Solomon prayed, “Therefore give your servant an understanding heart,” 1 Kings 3:9.

Welcome to our study of the book of 1 Kings. As you recall 1 and 2 Samuel teaches us about the beginning of God's kingdom through men. Saul was the first king to rein, and although he had great potential, he had ultimate failures with pride. Then David comes on the scene, and David being a man after God's own heart also has great potential and does many good things. Like Saul, he had some failures as well. David ultimately committed adultery with Bathsheba. Now at the close of David's reign as we look in the book of 1 Kings, Solomon, David's son, is going to come on the scene.

Solomon is a very unique individual in that his heart, like the heart of his father David, has a great desire to do God's will- but for that to succeed David knows there are some things Solomon must hold on to and must watch out for. David gives Solomon some ultimate charges and some things he needs to remember. He must be faithful to God.

I want you notice what those are in 1 Kings 2:2. Solomon's charge from David is- be strong. David said, “I go the way of all the earth. Be strong therefore and prove yourself a man.” Does it take strength of character and strength of mind to serve the Lord? You bet it does! Does it take that to be in a leadership position? Absolutely! David knew Solomon would receive complaints. He would have difficulties to address, and he needed to be strong. The same is true for every child of God. Those who

serve in leadership capacities such as elders, deacons, gospel preachers, Bible class teachers- whoever it may be, there is a certain amount of strength of character that you need.

Where do you get that strength? From the word of God. The word of God is living and powerful, Hebrews 4:12. The Word of God is God's power to save, Romans 1:16. We can be strengthened and built up by the word of God. To the elders in Ephesus Paul said in Acts 20:32, “So now brethren I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Christians, like Solomon, need to resolve to say ‘If God says it, that settles it. We’re going to do the will of the Lord even if everybody else chooses not to.’

Solomon’s second charge from David is found in 1 Kings 2:3. David not only tells them to be strong, he tells them to be faithful. The Bible says, “And keep the charge of the Lord your God to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies as it is written in the law of Moses that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.” David knows for Solomon's kingdom to be a success, he must be faithful to God in every way. Jesus said in Revelation 2:10 ‘Be faithful until death and I'll give you the crown of life.’

Now what is it really mean to be faithful? Is mediocrity faithfulness? Jesus is not talking about mediocrity. Jesus is not talking about us attending an assembly occasionally. What's real faithfulness? Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If any man desires come after me let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Real faithfulness is turning your life over to service for God. I think the words of Mark 12:30 were Jesus is asked by a lawyer a great question. ‘What is the first and greatest commandment?’ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” We need the encouragement to be faithful to God. Galatians 2:20 Paul said, “I've been crucified with Christ. It’s no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” I've got to realize, like Paul did, that life is no longer about me. Here's how you view life when you become a Christian: Paul said “I beg you by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service and do not be transformed this world but be conformed to the image of Jesus through the

renewing of one's mind.” I mostly use my life and live my life as a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ every day.

When you think about the real service and sacrifice that a Christian ought to give, we must realize that's what our body is now to be used for. When I obeyed the gospel, I was giving not only my spirit but my body and service to God. How do we know that? The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? You were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are His.” As a child of God I must make it my main focus to be 100% faithful to God all the time. Every day I must be faithful to the Almighty.

Now let's notice David's third charge to Solomon and this is really the blessing that we see in the following the will of God. Look in 1 Kings 2:4. David says to Solomon that if you do all this here's what the Lord will do, ‘that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me saying if your sons take heed to their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ he said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ Realize that God's promises are always conditional. Think about that ‘if, then’ statements that you see in the Bible. Jesus taught us ‘If we seek first the kingdom of God, God will supply all these things to us,’ Matthew 6:24-33.

Throughout the Old Testament God will say ‘If you do these things, blessings will occur. If you don't do these things, curse will be upon you.’ God's conditions, God's promises, are always conditional. Is it true the grace of God is available for all men? Absolutely! But is it also true that God's grace is conditional upon my faith? You bet it is! Ephesians 2:8-9 the Bible says, “By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.” Titus 2:11 says, ‘the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.’ Grace is here for everybody. Does that mean everybody is saved and automatically has that? No- only those who by faith access God's grace. Does God want all men to be saved? You bet he does! “God wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth,” 1 Timothy 2:4. God wants it so bad that ‘He sent His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,’ John 3:16.

The very fact that that's what God wants and God made the ultimate sacrifice- does that automatically mean everybody's going be saved? No- only those who do the will of God are going to be saved. The Scriptures clearly teach that. Jesus said, “It’s not everybody that says ‘Lord Lord’ that is going to heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Is everybody going to be saved who doesn't meet God's requirements? No. In Mark 16:16 Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved.”

Are there conditions to be saved? Think about that verse again. Is salvation conditional? Listen again to Mark 16:16. Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved.” There are two conditions given there before one can receive God's gift of salvation. It's true today. If you walk in His ways, if you keep His commandments, if you do these things- God will always be true in His promises. If we follow God's will and do what He says, you can rest assured God will always do His part.

Now as we think further about Solomon, what made him at times in his life such a great man? One of the things is the wisdom that Solomon sought made him a great man. In 1 Kings chapter 3 we've got Solomon in prayer to God. God this time tells Solomon ‘You ask, whatever you want I'll give it to you.’ What would you do if you had a request from God like that? Some might have asked for money or would ask for your enemies to be killed. Would you ask for other things that might be important in your life or would you ask for something more on a spiritual level that would also help others? Look at what Solomon asked for. In 1 Kings 3:9 the Bible says of Solomon and his request to God that he said, “Therefore give to your servant an understanding heart to judge your people that I may discern between good and evil for whose able to judge this great people of yours.” Did Solomon ask for selfish things? No. Solomon was thinking about God first, and he wanted something that would help the people of God. He wanted something that would help God and His kingdom.

When I think about prayer and things I ask God for, are those things many times selfish? There’s nothing wrong in the sense with asking for things that will help a person to be better, spiritually provided, in this life. Do we think about others in our prayers? Solomon did. Ultimately Solomon thought the one thing that would bring all others into play. Think about the power of wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is meaning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Solomon said in Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing in all you’re getting get wisdom

he would say wisdom is what it's all about what we mean by wisdom. What is it that Solomon prayed for here? The ability to discern between good and evil and put it to use in life.

Wisdom is different from intellect. Intellect is knowing the facts. It's understanding a term or a truth. Wisdom is different in that also understands that but it knows where to insert it correctly in my life. It's taking these truths found in the Bible and using them practically. That's the challenge for each of us. We need the wisdom to discern and to use God's word correctly in our lives. Wisdom is something we ought to pray for. The Bible says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him.” I need to pray for wisdom. I need to go to the right source for wisdom. Where's wisdom found? The Bible. These are the wisest words you will ever find. I need to study, 2 Timothy 2:15. I need to seek God's will. I need to pray that God will also bless me with wisdom.

Now at times in Solomon's life he used that wisdom so wisely and other times Solomon was the wisest fool to ever live. He had all that wisdom and he made such bad choices. Wisdom alone won't get you to heaven. You can have all the facts and all the wisdom in the world and still make bad decisions. You must have a determination to do right. It isn't enough to know the fact and how to use the fact. You’ve got to do the right thing regardless. Is that hard at some times? Sure it is! Satan will do his part to tempt us. The Bible clearly teaches us he is actively, aggressively seeking men and women to tempt. Do I have desires and wants that come into play? Sure I do! Resisting Satan and telling self ‘no’ is crucial. No matter what we must do God's will.

Now as we look at Solomon's life, one of the things that he does in using his wisdom correctly is that he uses it for building and dedicating the temple of God. Turn your Bible to 1 Kings chapter 8. I want you to see what Solomon says here in his dedication of the temple of God and about God's power. 1Kings 8:22 the Bible says, “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, and he said ‘Lord God of Israel there is no God in heaven above or on the earth below like you who keep your covenant and your mercy with your servants who walk before you will all their hearts.’” Now look at what he says in verse 27, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you how

much less this temple which you have built. Solomon exalts the power of God. He recognizes this temple is a great thing, but he doesn't want it to be the end of their religion. ‘Heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you.’

As I think about the power of God, nothing compares with the power of God to change men's lives and deterring them from evil to good men. Men who were horrible and had horrible characteristics, steeped in sin and idolatry, and ungodliness were changed to serve the Almighty God. Think about Saul for example. Saul was caught up in tradition. He was very zealous for the wrong thing. He was actually at one time an accessory in murdering Christians, Acts chapter 8. He changed to be the greatest evangelist that the New Testament has ever seen. How could that be? Look at the change in the power of God in the lives of men and women today. Let's not limit that power just to a physical place or location.

Many times people think about the church and God and they associate that with the building. God does not dwell in temples made with hands, Acts 7:48-50. Let's realize God's church is not a building; it's a people, 1 Corinthians 12:20. The Bible says there are ‘many members yet but one body.’ We are all members individually of one another. In the New Testament, the church is not the building; the church is the people. God's powerful people today are those who are following His will and doing exactly what God wants us to in the New Testament.

Now as we think about Solomon, let's also realize that Solomon made some pretty bad mistakes. Although he had wisdom from on high and although he had the power to make good choices, so many times we see Solomon making the wrong choice. Let's see some of the failures that this wise man made. The Bible says in 1 Kings 11:1, “But King Solomon love many foreign women as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, ammonites, Edomites, and Hittites from the nations of whom the Lord said to the children of Israel ‘you shall not intermarrying with them nor they with you surely they will turn away your hearts after their God's.’”

Solomon is here married to multiple women- 300 wives 700 concubines. You can surely see Solomon didn't always make the wisest choices. What caused him to do that? Lust of flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, 1 John 2:15-17. Solomon had the power to take it, and he used his wisdom and his power not for good but for bad. It was contrary to

the will of God. God said ‘don't intermarry’ all way back to the old law of marriage at creation. God said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

When you think about Solomon's mistake, where was it at? God intended for there to be one man and one woman for life. That was always God's simple teaching. The same is true today. Jesus clearly taught us in Matthew 19 that that law still comes into play today. God wants one man, one woman together for life. God is never intended for man to be a polygamist. God never intended for man to have more than one wife. It's always been one man one woman for life. Are there times when God overlooked, didn't immediately, bring punishment on those bad choices? Acts 17:30-31 teaches us there were. That doesn't make it right. Still God allowed them to do things and didn't immediately punish them for things that necessarily weren’t right- but look at the havoc that it reached on their lives. Look at what happens to Solomon. He's got all these wives and what did God say? ‘Those wives will turn your heart away from God.’ Let's see if that's true.

1 Kings 11:4, “For so it was when Solomon was old that his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not loyal to the Lord is God as was the heart of his father David.” Friend there's not only a confirmation of God's promise here that the foreign wives would do that, there's a practical lesson here for Christians today.

A Christian should marry a faithful Christian. Why would you want to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers? 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 teaches us not to do that. Friend there's no greater yoke than the yoke of marriage. You're trying to help one another get to heaven and to make the best of this life. It’s best to make the wisest choice and choose someone who is not just a Christian in name, but choose someone who is a faithful child of God and puts the kingdom before you. They should put the assembly before anything else. Choose someone who studies the Bible and prays. Choose someone who's seeking God's kingdom.

Solomon's wives led him away from God. Notice the extent to which they led him away from God. Here's this man who has wisdom from on high and look at what he's doing next. In 1 Kings 11:5 the Bible says, “For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Cydonians and after

Mincom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord and did not fully follow the Lord as did his father David.”

How far did Solomon's wives lead him away from God? He is actually funding and building temples to false gods. Here's Solomon with all this wisdom and he's funding and building temples with false gods. Look at how those wives led him away from God.

Friend if you're going to seek the will of God and you're going to put God first, you absolutely must find a helpmate who will help you to serve God faithfully. Genesis 2:17-18 the Bible teaches us that the Lord God said ‘He saw it was not good for man to be alone, so he said I'll make a helper for him comparable to him.’ What was woman to help man with? Ultimately she was to help man get to heaven. Any marriage where the Lord does not build the house and where the husband and wife do not seek God's advice and His will on all decisions, is a marriage that is going to struggle at the very least. The encouragement is to find somebody who will help you get to heaven and will help you to raise godly children, Ephesians 6:1-4,and ultimately who you can be heirs of the grace of life together, 1 Peter 3:1-7.

Did Solomon do some good things? He absolutely did! Did he at times make right decision? Sure! But did he ultimately find failure in choosing the wives that he did? We know that he did and it led Solomon down the wrong path.

Friend we ask you today, who are you putting first in your life? Who are you letting make the decisions for you? Are you doing it based on selfish desires? That won't work, and it will lead you down the wrong path. Are you letting others (friends, family, spouse) influence you in the wrong way?

There's only one person in this life that you need to be concerned about pleasing and that's the Almighty God. We need ask ourselves, will this please God? What would the Lord have me to do?

If you've never obeyed the gospel, more than anything we want you to know that the God of heaven loves you and that you will never find more peace and happiness than following Him.

How do you become a Christian? In Acts 18:8 the Bible says ‘many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized.’ Have you heard the word of God? Do you believe in Jesus? Are you willing to change your life and repent of sin? Would you make that great confession? Would you do what Jesus said?

“He that believes and is baptized will be saved.”

If you've never obeyed the gospel, we encourage you today put God first in your life and obey His will.

Study Questions for:

“Living Messages of the Old Testament: Lesson 11”

1. What did he pray for in 1 Kings 3:9? 2. What was he told to do in 1 Kings 2:3? Why? 3. According to Luke 9:23, if we desire to follow Jesus what must we do? 4. According to Mark 12:30, what’s the greatest commandment? 5. How did Paul view his life according to Galatians 2:20? 6. What does 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 say of a Christian’s physical body? 7. According to Titus 2:11, the grace of God has appeared to whom? 8. According to 1 Timothy 2:4, what does God want? 9. According to John 3:16, why did God send His son? 10. According to Mark 16:16, what conditions are listed to be saved?

In the book of 1 Samuel the people learn the hard way you better be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. They asked for a king so that they can be like all the nations around. God says in Hosea 13:11, ‘I gave them a king in my anger and took him away in my wrath.’ It is what they wanted, but it wasn't at all what they needed. In fact they already had a king, but they would not submit to God. They wanted to be like everybody else.

The ideas behind 1 Samuel teach us that God is still in control. As we study the living messages of 1 Samuel we want to notice some key ideas. The first is the key verse- 1 Samuel 8:5 the elders of Israel come to Samuel and they say ‘look you’re old, your sons do not walk in your way's, give us a king to judge us that we may be like all the nations around us.’ Of course Samuel is offended by that, and he prays to God. God says ‘They're not rejecting you. They’re rejecting me. Heed the voice of the people in all that they say.’ God was still in control, and it was really a rejection of God.

Friends as we think about initially practical lessons to learn, we can be sure that God is alive and well. His Son Jesus Christ is on the throne and there is authority that we must follow and that is the law of Christ. The key phrases found in 1 Samuel 15:22 were Samuel approaches Saul and says to him and his rebellion ‘to obey is better than to sacrifice.’ Look at the words of 1 Samuel 15:22. Samuel said, ‘The Lord as great delight in burnt offerings as and sacrifices and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams.’ Saul wanted to help God. He wanted to make some sacrifices. He

wanted to bring certain things back when God told them to completely wipe out everything. Here he's told ‘you need to obey rather than sacrifice.’ God doesn't need my help, and God doesn't need your help. God simply wants us to obey Him.

Now in the book of Samuel there are 3 key figures. In 1 Samuel 1 through 7 we've got the life and the rule of Samuel. Then in chapters 8 through 31 we have Saul overlapping during that. In chapter 16 through 31 we also have some of the events and the rise of David as well. The three key figures are Samuel, Saul, and David.

The lesson is we've got to be very careful what we ask for. We may get it, but it may not be what we really need. We must obey God and let Him be the king of our life. If we desire to live a happy life, we've got to follow His will and teaching.

As you look at practical lessons for 1 Samuel, one of the greatest most powerful lessons in this book is what parents can do- something parents can do to help make their children servants of God. I love the example of Hannah. Hannah is married to a man by the name of Elkanah. This man has two wives. Hannah is barren. Her rival has children, and thus she's always provoking or taunting Hannah because she doesn't have any children. Hannah goes up to the temple, and she's praying to God to bless her with a child so that she can find that joy and happiness. Notice what she says in 1 Samuel 1:11. If God will just give her a child, look at her attitude. The Bible says, “Then she made a vow and said, ‘oh Lord of hosts if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me and not forget your maidservant but will give your maidservant a male child then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.’”

What can parents do to help their children be godly children? If we had the motto and attitude ‘if you'll just give me a child, I will give them to you all the days of their life.’ How much good we can do for the cause of Christ! We want our children to grow up well educated, good in sports, and we push them in those areas. We want them to go to college and get a degree. Do we put the same effort forward in helping them to grow up and learn to serve God? Are we really willing to say to God ‘if you'll just bless us with children, we’re going to do our best to give them to you all the days of their life’?

Think of people like Sampson's parents. They did what they could. They made him walk that line. They tried to help them live the right life. Sampson made some bad choices, but he should have been a good godly person. Then there are others like John the Emerser. Luke 1:6 both of his parents were righteous before God walking in all the statutes and commandments of the Lord blameless. Mary and Joseph were great godly parents, the parents of Jesus. We think about how to help our children- be godly. There's no greater way than to help them realize you're here to serve God. Life is not about you. Life is about giving yourself to God.

Then we can look at the flipside of that. What can parents do to send their children straight to hell? Look in 1 Samuel 2:12-17. Look at what Eli’s sons are doing. The Bible says, “Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. They did not know the Lord.” They're taking the women next to the temple and using them and ungodly way. They’re taking more of the meat than they ought to. They're not helping people to worship God. They're actually hindering the worship of God. Look what is said of them in 2:17. The Scripture then comments, “Therefore the sin of the young men was very great for the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.” They had a negative influence on people at the temple. People didn’t want to go to worship because these men were so evil and ungodly. Eli didn't put a stop to it. He spoke to them but that's all he did. He should have done more to stop their sin and to make them do right. Your children are your responsibility. Parents have a great responsibility in raising up their children. The greatest thing you can do is bring up your children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, Ephesians 6:1. Train up your child in the way he should go, Proverbs 22:7-15. Make sure that you're always putting the word of God before their face helping them to see it. In Deuteronomy 6:6-9, it's on the doorpost. It's on the frontlets. It's everywhere so that children can learn and hopefully make good decisions in following God.

Now let's look in the example of a young man who is ready to serve. 1 Samuel 3:10 we now get an update on Hannah's son Samuel. Look at his readiness to serve God! Samuel has been lying down, and he hears a voice cry out to him. Samuel runs to his master Eli. He hears that call again. This happens couple times, and then Eli says ‘I haven’t called you but if you hear it again here's what you say.’ Look at the words of 1 Samuel 3:10. The Bible says, “Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times ‘Samuel, Samuel.’ Samuel answered, ‘speak for your servant hears.’”

What a great attitude! Samuel here has that reminds me of Isaiah. Isaiah says ‘send me.’ What a great attitude both Isaiah and Samuel had! “Speak Lord your servant hears.” We need the attitude of Samuel in our readiness to hear and do what God says. Are we really listening to the word of God?

You hear the same refrain in every one of the seven letters in Revelation 2 and 3, ‘to him that has ears to hear let him hear.’ Have you really thought about that passage and statement? You can see the irony of the Lord. How many people do you know that don't have ears? What’s the Lord's point? The Lord gave us in ears, thus we must use them for the purpose to hear, listen, and to know what God wants us to do. Jesus said in Mark 4:24 ‘take heed how you hear.’ Luke 8:18 ‘take heed what you hear.’ We need to make sure that we hear carefully and were willing to do what God says. Let's have that readiness of mind: I want to serve God. I'm ready to hear what He says. “Speak Lord, your servant hears.”

I'm reminded of the sad address of Samuel to God in 1 Samuel 8:6-7. The people have come to Samuel and told him his sons don't walk in his way. They wanted him to give them a king just like all the nations around them. That hurt Samuel little bit, but it hurt God more. I want you look at the response of Samuel and God in 1 Samuel 8:6-7. The Scripture says, “But the thing displeased Samuel when they said ‘give us a king to judge us’ so Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people and all that they say to you for they have not rejected you but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them.’” God was hurt. Samuel was hurt. Why? Because they had a king. Friend we've got to realize today that God is still the creator. He is still the king in the universe. His Son is head of the church, Ephesians 1:22-23. Psalm 119:89 God's word is settled in heaven. God is our king, and we must live like it. If God is our king that means He's the final authority. So many people live this life as though there's no one in control. Such is not the case. If God is the author of mankind, and He is, He has absolute authority over me and over you. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus has all authority.

On the last day when we stand before God, it's the word of God that will be our judge. John 12:48 Jesus said, “He who rejects me and does not receive my word has that which judges him. The word that I've spoken will judge him in the last day.” God's word is the final authority. It has the last say and thus we need ask the question- ‘is there any word from the Lord?’

Jeremiah 37:17. We will be judged by how we've lived our life according to the Bible. We need to be submissive and let God rule our lives.

I want you notice also Samuel's great address to the people of Israel and the encouragement and the hope that he offers them if they will only submit to the will of God. Notice 1 Samuel 12:14-16. The Bible here says, “If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reins over you will continue following the Lord your God. However if you do not obey the voice of the Lord but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you as it was against your father's. Now therefore stand and see the great things which the Lord will do before your eyes.” Samuel knows the people are already getting rebellious. He knows their desire to have a king, so they can be like the nations. If I'm going to live a life that is pleasing to God, it is absolutely essential that I obey Him. We cannot stress enough our need to obey God. Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments,” John 14:15. The Scripture says in Matthew 7:21 Jesus speaking, “Not everybody that looks up into heaven and says ‘Lord, Lord’ that's going there, but he who God's will of my Father.” Revelation 22:14 ‘blessed are those who keep His commandments they may have right to the tree of life and they may enter therein.”

The idea of keeping God's law is clear throughout Scripture. The people who made the biggest mistakes and suffered the most were those who did not keep and did not obey the law of God.

Now another powerful lesson we learn from 1 Samuel is that God does not work in numbers as we sometimes think. Sometimes we think we're not big enough or powerful enough. We need to realize that God is not limited by numbers like we are today. Look at the simple statement of 1 Samuel 14:6. The Scripture simply says, “Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come let us go over the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us for nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.’” Look back to Israel's history- times like the time of Gideon, just a few hundred men- God defeated them. God didn't need a massive army to defeat Israel's enemies. God plus one is always the majority. God works not in numbers but with the faithful. If we will remain faithful to God, we can always be pleasing to Him.

Notice as well the ultimate failure that the first King Saul made. Saul is anointed as king. He's a handsome, good-looking, tall, and a strong man. He doesn't have the qualities God is really looking for. His ultimate failure is he did not fully obey the will of God. In 1 Samuel 15 God tells Saul and the people ‘I want you to go in and I want you to completely wipe out these heathen nations. I don't want you to leave anything- woman, child, ox, and beast- You just wipe it all out.’ Saul pretty much did that- in fact he did about 99% of that- except he brought back some of the best of the livestock and some of the best of their stuff- so that he could offer that to God. How did God feel about that? He was doing it for God. He was doing it to help God. How did God feel about that? 1 Samuel 15:22-23 the Scripture says Samuel said, ‘has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry because you have rejected the word of the Lord he also has rejected you from being king.’ It was only a small change. God said, ‘You reject me, I'm rejecting you.’ It's like rebellion. It's like the sin of witchcraft. ‘I didn't want your sacrifice,’ God said, ‘I wanted obedience. I didn't need the fat of rams. I wanted you listen to me.’ We are again impressed with our need to do exactly what God says in the Bible.

Sometimes people say, ‘Well that may not really be in the Bible, but were want to do this to help God. We are just going to spice up our music a little bit and bring in some drums.’ God doesn't need our help. When God said, ‘sing and make melody in your heart,’ that's all God wanted. If we do something other than that, are we not in the same boat as Saul? We need to listen and not bring in our own ideas and things that we desire.

Sometimes people want to bring up maybe a female speaker for one Sunday and let her preach. That's not what God wants. God clearly is spoken on that in 1 Timothy 2:11-12. ‘I do not permit a woman to speak or to be in authority over a man but to be in silence,’ that's God's will.

Some may want to have a Christmas service. Friends the Bible has spoken. We are to remember the Lord's death every first day the week. Christmas is not in the Bible. We ought not to be worshiping God in that way because God has not asked for us to do those things. It's contrary to the will of God.

God has told us clearly what to do. God wants us to obey what He’s already said in this book. He doesn't need my help, and he doesn't need yours. God just wants us to submit and obey His will. It's that simple and that plain. We don't have to spice things up for God. God told us how to do it. Let's obey the will of God.

Now what is it that God is looking for in an individual? Is it the outward appearance? Is it the hair? Is it the skin tone? Is at the body physique? What's God really looking for an individual?

What we learn that in 1 Samuel 16:7 is what God looks for in a person. The Bible says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” God doesn't look at what we look at. God looks beyond the façade of our body. He sees to the heart. If our heart is what it ought to be, that's what's pleasing to God. If it's not, God knows that as well. Remember in Matthew 23 what Jesus said to the Pharisees. Jesus said, “You're like whitewashed tombs beautiful, ornate, highly decorated on the outside, but inwardly you're full of dead men's bones.” Matthew 12:36-37 Jesus said, “It's not what goes into a man that defiles him but it's what comes out. By our words we will be justified and by our words will be condemned.” We have to be careful. ‘Every idle word that we speak,’ let's make sure that we put the emphasis where God puts the emphasis.

Then we have that great passage 1 Samuel 17:45-47 shows us that David as a young man was able to conquer the Goliath in his life. The people of God have been in battle. Goliath comes out and taunts the people of God. ‘Is there not a man who can come up against me?’ They were taunted by this man for many things, and so David comes to bring supplies to the people and he looks too young to fight. He hears this man taunting the people of God, and it enrages him with a righteous fury. David decides ‘I'm going to, with God's help, defeat this man. I'm going to hush him, and the Philistines are going to be defeated by God.’ I want you notice what the text says in 1 Samuel 17:45. David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with the sword, with a spear, and with a javelin but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air to the wild beast of the

earth, and then all the earth may know there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know the Lord does not save a sword and spear for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” You remember the rest of the story. David takes a sling and a few small stones and with one of those stones he hurls it and Goliath drops dead. God uses David to defeat that great giant. Remember it was the battle that belonged to the Lord. God was the one in control, and David was just the instrument God was using.

Friend there may be difficulties, there may be challenges, there may be Goliaths in our life- if we'll put our trust in God and have the faith to follow Him wherever He goes, and ask Him for help in time of need- God can help us defeat the enemies in our life.

Have you defeated the greatest enemy of all, Satan himself? There's no greater enemy in my life and in yours than Satan. The Bible says ‘he's like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour,’ 1 Peter 5:8. In the book of Job he is seen as ‘going to and fro back and forth upon the earth looking for souls to devour.’ Jesus said to ‘Simon, Simon Satan desires to have you that he may sift you as wheat.’ Each of us can insert our name where Simon's is. Satan desires to have me, and he desires to have you. He wants each of us to spend eternity with him in the devil's hell.

The good news is you don't have to be lost. I don't have to be lost. I can overcome Satan, and the reason is because Jesus overcame him. Hebrews 2:14 says ‘Jesus through death overcame him who had the power of death and is therefore released those are all their lifetime were subject to death or bondage.’

Jesus has defeated the devil and so can we. What's the lesson? Let's let God lead our lives. Let's let Him be in control. Let's submit to His will. If we will obey and faithfully follow the God of heaven He will ultimately lead us toward that place we know of as Heaven.

May God help each of us to live a life of faithfulness to God and enjoy that great reward.

Study Questions for:

“Living Messages of the Old Testament: Lesson 9”

1. What did they ask for in 1 Samuel 8:5?

2. According to 1 Samuel 15:22, what is better than sacrifice?

3. Who are the 3 key figures in 1 Samuel?

4. What promises does Hannah make to the Lord in 1 Samuel 1:11?

5. What does Luke 1:6 say of John the Emerser’s parents?

6. According to 1 Samuel 2:12-17, what was wrong with Eli’s children?

7. How should parents raise their children according to Ephesians 6:1?

8. According to John 12:48, what will judge us?

9. What does Samuel warn the people about in 1 Samuel 12:14-16?

10. What does Revelation 22:14 say of people who keep God’s commandments?

“For a long time, Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law,” 2 Chronicles 15:2-3.

Welcome to our study of the Old Testament books. As we think today about 2 Chronicles, many times when studying these books, people can become bogged down in the names and the genealogies and the history that they may not be real familiar with, and miss some of the powerful, relevant messages of 2 Chronicles. As we have mentioned before Romans 15:4 says, “The things that were written before time were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might find hope.” That tells the child of God that the old law has been written with a purpose of them in mind. That is, they can take that old law and learn living messages, practical, relevant teachings about God and how He relates to man, that will help us today.

As we think about 2 Chronicles, the key ideas are restoration and worship. God is trying to get Israel to restore the rightful place to Him, by leaving sin, by giving up following the ungodly heathen people, and by worshiping Him correctly. Key verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14, where God pleads with His people, ‘if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and seek my face,’ God goes on to say, ‘I will forgive and I will heal the people and their land.’ God's plea through Solomon, and

through others, is that they must put God first; God will always be faithful to His promises, if His people trusted Him.

Now key phrase, 2 Chronicles 30:19, mentions the idea of those who prepare their heart. Friend, a lot of the Bible is about making my heart what it ought to be. Please understand, when we talk about the heart we're not talking about the blood-pump, the organism, or muscle in our chest. For the Bible says, in Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” God is here encouraging men and women to prepare their heart. What's that mean? To prepare their mind, to put Him first, Matthew 6:33. To be faithful into death, Revelation 2:10. To put God's laws and God's teachings in our hearts and in our minds, Psalm 119:10-12.

As you think about 2 Chronicles, the book uniquely divides into these categories: chapters one through nine, in 2 Chronicles, tells us about the righteous reign of Solomon. Much of his reign was righteous. There were times when he fell away, but the reign of Solomon and the potential that he started out with, and bad things that got in the way for Solomon.

Then chapters 10 through 36 talks to us about the road to captivity. This is the tragic picture of the declining state of Israel under ungodly kings, as an ungodly nation. The end result is when God has to punish Israel and her kings, for their sin. Solomon takes the first nine chapters, and the last few chapters of the book, of the last part of the book, is about Israel's downfall.

Now as we think about 2 Chronicles, what kind of messages and what kind of teachings can we learn from this book?

Well right away, we learn, in God's address to Solomon, as he is thinking about the temple and as he is preparing his heart for worship, and to seek God Almighty, we learn that God does not dwell in temples made with hands, as so many have envisioned. As was part of worship during that time, they often looked for the temple as the place of worship. In Acts chapter seven, Stephen quotes from the old law and says ‘God does not dwell, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the Prophet says, Heaven is my throne, and Earth is my footstool. What place

shall you build for me? Or where is the place of my dwelling.’ As I read 2 Chronicles, and I see the beautiful imagery and the ornate detail of that temple, I need to be reminded that that temple is not God. God is not just contained in that temple. God rules and reigns everywhere, from everlasting to everlasting. You are God. The Psalmist said, in Psalm 90:1-2, a man-made building cannot contain or house the Almighty who fills all places and is everywhere. Psalm 139:1-12, the Psalmist said “If I go into Heaven, you're there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you're there.” In the darkest, deepest place, God can be there, because God created all these things. Proverbs 15:3 says ‘the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the good and the evil.’ Hebrews 4:13 says ‘all things are naked and open before the eyes of Him, of whom we must give an account.’ All things are open and naked before God. God is not contained to a building.

Now here's a real practical lesson that we need to learn from that, and that is: the Lord's church is not the building, and the building does not contain God. You see, under the Old Testament, the people had put their hopes so much in the building that in time of great distress, here's what they cried out. Jeremiah 7:4, the people of Israel cried out: ‘the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ What were they saying? ‘Save us, oh, our temple.’ And yet it was not the temple who saved, and ultimately those people went into captivity because their sanctuary had become their cemetery. They let the place where they went to worship God be as their salvation.

Friend, today, in the Lord's church, the church is not the building. The Bible says, in 1 Corinthians 12:27:25-27, to Christians, you are the Body of Christ, and members individually, one of another. How do I know that the church is not the building? Because when people obey the Gospel, in Acts chapter two, ‘they heard that gospel message preached and they repented and were baptized for their admission of their sins.’ And verse 47 says, ‘the Lord added to the church, daily, those who were being saved, added to the number of the saved, those who were currently being saved.’ And so what is the church? It's the collection. It's the group of the saved. Does God dwell in His people through the word and as they live their life according to His teaching? But let's not limit God to one place. For when we do, we've

taken God who encompasses everything, and tried to put Him in a neat little package like we would like, and that's not how God works.

What else do we learn about God from 2 Chronicles? Or what lessons can we learn? God sometimes used the nations to punish His people. I want you to listen to 2 Chronicles 36:17, about God using the nations to punish His people. The Bible says, “Therefore He, God, brought against them the kind of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword and the house of their sanctuary, had no compassion on the young man or the virgin, on the aged or the weak. He gave them all into His hand.” Well why did the God of Heaven, who chose Israel, who made them His special people, why did He allow this evil Chaldean king to come in and do these things, in His sanctuary and to His people?

Friend, there's only one reason, and it's the rebellion and sin of God's people. Did God want this to happen? No. God wanted to save His people, to make them His own special people, and God did continue to work through the remnant, but those who got caught up in sin, and those who continually hardened their heart and rebelled against the Almighty, God used the nations around them to punish them. Friend, from this we learn a very practical lesson, and the powerful aspect of it is this: we must make sure that our hearts are softened to the will of God, so that God doesn't have to use these external forces to get us to see the error of our way, and maybe even bring catastrophe and calamity upon us. Does God still use these forces? Perhaps, as Paul would say in the Book of Philemon, but we know that God is able to use those things as He did in the past, to wake His people up and to punish them for their sin.

Now here's another very practical lesson. I want you to notice 2 Chronicles 5:12-13, at the dedication of building of this great temple, the glory of God takes its presence in that temple. “And the Levites, who were the singers, all those of Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps. With them, 120 priests, sounding with trumpets. Indeed, it came to pass. When the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make sound, we heard, and praising, and thanking

the Lord, when they lifted up their voice, with the trumpet and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: for He is good. His mercy endures forever, that the house, the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” What is this picture all about? Here are people whose hearts have been made soft to the will of God, who have made great sacrifice and dedication in building this temple to honor God. Now with heartfelt emotion, they come together to sing and praise God, and God is impressed with their worship, to the point that His presence fills that temple. Friend, there's another very practical lesson that we learn from this teaching, and it's this: when people gather to worship the Lord, in spirit and in truth, John 4:24, and as he's commanded in the word, Leviticus 10:1-2, the presence of God is still with His people. When we gather to worship, we're in the very presence of God. We are the audience, we are the participants, and God is the audience, and He is viewing our worship. If our worship honors God, is according to spirit and truth, is with our whole heart, soul, mind, and body, 1 Corinthians 14:15, Mark 12:30-31, then God is just as happy with our worship as He was in 2 Chronicles Five. But for it to be that way, we've got to make sure we worship God correctly, and that we're doing exactly what the Bible says.

Now another very practical lesson from 2 Chronicles is found in 6:30. This teaches us that the God of Heaven, He knows our hearts. Notice 2 Chronicles 6:30. “Then here from Heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive and give to everyone, according to all His ways, whose heart you know, for you alone know the hearts of the sons of men.” It should be comforting, if I am living and doing like I ought to. It should comfort me to know that God knows my heart. You see, the same is true for us today. Acts 1:24, God knew what was in the heart of man. John 2:25, Jesus knows what's in the heart of men. Acts 15:24, God knows our hearts. Nothing is secret from God, even the secret things. The things we think are secret, on the Day of Judgment; those'll be brought out, Ecclesiastes 12:14. And so my mind, what I think, even though I may not say it, the things I think, I'll give an account of those. Every thought must be brought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Is our heart really what it should

be with God? Is my heart pure? Am I trying to think about the things that are good, and just, and noble, and right? Philippians 4:6-8. Do I have true love for God in my heart? John 14:15. Jesus said “If you love me, keep my Commandments.” Do I love my neighbor as myself? You remember the two greatest Commandments? Jesus was asked by a lawyer: ‘Lord, what are the greatest Commandments?’ Jesus said ‘the first is to love Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second, like unto it is, love your neighbor as yourself.’ God knows my heart, and God knows your heart. If we think we're fooling God, friend, we're in for rude awakening. So we must be cognizant of the fact that the maker of mankind is aware of what's in our heart, even when we don't express it with our mouth.

Another powerful lesson in 2 Chronicles is that in our battles, in our struggles, just as in the time of Israel, so it is today, in my battles, I need to remember, the battle belongs to God. Notice 2 Chronicles 20:15. The Bible says, “Now all of Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord. Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.” And here's what this man said, and he said: ‘listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat, thus says the Lord to you: do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.’ The people didn't know whether they were going to win or lose. Some were getting discouraged, some had become faint-hearted. The King himself looks that way. This great man of God says ‘listen up, the battle belongs not to you, but to God.’ How encouraging it is today to know that as I fight the good fight of faith, 1 Timothy 6:10-20, as I wage war spiritually against the host of wickedness, Ephesians 6:10-12, as I wake every day to be sober and vigilant against my adversary, the Devil, 1 Peter 5:8- how good it is to know that the battle still belongs to God! If I will take up the whole armor of God, Ephesians 6:13-18, and if I will fight with every ounce and fiber of my being, God still promises us the victory. 1 Corinthians 15:57 is such an encouraging passage. The Bible says ‘Thanks be to God who gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The good news is, we've already, we're already on the winning side if we're God's children. Do you remember Revelation 12:11? The Bible says of Christians, “They overcame him, the Enemy, by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives unto the death.” If I will follow their pattern, the blood of the Lamb, that's Jesus' sacrifice, if I obey the Gospel and I contact the blood of Jesus in baptism, Romans 6:1-4, the word of their testimony, that is the word of God today, which is a perfect road map, Psalm 119:105, and by not loving our lives to the death. That is self-sacrifice. Sacrifice of Jesus, scripture, and self-sacrifice, makes us sure that we can overcome the Enemy, and truly, we can honor and praise God because the battle does still belong to the Lord.

Now I want you to see, as we think about the kings of Israel, along the way there were some kings who made good steps and who made good reforms. The bad outweighed the good kings, but we want to highlight a couple of good ones. Notice in your Bible, 2 Chronicles15:2-3 mention some of the good reforms Asa initially did. The Bible says in verse two, of Asa, ‘he went out to meet Asa,’ this is the Prophet. He went out to meet Asa, and said to him: ‘hear me Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He'll be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you for a long time. Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without the law.’ Asa begins to establish some good reforms. What this man of God said is so practical for us today. ‘God is with me, and on my side, as long as I'm with Him, and as long as I put Him first.’ Isn't this what Jesus taught us? ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things, food, shelter, and clothing, shall be added unto you.’ If I'll make God my number-one priority, here are the promises I have: ‘the Lord has said I'll never leave you nor forsake you so that you may boldly say the Lord is my helper. What shall man do to me?’ Hebrews 13:5-6. The promise I have is: Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Past, present, and future. If I'll put God first, I have the promise that Christ will be with me and I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, Philippians 4:13.

On the flip-side of that, just as the man of God said here in 2 Chronicles 15, ‘if you forsake the Lord, He'll forsake you.’ God can't have anything to do with sin. Habakkuk 1:12-13, the Bible says that our ‘God is of pure eyes than to behold evil. He cannot look upon wickedness.’ Because of sin, God has to sever Himself from man. Isaiah 59:1-2, and all the blessings and benefits I lose, when I enter into a life of sin and I separate myself from the Almighty. The encouragement is: be faithful unto death, and God will always do His part.

Then let's think about good King Hezekiah. I want you to take your Bible, and look with me in 2 Chronicles 29. Let's notice some of the good reforms that King Hezekiah made in this book. Chapter 29, look beginning in verse number one, as Hezekiah cleanses the temple. The Bible says ‘Hezekiah became king when he was 25 years old, and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem.’ Verse two,’ he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.’ Well what do you mean he did what was right? Verse three, ‘in the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors to the house of the Lord, and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites.’ It goes on to tell us that he sanctified them. He got the temple like it should be. He cleansed that temple from ungodliness and sin.

Now you remember, in the history of Israel, at times they didn't even know where their Bible was. 2 Kings the Bible had actually, the word of God had actually got lost in the temple of God. Yet here, Hezekiah goes in and cleanses the temple. He sanctifies the priests, and he gets things like they should be. Friend, before a person can worship God, his heart needs to be right with the Almighty. Do you remember in Paul's instructions concerning the Lord's Supper? In 1 Corinthians 11:23-28, the Apostle Paul tells us that we first need to examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord's Supper. I've got to make sure my life's right and that my life doesn't have sin that I'm harboring inside of it, or that I'm not fooling, trying to fool God and others. We need to have the fortitude to do what's right and to examine ourselves. That's what the scripture teaches. 2 Corinthians 13:5, the Bible says ‘test yourselves to see whether you're in the faith. Examine yourselves.’

Now in 2 Chronicles 29:20, Hezekiah, good King Hezekiah, then begins to restore true worship. ‘Then Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of the Lord, and they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, seven male goats for a sin-offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord, and they began to go here and worship God. But before they enter that action of worship, they want to make sure that they've got themselves right and that they're prepared to worship God correctly.’ Friend, not any worship is acceptable to God. The worship must be the kind that God wants. Well, what kind is God looking for? The Bible says, in John 4:24, ‘God is a spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. God is seeking men and women who will worship Him according to their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and who will worship Him according to truth.

What does it mean to worship according to truth? We ask first: what is truth? Like Pilate in John 18:36-38, we want to know- what is truth? Well Jesus has already answered that. In John 17:17, Jesus said: “sanctify them by your truth, your word is truth.” This book contains all truth. John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me.”

Are we really worshiping God in spirit and in truth? Are we really putting the principles of this book before what we want and what we think is right? Friend, just as importantly or maybe even more importantly, I've got to make sure that I am truly a child of God. There are a lot of people who will say various ways of salvation, and give you various ways of salvation that you just don't find in this book.

Here's what the Bible does say you must do to become a Christian. The scripture says you must first hear the word of God. Romans 10:17 says ‘faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ Having heard that word, I must believe in Jesus. John 8:24, Jesus said ‘unless you believe that I'm’ He, you will surely die in your sins.’ Having believed, I must repent. For unless you repent, you'll all likewise perish,’ Luke 13:3. Having

repented I must make that good confession. Jesus is the Christ, the Son, the living God, Romans 10:10. As Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved. I must be immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins.”

Friend, is your heart right with God? Are you sure that you're a child of God? If not, we encourage you today; obey the gospel so you can be sure all is well with God.

Study Questions for:

“Living Messages of the Old Testament: Lesson 14”

1. According to 2 Chronicles 15:23, what had Israel been without?

2. According to Romans 15:4, why were the Old Testament things written?

3. What is God’s plea to the people in 2 Chronicles 7:14?

4. What does Proverbs 23:7 say about the heart?

5. What should we put first according to Matthew 6:33?

6. How long should we remain faithful according to Revelation 2:10?

7. According to Psalm 119:10-12, where should we put God’s teachings and law?

8. According to Psalm 139:1-12, where is God?

9. In Acts 2:47 what were the people added to that were being baptized?

10. According to John 4:24, how must we worship God?

God said to the people of Israel, ‘Take root downward and bear fruit upward,” 2 Kings 19:30.

Welcome to our study of the book of 2 Kings.

In our Old Testament studies, we have been following God's people, Israel, as they left Egypt, as they came through the wilderness wanderings, as they headed into the Promised Land, and as they established themselves as Israel or the people of God. We saw their downfall as they asked for a king and as they began to put their trust in that human monarch.

Now in 2 Kings, we come to a pivotal book in which it shows us Israel's ultimate downfall and their captivity. God had been warning his people over and over again ‘if you keep doing like the nations and you keep going up on the hilltops and worshiping their gods, I'm going to send you into captivity. I'm going to make you recognize your own sin and your own downfall.’ That's what 2 Kings is all about, the downfall of Israel.

There are a couple of key phrases in the book that jump out at us over and over again. For example the phrase ‘According to the word of the Lord,’ in the book of 2 Kings occurs some 24 times. What's God trying to get across? ‘Just like I said it would happen, just as I promised, so it's now come true.’

Friend I learn from this key phrase that when God says it, you can be sure of it. When God warns or God encourages, I need to take that as the final word on the matter.

Then there's another key phrase which ties into the great theme of this book and that is this: 21 times God says ‘Such and such is happening because they have done that which is evil in my sight.’ God's not arbitrary. God doesn't do things just because. The actions that occur, the bad things that happened, happen for a specific reason. They continued to do evil in the sight of God.

I'm reminded from this phrase just how important it is that I follow the teachings and the commands of God. God expects me to do that which is right. There will be consequences. When I do wrong, when I live a life of sin- I expect that bad things will ultimately happen because of those consequences. Ultimately if I remain in that, I will be lost.

A key verse is found in 2 Kings 17:22-23. God says, “Because they follow Jeroboam,” God will say, “and they did not turn from their evil ways, I ultimately had to give Israel into captivity. Jeroboam did some bad things that we read about. He calls them to worship in the wrong place. He was a change agent leader for that day. He changed the priest. He changed the place of worship. He changed a whole lot of God's laws. Israel just got in line behind him. God says ‘because of his bad example and because of my people's failure to do right, I had to send them into captivity.’ That was a horrible thing. It broke the heart of God, but it was God's last-ditch effort to save the remnant of those people who were trying to do right.

Another key verse is 2 Kings 2:25. It shows us the ultimate captivity and downfall of Israel as that godly nation, that special people, God's very own unique people. Time and time again, God had to send them into captivity because of their sin and to help them learn just how bad their spiritual state was.

In chapters 1 through 17 in the book of 2 Kings we have the kingdom of Israel from King Ahaz all the way to Oshia, 176 years’ time period. Then in chapters 18 through chapter 25, the second half of the book, is the kingdom of Judah from Hezekiah to Zedekiah. We're really watching how God and His people relate and how the Kings of those days either help God's people or hurt them.

Remember God said in Hosea 13:11, “I gave him a king in my anger and took him away and in my wrath.” God never intended per se for the people to take him out from being king and replaced him with another man, and because they did it ultimately led to Israel's downfall.

As we've done in each lesson we want to look at these Old Testament books and ask: how did these messages apply to us today as Christians? What can I learn from Old Testament passages to help me live closer to Jesus and be more faithful?

I know these books are written so that I can learn. The Bible says in Romans 15:4, “The things that were written before time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might find hope.” The Bible is designed, even these Old Testament lessons, are designed to help me live closer to Almighty God. How can I do that?

Open to the book of 2 Kings and chapters 1 and 2. We have a beautiful picture of Elijah that great prophet of God. Elijah here in this context ascends into heaven. Elijah receives a double portion of his spirit. What do I learn for my life today from Elijah and the account of God taking him up into heaven? It's that same thing that all of us so long to hear. Here's a picture of one of God's servants, who in essence God said to ‘Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of your Lord.’ Elijah had faced some difficulties. He'd been on Mount Caramel and he got a little discouraged- but ultimately he stays true to God. He opposed the enemies. He preached the message of God. He tried his best to live right, and as a result what happened to Elijah? He was taken up into heaven with God.

Friend there's a day coming when all of us will have to give an account for our actions. 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:12 teaches us we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of the things done in the body whether good or evil. If I've lived right and if I've done right, friend I can have the knowledge the confidence that one day I live in heaven with God. Philippians 3:20-21 tells us ‘our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Lord Jesus who will transform our lowly body into his glorious body.’ There's a great day coming when God's children can go home- but to do that we need to have the faithfulness and the steadfastness of men like Elijah and Elisha.

Then in 2 Kings 4 we learn about an Old Testament raising- not

necessarily a resurrection in the sense that we see in the New Testament like with Jesus- but here we've got an example of a man who was raised by the prophet Elijah. From this we will draw several parallels that are very interesting for our studies and our purposes today. In 2 Kings 4:32 Elisha comes into the house of the widow, the son of Naaman, and he comes into their house. This man is lying dead on the bed. He tells woman ‘Call the Shunammite woman.’ They called her, and she came and picks up her son. Elijah, in this context, raised this young son back to life. What do I learn about Old Testament passages like these? It’s a fascinating story and an interesting truth that is taught there. It shows the power of Elisha. I believe this this context show the power of Elisha to God's people. And when they heard about Elisha, no doubt they heard ‘that's the prophet that raised the widow's son. Surely he's a man of God.’ It confirmed him as a prophet.

When I think about raisings like this, they’re different than the resurrection. Here's how: this young man had to die again. Lazarus was raised in John chapter 11. Lazarus had to die again. What about us today? In Job 14:14 it is asked, ‘If a man dies shall he live again?’ Jesus told us the answer to that. John 11:24-25 Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He believes in me will never really die. All who are in the graves will one day come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of eternal life, those of done evil to the resurrection of death.” Unlike Lazarus, unlike the widow’s son- if I live faithful to God and I follow His will, on that great and final day I will be resurrected and you will be resurrected if we've done right and never ever again have to face death or sin or all the things that now haunt us.

Take your attention with me to 2 Kings chapter 5, and here's a great lesson from Naaman. Naaman is a great man in the Old Testament. He is a great and powerful man of the Syrians, but Naaman has a problem. He's got leprosy, and he tried many ways to deal with this problem. He's tried it all we might say. Then one of his servants says, ‘I’ve heard about a prophet in Israel who can do great signs and wonders and miracles.’ So he calls for Elisha. Listen to verse 8. “So it was when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king saying, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.’ Then Naaman went.” Bible says, “Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot. He stood at the door of Elisha's house, and Elisha sent a messenger saying to him ‘Go wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be

clean.’” Watch Naaman's response, “But Naaman became furious and went away and said, ‘Indeed I said to myself I thought he will surely come out to me stand and call on the name the Lord God and wave his hands over this place and heal this leprosy. Are not the Abana, the Pharpar, and the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in a range.” Now here's a man who desperately wants to be cured. He finds a man who can do it. The man says ‘do this and you'll be cured.’ When he finds out what it is, he gets mad. Why is that?

Naaman had a different concept of his own salvation than God had. Naaman's concept was ‘I'm a man of some means. I am a man of a certain amount of authority, and so my salvation will be a big ordeal. My cleansing of this leprosy will be some big show. The prophet of God will come out with some big show and wave his hands over the place of call on the name of his God. It'll be a big and fantastic thing.’ How did God think about Naaman salvation or is healing from leprosy? God's prophet said, ‘Go down to that dirty River Jordan and I want you to dip in it seven times.’ What? The dirty River Jordan? Not a show? Not any extravagance? His key problem was he said ‘I fall.’

Friend listen carefully, it doesn't matter when it comes to healing spiritually, when it comes to matters of salvation, it doesn't matter what I think and it doesn't matter what you think- all that matters is what God said. “There's a way that seems right to a man but the end thereof it's the way of death,” Proverbs 16:25. Jeremiah said in the long-ago, Jeremiah 10:23, “Lord I know the way of man is not himself. It's not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” My ways are not your ways- says God Isaiah 55:7-11.

Unlike Naaman, when I come to God for healing and salvation, spiritually I need to have the attitude ‘Whatever God says I'm going to do it.’ “Speak Lord, your servant hears,” were the words of Samuel. I need that same attitude today. Whatever it is God tells me, how big or how small; I need be willing to do that. Naaman didn’t want to dip in the Jordan because it was a dirty River. It didn't fit his concept of what his healing would be like. When it comes to spiritual cleansing, when it comes to salvation from sin, a lot of folks have a different concept than what God's plan says.

God tells us we must hear the word. Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Having heard that word, I must believe in Jesus. John 8:24 says, “Unless you believe that I'm he, you'll surely die in your sins.” Having believed, then I must be willing to repent. I've got up recognize wrong in my life. I've got a change and start doing right. Jesus said, “Unless you will repent, you will all likewise perish.” I must then be immersed. Naaman had to be immersed in the Jordan River and had to dip seven times. The Bible teaches I have to be immersed.

Where does it teach that? In multiple places. Do you remember Mark 16:16? Jesus had just given the great commission and he said to His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Then He said this, “Upon preaching the gospel, he who believes it and is baptized will be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus clearly taught you have got to believe and be baptized. Why? To be saved. Naaman didn’t earn his salvation when he actually went and dipped in the river Jordan- it was still by the grace of God. Remember Peter’s sermon in Acts chapter 2? Peter preached, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly God's made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” They got the point. The Bible says “They were cut to the heart and they cried out, ‘Men and brethren what shall we do?’” The answer was “Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.” Peter taught baptism was essential to salvation. What about Saul of Tarsus later known as Paul? Remember in Acts chapter 9 as he's traveling down the road to Damascus that great light overshadows him. Jesus speaks to him. “Saul, Saul why persecutor thou me?” He says, “Who are you Lord?” “I'm Jesus whom you're persecuting hard for you to kick against the goads.” Saul cries out “Lord what would you have me to do?” The Lord says, “You go into the city. I'll tell you what to do. Ananias, a messenger of God, in Acts 22:16 comes to Saul and says, “Saul Saul why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on the name the Lord.” That's God's teaching. Unlike Naaman when we hear the voice of God, when God tells us what to do, let’s not get mad or upset- let's just simply submit to God's teaching on baptism.

As I think about great kings in the book of 2 Kings, I'm reminded of Jehu, Joash. A great exception in some ways to the kings of his day. Listen to what made this king unique. We move ahead a little bit in the book of 2 Kings. Jehu, Joash is a wonderful king in God’s sight in many ways. 2 Kings 12:1 the Bible says, “In the seventh year Jehu, Joash became king.

He reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was a Zibiah.” Now listen to what he did. “Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.” But here's the problem, “But the places the high places were not taking away and the people still sacrificed and burn incense on the high places.” In many ways was he a good king-but he didn't take that final step to tear down the high places. He didn't stop the people’s sin. He allowed them to continue doing the things that weren’t right and that shouldn't have been done in the sight of God. As gospel preachers, as elders, as parents, and as Christian examples it is not just enough for me to say ‘I'm living right.’ I have to take responsibility for those I am responsible for. As a parent I’ve got to take responsibility for my children. As a gospel preacher I have got to take responsibility not just for my life but for what I preach and what I say. I have got to be very careful how I live my life. As elders you've got to make sure that you're doing your part to Shepherd the flock of God. Acts 20:28-32 you've got to make sure as a shepherd that you are ever mindful. You will give an account of the souls whom you are over, Hebrews 13:7 and following. As a Christian example I can't just say ‘well I'm living my life right- that's enough.’ No, I've got a help influence others. I've got to try and encourage and teach others not to get caught up in the things that might be so popular today.

Then would you look ahead the 2 Kings chapter 19. This is one of those passages that I hope will jump out at you for the powerful lesson that it is teaching. 2 Kings 19:3 the Bible says, “And the remnants who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.” Listen to those beautiful words! It reminds me of what Jesus taught us. As Christians, He is the vine and we are the branches, John 15. If we're truly in Him, truly connected to the vine, we will bear much fruit. The idea fruit bearing is told throughout the New Testament. We're to bear the fruit of the spirit, not the works of the flesh, Galatians 5:19-20: joy, love, peace, kindness, long-suffering, goodness, faithless- all those types of things are to be fruits in my life to show God that I am faithful and that prove I'm really living as a Christian.

I want to remind you of an illustration from the life of Jesus about the serious nature of this. Jesus and His disciples are walking down the road. They were hungry, and in the distance Jesus sees a fig tree. That fig tree somehow evidences that it has fruit. From a distance, no doubt, they’re glad to see that. Then they get up to the tree and it’s barren. Remember

what Jesus did to that tree? It claimed to be fruitful and claimed to be producing- it was barren. What did Jesus do? That very moment Jesus cursed it. They pass back by that tree little while later and the disciples said to Jesus “Look at the tree you cursed.” It was dead. It was not showing anything anymore. What do I learn from that? It is not just enough to say ‘I'm a Christian.’ Matthew 7:21 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” If you don't do God's will, you’re no different than that barren tree. I've got to take root downward. What's that mean? I've got to plant my roots in God and His word. I'm going to build it on a firm foundation, Matthew 7:24-25. I have got to study my Bible, 2 Timothy 2:15. I've got to grow in the grace and knowledge of God, 2 Peter 3:18. When I do those things, I've got to let my light shine. Matthew 5:16 Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

One last lesson that I want us to look at from 2 Kings is in 2 Kings 22:8. Here is an amazing text of great King Josiah and a wonderful discovery that occurs in this context. The Bible says, “Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Schaefer the scribe, ‘I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Schaefer and he read it.” Watch what happens in verse 11, “When the king heard the words of the book of the law that he tore his clothes.” Verse 13 he said, “Go inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about the word of the book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us.” Why? “Because our fathers have not obeyed the word of this book to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

Think about this text. There are several things that jump out in my mind. Number one: How did the book get lost? These are the very people of God! They ought to depend upon the word of God the most. More importantly than that, how did it get lost in the temple- in the place where they go to honor and worship God? If you just look back a few chapters to the Kings before them, you can see how it got lost. They were worshiping idols. They were involved in gross immorality. They were giving some of their children as sacrifices to the false gods. It got lost because they let it get lost through their unfaithfulness and sin in God’s sight. They cared very little about the book, and thus it was just kind of pushed out of the way. They gave lip service to it, but did they really give their life to it?

There's a very powerful lesson learned from this text. It teaches us just how important the Bible ought to be in our lives. How many of us right now could lay our hand on a Bible? Do you know where it is? Are you sure? Have you been reading it? Have you been studying it?

Maybe it has become misplaced in your life. Maybe you haven’t been using it lately. Friend how we desperately need to give ourselves to the word of God! Paul said to Timothy in1 Timothy 4:12 give attention to reading and study the Bible daily. Acts 17:11 it says to, ‘search the Scriptures daily.’ ‘Be ready always,’ 1 Peter 3:15 and ‘if any man speaks let him speak as the oracles of God.’

From good King Josiah and the changes he made, we learn that God's word must have an ever present place in my life and in yours.

Friend does it have that place today? Are you a child of God? Have you obeyed the gospel? Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb, Revelation 1:4-5?

If you have, and maybe the Bible's not been first in your life- make that change. From this book, we learn it is absolutely necessary that all of our life we be faithful unto death.

May God bless you as you strive to do just that.

Study Questions for:

“Living Messages of the Old Testament: Lesson 12”

1. According to 2 Kings 19:30, what did God command the people of Israel to do?

2. What phrase occurs 24 times in the book of 2 Kings?

3. What phrase occurs 21 times in the book of 2 Kings?

4. According to 2 Kings 17:22-23, why were they given over to captivity?

5. According to Hosea 13:11, what is said about the king?

6. According to Romans 15:4, why are the messages of the Old Testament written?

7. According to 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:12, what will we all do?

8. What does Proverbs 16:25 say about the way of man?

9. What does Isaiah 55:7-11 tell us about God’s ways?

10. What does Jesus command us to do in Mark 16:16?

To the great King David Nathan the prophet said, ‘You are the man,” 2 Samuel 12:21.

Welcome to our study of the books of the Old Testament. Today as we think about 2 Samuel we further see God's reign in Israel. We think about David as king of Israel and ultimately how Christ would come through David and reign over the Lord's church today as King of Kings and Lord of lords, Revelation 19:16.

At the close of 1 Samuel, Saul the King dies and in his place now David, man after God's own heart, is going to be placed as king over Israel. This will be one of most prosperous reins in all of Israel because, for the most part, David tries to follow God and do the right thing.

As it relates to 2 Samuel the key chapter is going to be chapter 11- where David sins with Bathsheba. He sees her bathing. He desires her. He takes her for himself, has relations with her, and bad things begin to occur in the kingdom of Israel and in the life of David.

The key phrase as we mentioned 2 Samuel 12:21. It is such a practical principle for all of us. Nathan in confronting David- said ‘you are the man,’ as it relates to sin that's something all of us need to hear. Romans 3:23 says ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.’ I can say I have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I need the grace of God to be saved, Titus 2:11. I need the gift of God's Son, John 3:16. I am

in desperate need of God's blood, Jesus’ blood to be cleansed from sin, 1 John 1:7-10 and Romans 6:1-4.

Now as we think about 2 Samuel, a key overriding verse that illustrates God's blessings on those who do right is found in 2 Samuel 22:21. David says, “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanliness of my hands, He has recompensed me.” As we think about God's principle of doing right and being blessed this found throughout Scripture. David says, ‘The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness. He's repaid me according to the good things that I've done.’

Friend the Scriptures teach that if we do right and we live right, God's going to take care of us. Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be given unto you.” If I put God's kingdom, God's righteousness, and God's will first in my life- I can be sure God is going to do His part and take care of me. Philippians 1:21 Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Look at Paul's life. Where there temptations? Absolutely! Was there persecution? On every hand it seems! Did Paul ultimately receive the victory? Absolutely! Paul said in Romans 8:18, “I consider the sufferings of this present time are not even worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

A central message 2 Samuel kind of further illustrates, even in the good king David, the failure of a human king in helping Israel please God. Did Israel need a king? God said in Hosea 13:11 ‘I gave him a king in my anger and took him away in my wrath.’ In the book of 1 Samuel God said that when the people asked for a King, ‘they’ve not rejected you,’ God said ‘they rejected me.’ They didn’t need a king because God was already king. He was already on the throne.

As you study 1 Samuel through 2 Chronicles you will see, time and time again, even with the best of Kings, that their aid was really not that great in helping Israel to please God. When life's going good, when we're prospering, when God's blessing us- friend we need to realize these are sometimes, the very times, when Satan finds a way to work in our lives. Things were great for David, so much so, that during time of war he even stays home. Everything's looking great. He begins to let his guard down and relax- that's the moment Satan finds a hole into his life. I must realize

the aggressive and militant nature of our enemy. The Bible says, “Be sober. Be vigilant. Do let your guard down. Be alert. Be aggressive for your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”

Now let's make some practical lessons through the book of 2 Samuel. Let's begin by asking- why? Why did God allow a king, if we've noted and it is true God says ‘they rejected me.' I gave him a king in my anger,’ if it really if God was already king, why did God allow them to have a king? Several reasons come to mind.

First, sometimes whether we need it or not, we get what we ask for. Did you always need what you ask for as a child? You might've asked for frivolous things and in getting those may be realized it really wasn't what I needed sometimes. God allowed the people of Israel to have what they wanted so that they can learn a lesson from that. The lesson I think is we need to trust God- not men. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

As we think about why God gave them a king, it also helped the people to realize their dependence upon God. Who fed them? Who gave them rain from heaven? Who was it that really defeated their enemies? When they started to put their trust in men, they would go downhill. They needed to realize it was God who gave them everything. The same is true for Christians. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above from the Father of lights with whom there is no shadow or variation of turning.” I need to realize my total dependence must be on God. I must ask. I must seek. I must do His will, and then I know God will take care of me.

A third reason why God gave them a king is simply to bring Christ into the world. It was ultimately God's will. God used what the people asked for and God used that to bring His Son Jesus Christ into the world. Is Jesus the perfect king?

Absolutely- unlike David and other kings throughout Israel, Jesus never sin. Hebrews 4:15 says, ‘He was tempted all points as we are yet without sin.’ He committed no sin. No guile or deceit was not found in His mouth, 1 Peter 2:21-22. Jesus is that perfection of what a king ought to be. He's still reigning over the Lord's church today. He is seated at the right

hand of the throne on high, Hebrews 1:4. He is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all lords, Revelation 19:16. Ultimately God used this plan to bring His Son into the world.

Now let's make some practical application from the book of 2 Samuel. The Bible says of the Old Testament in Romans 15:4 that ‘the things written aforetime were written for our learning.’ What lessons can I learn that will impact my life in the New Testament today?

From the book of 2 Samuel chapter 6 we learn the results of disobedience. Do you remember what was going on in 2 Samuel chapter 6? The context is the ark is being brought back to the people and back to Jerusalem. The Bible tells us that they put this ark on a new cart. As they are crossing this road they’re going through the Bible says that the ark became little tipsy, maybe began to fall. The two men who were driving that cart, Ahio and Uzzah, reach out to sturdy it. They know what it represents. They love the Ark of God. He loves God, and so he reaches out to study it. What happened? The Bible tells us in 2 Samuel 6 “He dropped dead right there on the spot.” David became angry. He didn't know why these things happen at that time. Why is it that a man who was trying to preserve the ark of God, trying to help God and help the people get it back, why is it that he died right there on the spot at the hand of God?

Friend this is a clear example of the result of disobedience- even when it's not intentional.

Now sometimes we need to look a little at the rest of the Bible. Look little further to kind of get the rest of the story. What happened with the transporting of the ark in the Bible? The rest of the story found, concerning the transporting of the ark, is mentioned to us in the book of 1 Chronicles 15:13. You hear and understand why Uzzah had to die in that context. David is actually recounting what happened.

He says in 1 Chronicles 15:13, “For because you did not do it the first time the Lord our God broke out against us because we did not consult Him about the proper order.” What do you mean David? “So the priests and Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel and the children of the Levites bore the Ark of God on their shoulders by its poles as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.” As you read Exodus and Numbers there were specific guidelines already given

for transporting the ark: Only the sons of co-have could do it, they had to run poles the rings in the ark, and there were only to transport it on their shoulders. Nobody was ever to touch it. Now had the people in the time of David in 2 Samuel 6 done that with the ark? Not at all. When they did something else and when they violated God's command that no one was to touch it, they had to suffer the consequences. Uzzah dying there is a result, a direct result, of disobedience-even when it was unintentional.

I must understand and learn from this: God expects me and expects you to obey Him. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 “not everybody that looks up into heaven and says ‘Lord, Lord’ that's going there but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Jesus asked a haunting question to the Jews in Luke 6:46. He said, ‘Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do the things which I say?” Remember Hebrews 5:8-9. The Bible says ‘Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.’ Must I obey God? Absolutely! Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments,” John 14:15. What's going to happen if I don't obey God? Something far greater than Uzzah dropping dead will happen. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 that ‘one day the Lord will come in flaming fire to take vengeance on those who do not obey God, those who do not know God, and all those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’

We learn a very practical lesson about making sure that we obey God- not men's ideas, not man's teaching, but that we go to the Bible and simply obey God.

We also learn a powerful prophecy and lesson about the kingdom. Look at 2 Samuel chapter 7, and I want you look at that the promise and the prophecy that is made here. The Bible says in 2 Samuel 7:12, God is giving is covenant through David, ‘When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you who will come from your body. I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever.’ God says, ‘I'll be His Father. He shall be My Son. If He commits iniquity, I will chasten Him with the rod to me and with the blows of the sons of men.’ Here you've got the king and the kingdom in prophecy. God says to David ‘After your time, when your days are gone, when you're in the grave I will set up a king in the kingdom after you- of that man's kingdom there'll be no end.’

Now I understand, as well as you, that Solomon followed David. He reigned over the kingdom of Israel. Has Solomon's kingdom ended? Sure it has! When Solomon died that kingdom and his kingship ended. Who is this that's being spoken of as having a kingdom that will never end and that will reign over the house of God forever?

I want you notice Luke chapter 1, and hear the words. The words are so similar to the words given to David in 2 Samuel 7:12. Listen to Luke chapter 1 to the prophecy made to Mary beginning in verse 32. The Bible says of Jesus, “He will be great. He will be called the Son of the highest. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there'll be no end.” Like the promise made in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, here you've got the fulfillment of it in Jesus Christ. Jesus was of the lineage of David; Matthew chapter 1 teaches us that. He is of the tribe of Judah, Hebrews 7:14. We've already seen He is King of Kings and Lord of lords. All the way back in the book of 2 Samuel we have proof positive Jesus is King of that eternal kingdom of which they'll be no end- the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 16:18-19.

Now as we think about practical lessons that we can learn from 2 Samuel let's turn our attention to David's ultimate failure in 2 Samuel chapter 11. I want you to notice some of these words with me as we think about what David was doing. Here's what's going on at the time. The Bible says in 2 Samuel 11:1 ‘it happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle that David sent Joab in his servants with him in all Israel. They destroyed the people of Ammon embassies. David remained at Jerusalem.’ First off we realize when kings usually go out to battle, David's not there. His people are there winning battles- but what's David doing?

A little further in 2 Samuel 11:2 notice what happened. ‘One evening that David arose from his bed, walked on the roof for the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful to behold. David sent and inquired about the woman.’

Here we see David not really where he ought to be. One night David arises. He doesn't know what to do, so he goes up on the rooftop and there in a moment of idleness, and likely a moment of weakness, David beholds beautiful Bathsheba. He inquired about her. What happens next is when

the sin begins to occur. David saw that-but acting on that is when things begin to get difficult and sin enters in for David.

Notice 2 Samuel 11:3. David sent and inquired about the woman. It was Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sent messengers and took her. She came to him. He lay with her. She was cleansed from her impurity, and she returned to her house. She sent and told David and said ‘I'm with child.’ Look at the sin that has now entered into God's kingdom through human monarch. He sees this beautiful woman bathing, and he then acts on that. He finds out who she is. Since he's the king, he can pretty much do what he wants- he thinks. He sends for her. He knows she's married. He has relations with her, and she becomes pregnant. Now there's a big problem that David has to deal with. He has broken the law of God. He has committed adultery, and now he has another man's wife pregnant. What is David going to do? Is he going to repent? Is he going to step down from being king?

David begins to weave a tangled web of sin. He first begins to think maybe people will think that this is her husband's baby, and so he calls the husband in from the battle. He sends him home to his wife thinking to himself ‘maybe they'll have relations and everybody will think this is their child. Uriah is more noble than that. How can he be home with his wife when people are in battle dying? And so, he doesn't even begin to do that. David then begins the think, what else can I do? He tells his commander in the heat of battle when your fiercest opponents are there, you send Uriah out and you pull back. Murder is basically what happens. Now David thinks he's got the problem solved. He can now legally, rightfully, take her as his wife. He is yet to see the sin in the matter.

Let's hear it from Nathan’s standpoint in 2 Samuel 12:1. “Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, ‘There were two men in one city one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little lamb which he had brought up and nourished. He grew up together with him with his children. It ate of his own food, drank from his own cup, lay in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. A traveler came to the rich man who refused to take from his own flock and from his own had to prepare one for the wayfaring man who come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for him for the man who'd come to him.”’ Watch David's response. David's anger was greatly aroused against the man. He said to

Nathan, “As the Lord lives whoever the man who has done this is shall surely die.” Now you can see the tenderness in the story. Here's a rich man. He's got a lot of flocks. He's got a lot of herds. He has a visitor come one day and instead of taking something from his own- what does he do? Well there's this poor man and he's only got one little lamb, and it's been like a child to them. It's raised with his children. It ate out of his own hand. It's slept in his own bed. It was close, very close; to the man it was all he had. What does the rich man do? Did he take from his own flocks? He takes this one lamb that this man loves and is all he has got, and he slaughters it for the stranger that's come to visit. David gets the point he says ‘That's an injustice!’ David says ‘He is deserving of death.’ Now watch how it becomes personal. 2 Samuel 12:5, “David's anger was greatly aroused against the man. He said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives the man who’s done this shall surely die he shall restore fourfold for the Lamb because he did this thing and because he had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man.’”

David began to realize exactly what he had done. He was that rich man in the story. He represented the rich man. He had the host of flocks. He had multiple things he could have done other than take Bathsheba. He didn't need to do that. Uriah represents that man who didn't have that and who loved his wife. That's all that he had. He didn't have all the choices that David had. David at that point realized, ‘You're right. I am the man.’ What did David do from that point out?

David said “I've sinned.” Psalm 51 is a great Psalm of David's repentance. “I've sinned against heaven and in your sight.” David becomes tender again. He realizes he's made mistakes. He repents, and from this point on he begins to make it right with God.

Friend there's a practical lesson we learn from 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12- Instead of trying to hide sin, we need to deal with it properly. Proverbs 28:13 says ‘He who covers his transgression will not prosper. He who forsakes and seeks mercy is the person who will really prosper.’ As long as David was trying to hide it, there was going to be problems especially in his own life. How true that is for each of us! Instead of trying to hide sin, instead of trying to avoid it or deal with it in some other way- like David, I've got to say ‘I've sinned.’ I need to realize in my own life there times where I've got to come face-to-face with sin.

Remember Romans 3:23? “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Friend that's personal because if all have sinned- I've sinned. “There is none righteous no not one,” Romans 3:10.

Today in the New Testament what does a person do to overcome the sin problem? You've got to recognize sin. You need to go to the right source for the cure from sin. The Bible says you first must hear the word of God. Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Once you've heard that word, you must recognize Jesus is the only way a man can be saved. John 8:24 Jesus said ‘Unless you believe that I'm he you'll surely die in your sins.’ Having believed, a person must repent of sin and must turn from sin and turn to God. Jesus said in Luke 13:3, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Peter preached “Repent and turn again that your sins may be blotted out.” Repentance is a 180° turn from a life of sin to a life of seeking to do the will of God. Then you must make that good confession. Romans 10:10 says, ‘With the heart with the mind one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’ Then having done all that you must be baptized in water for the forgiveness of sins. On that great day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 when they realized they'd killed their own Messiah, and they cried out ‘Men and brethren what shall we do?’ Here was the answer: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.”

Friend if you've never done those things, today we ask you- why not? Will you, today, obey God's plan of salvation?

We want you to know that the God of heaven wants nothing more than for you to become a child of His.

Study Questions for:

“Living Messages of the Old Testament: Lesson 10”

1. According to 2 Samuel 22:21, how was David rewarded? 2. According to Matthew 6:33, if we seek Jesus what will come? 3. What does Paul say in Romans 8:18 about the present sufferings? 4. According to Proverbs 3:5-6, what should we trust? 5. According to James 1:17, what comes from God? 6. According to Hebrews 4:15, how was Jesus tempted? 7. Where is Jesus according to Hebrews 1:4? 8. According to Romans 15:4, why were the things written in the Old Testament? 9. According to John 14:15, if we love Jesus what will we do? 10. What does Proverbs 28:13 tell us about trying to hide our sin?

The Bible says in Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by name, whom I have created for my glory, I have formed him; yes, I have made him.”

What a beautiful passage from the lips of Isaiah inspired by God that shows that we are created for the glorification of our God.

You know, so many people wander through life without purpose, without meaning, just take a lackadaisical approach to life, and have no real direction or purpose-and yet the child of God is created by God to glorify and honor his name in everything we say and do.

Today we're going to talk about that wonderful subject of what kind of life is it that really brings glory and honor to God. Think about that life which really brings honor and glory to almighty God. You see, that's what God made us for. When I obey the gospel, when I became a Christian- I gave my life to almighty God. I Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that as many of you as were bought by the blood of Christ, they've obeyed the gospel, that we belong to God, and that our body and our spirit are now God's?” We've given our self over to God, and as a result, we want to make sure that our life brings glory and honor to almighty God.

Paul would say it this way in I Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or whether you drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The Lord put it this way in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:16 Jesus said “Let

your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

As you really think about man's purpose and the meaning behind life, Solomon brought it all to a grand conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13.” Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man, for God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

We want to think about, what can I do? We want to make this lesson as practical to daily Christianity as we can. We want to ask ourselves, what can we do on a daily, practical level? What can I do in my life that'll bring glory and honor to the name of God?

We begin by showing that from the scriptures, if we're going to glorify God; we need to live a life that has the main purpose of putting God first. I want to remind you again of I Corinthians 10:31. Paul said, “Whether we eat or whether we drink, even in things like unto that, whatever we do, do all to the glory of God.” If my life and yours is going to bring honor to God, I've got to live with purpose. I want to make sure that my purpose is to bring God the glory and honor in everything that we say and do.

When you think about this idea, there are hosts of passages that teach us about the dedication we need to have to really live with that purpose.

I'm reminded of one that Paul mentioned in Philippians 1:21. Paul said, as it related to his life, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Do you think the life of the apostle Paul brought glory to God? Oh, you bet it did. When he changed his way of living, when he obeyed the gospel, when he suffered, when he preached in various places, as he went about teaching the gospel, people could look at Paul and notice that change. When they asked, ‘what is it that caused him to change?’ Jesus Christ is always the answer they pointed to.

I'm reminded of Christ's words in Matthew 6:33. “Seek first,” there's our purpose, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

You know, as we live with purpose, we're living every day for the Lord and Savior and not ourselves. Jesus said, “If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” So friend, as we get right down to the basics of glorifying God, it all starts by us examining ourselves. Examine yourselves. Test yourselves to see whether you're in the faith, 2 Corinthians 13:5, and making sure that every day our purpose is to bring God the glory and the honor in everything that we do.

Too many times in this life, if we're not careful, man's pride can get in the way. Men want others to look at them. ‘Look at the good I've done. Look at what I've said.’ That’s not what it's about. We want God to be honored through our lives and by our actions. We want people to look at us and give God the glory, Matthew 5:16.

Another aspect that brings glory to God is when we're big enough to own up to and confess sin in our life. In Joshua 7:19, Joshua is dealing with sin that has plagued Israel. As a result, they're suffering defeats in battle. As a result, calamity is coming upon the Israelites, and so they identify that one man and his family has disobeyed God. As a result, he needs to acknowledge this and come forward with that sin. Listen to Joshua 7:19. Now, Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you.” Listen to this, “Give glory to the God of Israel and make confession to him, and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” Achan's sin was affecting everybody. The whole camp was feeling the consequences of that sin. People were dying in battle. There was God's anger that was being unleashed on Israel because this man disobeyed God. Notice again the words of Joshua. “My son,” he said, “give glory to God and confess what you've done.”

Friend, when we own up to sin, when we confess it, when we acknowledge it- we're bringing glory and honor to God's name, because that's what God has told us to do.

Do you remember I John 1:7-9? John says, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, as Jesus is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of his son Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we make him a liar, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity.”

Friend, God wants us to confess. The word confess means to lay alongside of. God knows what we've done. He's not ignorant of that. “All things are open and naked before the eyes of him with whom we must give an account,” Hebrews 4:13. But then when we lay alongside of what God already knows, we acknowledge our sin, we acknowledge the holiness and the need for God to save us. James said it this way in James 5:16-17, “Pray for one another. Confess your trespasses and sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effect of fervent prayer of a righteous man overcomes much.” Friend, I've got to acknowledge, I've sinned. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. I've got to recognize and honor God for the fact that only through His plan and His avenue can I be saved. Thank God that if we're willing to repent and confess and acknowledge our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity.

Thirdly, we think about a life that glorifies God, one of the great ways that we bring honor to God is by living a life of purity. I want you to notice the words of I Peter 1:15 with me as we think about pure lives honoring God. “But as he who called you is holy, be holy in all your conduct.” You know, if I'm going to be like God, I'm going to imitate Christ, I Peter 2:21 and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, I Corinthians 11:1, then friend, I want to try to be holy as God is holy. When I do that, I'm reflecting the holiness, the majesty, and the power of almighty God in my life. When I obey the gospel, that's what I promise to do, right? I Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own.” What do you mean, I'm not my own? “You were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are His.” As I strive to live with purity, I'm not doing it for people to say, ‘look at me,’ or brag about it-that's not the reason. As we strive to live pure, holy lives, we are reflecting the purity and the holiness of God. Hebrews 12:14 says ‘Without holiness, no one can see God.’ We want people to see God living in us. ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory,’ as Colossians 1 will say. We want others to see that and realize God is the motivation, the force, behind the holiness in each of our lives.

Another way that we glorify God on a practical level is by being people of prayer. You know, prayer honors God. I want you to listen to the words of Jesus in John chapter 14 as he thought about the subject of prayer and how it brings honor and glory to God. Jesus said in John 14:13, “Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be

glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” God is glorified when we ask through Christ, through his Son, through the mediator. Prayer is one of the great ways that we can honor and glorify God. When we pray, we ought to mention and talk about the holiness of God. What a privilege it is to come before the very throne of almighty God, Hebrews 4:16. How unworthy we are to be in the presence of an awesome God! Luke 17:10 Jesus said, “And you, when you've done all those things commanded you, say, ‘I'm an unprofitable servant. I've only done that which is my duty to do.’” Prayer brings honor to the name and the person of almighty God.

Another way Christians bring glory to God is by living a life of thankfulness. Listen to the words of 2 Corinthians 4:15 the scripture says, ‘for all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.’ As I acknowledge, ‘every good and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of light, with whom there is no shadow of variation of turning,’ James 1:17, as I thank God-I'm glorifying and honoring almighty God.

We celebrate every year the holiday called Thanksgiving where we're made to think about all our gifts and blessings and the many blessings and bountiful gifts we have in this life. That day specifically, we think about it and we often thank God for those things. The Christian needs to be thankful every day. “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you,” I Thessalonians 5:16-18. Luke 17 Jesus spoke about 10 lepers, and all 10 of those the Lord healed. But then, here's what's interesting about that story, of those 10 lepers that the Lord healed, one came back to say thank you and gave glory to God. You know what Jesus's question was? Where are the nine? Jesus wants us to bring honor to the name of God by being thankful. When I think about everything I'm given in this life, as you think about everything you have in your life, our home, the food we have, the vehicles that we drive, our friends and our family and how blessed we are-I need to take time to honor God by saying ‘thank you.’ God is the giver of those gifts. He's the reason we have them. Without him, there would be no blessings in this life. Ephesians 1:3, “all spiritual blessings are ours in Christ Jesus.” Honoring God and glorifying Him by saying ‘thank you’ is a big way to glorify Him in this life.

Another way that we glorify God is by suffering with courage. I Peter 4:16. Peter says, “If any man suffers as a Christian, let him not be

ashamed, but let him glorify God in this name.” The name Christian automatically brings honor to God, but when we take that name Christian and we live courageously, when we suffer for Christ, God and Christ are glorified by our faithfulness in suffering- by our courage when it's tested, when we have to suffer because someone looks down on Christians for their moral standard, because we believe in God and the Bible that brings honor to the name of God that we hold true to God, even in the midst of that suffering. We have to face difficulty in life. We're tested. We face those fiery trials like Jesus and the Bible writers spoke about. When I remain true to God in the face of all that, when I don't throw in the towel, and when I don't give up, people often ask the question, why? Why did he endure that? Why did they not give up their belief system? Why did they not conform to the moral standard that the world says is right? Then they're reminded, their life is governed by God. The Bible is what they're being guided by, and they are caused to give glory and honor to God through that, and our lives show that.

Another way that we bring honor to the name of God is by growing spiritually. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:18, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior.” I Peter 2:2, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” Just like a baby when it's first born has to have milk has to have that precious milk to grow by, Christians, when they obey the gospel and they began to get on that spiritual diet, study the word of God, transform their life, Romans 12:2, turn from the things they used to do, really live a life that is new and different, and grow spiritually- that's a life that truly brings honor to God in every way.

Let me mention some other ways that Christians can glorify God in their life. Spreading the gospel is one of the great ways that we can glorify God. Listen to the request of Jesus. As Jesus stood with His disciples, about to depart and ascend back to the Father, Jesus gave us this last request. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature,” Mark 16:15. Jesus says in Matthew 28:18 “go to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Friend when we go out to the world and we tell others about the remedy for sin, about the cross of Jesus Christ, about the marvelous love of God, how much God loves you, how he wants to save your soul, the great plan of salvation, the power of the gospel, and all of it giving honor to God- Christians truly are praising the name of God when they preach and spread the gospel.

Now here's another way that we also can bring honor to God in our lives today, and that is by giving sacrificially. I want you to listen to a passage in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. Paul said, “With this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.” When we give sacrificially, when we give to the work of God, when we give to the congregation where we attend at as we are commanded on the first day of the week, I Corinthians 16:1-2- we're honoring God through that gift. God has given us so much. What a privilege it is and an honor it is to give back to God and to the cause of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We want to think about our giving and make sure that we're really giving in such a way that it brings God honor. Sometimes we give God leftovers. An example in the Bible in Malachi, where they were giving God the leftovers. God said, ‘no, you take that to the governor. You see if he would be satisfied with the sick and the lame and the leftovers.’ God says, give me your best. That's what God wants in each one of us every day in our lives, to make sure that we're really living and doing the things that are right in the sight of God.

Another way that God is honored and glorified is the salvation that is offered to mankind. Psalm 21:5 says this about God and His salvation, “His glory is great in your salvation. Honor and majesty you have placed upon him.” How is God glorified today? When men and women submit their lives to the teaching of the gospel. When we transform our lives to obey the gospel, friend, God is honored through that salvation. Salvation is only available because of God, right? “God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” “God wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth,” I Timothy 2:4. “God's not slow concerning his promises as some count slowness, but he's long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Friend, God wants to be honored in our life through the salvation He offers to us. That salvation is freely given through His Son Jesus Christ. Romans 6:23, the Bible says “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We also mention today, as we've referenced earlier, that one of the great ways that we can glorify God today is through shining the light of

Christ in our lives. In Matthew 5, as Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount, He's just finished the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” And then He says in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

As I live my life every day, I'm not doing it to honor self. I'm not doing it to shout my own praises or to trumpet my own good. That's not what we're doing. As we live our life every day, to help those who are in need, to spread the gospel, to live lives of holiness, to make ourselves a living sacrifice for God every day- everything we're doing ought to point people toward Jesus Christ. We often sing the song, “This Little Light of Mine, I'm going to let it shine.” You know, how true that is. Every Christian is a light and an influence. It has a drawing power and points people toward Jesus. We ought to do my best every day to shine that light in such a way that people can look to God. They can look to Christ. They can see that our lives are unique and different. There's a joy and happiness and a peace and a comfort that comes through being a child of God. They all walk away and say, ‘I want a life like that. I want to live in such a way that I have those qualities and characteristics in my life.’

Maybe today you're living a life that really doesn't glorify God. Maybe your life has not been transformed to give it really to Christ. Why not do that today? The greatest thing you could do to honor God today would be to obey the gospel.

Are you a Christian? Have you obeyed the glorious gospel of Christ? If not, why not do that today? The Bible plan of salvation, Jesus gave it. It is so plain and so simple. Here it is. Jesus said 'if we're going to be saved, we've got to believe in Him.' John 8:24 Jesus said, “Unless you believe I am He, you'll surely die in your sins.” Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? Are you willing to repent of sin in your life, Acts 17:30:31?

God now commands all men everywhere to repent. Jesus said, ‘unless you repent, you'll all likewise perish,’ Luke 13:3. Would you turn from sin and turn to God? Would you confess the beautiful name of Jesus? Jesus said, “If you won't confess me before men, neither will I confess you before my Father who is in heaven,” Matthew 10:32-33. Would you to be saved be baptized? Jesus said it this way. “He that believes and is baptized

will be saved,” Mark 16:16. Peter stood up on the great day of Pentecost and said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” If you'll do that, you've taken the first step to making your life a life that glorifies God. If you walk in the light every day, as Jesus is the light, you will reflect the glory and honor of God in your life.

Our hope and prayer is that each of us will live a life that truly glorifies God.

Study Questions for: “Great Bible Lessons: Lesson 9”

1. According to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, what were we bought with?

2. According to 1 Corinthians 10:31, how should we do all things?

3. Why should we let our light shine according to Matthew 5:16?

4. According to Ecclesiastes 12:13, what is the duty of man?

5. According to Matthew 6:33, what should we seek first?

6. If we seek the Kingdom first what will happen?

7. In Joshua 7:19, what needed to be confessed?

8. According to 1 John 1:7-9, what happens when we confess our sins?

9. What does Hebrews 4:13 say about things we do?

10. According to Psalm 21:5, how is God glorified?

Do you know what the very last word in the Bible is? It's the word Amen. What you really know about that unique word? We all are very familiar with it; we use it regularly. We say it when we pray, we hear about it a lot, but what does the word amen actually mean? How is that word used in Scripture? How should it be used in my life?

It's been said that there are four universal words that are known in any language across the world. Those four words are okay, hallelujah, amen, and Coke. We think about the word amen today. Amen has been called the best known word in human speech regardless of language. It's the actually the last word in the Bible as we mentioned. In Revelation 22:21, when God closes out his final Revelation he places his own amen upon those words.

Did you know that most books of the New Testament actually end with the word amen? Here's a little more information about it concerning this word amen: it's used in the Greek New Testament 129 times it occurs some seventy-seven times in the English Bible. It's a word that we hear over and over again, that we say a lot, that we even hear others say.

What does this word really mean? How did God use it? How does God expect me to use this word? Here are a couple of interesting facts about the word amen. Did you know that the word amen is actually a word used to describe a quality characteristic of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

The Bible says, "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God,'" Rev 3:14. When we think about this word amen we are talking about that which is true and faithful, Jesus being the epitome of those characteristics. If we are faithless He remains faithful. 1 Timothy said of Jesus, "It is said that he cannot lie." "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever," Hebrews 13:8.

This word is also a used in the Old Testament and is also related to God. God is called the Amen. The English Bible records the word truth in Isaiah 65:16, but it's actually the Hebrew word Amen, "So that he who blesses himself and the earth shall bless himself in the in the God of truth and he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth."

God is called the God of truth that word is the equivalent of the English word amen, so we're talking about truth. God, "He cannot change," (Mal 3:6). "He cannot lie," Hebrews 6:18. His character is sure and solid; he's faithful in all things. That's the very nature of the God whom we serve.

We think about the word amen, and we might ask ourselves, “Why do we need to study this?" As we've already seen this is a familiar word. We want to be familiar with it and know how to use it correctly, but there are some other reasons to study the word amen. It's a word we use every day. At the close every prayer we say Amen. What does that mean? Why do we do that? What's the importance of that statement?

We study this subject because this is a word that occurs so much in scripture, 130 times nearly in the Bible. It's a very frequent word and we want to study this subject because it has a very rich and encouraging background for the child of God. When this word is used God is placing a solid surety, faithfulness, and a truth on something that we absolutely are encouraged about it. Tis word amen is not an English word. It's a transliteration of the Greek word am-ane' . What we did is take the Greek letters in the word am-ane' and we came up with a new word: amen.

We didn't really have a word for baptism either, or we didn't select the correct word. It should have been immersion, but the Greek word for baptism is baptitso. So we just transliterated the idea of baptism, similarly to the word amen in the Bible. Well what does this word mean? It originates from a Hebrew word meaning to build up or support. It carries the idea, in Hebrew, of something with a solid foundation, a bedrock foundation, some kind of pillars, some kind of post that cannot be moved, some great lasting support is the idea in the Hebrew. Defined by Greek lexicons it simply means firm or truly, it means something that is certain. It carries the connotation of absolutely or often when we say it in prayer, or when we hear people say it after something God

says it's like it's the idea of “may it be so,” “let that come to pass,” “absolutely,” “that's what we want” is the idea in Scripture.

The word “Amen” is used very uniquely in the gospel of John and it helps us to understand it. In the gospel of John it is translated as 'verily, verily,' in the King James, or 'truly, truly.' For example, in John 3:3-5, Jesus is discussing the subject of getting into the kingdom and the new birth with Nicodemus. Jesus says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you unless a man is born of water and the spirit he cannot get into the kingdom of heaven." What's Jesus saying? This is a fact; you cannot get into the kingdom without being born of water and the spirit. So it carries of a beautiful, solid idea that we find is very rich in the New Testament and in the teaching of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit actually helps us define the word Amen in a couple of parallel passages that we find in our Bible. For example Mark 9:1, "and Jesus said unto them verily (or Amen or truly) I say unto you, there be some of them that stand here which shall not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God present with power." We also learn from Luke 9:27, a parallel passage, Jesus said, "But I tell you truly (or verily or Amen), there are some standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God." Now Mark uses the word Greek word which we know is the word am-ane' or amen, but Luke in that parallel passage uses a different word Alethios which is the word for truth. Parallel passages help us to understand a little for that word amen is supplied and supplemented by the word truth. When we talk about the word amen, we're talking about something that is true and absolute in every way what a wonderful idea that applies to God's children.

The word amen is synonymous with our word yes. It is used that way in the Bible. In 2 Corinthians 1:20 it says, "For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen to the glory of God through us." Notice how those two ideas are synonymous: yes and amen those go hand-in-hand. When we say amen we're saying surely, we're saying yes, we're saying absolutely, that's something that's true and solid from Almighty God to his Christians or to his children.

What is the first usage of the word amen in Scripture? It's a very interesting context in Numbers 5. The context is a scene about adultery, immorality, and the things that were going on in that context. Numbers 5:19 says, "And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, "If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. But if you have gone astray while under your husbands authority, and if you have defiled your husband and some man other than your husband has lain with you then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman, 'the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people,

when the Lord makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; and may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach, make your belly swell and your thigh rot. And the woman shall say, 'Amen, so be it.'"

The first usage in the Bible was an interesting context. Someone who has been accused of adultery and priest is sent by God to give a test to the accused. She drinks this water as her part in the test and she’s got to agree and say, 'if I've committed adultery let this water cause these things to happen to me if not let it prove it as well.' And to confirm this oath, the woman says amen. What's she agreeing to? She's agreeing, when this woman says amen, she is agreeing to God's law and she's giving to consent to the punishment if she's lied. Amen was used as an oath here of truthfulness and surety, with a sense of gravity and awe and respect for the Almighty indeed being used in this context.

What about Christians today? When we say amen what exactly are we saying? It's a very serious thing to say amen and here's what we're saying. We're saying yes before God, I agree with that, I believe that to be true, I want that to be so in my life. When I say amen not only am I saying that's right and I agree with it, I am consenting to that teaching, I'm confirming my faith in Scripture, and I'm requesting or asking for something to be true or happen in my life. When someone preaches the word and we say amen, not only are we saying preacher that's right, we're also saying I agree with that, I'm ready to make my life in line with that teaching regardless of the consequences. When we say amen after prayer, we're confirming our faith in God who's promised that these things will be true, we're requesting that something happen or be true in our life. And so there is up a sense of seriousness when we say that. It's not just saying yes. There's a whole lot more to it than that, and it carries a beautiful connotation of our trust in God and our willingness to agree to his will and put that to use in our lives from day-to-day.

I believe that we can use the word Amen flippantly if we’re not careful. Someone may say Amen or we may hear that often and it may become even habitual. How should the word amen be used by child of God?

First, it needs to be used intelligibly with understanding and with the mind engaged in what we're saying. 1 Corinthians 14:15-16 says, "I will sing with the spirit and with the understanding. I'll pray with the spirit and I'll pray with the understanding." When I sing and when I pray I need to understand what I'm singing and praying. When we close prayer with the word Amen, we also need to think about what it is we're saying. Here's what we mean by that, we need to think about what am I really asking God for, we need to think about the promises of God and how we can always trust him, the surety of those promises, and we need to think about what it is I'm actually agreeing to. For example, when the gospel is preached and we maybe talk about sin or we talk

about evangelism or we talk about Bible study, somebody may chime in and say amen. Is that person really saying amen because he wants to consent to that, his life is ready to change, he wants to go out and get to work doing those things? Are we really not only just saying yes but agreeing to that in our life by the actions that we show?

Secondly, Amen should always come from the heart. In John 4:24, the Bible says, "God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." This means is you can't force that to happen, you can’t say, okay when I go to services today I'm going to say amen. No, it doesn't work that way, it's got to come from the heart. It must be something that is from the emotion, the seed of understanding combined with that, John 4:24 and out of a heartfelt desire to worship God. To honor him, to change our lives, be aligned with His teaching, and with His way of life. In the Bible, when we see the word amen it's after something amazing happens. Like in the book of Revelation it's after some great truth that we really want in our life, that we want to change to, that we want to glorify God with, and so it's got to be heartfelt. It can't be forced, it can't be something that you know that's just what we're supposed to do, and it’s got to come from the heart from a child of God. It must be said in faith, I can't say amen if I really don't do it in faith based on the word of God. You see, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God," Romans 10:17. "Without faith it's impossible to please him, for he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him," Hebrews 11:6. When we say amen, it needs to be based on faith meaning based on the word of God, based on our understanding of that word, and based on our willingness to live that by faith in our lives as a child of God.

The word Amen should also be uttered in hope of the promises of God. Listen to Revelation 1:18 the Scripture records Jesus saying, "I am he who lives, and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." I was alive, I was dead, now I'm alive for evermore and then you hear that word Amen it's based on the hope of the resurrection, based on the future life of Christ, and all the promises and blessings that go along with that. Hope ought to be a part of our utterance of this word

Don't say Amen unless you plan on doing something after you say that. Deuteronomy 27:26 records, "Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law and all people shall say, 'Amen!'" It's a very serious thing to say amen God says, "Cursed are you if you don't perform all the things written in this law," and God said, "I want you to agree to it by saying amen." When someone says Amen they've got to plan on doing something with that truth they're confirming. There might be a great lesson or someone might read the Bible or hear God's word spoken about, for example, on the subject of giving. “God loves a cheerful giver,” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. Christians should give as they purposed on their heart on the first day of the week and we should

give just like that widow who gave those two mites. Somebody might chime in with an Amen and then when the collection plate comes around they're too stingy to put anything in. If I'm going to say amen I'd better back it up by actually doing something with that truth that I've placed my confirmation on. Someone talks about maybe preaching the word of God and we want to preach truth. We want to preach it in season, we want God's truth come forth, and when he hits a hard subject in which we're encouraged to change our life we said Amen to it. Sometimes we go home and we’re not really making the changes that we should make. Amen means I'm going to do something. I want to change something, I'm going to believe something, I'm going to put some kind of action to work in my life based on this confirmation I've given to God's truth.

Now let's follow it up by maybe mentioning three or four things in Scripture that Christians should place their Amen toward. First, as God's children we ought to have the attitude of Amen toward God's law in our lives. God gave all those cursings and blessings, in Deuteronomy 27:26, God said, "I want you to place your oath on my law by saying amen." That attitude should be ours. When it comes to God's law we should have an attitude of amen, that is I want to know the law. "Study to show yourself approved unto God," 2 Timothy 2:15. Not only do I want to know it, I want to live it in my life, "I want to walk in the footsteps of Jesus," 1 Peter 2:21. I want to let others know about that law, and I want to live in hope of what that law promises: eternal life, 1 John 2:25.

A second thing we should have an attitude of Amen about is worship and praise toward God. 1 Chronicles 16:36 says, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shall say all the people said, 'Amen!' and praised the Lord." In this wonderful setting of worship and praise to God people place their amen on worship of God. When we praise God not just our words, but our heart, our mindset, and our attitude always should be truly, faithfully in hope and love we're worshiping and giving our heart; not just our heart but our lives and our attitude to the Almighty God.

Thirdly, every child of God should have attitude and the mindset of Amen when God’s word is read and preached. In Nehemiah 8:5-6 the Scripture says, "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen!' while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground." In context, the word of God had not been given its prime place of importance as it should have for long time. They're now gathered back in the restoration era after captivity and what a heartfelt scene they stand up, the word of God is open, and read, and the people cry amen, amen. How good it must've been to hear the word of God in that scene and

friend, how good it is that we live in a land that we have the word of God. We live in a land we can hear it and how we should place our confirmation upon the reading and preaching of God's holy word.

A fourth thing that we should place amen upon is our attitude of confirmation and trust in God in prayer. In Matthew 6:13, Jesus ended his prayer teaching the disciples how to pray with, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." At the end of that He said, "Amen." When we pray we should have the attitude of amen we ought to have the attitude of understanding. God's the one who we can trust with these promises of blessings and desires. God is the one who is able to accomplish these things and not men. And so as our attitude, as our heart is, so goes our life in so many things and in so many areas today.

One last thing of which every Christian surely ought to place a heartfelt confirmation upon. That is the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Listen to it again, Revelation 1:18, Jesus says, "I am he who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen."

Where is the rock-solid foundation of our hope? In this amen, based upon the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus. "I am he who was alive," there's his life, "was dead," his burial and death, "and I'm he who is alive forevermore." Where is my hope and where is your hope? It's in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus: the Gospel.

We ask you today: are you a Christian? Have you heard the word of God? Do you believe in Jesus, John 8:24? Would you repent of your sins, Luke 13:3, confessing his name before men? And would you be immersed in water placing your confirmation on God's truth as is taught in Mark 16:16? May we not just say amen, may we live that attitude throughout our lives bringing honor and glory to the Father.

Study Questions for: “Special Studies: A Study of Amen”

1. What is the final word in the Bible (Revelation 22:21)?

2. Amen is synonymous with what word according to 2 Corinthians 1:20?

3. How should we sing and pray according to 1 Corinthians 14:15-16?

4. How should we worship God according to John 4:24?

5. According to Romans 10:17, how do we obtain faith?

6. How is Amen used in Revelation 1:18?

7. According to Deuteronomy 27:26, we should only use Amen if we what?

8. According to 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, what does God love?

9. What should we do to show ourselves approved to god according to 2 Timothy 2:15?

10. How should we use Amen according to Matthew 6:13?

The apostle Paul said, "Even if we or an angel from heaven preach to you any other gospel than that which we have preached let him be accursed," Galatians 1:8.

Welcome to our Special Study Series as we think about today the subject of angels.

Angels are very unique and special in many ways in the New Testament. They are also a very curious topic to many people today. Angels have been the subject of a host of newsmagazines, tabloids, and even whole TV shows have been based on the idea of angels. In fact, Time magazine recently conducted a poll among American adults on the subject of angels. The results were that 69% believe that angels do exist, 45% claim to have had a personal guardian angel, and 32% claimed they had felt some angelic presence at some time in their life. With a lot of fault among people today about angels, we want to direct our attention to what the Bible says on this subject. Apart from what tabloids, magazines, and Hollywood may produce, what does the word of God really teach on the subject of angels?

First, let's get a definition of what we’re talking about. Angels are an order of supernatural, heavenly beings who act as God's messengers. In fact, the Hebrew and the Greek words have some very unique meanings Both the Hebrew and Greek words for angel can mean either angel or messenger, depending on the context. When we talk about angels, we're talking about God's special servants whom he issued to do certain jobs and tasks which we'll talk about in our study.

What do angels look like in the Bible? To familiarize ourselves with this subject, let's remind ourselves of certain appearances that occurred in the Bible. In the religious world most photos or drawings depict that angels have wings, they've got a harp, and they've got a halo. When you see them in the Bible do they have wings, a harp, or a halo then? What would an angel look like if you were to see one?

Here's what the Bible says. At times, angels can't be distinguished from people. In Genesis 18:2; 16 during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah they just thought the angels were men. When they came to Abraham, they looked like men. Sometimes angels can't be distinguished from other people in the Bible. Some angels, but not all, have the ability to fly, Daniel 9:21. Revelation 14:6, describes angels as flying or moving very fast. Some of the seraphim and cherubim, which were special servants of God, did have wings, but not all of them did. Even in passages where the angels are described as flying, it's often in very apocalyptic, figurative context. We know that they were very awesome creatures, Isaiah 6. Ezekiel 1 describes the majesty and the power of these beings and in great detail. There are times where they were clothed in white and they did shine, for example in John 20:12, depicts certain angels that did have that appearance. What we learn about the appearances of angels in the Bible is they may look like people, they may have certain special qualities, or they may be something so majestic and graceful that we would stand in awe of the God who created them.

Let's consider the nature of angels. What do we know about the angels and their nature? We know that angels are created beings, Colossians 1:16 says, "All things were created by him and for him." Psalm 148:2 and the following verses say this about angels and their unique nature, "Praise Him, all angels; Praise Him, all hosts!" Psalm 148:5 says, "Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created." Who commanded? Who was created? God commanded the creation of the angels and He commanded they praise Him. Angels are created beings and they are immortal beings. In Luke 20:36 the Bible says, "Nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to Angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." We learn from this verse that the things that we mortals face like death and sickness, these beings don't face. Nor can they die anymore; they're like the angels or the sons of God who will be at the resurrection.

What else do we know about the nature of angels? Angels are in some ways superior to man in his fleshly mortal state. Hebrews 2:9 says of Jesus, "He was made a little lower than the angels. He was made lower than the angels in some ways. Of course we know that Christ came in human form and suffered for each of us as a human being. Angels are indeed spirit beings; they're not flesh and blood like we are. Angels are in subjection to Almighty God. Hebrews 1 helps us to understand the true identity and the purpose of angels. Hebrews 1:5, "To which of the angels did He ever say: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten you'?" Hebrews 1:7, "And of the angels he

says: 'Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.'" Hebrews 1:14, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation?" Angels are spirit beings who God created to minister and to serve at His desire. They're God's special servants often with a unique mission and purpose. Ultimately they exist to bring about God's plan of salvation and to realize and understand God's will must always be above their own.

Another unique idea and attribute of angels is they have a certain amount of limited knowledge of the Divine plan. Matthew 24:36 illustrates this. Concerning the second coming of Christ, Jesus said, "Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven, not even the Son, but the Father knows that." There are certain things that angels were limited from knowing like man. They weren't privy to all divine plans and knowledge they're limited in certain things as well.

Another unique attribute of angels is that angels don't marry and they don't procreate as men and women do. Look in Mark 12:25, Jesus is here showing that the resurrection is true-that it has happened and he uses this proof, " For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in Heaven." The Jews had asked about a woman who had had seven husbands. They wanted to know, whose wife she would be in the resurrection? Jesus answered that she wouldn't be married to anyone, like the angels they neither marry nor are given in marriage. There are certain things that we are so accustomed to that don't exist for angels and isn't a part of their nature.

We do know that angels definitely have a free; will they're not robots, they are created beings. They are created to serve and minister to Almighty God, but angels have the free will and choose to do that. Two passages illustrate this, I want you to notice Jude 6, "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains of darkness for the judgment of that great day." There are angels who didn't obey, who didn't stay where God wanted them to stay, and do what he wanted them to do. They had the ability to choose to obey God or choose to disobey and suffer the consequences. Another passage 2 Peter 2:4 says this, "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people,..." He goes on to say you've got to be careful as well. If God did not spare the angels who sinned, angels are free moral agents they can choose to do well and serve God; they can choose to do evil and become servants of Satan, locked in darkness for that great and awful day where God's judgment will be revealed upon them.

Angels are also beings that worship God by their very nature. Hebrews 1:6, "But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: Let all the angels of God worship Him." Angels are not at the top, they're not gods, and they’re under God. They worship, they pay honor and homage to something greater than them. Another example, in Revelation 4:5 there's this great throne room scene and where God's on the throne and Christ the Lamb is there. The Angels fall down and pray our creator, Almighty God. And so they're under God, and they, by their very nature worship God as their creator and the one whom they're amenable to.

Angels are not to be worshiped by a person, that’s not the way God designed it, and God clearly teaches us that's not the case. In Revelation 19:10, John has been receiving some magnificent testimonies and prophecies from God. Revelations from God and this one is so encouraging to John that I want you notice what he tries to do. Revelation 19:10 the Bible says, of this angel, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Are angels to be worshiped? The angel here said get up, stop doing that, I'm a servant like you. You worship God. Colossians 2:18 mentions one of vain things that some in that day had gotten caught up in one was, angel worship, which again is not at all approved by God. And so we sometimes see images where people worship them or falling down before them, and friend that's not the case, we're not created to worship angels. Angels worship God and we worship God just as well.

One of the most common myths has to do with, again, the way angels look. Sometimes in most every picture you see all angels will have wings. Did you know that's just very rarely the idea in the Bible? There's only a slight reference to any other angels having wings besides created beings like the cherubim and the seraphim. In Daniel 9:21 and Revelation 14:6 they are said to fly. Those verses imply that angels have the ability to fly with wings, but both of those contexts are figurative. There's a host of things that happened in the book Revelation that were never meant to be taken literally. The first myth we want to address is that angels, all angels have wings. In the Bible most of the angelic appearances that we read about they look like men. They weren't very different than me and you; they took on the form of a man when they came to this earth.

Another myth we can address is this, sometimes people teach that we're going to become angels. Someone may say well he's an angel, or he's going to be an angel. We understand that they're saying that he's a good person. Sometimes that idea is that we're going to be angels in Heaven and that’s not taught in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 15:52, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. The trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible." We'll all be changed. What are we going to be like? Philippians 3:20-21 says that we're going to be transformed into a different body, a different state like unto Christ himself. The mortal will put on

immortality the corruptible will put on incorruption, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that we're going become angels after this life. That's a myth that maybe has been promoted, but is not taught in the Scripture.

Another myth is that angels talk to us today. We might hear this quite often whether it is in a song, whether be in a movie, or whether we're talking to someone about a Biblical matter. A person may say well I saw an angel or an angel talked to me. Is that really how God speaks to us today? How does God say he'll speak to man? Here's how: Hebrews 1:1, "God, who at various times in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by his Son." God chose to use His Son to speak His message. That message we now have in the words of the Bible. That message is powerful, it has the ability to save, and it's God's final Revelation to save man, to get him to Heaven, and to help them to be everything God wants him to be.

In 2 Peter 3:1, here's how God speaks to me. Peter said, "Beloved, I now write to you of this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder)." So how does the Bible say God speaks? Through His Son and through the written word given by the apostles inspired by God. If someone says, an angel spoke to me. Consider that this is God's message and that the Bible tells me do not even believe an angel if it's message is different than this book. In Galatians 1:8 Paul said, "even if we, or an angel from Heaven, preach to you any other gospel than that which we have preached, let him be accursed. As I said before so now I say again if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than that which you received let him be accursed.' What do we learn from that passage? If the apostle Paul or an angel came back and taught something different than this book which should I believe? Paul, the angel, or the Bible. Paul said believe the Bible, believe what's been preached, and believe what's been written. Someone may say an angel told me to do this, but if we open our Bible, that's not there. Which should you believe? The Book, believe the Word of God, believe the Holy Bible; because, it is indeed God's final Revelation to mankind.

A common myth and that is the idea of guardian angels. Do we all have some special guardian angel, who is watching over us and making sure that nothing bad happens to us? Consider a few things first. If it's the case that we all have a guardian angel watching over us, then some peoples are better than other's. If someone does walk in front of the car and gets hit or has something fall off of a building on top of them. Where was their guardian angel? Are we ready to say their guardian angel didn't do too good? Trusting in that is really trusting in something that the Bible doesn't necessarily teach. Now where do those ideas come from? Hebrews 1:14, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent to minister to those who will receive salvation?" People will get the idea from this verse that God sent angels and they were sent to minister to us. If we understand the context God used the angels to carry out parts of His plan. The Gospel,

God getting his plan out, God working through the ages, "God who spoke at various times various ways to the prophets has now in these last days spoken to us." Talking about God, bringing the fulfillment of His ultimate gospel plan to mankind. Did God use angels in that? He absolutely did, they announced the birth of Jesus, they told of coming hope and future. That was the working of the angels then. Am I to imply from Hebrews 1:14 that that's not what's taught, that's not the context, that's not what's being applied. What's being taught is their work throughout history in bringing that salvation in helping in the way God told them to through the ages to us and to Christians who are now living who have that hope of salvation.

There's another myth that may be popular today that may be caused by an abuse of a context. There's a myth that people may entertain angels. Hebrews 13:1-2, "Let brotherly love continue. And do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." Now here's the point, you've got to love one another. Why? You've got to entertain strangers because that's how you show love, that's how you create relationships, and remember this some in entertaining strangers even unwittingly entertained angels. Now what's the point there? The importance of that context will go all the way back to the time of Abraham. When they unwittingly entertained angels, and how that that was such a great event and it showed their love for all mankind. What's the writer saying? The writer's saying love one another, the writer says entertained strangers, and the writer uses that example from the Old Testament of entertaining angels to show the importance of putting others before self. The special nature of that and how we need to have the closeness and love that God wants us to. Is he trying to say that? That's not even the point, the point is love one another, entertain strangers. This one case example, special case example shows in a unique way how important that is for God's people to do.

And so friend, as we think about angels let's realize that of all God's created beings, I want you to listen real carefully, of all God's created beings man is the one God sent his son to save. Angels is not where my emphasis needs to be. Am I thankful for the work they did in God's plan? Absolutely. Our focus needs not to be so much on angels, but on Christ and on following Him. If we were to put our attention, our effort, and our aim into serving Christ above all else, that's what really counts.

Jesus asked these two questions, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" or, "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Your soul is the most important thing you have. And so we ask you today, are you really giving attention to your soul? Have you heard about Christ? Do you really believe in Him? Would you repent of your sin and confess His name before men? Would you be immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins? Let's indeed, as Acts 2:38 teaches, put the emphasis on Christ, His plan of salvation, and not on created beings that we're not to worship.

Study Questions for: “Special Studies: A Study of Angels”

1. How does Revelation 14:6 describe Angels?

2. How does John 20:12 depict Angels?

3. According to Colossians, were Angels created?

4. What were the Angels commanded to do in Psalm 148:2, 5?

5. According to Luke 20:36, do Angels face the same issues mortals face?

6. Are Angels superior to men according to Hebrews 2:9?

7. Are Angels all-knowing according to Matthew 24:36?

8. Do Angels marry and procreate according to Mark 12:25?

9. According to 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, do Angels have free will?

10. According to Revelation 19:10, are we to worship Angels?

"You believe there is one God, you do well even the demons believe and tremble," James 2:19.

Welcome to our study of demons, in this series of lessons entitled a Special Study Series. We're going to be looking at a host of different subjects that are, maybe, rather unique ones that we don't hear as much about. We will look at subjects some may be curious about. What does the Bible say on this very unique subject?

Today we think about a very unique topic: demons. What you know about demons? We read about them in both the Old and the New Testament. Do they exist today? Do I need to live in fear of, of demon possession today or, or some demons taking control of my body? Were they real in the Bible? Are they real now? What is the exact nature and purpose of demons in the Scripture?

Demons have become very popular in Hollywood and in publishing houses today. There's a host of movies that have been written about demons and demon possession. In the movie Poltergeist, the little girl is standing in front of the TV with her hands on it, and something's going to come out of the TV and possess her. In movies like The Exorcist, the idea is, someone casting out demons out of people. Maybe you've seen movies like Insidious or The Conjuring that are all based on the idea of demon possession. It is indeed a very popular subject and topic for Christians to think about today.

In fact, in the Christian world and the religious world, this idea of demon possession and exorcism has also become extremely popular. Multiplicities of books have been written about this subject. For example some have written books with titles like How Christians Cast Out Demons Today, Demon Proofing Your Prayers, How to Cast Out Demons, or even Exorcism for Dummy's.

What does the Bible really teach about demons? This has become popular because of Catholic ideas that priests or certain people can exorcise demons. There are even documentaries about that. Please don't focus on what books say, what movies say, or what some religious group may think. Turn your attention to the Word of God. What does the Bible actually say about demons in Scripture? There are four mentions of demons in the Old Testament. The Scripture says, "They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they've played the harlot. This should be a statute forever for them throughout their generations," Leviticus 17:7. What did God say about demons in the Old Testament? God said no longer are my people going to offer sacrifices, give their children to, or worship demons. God had seen that happen and didn't like it. Another passage, in the Old Testament says, "They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear," Deuteronomy 32:17. There are two other references to demons in the Old Testament they're mentioned in 2 Chronicles 11:15 and Psalm 106:37.

In the Old Testament not much is said about demons, but there's a stark contrast when you come to the New Testament. The New Testament has a lot to say about demons and demon possession. In fact, compared to the four references in the Old Testament demons are mentioned at least sixty-five times in the New Testament. Fifty-five out of those sixty-five references are in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What then do I learn from that fact? Demons were directly linked to the ministry and life of Jesus Christ. Why did demons exist? What was their purpose? Well we know they're of Satan, we know that they know who God and Jesus are. God allowed that to happen so that he could show the power of His Son, Jesus Christ over Satan and the evil world. Jesus went around and cast out demons with just a word, did not that show His power over Satan and his workers in the first century?

If demons did exist, where did they come from? What's their origin? How did they come to exist? There have been various ideas throughout history on the origin of demons. For example, in the writings of Enoch, an apocryphal writing after the first century, he believed that demons were fallen angels, 2 Peter 2:4. Jude 1:6 teaches that some angels left the proper domain and have been reserved in chains of darkness for the judgment day. That was Enoch's belief, although we don't necessarily find that in Scripture. Josephus and many Greeks living believed they were spirits of evil men. In fact, Justin Martyr would go as far as to say they were the offspring of angels and men. That's all man's idea, but in truth all we know is that they are created beings. Demons

were under the control and power of God. They're not eternal like God, they are workers of Satan. They are definitely under the authority, power, and control of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That would be the limit of knowledge has about demons and their origin in the Scripture. Anything more than that is simply conjecture on the subject.

What do I know about demons and their nature and how that related to people in the New Testament time? I know that demons possess the power of speech. In Mark 5 and cases like Luke 4:33-37. Jesus came to the man who had the legion of demons in him, He said to him, "What is your name?" And the demon responds and says, "We are Legion, is our name, for we are many," Mark 5:9. So demons had some ability to speak through human hosts.

Demons had some type of cognitive ability, an ability to think and recognize who Jesus was. The Scripture records, "When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him with a loud voice, and said, 'What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you do not torment me!" Luke 8:28. Multiple times, we will see that the demons recognized Jesus they, they know His power and they are fearful of who He is the very Son of God. They have some type of cognitive ability, to think and rationalize and realize who the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is.

Demons had a faith, but it was a damning and destructive faith, not a saving faith. James says, "You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble," James 2:19. Demons had a faith, not a saving faith, not a biblical faith that's approved by God, but they had a demonic faith. A faith that just recognized the fact. A faith that was belief alone and a faith that never acted out the way God wanted it to. They could believe, but belief alone didn't save them. We're talking about demons, there's a point here. A lot of people say all you have to do to be saved is believe in Jesus. If that is the case, the according to James 2:19, all the demons in hell ought to be saved. What will faith alone get you? It would get you a front row seat in the halls of hell, right next all the demons. That's all it will get you, if all I do is believe and I never live, follow, obey the teaching of Christ all I have is a demonic type of faith.

Demons had the ability, in the New Testament to possess people. For example, the Bible says, "At evening, when the sun had set, they brought, to Jesus or, to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed," Mark 1:32. Again, we learn from Mark 5, the example of Legion, he had a host of demons possessing him. God gave demons the power to possess. Demon possession existed for the purpose of Jesus showing his power over demons and showing that through Christ men and women can be free from Satan.

There are certain doctrines that are labeled as demonic. 1 Timothy 4:1 says, "The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, teaching deceiving doctrines and doctrines of demons having deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons." The Bible likens some doctrines to a demonic nature. They are wholly of Satan, they are evil, they're ungodly, they don't access the truth at all, and they will only result in people being lost. Doctrines and teachings that do not bring Christ and His teaching to the front are only doctrines of Satan and his cohorts.

In the Bible that demons were very aggressive, actively trying to seek out people to possess. Demons weren't nonchalant or relaxed. Demons in the Bible were very aggressive and active in trying to possess someone. For example, the Bible says, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I'll return to my house from which I came.' When he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So it shall be with this wicked generation," Matthew 12:43-45. Jesus is describing the aggressive nature of evil, sin, and wickedness; and he uses demons in this illustration. If they're cast out they go looking and searching. In the New Testament demons were very aggressive in trying to find someone or something to possess.

Demon possession was defined in the Bible as torment. "He came down with them stood on level place with a crowd of His disciples," verse 17, "a great multitude of people came from all Judea and Jerusalem, from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were all healed," Luke 6:17-18. The Bible defines this type of torment; again we use the man known as Legion, the demoniac. What was his state when he was possessed by all those demon? You can't imagine more torment than this. He lived in the graves, the tombs, and the mountains. He ran around naked according to Luke 8. He often cut himself with sharp rocks and cried out, but no one could bind him with chains or shackles. Every time they tried he would break the chains and shackles. Alone living in the graveyard, harming himself, and could not be contained. Can you imagine more torment than that type of lifestyle?

Another example of demons and their aggressive, torment is found in the book of Acts. Acts 19:13, there are some Jews, who they believe are exorcists, and these men try to cast out a demon. They tried to do so using the Jesus or Paul or some other of the apostles. They implore them by that to come out, and the demon actually attacks them. They leave that, they cast their clothes off, and they're naked and harms them. Demons even had the power to attack certain people in the first century.

When someone was demon possessed in the New Testament he was completely possessed. The Bible says, "Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who You are-the Holy One of God!" Luke 4:33-34. This man is in the synagogue, the demon is overpowering him, and he addresses Jesus. You have the complete possession of the individual at times by demons.

In the Bible sickness is also associated with demon possession. For example, the man who was described as a maniac in Matthew 8:28 was demon possessed. The one who had epilepsy, the demons would cast him into the fire, he would have seizures. Matthew 17:15 is something like unto epilepsy. The man who was mute in Matthew 9:32 that was related in some ways to the demon possession that was in his body.

A person can actually be possessed by more than one demon at once. Legion, we don't know the exact number, but the word Legion is a Roman military group of anywhere from 2000 to 3000 people. They were cast out into 2000 or a multitude of pigs. There's an example of more than one. Mary Magdalene had seven demons at one time, Luke 8:2, seven worse came back after the house was cleaned, and that one left in Luke 11:26.

Why did the demons exist? Realize that Jesus was the master of all demons, and that His power was exhibited in a marvelous way, over Satan and all the workers of evil as he cast out certain demons. Jesus indeed was the master exorcist he cast out demons in various occasions, in a multitude of various ways. For example, Jesus cast out demons with only a word, Matthew 8:16. In Matthew 12:28, Jesus cast them out by prayer. Jesus even at one time cast them in the swine, and those swine ran violently down the hill into the ocean and there drowned in Mark 5. When we think about Biblical exorcism, one of the things we realize is this was an event that occurred in the first century, but not everybody could do it. Some couldn't cast out demons, the seven sons of Sceva, Acts 19:13, they tried it and they were left hurt and naked in that situation. Jesus gave that power to his followers in the New Testament, in Matthew 10:8, when he sent out his workers, he gave certain ones the power, as well to cast out demons. Even though they had that power, Jesus spoke to them in Matthew 17:21, when they wondered why they couldn't cast out one Jesus taught them, some demons were indeed harder to get out.

Do demons exist today? Do I need to and do you need to live in fear of demon possession? Do I need to sit home at night worry that some demon is going to come and possess my body? The good news is that the Bible clearly teaches demon possession has ended. Demons are no longer a threat to you. You can be sure that that is not going to occur to you. How can we be sure? Because the Bible explicitly teaches

that was a first century phenomenon. "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanliness," Zechariah 13:1. This is a prophetic statement about the New Testament age, about that that fountain being opened for sin and uncleanness, John 19:34, when they pierced the side of Jesus forth with came blood and water. What is this time period? It's the time period of the sacrifice, death, and offering of Jesus for sin.

So we're talking about the first century. Now, let's follow with that context, "'It shall be in that day says the Lord of hosts, 'that I will cut off the names of idols from the land, they show no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets, and the unclean spirit to depart from the land,'" Zechariah 13:2. During the time of Christ, during the time of the first century, here's what's going to happen, there was going to be that fountain opened. In Acts 2, Peter stands up with the eleven; they proclaim the sacrifice, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Men and women respond to that and for the very first time they are told repent and be baptized, for the forgiveness of sins. That fountain was opened. What else was going to happen during that timeframe? Idols were cut off from the land. History records that after the Babylonian exile, after the exiles Jews no longer worshiped idols. Prophets were going to be cut off, 1 Corinthians 13:8-10. Prophecy, miraculous knowledge, and the miracles were going to cease. Notice this, "and the unclean spirits will depart from the land."

What do we know about demon possession? In Zechariah 13 we learn demon possession was only a first century phenomenon, to show the power of Christ. It was to show who he was, what he could do, and that he was greater than Satan and all the demons. The Bible says during the first century, unclean spirits or demons were going depart from the land. The Bible showed Christ's power through demons, and the Bible prophesied that demons and demon possession would come to an end.

These are the conclusions that we can draw today; this was simply a New Testament event. The demons existed to show Christ's power over Satan and his greatest workers. Jesus himself was the master exorcist and had power over all demons. Demon possession has ended today. We don't have to sit at home and worry and wonder if some demon is going to possess me. I don't attribute things that might happen today to demons, simply because the Bible says they were going to depart during the first century. We hope that this study has been encouraging and helpful in gaining both knowledge and confidence in Christ. Here's the main lesson we take away, Satan's greatest workers did much harm in the New Testament, but Jesus triumphed over every one of them. Jesus is greater than Satan, and the Bible says, "He who is in You, Christ, is greater than he who is in the world." Let's put our trust in the Bible, let's put our trust in Jesus, and let's know that ultimately if I'm faithful to Christ on that last day, we will have the victory.

Study Questions for: “Special Studies: A Study of Demons”

1. According to James 2:19, do demons believe in God?

2. Did the demon have the ability to speak in Mark 5:9?

3. In Luke 8:28, did the demons recognize Jesus?

4. According to Mark 1:32, could demons possess people in the First Century?

5. How does the Bible define demon possession in Luke 6:17-18?

6. What were some of the ways the demon was tormented in Luke 8?

7. According to Luke 8:2, how many demons did Mary Magdalene have?

8. How did Jesus cast out the demons in Matthew 8:16? In Matthew 12:28?

9. In Matthew 10:8, what power did Jesus give his followers?

10. What does the Bible say about what time period demon possession took place in Zechariah 13?

“For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to

his wife and the two shall become one flesh,” Genesis 2:24.

Welcome to our study of the home and especially today as we think

about the wonderful subject of marriage.

Today we think about the vitally important subject of marriage.

Marriage is indeed the key to the home, family, society, and the nation.

What exactly is marriage?

Many times we turn to definitions like Webster's to define what

marriage is. For example Webster's states this about marriage: Marriage is

the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife

in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. Or it is the

state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that

of a traditional marriage.

Is Webster the authority when it comes to marriage? Is it the case

that whatever the state recognizes that must be a marriage? Whether it's

between a man or woman? Or whether it's between two men or two

women?

Sometimes we look to places like a legal dictionary to define what

marriage is. For example Black's law dictionary defines marriage this way:

Marriage as distinguished from the arrangement to marry and from the act

of becoming married is the symbol status of one man and one woman

united in law for life for the discharge to each other and the community of

duties legally incumbent on those whose association it is founded on the distinction of sex.

Well is marriage really just a contractual agreement based on civil law for the purpose of human relations? You know, Tennessee even has its own definition of what marriage is. For example, they legally define it this way: Marriage is the legal union in matrimony of only one man and one woman shall be the only recognized marriage in this state. Any policy, law, or judicial interpretation that purports to define marriage as anything other than the historical institution and legal contract between one man and one woman is contrary to the public policy of marriage.

Well, it's good that states have put into their laws stipulations that define marriage indeed as one man, one woman sharing rights responsibilities together. But friend, our nation is headed down a path where such may not be the case very much longer.

In 1996 in fact the defense of marriage act was put in place. It was an act of Congress. It said this in determining the meaning of any act of Congress or of any ruling regulation or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States: the word marriage means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife and the word spouse refers to only a person of the opposite sex, who is a husband and wife.

Friend as you can tell things have changed a lot since 1996.

We now have a host of states and our government and its President supporting marriage as not just a union between a man and woman- between two men, between two women. Homosexual marriage is on the rise.

Is that really what God intended for marriage to be? Is that really what God wants it to be?

Let's hear a Bible definition. You know we show all these definitions given by men to show that society has for some time recognized marriage between one man and woman, but it's also changing. Here's the thing that doesn't change: the Bible definition of marriage.

Notice quoted by Jesus in Matthew 19:5, to apply to people in the New Testament age, those of us today, from Genesis 2:24 given as a law of creation. Here's what the Scripture says, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So then they are no longer two but one flesh, therefore what God is joined together let not man separate.”

How did God define marriage? Two people: man and woman, coming together, uniting themselves, in the sight of God to serve as one family unit. God says, ‘What I joined together, let not man separate.”

Let's think about then from the Scripture, what are some of the fundamentals?

We know first of all that marriage is instituted, given, authorized and created by God. It was ordained by Him. It's His plan, His idea, and He's the one who made marriage. And thus, as the home goes, so goes society and the church.

What did God Institute marriage for? God created for Adam a woman named Eve. In Genesis 2:18, “God saw that it was not good for man to be alone.” Companionship. He made him a helper to help him live life, to enjoy life, and to help him get to heaven. It was a helper comparable to him. God instituted marriage to help Adam. Marriage helps every man and woman in this life to face the challenges, to enjoy the blessings and the beauties of it, and to help one another through life as a companion or helpmate.

What else do we know about marriage? Not only is it instituted or given by God, marriage is a covenant. It's an agreement that two people enter into willingly and very seriously. Romans 7:1-4 shows that the old law being done away with, the old law dying and Christ and His new covenant coming forth and we are married to that today. He uses the illustration of marriage to show that it was to be until death. Do two people part? It's a contract. It's an agreement. When two people decide to marry that's a very serious agreement. That's something binding upon them until death. The only other exception Jesus gave in Matthew 19:9 was fornication-and then and only then does the innocent party have the right to remarry.

And so we think about marriage, not only as ordained by God, but as a very serious contract or covenant that must not be entered into lightly.

When we say that we mean this: just because two people have a fuzzy warm feeling for one another- is it a license to marry? There needs to be forethought, planning, and there needs to be a host of decisions talked about before they enter into marriage. They need to realize they’re going to make this work no matter what- until death do us part.

A third fundamental about marriage is this: marriage is indeed the beginning of a new family or home unit. We say that for this purpose: when God said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother be joined to his wife,” there is a very important principle taught there. Two people, when they marry, are now in their home governed by God's laws, in their family unit, and they're not governed by father and mother anymore. They leave father and mother, and they start their own family unit. Here's where that's important: They make their own decisions based on the Bible. They're accountable now for their own actions. What father and mother do or don't do is not what governs their home. They need to be a new unit that looks to God that no longer looks back to father and mother where they once lived, where they were once a part of a family unit. They now need to rely on each other, put their trust in God together, and strive to work together as a family to help and indeed help their children and themselves get to heaven.

What are some of the purposes of marriage? Why did God create the wonderful relationship of marriage?

One of the first reasons we see in Scripture is to provide companionship. Remember Genesis 2:18. “God looked down on His creation Adam the first man,” and God saw something. ‘He created all the animals. And Adam had named them and all the birds and all the fish and Adam had given them names and still a companion for Adam was not found.’ And so, “The Lord God saw that it was not good for man to be alone.” Why did God create Eve for Adam? Here's why: to provide companionship. Man by his very nature is not designed to be alone. He's not designed to live somewhere in a monastery all his life by himself- that's not how God designed man. No, God created man with the unique need and ability to have companionship, to share his life, to enjoy the ups and the downs together, depend, rely, and to need one another in this life. One of man's basic needs is for that companionship. God said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “two are better than one and a threefold cord cannot quickly be broken.” There's strength, there's power, and there's encouragement in

companionship these days.

If that's the case then friend listen carefully, if our marriages are going to be what God wants them to, we need to really be the companion that we ought to be. We need to share in our conversation, share in our joys, and our hurts. We need to strive to be as close as we can be and have that companionship-the blessing that God gave us of another person to share that with.

Another purpose for marriage found in the Bible is to propagate the human race. In Genesis 1:28 God said to His creation, “Be fruitful and multiply.”

Society today does not see marriage as an important part in accomplishing this. Now I want you think about this. If part of man's responsibility, and we understand that in a relationship where a husband or wife can't do that for medical reasons- maybe one of them can't have children- we're not saying that that they're sinning against God, but that is one of the purposes. God desires godly offspring. He wants us to bring children into the world and to raise them to know Him and His laws. Society today just doesn't see that as an important way to accomplish the purpose that God has for marriage.

I want you to think about this: if part of the purpose of marriage is to bring godly offspring into the world, can homosexuality accomplish that purpose? Can two men bring children into the world? Can two women bring children into the world?

Well of course not! That's biologically impossible for it to take place. Somewhere there has to be a man and a woman to bring children into the world. If part of the purpose of marriage is to propagate the human race, homosexuality cannot meet that purpose that God set forth for man and woman. And thus, we must realize it's contrary to the will of Almighty God.

Let's then think about another purpose for marriage. God also set marriage in place to prevent sexual immorality. There's no doubt that each person is created with a sexual desire that desire is given by God. It is good if used within the proper scope and area. Where is that proper area? It's reserved only for marriage. Hebrews 13:4 says this: “Marriage is honorable, the bed” (speaking there of relations between a man a woman)

“the bed undefiled.” Pure, holy, and right is the sexual relationship between a husband and wife. “But whoremongers and adulterers,” God says, “I will judge.” You see my friend, marriage should prevent sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 the Christians in Corinth wrote to Paul with some questions. Evidently one of those questions had to deal with lust, desire, passion, and how to control that. Paul said, “It's better to marry than to burn with what passion, lust, and desire.” Marriage is designed to prevent sexual immorality.

I want you to listen real carefully to what we're going to say-it's really important especially to society today-so many people are taught that before marriage sex relations between a man a woman all the things that go along with that is just testing the waters. They say it’s okay that there's nothing anything wrong with that as long as you do it safely. That's not what God says. Planned Parenthood may promote safety.

What does God say? 1 Peter 2:11 God says this, “Abstain from sexual immorality which wars against the soul.” The only proper place for sexual relations is between a husband and wife. Young people listen carefully, why is it the case that there are so many young mothers today with round bellies and no rings on their finger? Here's why: because we think sexual morality is okay today. We think it's okay if that's the case.

Friend that's not true. The only place God has authorized sexual relations between a man a woman is inside the bounds of marriage and in so keeping that keeps marriage special. It keeps it holy and it keeps that relationship something given by God as a very important part of what God has set forth.

And so when we think about premarital relations, let's realize while society may say that's okay that's something that's sinful and ungodly. It’s something that God Himself does indeed condemn.

Let's think about another then vitally important purpose for marriage. It's this: God created man and woman. God created the home. God created marriage to help one another get to heaven.

Now you think about this in Matthew 19:4-6 the Bible says, “What God has joined together let not man separate.” I want you to think of marriage as a triangle. At the bottom corner we've got man and at the other

side we’ve got woman. Those two are joined together. Then they are joined together by God. God is at the top of that triangle. He joins man to God and woman to God and then man to woman. Without God at the center there can be no marriage that is going to bring honor to Him. Marriage is to help one another get to heaven. The closer we are to God the closer we are to one another. God's truly at the center of it. The closer I am to God naturally the closer I am to my spouse. The closer I am to the one whom God has given me to help me get to heaven and to strive to be what God wants me to be in this life and to really please Him in everything that we say and do. In Psalm 34:3 a question is asked about marriage and God and how we can strive together to please Him. The psalmist in essence says in Psalm 34:3 “Magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together.”

And so, let's think for just a moment about our marriages. Are they really magnifying God as they ought to be? Are we doing what we should in the home to give honor and glory to Him in everything that we say and do?

I want to direct your attention for just a moment to the words of Paul as it relates to the family and the home. In Ephesians 5:22 Paul gives us some guidelines to follow for the home. The Bible says, “Wives submit to your own husbands as to the Lord for the husband is the head of wife, as also Christ is the head of the church and He is the Savior of the body therefore just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands.”

In everything we know about the husband-wife relationship, husbands are to be the head of the home. Meaning that they're to be the leaders. Are we out to make them a dictator? God never intended for the husband to be a dictator giving out commands and bossing people around. That's not the idea. Are they the head of home? Sure. Do they have authority given by God? Should that be respected? Absolutely! But the husband, as the head of the home, is the spiritual leader. He is the one who God placed at the top of that home. He's the one who carries the brunt of the load. He should to strive to lead everybody spiritually in the right.

Well what about wives? They're to submit to their own husbands and the condition is as to the Lord. Wives are not to lead the homes. That was never designed by God. There are homes where sadly the wife does have dominance and that's not the way God said it. We’re not saying that she's inferior but rather there is a proper role and authority God set in order.

Wives are to be submissive to their husbands, as to the Lord. That phrase ‘as to the Lord,’ is a key to understanding that for the Lord himself expects each of us to be submissive but how the Lord doesn't force me. He doesn't make me. He doesn't do it in an ungodly, unkind way. We submit to Him because we know He's looking out for everyone's best interest. He has our best interest at heart. We love Him because He loves us. I know He's leading us in the right direction. We indeed put Him first in the home and in the family.

Now notice a little further in Ephesians 5:25 the Bible says, “Husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word that He might present her to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

What do we know about the husband and his relationship to the wife? He is to love her how as Christ loved the church. How did Christ love the church? Acts 20:27-28 tells us Jesus loved the church so much He purchased her with his own blood. He was willing to sacrifice to give His life to do everything possible to bring the church into existence.

Friend when we think about our own lives, husbands ought to love their wives with that same sacrificial mindset. Are we putting them first? Are we really looking out for their interests? Are we making sure that physically, emotionally, and financially in every way they're being provided? That's part of the responsibility God gives to the husband. He wants his wife to be just as Christ wanted the church to be: pure and holy and spotless without blemish. He wants to put her up on a pedestal that ought to be the mindset or the mentality that husbands have.

Notice what Paul says a little further in Ephesians 5:28. The Bible says, “So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it just as the Lord does the church.” How am I to feel about my wife? Just like I would my own body. Nobody is going to abuse, ridicule, or look down- nobody in their right mind- is going to demean or do anything unkind to their own body. The greatest advice here goes all the way back to the Golden rule. Matthew 7:12, we ought to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. How do I want to be

treated? How do I want to be related to? How do I want people talk to me? How do I want to be loved? Those same ideas I have about how I want to be loved are the way I ought to love my wife, my children, and my family. We ought to be gracious and kind. We ought to give people the benefit of the doubt. We ought to strive to make people feel good, to build one another up, and help one another get to heaven.

As we think about marriage, let's think about the spiritual relationship that each of us can have with God. God wants His children to be united with Him in a relationship, in the church that is likened unto marriage, where Christ is the head of the church. A relationship where God is our Father and whereas children we're submissive and obedient to Almighty God.

We ask you today, have you submitted your life to the will of God? Have you really become a son or daughter of God?

If not friend, why not enter into the greatest relationship you can ever imagine?

In becoming a child of God you now will have the privilege to look up into heaven and say: “Our Father who art in heaven,” Matthew 6:9. We have the benefit and the great blessing of having all our sins washed away in the blood of the Lamb, Acts 2:38. We have a new family, the church Ephesians 2:16 where we encourage and we strive to help one another get to heaven every day.

Is marriage under attack? You bet it is! Can we do something to prevent that? Absolutely! Let's build our marriages on the foundation of God and His word. Let's make sure that God is at the center and as the psalmist said, “Unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain who build it.” God desires godly offspring. He wants our marriages to be that which will help us really be the helpmate to get to heaven. Only we can do that. God's not going to force us.

Let's determine today, each one of us in our homes and our families and in our marriages, to put God first, to help every person in the family get to heaven, and to really be the light God wants us to be in a world of darkness.

Study Questions for: “Godly Homes: Lesson 2”

1. According to Genesis 2:24, who shall become 1 flesh?

2. In Matthew 19, what has been joined by God?

3. According to Genesis 2:18, why did God make Eve for Adam?

4. What is the only exception for a marriage to end according to Matthew 19:9?

5. According to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, what is better than 1?

6. According to Genesis 1:28, what is the purpose for marriage?

7. Where is the proper place for sexual relations according to Hebrews 13:4?

8. What wages war against the soul according to 1 Peter2:11?

9. How are husbands to love their wives according to Ephesians 5:25?

10. According to Ephesians 2:16, who is our family as Christians?