God will
44:03
wipe us out and he'll raise up another generation.
44:07
And so they come to an agreement.
44:08
And here's the agreement because Moses was worried that their
44:11
decision to stay back would discourage the other tribes from
44:14
going in and fighting for their possession.
44:17
So here was the contract. KK, you can stay here if you
44:21
want, but you have to come in and fight with us.
44:23
And that's what we find in the book of Joshua.
44:27
However, though we might read this and think that this is
44:30
strategic, that this is practical, in reality it's a
44:35
manifestation of unbelief. On the part of these 2 1/2
44:40
tribes now you read here initially it's Reuben and Gad,
44:42
right? You're saying where's Manasa?
44:44
Manasa shows up later and here's what I believe that after Reuben
44:48
and Gad introduced this idea, they.
44:49
Influence half of the tribe of Manasa.
44:53
And that's why that tribe joins at least half of the tribe.
44:56
But let's take this tool here. What's their reasoning based on
44:58
verse one? They looked at their
44:59
possessions, they looked at the land and they thought, this is
45:03
perfect. Why get all cramped inside that
45:07
place and be limited and split that up when we can have this
45:11
and they can have more? This is perfect.
45:13
This is wonderful. It's unbelief because.
45:20
They didn't trust that what God had determined for them would be
45:22
enough for them. And they were so consumed with
45:26
their possessions, the fear of their future, their children's
45:30
future, their their livestock, their agriculture, their
45:33
businesses, that they totally dismissed God's glory #1.
45:38
And God's perfect provision and will for your life and mine.
45:43
Can I tell you how you can enter into very spiritual, spiritually
45:48
danger territory? When you begin to be convinced
45:51
that God's will is limited, when you begin to be convinced that
45:56
living fully for the Lord limits your options, you're flirting
46:02
with danger because that's what they're believing.
46:05
Here we have more on this side than if we go forward.
46:11
Who said that? Did God not know exactly what
46:14
would be enough for you? He did.
46:18
They didn't believe it. And So what do they do?
46:21
They lived on the fringe of God's will, these 2 1/2 tribes.
46:28
They wanted to be close enough where they're associated with
46:30
the people of God, but far enough where they can have what
46:33
they desired in the flesh. So they settled where some many
46:39
Christians settle on the outskirts of God's purposes and
46:44
plans for their lives. You read the end of Joshua and
46:47
you already begin to see the trouble of this because it seems
46:49
like, OK, it worked out. And this is one of the beauties
46:52
of reading through the the word of God because you come to
46:55
numbers and you think, all right, it seemed to have worked.
46:57
Then you continue on. There's no issues.
46:59
And it's not until you come to books like Second Kings.
47:02
Where you begin to. See the consequences of that
47:04
ancient choice. What do I mean by that?
47:08
All seems to be well, the end of Joshua.
47:10
There was a little bit of a confusion because they
47:13
understood that since we're not in the Promised land, these
47:17
tribes within the land of Canaan might think that we're not a
47:20
part of their family. And so they set up an altar and
47:24
it was a memorial right at the border so that the tribes within
47:28
would remember. These two of tribes outside are
47:30
a part of us. And what was the confusion
47:33
there? That the tribes within thought
47:35
that they were raising up an altar to worship when there was
47:37
supposed to be one place of worship which would be
47:39
established in Jerusalem later on.
47:41
So already there's problems in the beginning.
47:43
Things get quiet. You think, OK, seems like maybe
47:45
that was the right choice. Everybody has more space.
47:48
They're happy. Israelites within are happy.
47:52
But if you read your Bible carefully, what you'll realize
47:55
is that oftentimes the first ones to be harassed by
47:59
neighboring nations. Were the very tribes that chose
48:02
to be outside of the promised land Go back to 2nd Kingston.
48:10
Look at verse 33. Who did Hazael first come to
48:19
from the Jordan eastward? All the land of Gilead, the
48:24
Gaddites and the Reubenites and the Menasites, the very tribes
48:31
that thought it would be better for them to stay outside of
48:33
God's promise, were the first ones to taste punishment, were
48:40
the first ones to be harassed by the enemy.
48:45
And if you think this is an isolated case, look at Second
48:48
Kings 15 verse 29. This is when not Syria, but US
48:53
Syria comes into the land of Israel and captures some of the
48:57
people. Second Kings, 1529 in the days
49:02
of Pika, king of Israel. Tiglath pilot Sir King of
49:07
Assyria came and captured Skip. Name #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 What's that
49:13
name there with the letter G? Gilead and Galilee, all the land
49:18
of NAFTA, and he carry the people captive to Assyria.
49:24
There's nothing more prosperous, nothing more protective than to
49:29
be in God's complete will. And no matter what kind of
49:34
advantages you think you'll gain by remaining on the outskirts,
49:39
know this. It's always at the cost of being
49:40
more exposed to trouble, removing yourself from God's
49:47
perfect perfection, protection, provision.
49:54
I think there's a wonderful way to kind of tie everything
49:56
together. In the study of Second Kings 10,
49:59
you have this example of Jehu who was not wholehearted to the
50:03
Lord and reminded of these 2 1/2 tribes who also were not
50:07
completely invested in the will of God.
50:11
Both were robbed of God's complete reward.
50:14
It makes me wonder how much more Jehu would have been blessed
50:17
with if he had done it God's way completely.
50:21
Some reward, not a total reward. Yeah, these.
50:26
Tribes were able to enjoy some openness and good soil.
50:32
But it came at a great price. Here's how we end this study.
50:36
Don't settle. Don't settle for partial
50:41
obedience. Don't justify 1 area where you
50:46
know you're honoring the law about other areas where you know
50:48
that you're not trusting him. Don't settle living close enough
50:54
where your conscience is a little bit more calm, but you
50:58
know that you're not supposed to be where you are.
51:02
God will help us if we're willing to say, Lord, take
51:05
everything. He is so faithful and kind to
51:08
lead us. The moment we acknowledge we
51:10
need to be LED. Can we pray and ask for that
51:12
together? Father, from the bottom of my
51:29
heart, I give you maximum glory. That every Friday night we come
51:35
together to hear challenging verses in your book.
51:43
That every week we are confronted with truths about
51:46
sin, sin, sin, sin. We are constantly reminded
51:49
because your Word wants to remind us.
51:52
But Lord, in these discussions of the deception of sin, the
51:57
severity of sin, Lord, we ask that we would never lose the
52:01
fragrance and the sweetness of the Savior.
52:05
That you are right there ready to redeem us, forgive us, wash
52:08
us, restore us. And that's what we're asking for
52:11
now, Lord, if, if any person here has chosen to live
52:18
spiritually where they're not supposed to be, may they loosen
52:25
the ropes of their tents and make their way into the fullness
52:28
of your will. Lord, if if as we close with J
52:32
who any of our hearts are not totally there with you and for
52:39
you, if, if there are areas in your word where we ignore
52:41
deliberately, where we deny but justify with other areas that we
52:47
are praising and preaching, Lord, submerge us completely and
52:52
all that you have for us every single aspect of Your truth.
52:57
And so, Lord, we even consider that, like Jehu, send out a
53:01
final call for those who are of you to be removed from the place
53:08
and the people and the pursuits that they should not be
53:11
indulging in. May this Bible study serve as
53:14
that same warning and loving admonition that we would escape
53:20
and rejoice in your grace, that You love us enough to speak into
53:23
our lives even while we're in sin.
53:26
Lord, we honor you this evening and we want to praise you for
53:29
your word. Again, thank you for this Bible
53:31
study. Thank you for these precious
53:33
people. We give you all the honor and
53:35
all the glory and all the thanks.
53:37
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
53:40
Amen. Let's stand and let's worship
53:42
Him, glorify him, and give him the sacrifice of praise.
54:02
So I have a pastor friend who was led by the Lord to take that
54:09
that principle of some who put away their idols and others who
54:13
should be destroying it. And he was a brand new believer
54:17
and he was in his room worshiping the Lord, spending
54:20
time in his word. And the Lord impressed on his
54:22
heart, you have stuff that you put away, but that you didn't
54:27
destroy. And he was preaching that out of
54:29
the text that we were studying, but just the principle, because
54:31
you can find that at different places of God's word.
54:33
And sure enough, he, he knew exactly what the Holy Spirit was
54:37
convicted me of. And he opened his closet door
54:39
and there was a box there filled with paraphernalia and, and
54:43
items and even ungodly music and all these different things.
54:47
And he, he without hesitation took it and he destroyed it and
54:51
he threw it all out. Then he never looked back.
54:53
And it could be that there's some people here tonight who
54:57
need to do something similar. And it might not be physical
55:01
objects, it might be digital. It might be phone numbers.
55:07
The Lord will convict you if you're looking to know exactly
55:11
what He's asking of you. And perhaps it's true of some
55:15
here who you're not experiencing the fullness of joy in Christ
55:21
for this main reason. You're not fully given over to
55:24
Christ. You've planted your tent beyond
55:27
the Jordan. You're not within the promised
55:30
land. So maybe tonight for you, it's
55:32
not particular things as a believer, it's you becoming a
55:35
true believer. It's you saying, I'm giving my
55:39
complete heart over to you. I'm not reserving anything.
55:43
And that's where that's where you unlock all the blessings
55:46
that are in Christ. He will fully give the moment
55:50
you fully surrender. He's waiting for you.
55:53
He's waiting for you. Lord, we thank you again that
55:58
you can speak so loud and clear on a Friday night through a
56:02
Bible study because it's Your Word and it's a supreme
56:06
authority over our lives, and it is the supreme joy of our lives.
56:10
Lord, go before us as we make our way home, even in these
56:14
small moments of fellowship. May that just be added blessing
56:18
to our own hearts. We give you all the glory.
56:21
Bring us back together again. If it is your will, in Jesus
56:24
name we pray, Amen and Amen. May the Lord be with you, bless
56:28
you, empower you, reveal himself to you and we'll see you next
56:32
week, God willing. Take Care now.
56:34
Bye bye.