Jehoahaz: The King who Loved Sin

2 Kings 13:1-9

 

You probably noticed we are now again dealing with

One of the kings of Israel.

 

It has been a while since we have studied that line,

So let me put it back in context for you.

 

• Ahaz was the wicked king.

• He was followed by his son Ahaziah who fell through the lattice and died

• His brother Jehoram followed him as king.

• Jehoram (also called Joram) was shot and killed by Jehu

 

And then of course Jehu instituted a clean up of the northern kingdom by tearing down Baal’s temple and killing Jezebel.

 

I hope you remember Jehu.

He was the king who started out well in purifying Israel,

But one who allowed sin to ruin what he could have been.

 

2 Kings 10:28-33 “Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel. However, as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan. The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin. In those days the LORD began to cut off portions from Israel; and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.”

 

And you may remember that when we studied that

We talked about Jehu’s stubbornness not to repent

Even though God was judging him for his participation in the sin.

 

HIS SON IS A CHIP RIGHT OFF THE OLD BLOCK

 

So let’s just look at him this morning.

5 Points

 

#1 HIS SIN

2 Kings 13:1-2

 

We are familiar with Jeroboam’s sin by now.

 

• He was the man who built the two golden calves and told Israel that they no longer had to go and worship at the temple.

• Instead of making the long journey they could just do their worshiping at one of his convenient spiritual ATM machines.

Sure it was bowing to a graven image…

Sure it was failure to obey God’s commands…

But to Israel it was no big deal.

 

In fact, initial sin is now well over 100 years old,

And we are dealing with a people steeped in tradition.

 

And unfortunatel, Jehoahaz falls right in line,

And therefore the summary of his life is:

 

(2) “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin; he did not turn from them.”

 

This king is remembered as an evil king.

• One who blatantly disregarded the second commandment…

• One who conveniently forgot the golden calf incident…

• One who refused to consider the judgment of Ahab’s house…

• One who stubbornly clung to an unbiblical tradition…

 

He sinned, and he stuck to it.

And he is remembered as evil.

 

His Sin

#2 HIS PUNISHMENT

2 Kings 13:3

 

And there is that big word “So”

 

“So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael.”

 

And of course you remember Hazael.

He was a tyrant, but one used mightily by God.

 

1 Kings 19:17 “It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.”

 

2 Kings 8:12 “Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” Then he answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up.”

 

God took a wicked man who hated His people and allowed him to inflict pain on His people as punishment for the continual wickedness.

 

And so allow me to remind you of a foundational truth.

SIN GETS PUNISHED

It doesn’t matter if it is a 100 year old tradition or not.

 

Our God does not condone disobedience from His children

Or unfaithfulness from His wife.

 

Where sin is entertained the judgment of God will follow.

 

• Look at Sodom…

• Look back at the flood…

• Look at Adam and Eve, clothed in animal skins, leaving the garden…

• See Moses standing on Nebo wishing he could touch the Promised Land…

• Look at David weeping over the death of his son conceived in adultery…

• Listen to Solomon in Ecclesiastes as he cries “meaningless”…

 

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNPUNISHED SIN.

 

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

 

Proverbs 10:16 “The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment.”

 

Sin gets punished and it is being punished in Israel

Because Jehoahaz will not depart from the sin of Jeroboam.

 

His Sin, His Punishment

#3 HIS RESPONSE

2 Kings 13:4-5

 

Because Aram was bearing down on Israel…

 

Jehoahaz does a great thing.

He seeks God.

(Surely this was also instilled in him by his father)

 

“Then Jehoahaz entreated the favor of the LORD…”

 

And when a person seeks God, the result is guaranteed.

 

“and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them.”

 

It is an absolute fundamental Law of God.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

 

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

 

1 Chronicles 28:9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”

 

Deuteronomy 4:29-30 “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. “When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.”

 

Continually in Scripture we are reminded

That when you seek God He shows up.

 

It doesn’t matter where you have been or what you have done.

You may be an obedient saint or the chief of sinners

THE PROMISE IS THE SAME.

 

When you seek God you find Him.

When you call on God He answers.

He delights in responding to those who seek Him.

 

And so when Jehoahaz entreats God, God listened.

(5) “The LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly.”

 

Many have speculated as to who the deliverer was.

• Some think it was Elisha…

• Some think it was Jehoahaz’s son…

• Some think it was the Assyrian king (Adad-Nirari III) because he attacked Aram and drew them away from Israel…

 

But it really doesn’t matter who the deliverer was.

The beautiful point is that God provided deliverance.

 

Their sin brought about judgment,

Their cry to God brought about deliverance.

 

As we said not so long ago, God is a Savior by nature.

He delights in deliverance.

He delights in salvation.

 

And even more so when we cry out to Him for it.

 

Psalms 50:15 “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

 

Psalms 18:3 “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.”

 

Psalms 57:2-3 “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.”

Psalms 28:6-7 “Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.”

 

And certainly it was true for Jehoahaz.

 

IF ONLY THE STORY ENDED THERE.

 

His Sin, His Punishment, His Response

#4 HIS DECEIT

2 Kings 13:6

 

What a huge word – “Nevertheless”

 

“Nevertheless they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained standing in Samaria.”

 

Israel returned right back to the sin

That started all the problem in the first place.

 

John MacArthur pointed out how this seemed to be a continuous cycle in Israel, especially paralleling the way Israel lived during the period of the judges.

 

TURN TO: JUDGES 2:11-23

 

Israel sins – Israel is punished – Israel cries out for deliverance

God sends deliverance – Israel returns to the sin

 

AND JEHOAHAZ IS RIGHT IN THAT CYCLE

 

WHAT WE LEARN IS THAT ISRAEL DIDN’T LOVE GOD,

ISRAEL LOVED SIN.

 

They were willing to use God for relief when life was hard,

But the second relief came, they returned to their first love.

 

And so many people use God in exactly the same way today.

• They don’t want to leave sin…

• They don’t want a life change…

• They just want God to come in a bail them out of their adversity so they can get back to being comfortable in their life of sin.

 

It is apparent that people have

Forgotten the purpose of God’s salvation.

 

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 

It does not say that Jesus came to save you from hell.

 

Might I remind you that God created hell.

 

Jesus didn’t come to save from hell.

Hell is a consequence and Jesus deals with the source, not the symptoms

 

Nor does Scripture say that Jesus came to save you from God.

 

It is not as though God is in heaven shooting at us

And we need someone to protect us from His wrath.

 

God is love. God is gracious. His mercies are new every morning.

 

In fact it was God who sent Jesus.

 

JESUS CAME TO SAVE YOU FROM SIN.

It is sin that is killing you.

It is sin that is wrecking your life.

It is sin that is sending you to hell.

It is sin that is inviting the curse on humanity.

 

Jesus came to save us from sin.

 

THE TRAGEDY IS THAT THE LAST THING

MOST PEOPLE WANT TO BE SAVED FROM IS SIN

 

Most people today want to be delivered from the consequences of sin,

But they want to keep their sin.

 

That was Jehoahaz.

He cried out to God for relief from the consequences,

But the second he had relief,

He loved his sin so much that he quickly returned to it.

 

IT WAS FAKE REPENTANCE, AND IT IS NEVER FULLY EFFECTIVE.

 

And we see false repentance continually in Scripture as well.

 

Hosea 6:1-6 “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.” What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early. Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth. For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

 

Hebrews 12:14-17 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

 

Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

 

Isaiah 58:3-5 “Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD?”

 

In fact your Sunday school lesson alluded to false repentance.

Matthew 3:7-8 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;”

 

It is people who will tell God anything He wants to hear

So long as He will step in and fix what hurts.

But the second He does, they head back to the sin they love

 

It is deception, it is false repentance.

It is the common practice of those who love sin and desire to use God.

 

Jesus would save us from sin.

He desires to so change our hearts that no longer do we love sin,

But instead we love God.

 

It is the imposter who only seeks to use God

As the deliverer from everything but sin.

 

That is what Jehoahaz wanted.

 

His Sin, His Punishment, His Response, His Deceit

#5 HIS FATE

2 Kings 13:7-9

Because he returned to sin,

Eventually punishment had to come back around.

 

(7) “For he left to Jehoahaz of the army not more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.”

Israel was beaten into a fine powder.

Israel returned to sin, and therefore they returned to judgment.

 

AND WE MUST LEARN THAT THIS IS THE CYCLE OF SIN.

 

When seeking to be delivered, false repentance never truly cuts it.

WE ARE REQUIRED TO TRULY REPENT.

 

What is true repentance?

 

It is a total change of the heart and of the mind regarding sin.

And it always manifests itself in a change of action.

 

But it starts with the heart.

Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.”

 

James 4:7-10 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

 

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

 

We have to come to the point where we see sin through God’s eyes.

We must realize that sin isn’t worth it, but that it is deadly destructive.

 

We must learn to hate it.

 

And then when we learn to hate it, we naturally flee from it.

 

That is what John the Baptist preached.

Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

 

To the church at Ephesus, Jesus explained repentance.

Revelation 2:4-5 “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent.”

 

Repentance is primarily a change of the heart,

But one that is definitely seen in a change of the actions.

If you need an example, look at this man.

Luke 19:8-9 “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.”

 

Repentance is a true and total turning from sin.

AND THAT IS ALSO A MARK OF TRUE SALVATION

 

In fact, the apostle John gave a great explanation

Of how a true believer views sin.

 

TURN TO: 1 JOHN 1:5-10

 

This is a great study of the difference in the way

A true believer and false believer views sin.

 

1) OUR AWARENESS (5-7)

 

A true believer longs to be aware of any and all sin in their lives.

They hunt for it, and long for others to expose it.

 

A false believer however doesn’t want to know.

They want it left alone, allowed to linger.

 

This is why Jesus said:

John 3:19-21 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

 

True believers want their sin exposed, false believers want it ignored.

 

2) OUR ARROGANCE (8)

 

True believers are conscious of their sin and want it fixed.

 

False believers lie to themselves that they are fine as they are.

 

One is self-righteous, one desires God’s righteousness

 

3) OUR ADMITTANCE (9)

 

True believers confess their sin and find purity.

 

False believers conceal their sin and want it to remain.

 

One wants purity, one wants comfot.

 

4) OUR ARGUMENT (10)

 

A true believer humbles themselves before God’s conviction.

 

A false believer argues with God’s conviction.

 

One is justified by God, one is justified by self.

 

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

Luke 16:15 “And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”

 

WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

• Do you acknowledge the fact that there is sin there?

• If there is sin there, do you want to know it?

• If God wants to remove it, can He, or do you desire to keep it?

• If God reveals it, will you admit it, or argue with Him?

 

Jehoahaz didn’t hate sin, he loved it.

He hated the consequences of sin.

And so he only wanted relief, not purity.

 

This action didn’t bring lasting relief.

Their cycle of sin brought a cycle of judgment.

 

Jehoahaz needed to seek God for deliverance and leave his sin behind.

 

And that is true for each and every one of us as well.

 

• God is a Savior.

• God is a Deliverer.

• If you call on Him, He will answer and deliver.

 

But you must leave your sin behind,

Or you will only return to where you were.

 

I want to leave you this morning with a prayer of David.

 

Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

 

Jehoash: The Apostate King

2 Kings 12 (1-3)

 

We are now resuming our study of the kings

And we are to the young king known as Jehoash.

 

To refresh your memory he was the young baby that was hidden by Jehoiada the priest from the genocide of Athaliah.

 

And at age 7 he was anointed as king and assumed the throne.

 

What you may have also noticed is that

I have called him “The Apostate King”.

 

He is a king who eventually proves himself to be an imposter.

He is an apostate.

 

And before we dive straight into our text,

I want to clarify what an apostate is.

 

An apostate is one who after declaring faith in God,

Eventually denies the faith and turns away.

 

THAT IS NOT TO SAY THEY WERE SAVED AND LOST IT.

For while they were seemingly faithful, their faith was in reality a sham,

For true faith never falls away.

 

An apostate then is not a true believer who falls away at the end.

An apostate is a false believer who pretends at the beginning.

 

They are not one who was saved and lost their salvation,

They are one who never had salvation and eventually reveal it.

 

Perhaps the apostle John gives the best description:

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

 

Jesus alluded to them as well.

Matthew 12:43-45 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

 

Matthew 13:20-21 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”

 

These are men who fabricated a walk of faith

But it was not true saving faith. It was a mirage.

And eventually they were revealed as phonies by their defection.

 

That is of course why Jesus would say:

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

 

Apostates are simply those who do not continue.

And not only does Scripture describe them,

Scripture is also full of examples of apostates.

 

John 6:66 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”

 

Another is Hymenaus and Alexander

1 Timothy 1:18-20 “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”

 

Phygelus and Hermogenes

2 Timothy 1:15 “You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.”

 

Demas

2 Timothy 4:9-10 “Make every effort to come to me soon; for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.”

 

But perhaps the pinnacle of all apostates is Judas:

John 13:21-27 “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

 

And so you see what an apostate is.

 

Let me reveal to you their fate.

Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

 

Just as a believer has his name written in the book of life

From the foundation of the world,

So an apostate is one who was

“long beforehand marked out for…condemnation”

 

Jude 11-13 “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

 

Instead of an inheritance reserved for them,

“the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

 

As you can see the future of an apostate is bleak.

No one should want to be one.

 

Peter even said:

2 Peter 2:20-21 “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.”

 

And because it is definitely not desirable to be an apostate, Scripture gives very pointed warnings that you and I not be one.

 

Hebrews 3:12 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

 

2 Peter 3:17 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,”

 

Very simply put, you do not want to be an apostate.

A phony imitator of the faith…

A tare among the wheat…

A defector from the faith…

A recipient of darkest judgment…

 

Yet that is precisely what Jehoash was.

 

If you are one who has read ahead in kings,

That verdict may be surprising. For he doesn’t look all that bad.

 

That only goes to show how deceptive an apostate can be in his religion.

 

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”

 

Jehoash was indeed an apostate.

And we study him to see the warning signs of apostasy.

 

NOW LET ME EMPHASIZE

This study is not for you to go on a witch hunt looking for apostates.

(They aren’t commonly identified until their defection anyway)

 

THIS STUDY IS FOR YOU TO TEST YOURSELVES

TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE NOT AN APOSTATE IN HIDING.

 

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

 

And so this morning we look at an apostate,

We learn what they are,

And we make sure that is not what is going on in our lives.

 

There are four points to gain from our text this morning about this apostate king.

#1 THE FAITH OF AN APOSTATE

2 Kings 12:1-3

 

And here we have an interesting appraisal of Jehoash.

 

It is ALMOST the appraisal that every king would want.

 

(2) “Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days”

 

Stop there and we honor this king.

But the writer didn’t stop there.

 

(2) “Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”

 

What we learn very clearly is that Jehoash

Was not a full term follower,

He only followed faithfully so long as Jehoiada was around.

 

But when that influence left, (as you will see in a moment)

Jehoash departed from his steadfastness.

 

It is clear that in part Jehoash never became fully devoted.

(3) “Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”

 

But mostly what you see about Jehoash is that

He was faithful so long as Jehoiada was around to oversee him.

 

And this is a tragedy we see all too often today as well.

I USED TO TEACH A COLLEGE SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

 

“Johnny is drinking, skipping class,

And has a girlfriend with a belly-button ring”

 

JOHNNY HAS A FRAUDULENT FAITH

(Not an apostate yet, just an imposter)

 

Johnny is living on his momma’s faith,

And he needs to deal with Jesus personally.

 

PAY ATTENTION ALL YOUTH IN HERE.

 

But a fraudulent faith is certainly an early sign of apostasy.

 

If it is true faith it cannot fail,

But fraudulent faith is doomed to fail,

Thus opening the door for one to completely deny

The God they previously proclaimed to serve.

 

Jehoash walked well as long as Jehoiada was around.

But he walked Jehoiada’s faith, not his own.

 

The faith of an apostate

#2 THE FABRICATION OF AN APOSTATE

2 Kings 12:4-16

 

Now I know this is a long section in the chapter,

And first let me just sort of paraphrase it to you.

 

VERSES 4-5

Jehoash has an idea to take the special offering monies

And use them for the renovation of the temple.

 

Although Solomon had built a glorious temple, it had fallen into disarray.

 

Partly because they cared more about the high places than the temple,

And partly because it had been recently abused.

 

2 Chronicles 24:7 “For the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even used the holy things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.”

 

So the temple had even been a recent victim of vandalism.

And Jehoash has the idea to restore it.

 

VERSES 6-8

Here it is apparent that his plan is not working.

 

We don’t really know why.

I tend to think it is because the people have a general distrust,

For once Jehoiada gets behind it, it seems to take off just fine.

 

VERSE 9

 

And so now that Jehoiada is a public supporter it is working well.

 

VERSES 10-16

 

So they took the money and the house is repaired.

 

Now when you read that, it appears Jehoash is on the right track.

It appears like he is really concerned about the things of God.

But let me assure it is only appearance.

 

He is only concerned about the appearance of the temple,

Not the use of it.

(For he did not remove the high places)

 

He is consumed with the display of religion, not the effectiveness of it.

His religion is for show and pretense.

It is external, not internal

 

And this is what makes apostates so tricky.

They are not easily detected.

 

Jude 12-13 “These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

 

Matthew 13:26 “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.”

 

When we only look at the external, it appears they are legitimate,

And that is where we make our mistake.

 

EXTERNAL INVOLVEMENT IS NOT THE MARK OF SALVATION, TRUE LOVE FOR GOD IS THE MARK OF SALVATION.

 

A person’s work can appear good and noble,

And still not be evidence of true salvation.

 

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

 

Just because a person is involved doesn’t mean a thing.

It is true love for God that counts.

 

Religious zeal doesn’t equal saving faith.

Matthew 23:13-15 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. [” Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

 

Matthew 23:23-24 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

 

Apostates can look good, but their conviction is only skin deep.

 

That is why the testing of faith is so necessary.

God has to push beyond the surface to see the true worth of our faith.

 

1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

 

True faith is not merely external.

But that is all there is to an apostate.

 

And Jehoash is a perfect picture.

He was consumed with what the temple looked like,

But didn’t seem to care what it was used for.

 

His religion was a mere fabrication.

 

The Faith of an apostate The Fabrication of an apostate

#3 THE FOLLY OF AN APOSTATE

2 Kings 12:17-18

 

Now to fully understand the point,

You have to realize that the writer of kings left out part of the story

 

What he shows us is the consequence of Jehoash’s actions,

But he omits what he did wrong.

 

TURN TO: 2 CHRONICLES 24:15-22

 

This is what makes Jehoash an apostate.

Up until now he was a mere imposter.

 

But it is when he makes a conscious choice

To openly and outwardly deny God and serve foreign gods,

His true colors come forth.

 

This man had no true conviction, therefore he was easily swayed,

And he even took action to silence the word of God in his life.

 

And that is why we see Hazael coming against him.

2 Chronicles 24:23-24 “Now it happened at the turn of the year that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet the LORD delivered a very great army into their hands, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.”

 

This judgment was a consequence of the folly of Jehoash.

 

WE HAVE TO LEARN FROM HIM

 

There are those in the world today who are imposters in the faith,

They think they are saved, but they are not.

 

But it is their denial of the truth that sets them apart as apostate.

And once they deny we realize that they were apostate all along.

 

Jehoash denied the God he formerly claimed to serve.

 

The Faith of an apostate The Fabrication of an apostate The Folly of an apostate

#4 THE FATE OF AN APOSTATE

2 Kings 12:19-20

 

As we read to start the sermon,

The fate of an apostate is certain judgment

And that is precisely what is played out here.

 

Jehoash was killed.

Not to seize his throne, but to avenge the death of Zechariah.

 

This was not a political assassination, it was a spiritual one.

God was killing this man for his apostasy.

 

And what a tragedy Jehoash proves to be.

• Raised in the temple, taught the word of God,

• But his religion was only skin deep.

• He lacked conviction, and eventually he fell away.

 

LEARN FROM HIM THIS MORNING.

 

Christianity must be more than mere outward allegiance.

True Christianity is a conviction of the heart.

 

This morning I want to challenge your faith.

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

 

TURN TO: 2 PETER 1

 

Start by reading: VERSES 10-11

 

Peter is telling them to make certain that they are the real deal.

They do not want to end up like the apostate he is warning about

 

SO HOW DO I KNOW?

 

Peter actually gave a checklist.

VERSES 5-9

 

And then:

(10-11) “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

 

Now I hope you noticed what Peter said.

“make certain about His calling and choosing you”

 

DOES THAT SEEM ODD TO ANYONE ELSE?

 

It seems as though Peter should say,

“Make certain that you have chosen to follow Jesus.”

But that is not at all what he said.

 

He said to make sure that God has chosen you.

 

WHY?

 

Because I’m not trying to determine if I’ve done anything for God.

I am trying to determine if God has done anything in me.

 

When examining my life to see if I am in the faith,

I am not looking at all the religious things I have done.

• There will be preachers in hell.

• There will be deacons in hell.

• There will be Sunday School teachers in hell.

• There will be tithers in hell.

• There will be evangelists in hell.

 

We are not looking to see if we have done anything for God.

Jehoash remodeled the temple.

 

THE VALIDITY OF OUR FAITH RESTS IN

WHETHER OR NOT GOD HAS DONE ANYTHING IN US.

 

IS THERE EVIDENCE THAT HE HAS DONE A SAVING WORK IN ME?

• Revealed by the presence of His fruit in my life.

• Revealed by a true and genuine love for Him that He gave to me.

• Revealed by a sincere hatred for sin

• Revealed by a real love for my brethren

 

DON’T LOOK TO SEE IF YOU ARE AT WORK FOR GOD.

LOOK TO SEE IF GOD IS AT WORK IN YOU.

 

That is what Paul said as well.

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is IN you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

 

Apostates are missing this crucial ingredient.

• Their faith rests upon the conviction of others.

• Their fabrication is that their religion is all exterior.

• Their folly is that they eventually reject the God they have never truly loved.

• Their fate is destruction in the black darkness.

 

This morning I challenge you to examine yourself

And make sure you are the real deal.

 

See if God is in you.

And if He is not, then repent of your sin and beg Him to come in.

 

But don’t live the life of an imposter and end up as an apostate.

 

2 Peter 1:10-11 “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

 

Jehoiada: The Faithful Priest

2 Kings 11

 

You may have noticed that this sermon is not about one of the kings to rule over Israel, but is instead concerning one of Israel’s priests.

 

The fact is, at this time, Judah has no king.

 

The previous king was named Ahaziah, and since he was Ahab’s grandson, and Joram’s friend, Jehu shot him, hunted him down and killed him.

 

The throne is seemingly open.

 

As you will see, one will quickly rise to usurp authority.

Her name is Athaliah.

 

She is Jezebel’s daughter, she will seize the throne,

And because of her actions, not only does Judah

Become dangerously close to ruin,

But the Messianic line nearly gets wiped out.

 

But that sets the stage for the rise of a true hero.

 

If we did a survey this morning,

I wonder how many in here ever heard of Jehoiada?

 

Yet he truly is one of the bright spots in Israel’s dark history.

This man rose from obscurity

To save the nation of Judah and the Messianic kingly line.

 

As you know, God had made a promise:

2 Samuel 7:12-13 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

 

Psalms 132:11-12 “The LORD has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne. “If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I will teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

 

And at the present time, that promise is dangerously close to failing.

 

Until God raises up this faithful priest to stand in the gap

And save the promise of a Messiah.

 

There are four divisions to our text this morning.

#1 HIS COURAGE SAVED A LINEAGE

2 Kings 11:1-3

 

Of course you already noticed that Athaliah

Proved to be a chip right off the old block.

 

She is Jezebel all over again.

The easiest way to maintain control is to kill all who oppose you,

And that is precisely what she attempted.

 

“When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring.”

 

Don’t misunderstand.

This is not an act of revenge over her deep despair over losing a son.

 

Any woman who would kill all her grandchildren

Certainly had no qualms about killing a son.

(Most likely she would have killed him too)

 

What this is about is a woman seeing a real opportunity to seize the throne,

And she chose to take it.

 

But before she could take the throne unchallenged,

She first had to eliminate any and all competition,

So she starts killing “the royal offspring.”

 

(2-3) “But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. So he was hidden with her in the house of the LORD six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.”

 

So you will see, we have here an act of bravery, by a significant woman.

 

“Jehosheba” rescues one of the children.

 

She was able to get access to the children

Because she was related to the royal family.

 

She was the daughter of “King Joram, sister of Ahaziah”.

 

This means she was at the very least a step-daughter of Athaliah,

And possibly even her biological daughter.

 

And she saves the day by hiding this child in the temple for six years.

 

WELL WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH JEHOIADA?

 

2 Chronicles 22:11-12 “But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death. He was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.”

 

So not only was she Ahaziah’s sister, but she was also Jehoiada’s wife.

 

No doubt he was in on the scheme and according to Chronicles

Was also one of the ones who hid the boy.

 

It was courageous on both their parts,

Certainly an act inviting a death sentence,

But a risk they gladly took.

 

And their courage actually saved a lineage.

HOW?

 

Allow me to refresh your memory on the state of this lineage.

 

Start with Jehoshaphat.

 

Jehoshaphat had seven sons,

Any one of them had a blood right to the throne of Israel.

 

However:

2 Chronicles 21:3-4 “Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also.”

 

So now there is only Jehoram

And any possible sons that survived as offspring of his brothers.

 

Jehoram also had sons.

2 Chronicles 22:1 “Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with the Arabs to the camp had slain all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.”

 

And so at this point,

• Ahaziah is alive,

• Ahaziah’s cousins are alive (Jehoshaphat’s surviving grandsons)

• Ahaziah’s nephews are alive (the surviving children of Ahaziah’s brothers)

 

But something else occurred.

2 Chronicles 22:8 “It came about when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers ministering to Ahaziah, and slew them.”

 

Jehu slew all of Ahaziah’s cousins and nephews.

 

And then:

2 Chronicles 22:9 “He also sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.”

 

SO NOW IF YOU ARE KEEPING TRACK.

• All of Jehoshaphat’s boys are dead.

• All of Jehoshaphat’s grandsons are dead.

 

The only remaining heirs to the throne of David

Are the sons of Ahaziah.

 

The Arameans and Jehu have killed everyone else.

 

And now, Athaliah has declared war on the sons of Ahaziah.

 

If Jehoiada and his wife had not rescued this one boy,

David’s line would have been completely extinct.

 

That is how close Satan came to completely extinguishing the Davidic line,

And ruining the coming of the Messiah.

 

If Satan succeeds then there is no kingly line of David.

Furthermore there is no Joseph and Jesus has no link to the throne.

 

What Jehoiada did was huge.

He saved the kingly lineage of David by protecting

The only living heir to the throne of the house of David.

 

His courage saved a lineage

#2 HIS COUNSEL FORGED A KING

2 Kings 11:4-12 (4-8)

 

Now you instantly notice that Jehoiada also has a plan for not only sparing this boy’s life but for also seating him upon the throne.

 

His plan is wordy, but simple.

 

Around the temple, there were two different groups of guards.

They exchanged duties on the Sabbath.

 

Some came in on the Sabbath (vs. 5)

Some went out on the Sabbath (vs. 7)

 

Jehoiada’s plan was this.

 

Those of you coming in, come in as usual.

Those of you going out, instead go and surround the king.

Verses 9-11 reveal that this is exactly what they did.

 

And so in one swift tactical move,

Jehoiada has brought in enormous protection for this young king.

 

And then comes the coronation.

(12) “Then he brought the king’s son out and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

 

And so we see why Jehoiada put the entire defense together.

 

He planned on taking a huge risk and a giant step of faith

To stand right in the face of Athaliah

And put David’s king back on the throne.

 

In fact Chronicles reveals that as his motive.

2 Chronicles 23:3 “Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as the LORD has spoken concerning the sons of David.”

 

This man had a conviction, and he would see it done.

 

But his motive was more than just to crown the rightful king.

He also insisted upon it being done correctly.

 

Not only has he raised this boy in the temple for 6 years.

(In fact Chronicles later refers to Jehoiada as a father to Jehoash)

 

But notice that Jehoiada gives him more than just a crown.

He also gave him “the testimony”

 

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. “It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.”

 

Moses foresaw a day when Israel would have a king,

And the most important thing for that king to do would be

To familiarize himself with the word of God.

 

There was no substitute for obedience to God’s word

And the king above all people should know it.

 

While it’s obvious that God’s word has been ignored

Here is one man who refused to let it go away.

 

Jehoiada started this boy out right.

• He didn’t need lessons on etiquette…

• He didn’t need fencing lessons…

• He didn’t need military or war strategy lessons…

• He didn’t need economic study…

 

HE NEEDED TO SATURATE HIMSELF IN THE WORD OF GOD

 

And as a quick side note let me add, that is what we all need as well.

There is no substitute for Bible reading.

 

You have to put His word in your mind and in your heart.

 

Psalms 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”

 

2 Peter 3:17-18 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

 

We have to get into the word of God.

 

(That’s why I’m excited about the new Sunday School literature)

 

There is no substitute for submerging yourself in Scripture.

 

Jehoiada knew that, and he made sure that with a crown,

Jehoash received the word of God.

 

He was not only saving a lineage, he was forging a king.

 

#3 HIS COMMAND REMOVED A TYRANT

2 Kings 11:13-16

 

The kingdom is obviously excited.

They finally had a king, and not some wicked queen.

 

And during the celebration Athaliah hears it and searches it out.

(14) “She looked and behold, the king was standing by the pillar, according to the custom, with the captains and the trumpeters beside the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”

 

Now you and I know she had no right to the throne, but do understand.

• She had been queen for 6 years.

• Previously her son had been king.

• Before that, her husband had been king.

• It was Jehoshaphat who chose her as a bride for his son.

 

This woman has been around a long time.

 

So when she cries treason, it could have been a real tense moment.

You could really see people freeze in confusion.

 

Certainly the newly crowned 7 year old king didn’t know what to do.

 

WHAT DO YOU DO?

 

There again, the man of the hour steps forward.

He knew what to do, and he knew what had to be done,

And furthermore he did not mind giving the command.

 

VERSES 15-16

 

This was a wicked woman of the house of Ahab,

She was a usurper to the throne and an idol worshiper

And there was but one fate suitable.

 

Jehoiada was man enough to see it done.

 

His courage saved a lineage His crowning forged a king His command removed a tyrant

#4 HIS COVENANT REVIVED A NATION

2 Kings 11:17-21

 

And what a great covenant!

(17) He “made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they would be the LORD’S people…”

 

If you will remember, this is what Elijah had wanted many years earlier.

 

1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”

 

Elijah was sickened by the growing pluralistic attitude in Israel.

Those people were riding the fence.

 

But now, what Elijah longed for is coming to pass.

It is time for Israel to be “the LORD’S people.”

 

And isn’t that a great distinction.

 

Leviticus 26:12 “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”

 

It speaks of a people wholly devoted to God.

A people who love Him with all their heart and soul.

A people who live for Him and through Him.

A people whose very identity is bound to Him.

They are not just anybody, they are God’s people.

 

And over and over throughout the pages of the Old Testament,

Israel is called “My people”

 

When Moses went to Pharaoh, he said, “Let My people go”

 

And when the Messiah came, it was clear why:

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 

Even the Messiah came to bring atonement for the people of God!

 

The beauty for us is that when Israel rejected,

We then were also grafted in as the people of God.

 

Romans 9:23-26 “And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. As He says also in Hosea, “I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.'” “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”

 

1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

 

We are now those who are known by our allegiance to our God.

• We are not now primarily known as Texans or even Americans for our citizenship is in heaven.

 

• We are not white people or Hispanic people or black people for in Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.

 

• We are not rich people or poor people, for our treasure is not stored up on earth but is stored in heaven.

 

We go by no other name than Christian, for we are the people of God.

It is our banner, it is our nametag, it is who we are.

 

And thanks to Jehoiada it was also who Judah became.

 

And not just in title, they were God’s people by action.

(18) “All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.”

 

Just as Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel,

Now Jehoiada has eradicated Baal out of Judah.

 

Let me also add, that if we are going to wear the banner of

“The People of God” then we also must take the title seriously.

 

• There must be no foreign gods in our lives…

• Our hearts must house no idols…

• Nor can we be those who condone sin and associate with it…

 

We must be different if we are to be the people of God.

 

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

 

Not just a command to not say bad words.

That is a much larger, much more serious command than that.

 

When the Scripture speaks of taking God’s name,

It speaks of putting His name upon you as a banner.

Similar to the way in which a bride takes the name of her husband.

 

AND GOD DEMANDS WE HONOR HIS NAME.

Leviticus 19:11-12 “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.”

 

Numbers 15:30 “But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.”

 

And the warning here is for all who call themselves one of God’s people

And take His name and then live in such a way as to do dishonor to it.

 

It is to walk in hypocrisy, it is to slander in the worst way,

It is to become a traitor, an apostate, and the worst of all sinners.

 

Those who commit such a sin do far more harm to the cause of Christ

Than any carnal pagan ever did.

 

And to them God makes a promise.

“the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

 

Zechariah 5:1-4 “Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side. “I will make it go forth,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.”

You can even see Jesus taking special interest in such hypocrisy.

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

 

It is a serious thing when we claim to be the people of God.

“If your gonna talk the talk, then you better walk the walk.”

 

For God will not leave him unpunished who fails to do so.

 

And that is what is so wonderful about the covenant here.

 

Not only did the people claim to be God’s people,

But they also tore down the house of Baal to solidify it.

(Is there something that must be torn down in your life?)

 

Then according to verse 19, the new king was taken to his throne,

And I want you to see the results of the day.

 

(20) “So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.”

 

• When the true God is worshiped…

• When the rightful king is on the throne…

• When the usurper is done away with…

• When God’s people live like God’s people…

The result is peace and joy

 

This morning you and I can rejoice in the fact that

God promised a Messiah from the line of David,

And no one could thwart that promise.

 

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

 

God promised a Savior, and that Savior came.

His name is Jesus.

 

God supernaturally protected His line

So that you and I could have a way of salvation.

 

And this morning I invite you to embrace God’s king,

God’s Savior – Jesus Christ.

 

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

“Jehu: The Inconsistent King”

2 Kings 10:28-36

 

And this morning we come to the summary of Jehu.

 

• We read promises concerning his sword a long time ago,

• We have recently seen him rise to power,

• We have seen in detail the judgment that he so thoroughly executed.

 

He was prophetically chosen by God as one of the weapons

He would use to completely remove Ahab and Baal from Israel.

 

• He first killed Jehoram (The son of Ahab and king of Israel)

• He then killed Ahaziah (The grandson of Ahab and king of Judah)

• He then killed Jezebel (The widow of Ahab and wicked influence)

• He then killed Ahab’s heirs (His seventy sons that fled to Samaria)

• He then killed all who belonged to Ahab at Jezreel

• He then killed Ahab’s allies (the friends of Ahaziah’s sons)

• He then killed all who belonged to Ahab at Samaria

• He then gathered all the Baal worshipers together and killed them too

 

AHAB IS NO MORE.

And now, after 3 generations of the house of Omri,

It is time for the house of Jehu to begin to reign.

 

And this morning we take a brief look at the overall summation

Of Jehu’s reign as king of Israel.

 

After all that we have seen,

One might expect that Jehu was a devoted follower of God.

For indeed he began the race well.

 

But what we will find of Jehu is that he proved to be

Extremely inconsistent in his life and therefore

His reign left some to be expected.

 

And as we study his reign, there are three points that the text makes about Jehu.

#1 HE WAS INCOMPLETE IN HIS MISSION

2 Kings 10:28-29

 

The text begins were we left off last week,

And that is “Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.”

 

Certainly that was true.

 

Jehu pretended obedience to Baal, and called for a sacred sacrifice.

 

• He gathered the followers…

• He killed the followers…

• He smashed the sacred pillars…

• He tore down the house of Baal…

• He turned it into the village bathroom…

 

“Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.”

 

Jehu did well.

Baal worship was a slap in the face to God,

And Jehu completely removed him from the northern kingdom.

 

But then we see a huge word in the text: “However”

 

While Jehu was extremely thorough in removing Ahab,

Part of his mission was left undone.

 

(29) “However, as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan.”

 

And of course you remember Jeroboam.

• Servant of Solomon

• When the kingdom was ripped from Rehoboam, it was given to him

• He had a political problem (temple was in Jerusalem)

 

1 Kings 12:26-27 “Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. “If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

 

Jeroboam was afraid that if they obeyed God’s law to the letter

That he would lose his kingdom.

 

So he came up with a plan.

1 Kings 12:28-33 “So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.”

 

• Jeroboam changed the corporate worship site…

• Jeroboam rewrote the calendar for feasts and sacrifices…

• Jeroboam disregarded the Levitical priesthood…

For that God eventually ripped the kingdom from Jeroboam’s line.

 

IT IS APPARENT THAT JEHU DID NOT LEARN A THING.

 

For while he was faithful to fully remove the immorality of Ahab,

He was content to leave the immorality of Jeroboam.

 

WHY?

 

In a political sense,

It was beneficial to remove Ahab (that would secure his kingdom)

It was not beneficial to remove the worship sites.

 

On one hand the people might return to Judah,

And on the other hand, those worship sites were a landmark.

 

Consider this:

Jeroboam became king in 931 B.C.

Jehu reigned from 841 B.C. to 814 B.C.

 

That means that Israel had experienced

100 years of those golden calves.

 

We currently know a little something

About having a worship spot for 100 years.

 

Imagine if it were revealed to us that God did not approve of our worship site, would we be willing to just up and move?

 

But God, we’ve been here for 100 years…

But God, I’ve always gone to that church…

But God, we just remodeled…

 

And so you get the picture.

 

Jehu was also up against 100 years of tradition, and he folded.

“from these Jehu did not depart”

 

Listen to me.

 

There are some traditions that are good,

And Biblical, and absolutely necessary.

 

In fact Paul said:

1 Corinthians 11:2 “Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.”

 

2 Thessalonians 2:15 “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”

But, there are some traditions that people tend to hold sacred

That have nothing to do with obedience to God’s word,

And these are very dangerous.

 

Isaiah 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

 

It was that verse that Jesus quoted to the Pharisees:

Matthew 15:1-9 “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'”

 

The Pharisees were masters at inventing traditions

And then enforcing them as though they were the word of God.

 

I don’t intend to go on some sort of WITCH HUNT this morning seeking to list bad traditions, but I do hope you understand my point.

 

They can be fine and well,

But you had better make sure it is Biblical,

Because you might just be clinging to Jeroboam’s golden calves.

 

It seemed like worship to all the people…

It seemed like worship to Jehu…

BUT IT WASN’T ACCEPTABLE TO GOD

 

You cannot honor tradition above the word of God.

 

Jehu caved in, and he was incomplete in his mission.

#2 HE WAS INCONSISTENT IN HIS WORSHIP

2 Kings 10:30-31

 

Here we find another interesting appraisal of Jehu.

 

It begins with a commendation from God.

 

(30) “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”

 

Based on Jehu’s removal of Ahab,

God was pleased and therefore God gave Jehu a reward.

 

His descendants to the fourth generation would sit upon the throne.

 

This would be the longest tenure of any king in Israel

Since the kingdom was divided.

(Omri’s line made it three generations, but Jehu was promised four.)

 

JEHU STARTED OUT WELL

“BUT”

 

(31) “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.”

 

And there is a very revealing statement.

“Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD”

 

I have told you many times before that faithfulness to God

Is not something that will automatically happen in your life.

 

There are many who assume that they can go through life

Without any real focus or try

And that they will somehow, someday end up in heaven.

 

That is not true.

No one in heaven will be surprised to be there.

There will however be scores in hell who are surprised to be there.

 

Becoming a Christian is a conscious decision.

Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

 

BUT THE SAME IS ALSO TRUE

FOR LIVING A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE

 

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

 

Faithfulness to God is not automatic,

Nor is it a person’s natural tendency.

 

The natural tendency of mankind is to drift away from God,

To exalt self, to gratify the flesh, and to fall into temptation

And ultimately disobedience.

 

If you are to remain faithful to God, you have to consistently and purposely determine not to sin, but to remain faithful.

 

And that is why the Bible frequently uses that word “careful”

In regard to obedience and the word of God.

 

Deuteronomy 6:3 “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”

 

Deuteronomy 6:24-25 “So the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.”

 

Deuteronomy 8:1 “All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers.”

 

Deuteronomy 11:22-23 “For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.”

 

Deuteronomy 12:28 “Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.”

 

Deuteronomy 12:32 “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.”

 

Later when Joshua would rule:

Joshua 22:5 “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

 

Even years later when David was dying, notice the advice he gave Solomon:

1 Kings 2:3-4 “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘ If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’”

 

And I hope you get the idea.

Obedience to God is not our natural inclination,

We have to focus on it, we have to strive for it,

We have to be devoted and dedicated.

 

• You won’t just naturally love others more than yourself…

• You won’t just naturally choose holiness over sin…

• You won’t just naturally bear witness of the Lord Jesus…

 

But Jehu was not.

“But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel with all his heart;”

 

And that really opens to us the root of the problem.

HIS HEART WASN’T IN IT

 

Friend, it is extremely difficult to obey God if your heart isn’t in it.

In fact, it is impossible.

 

That is the reason that the greatest command

Is the greatest command.

 

Matthew 22:37 “And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’”

If you don’t love God with all your heart,

Then you won’t obey Him with all your life.

 

To put it another way, Jesus said:

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

 

Jehu’s heart was not right and so neither was his walk.

 

He didn’t obey right because he didn’t love right.

 

He obeyed for a little while, but then he stopped.

That is inconsistency, and it is unacceptable to God.

 

You and I have to first love God with all heart,

And then be careful to walk in all His ways.

 

Listen to what Jesus said:

Matthew 5:17-19 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

 

The issue there isn’t salvation, for both enter the kingdom,

But if you want to be great in the kingdom,

You have to be careful to obey all of God’s commands,

Not just the ones that come easy.

 

Jehu did well, God even commended him,

But he could have done better if he had been careful

To follow all of God’s commands.

 

He was Incomplete in his mission He was Inconsistent in his worship

#3 HE WAS INCORRIGIBLE IN HIS CORRECTION

2 Kings 10:32-36

 

Here we find that because of Jehu’s disobedience,

God began to try and get his attention.

 

(32-33) “In those days the LORD began to cut off portions from Israel; and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.”

 

If there was one lesson that all of Israel should have known

It is that peace in the land was a sign of God’s favor.

 

When the people strayed from God, God raised up adversaries…

When the people trusted God, He overthrew them…

 

But Jehu refused to listen to the displeasure of the LORD.

He just didn’t want to learn from the punishment at hand.

 

And we see some like him other places in Scripture.

(some lost, and some saved)

 

Isaiah spoke of them:

Isaiah 30:15 “For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing,”

 

Jesus spoke of them:

Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”

 

We saw some a few weeks ago in the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 11:29-31 “For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.”

 

The book of Revelation speaks frequently of them.

Revelation 2:20-22 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.”

 

Perhaps you remember those locusts we spoke of recently.

Apparently even they will not be enough.

Revelation 9:20-21 “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”

 

Scripture is full of those who persist in sin even in the midst of judgment.

Some are non-believers who will not be saved.

Some are believers who refuse to become more faithful.

 

Jehu was like them.

He would not learn from the judgments around him.

 

Although he did a good thing in fulfilling God’s judgment on Ahab:

He was Incomplete in his Mission

He was Inconsistent in his Worship

He was Incorrigible in his Correction

 

Jehu started strong,

But his poor attention to detail and inconsistent faithfulness

Caused his reign to be much less than it could have been.

 

We should learn from his mistakes.

 

You may have served well in the past, but it is gone,

And God is looking for faithfulness from you today.

 

None of us desire to be known as “the least in the kingdom of heaven”.

 

None of us want to be there,

And be the most unrewarded there is.

 

Paul warned about this.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

 

IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?

To be saved, “yet so as through fire”?

To be saved by the skin of your teeth?

 

Do you want to be the poorest in heaven?

 

Then we cannot sit back on our past accomplishments

Or our past faithfulness.

Faithfulness is always measured in present tense.

 

Don’t let your history be written like Jehu’s:

“Well one time they did this, but they didn’t finish their mission, and they weren’t careful to fully obey, and even though God tried to correct them, they wouldn’t listen.”

 

I’m reminded of that famous church in the Revelation.

 

Revelation 3:1-3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”

 

They had a great history and pathetic ministry.

 

We are about to celebrate 100 years here in this church.

There is a lot of good that can be said

About the past 100 years, and that is fine.

 

But our faithfulness is not judged

By what we did in 1967, or in 1932.

 

Our faithfulness is judged by August 23, 2009.

That is what God is looking at.

 

• Let us be found as those who complete our mission…

• Let us be found as those who are consistent in our worship…

• Let us be found as those who are willing to accept the correction of God…

 

So that we will not be saved so as through fire.

 

 

 

Jehu was the inconsistent king.

He could have been so much more

If he had only been careful to be obedient.

 

 

 

How about you?

 

The Sword of Jehu – Pt. 2

2 Kings 10:1-28 (1-11)

 

By this point, we are well aware that the rise of Jehu

Was a direct fulfillment of God’s prophecy to Elijah.

 

God had told Elijah that He would use the sword

To undo the wickedness of Ahab in Israel.

 

Those that Elisha failed to get, Hazael would,

Those that Hazael failed to get, Jehu would.

 

And last week we saw the rise of Jehu

As he began to bring the fulfillment of God’s promised judgment.

 

But aside from that promise to Elijah,

There was another prophecy made concerning the house of Ahab.

 

After Ahab murdered Naboth and stole his vineyard,

Elijah found him, and this is what he had to say.

 

1 Kings 21:20-24 “Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. “Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’ “The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.”

 

It is obvious that God is making good on His word.

 

Last week we saw the death of Joram (Ahab’s 2nd son to become king) as Jehu shot him through and threw his body to rot in Naboth’s vineyard.

 

We also saw the death of Ahaziah (the son of Ahab’s daughter) as Jehu hunted him down and killed him with the sword.

 

And we saw the death of Jezebel, throne from a window, trampled underfoot, and eaten by the dogs.

 

God was indeed using Jehu to fulfill His promised judgment.

 

This morning we see the conclusion of that fulfillment.

 

Ahab has lost a son, a grandson, and his wife,

But God promised a clean sweep of his entire line.

 

Jehu indeed has more work to do.

And as we study this text,

I want you to particularly notice how thorough God is,

Not only in the fulfillment of His word,

But also in the judgment of the wicked.

 

God is not one who allows a single word to fail,

Nor is He one to allow a single sinner to escape.

 

This we will see as we continue looking at the sword of Jehu.

 

4 divisions to our text this morning.

#1 REMOVING AHAB’S HEIRS

2 Kings 10:1-11

 

In verse 1, we see an informative statement.

 

“Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria…”

 

In your margin you could write something like

“The Seed of Ahab”.

 

Sure Ahab himself is dead, but it is apparent

His reign has plenty of opportunity to continue.

 

• We already had his son reigning in Israel and his grandson in Judah.

• We are about to see his daughter (Athaliah) take the throne in Judah,

• We see here that there is no shortage of heirs to the throne in Israel.

 

Like a bad batch of seed, Ahab’s lineage is growing,

And set to spread wickedness even further

Throughout the nation of Israel and even into Judah.

 

And these grab our particular interest,

Because these are potential candidates for the throne.

 

These are sons and most likely grandsons.

“And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab…”

 

It is apparent that Ahab’s children

Have been placed in protective custody.

 

The city managers of Jezreel, along with the individual guardians

Of Ahab’s children are now in hiding in Samaria.

 

But as you can see Jehu has found them.

And he sent a letter to those who are protecting them.

 

(2-3) “Now, when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons, select the best and fittest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

 

Jehu has been around the block long enough to know

That in each of these 70 sons is a budding seed of hatred and revenge,

 

And instead of watching his back forever,

He would rather do his fighting now.

 

But as you will see, there is no fight in store.

VERSES 4-5

Ahab’s seed are now being betrayed by those supposed to care for them.

 

Apparently they fear Jehu more than Ahab’s sons

And so they quickly swap their allegiance.

 

VERSES 6-7

And there Ahab’s heirs are complete annihilated.

They are beheaded and their heads are sent to Jehu at Jezreel.

 

VERSE 8

You noticed that Jehu piled up their heads

As a visual reminder of the judgment on Ahab’s house.

 

It was a public notice that the lineage of Omri and Ahab is no more.

The reign of that royal family is over.

 

And then Jehu has a message for the people.

 

(9) “Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent; behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these?”

 

No doubt the people were horrified at the sight

And Jehu assures them that NO GUILT would fall on them for this.

 

WHY?

Because this act was bigger than just Jehu.

 

Jehu killed Joram, but who killed all of Ahab’s sons?

 

It wasn’t because Jehu didn’t know,

Rather Jehu was revealing that this slaughter

Was more than one man’s vendetta,

This was the work of holy God.

God was removing Ahab’s heirs and therefore because God was doing it, the people would incur no guilt.

 

And then Jehu delivers the sermon of the day.

(10) “Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the LORD has done what He spoke through His servant Elijah.”

 

In reference to the prophecy made by Elijah to Ahab

Which we read to open the sermon,

Jehu now proclaims God’s word fulfilled.

 

We learn that absolute faithfulness of God concerning His word.

God promised this, and it came to pass.

 

“the LORD has done what He spoke”

 

Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

 

• God’s word never fails…

• God never boasts beyond His ability…

• God never writes checks He can’t cash…

 

When God promises it, it happens,

Even when His promise involves the judgment of the wicked.

 

THAT MEANS WE CAN TAKE GOD’S WORD TO THE BANK.

WHEN HE WARNS US, WE SHOULD LISTEN!

 

This is actually one of the blessings of God’s word.

He doesn’t just blind-side us, He is a God who warns.

 

Psalms 19 is a great Psalm about the commandments of God.

 

Psalms 19:11 “Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

 

God’s word is a tremendous warning to us.

 

TURN TO: 2 PETER 3:8-18

 

Here Peter is essentially telling us to head the warning

And walk in the holiness God desires.

 

You can hear Peter telling you that God will keep His promise of judgment

And you had better head the warning.

 

Ahab did not heed God’s warning,

 

And so here we see Jehu standing at the mountain of heads

Proclaiming that “the LORD has done what He spoke”.

 

How many someday will be shocked to be cast into the fiery hell

To be tormented day and night,

And as they enter the flame will hear again the words of Jehu,

“the LORD has done what He spoke”.

 

We must take God’s word and His warnings serious,

For He is not playing around.

 

(11) “So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.”

 

Jehu unleashed the sword on Ahab and his friends.

(The fact that he killed his friends will invite the judgment of God,

but we will see that next week.)

 

So first, The Removing of Ahab’s Heirs

#2 REMOVING AHAB’S ALLIES

2 Kings 10:12-14

 

So now after killing the heirs, Jehu is on the way to Samaria,

But while on the journey, he happens upon some Ahab sympathizers.

 

We know them as “the relatives of Ahaziah”

 

And notice their alliances.

“we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”

 

We all know who this queen mother is.

It is Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab,

The one who influenced Jehoshaphat’s boy Jehoram

And Jehoram’s boy Ahaziah into wickedness.

 

And these are friends of hers, coming to declare allegiance.

 

(14) “He said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.”

 

These of course would have been Ahab’s allies.

 

One can only imagine the conspiracy that was to begin

If they were to actually make contact with Athaliah.

No doubt new schemes and plots would have been made

And Jehu was not about to allow it to happen.

 

Not only were Ahab’s heirs killed, but so also were his allies.

 

We have seen his heirs removed

We have seen his allies removed

#3 REMOVING AHAB’S INFLUENCE

2 Kings 10:15-17

 

Now we don’t have time to do a full run down on Jehonadab the son of Rechab, so let me give you a quick description.

 

– Neither priest nor prophet, yet widely regarded as a holy man

– A man who kept a lifelong Nazarite vow (example of holiness)

– A man who greatly influenced his offspring (Jeremiah 35)

 

And when Jehu sees him, he seeks to impress him.

(Another fault of Jehu we will discuss next week)

 

But what I want you to see here is

The next step in the sword of Jehu.

 

(17) “When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.”

 

These of course were not the heirs, they had already been dealt with.

This is the remainder of Ahab’s family.

 

We have already seen how influential

The women in Ahab’s family could be.

 

His wife was the most wicked woman to ever live,

And his daughter is causing enormous problem in Judah.

 

Ahab’s total influence had to removed.

 

There could be no chance of one of his daughters marrying a king

And spreading Ahab’s poison all over again.

 

This man’s influence had to be completely removed.

And so Jehu killed them all.

 

He killed all in Jezreel, now he kills them all in Samaria.

 

“according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.”

 

God is seriously removing the cancer of Ahab from Israel.

 

He removed his HEIRS

He removed his ALLIES

He removed his INFLUENCE

#4 REMOVING AHAB’S RELIGION

2 Kings 10:18-28

 

Ahab was gone, and now it is time to get rid of his religion.

 

Baal worship had flourished under Ahab.

• Sure Balaam had led Israel astray after the Baals at Baal Peor..

• Yes Israel dabbled with the Baals during the time of the judges…

 

But it was Ahab who turned Baal worship

Into a national religion.

 

1 Kings 16:29-33 “Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him. It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”

 

Ahab had completely led Israel away from the LORD after Baal,

Now that Ahab was gone, it was time to wage war on his religion.

 

Jehu pretended allegiance to Baal

And called for a great feast and a solemn assembly.

 

After discerning that all of Baal’s worshipers were present

And none of the followers of the LORD were present,

Jehu called for their slaughter.

 

• He then burned the sacred pillars of the house

• He then broke down the sacred pillar of Baal

• And He completely broke down the temple.

 

“and made it a latrine to this day.”

 

Literally “a place of dung”

 

Jehu turned Baal’s house into the local restroom,

This was to ensure that it was never rebuilt.

 

(28) “Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.”

 

And all of a sudden God’s promise to Elijah was fulfilled.

• I will remove Ahab…

• I will remove Baal…

• I will do it through the sword of judgment…

 

AND GOD DID

 

Revival is not the only way God can purify a people.

Judgment has always proven to be an effective purifier.

 

WHAT WE SHOULD LEARN:

Not only is God FAITHFUL in executing His promises of judgment.

God is also THOROUGH in executing His promises of judgment.

 

Listen to John the Baptist

Matthew 3:7-12 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

 

Remember the parable of the wheat and the tares?

Matthew 13:41 “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,”

 

Remember the parable of the dragnet?

Matthew 13:47-49 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,”

 

God is thorough in His judgment.

 

Listen to Paul:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”

 

Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

 

For further proof,

We only have to listen as John the apostle describes heaven.

 

Revelation 21:7-8 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

Revelation 21:27 “and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

 

Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

 

There is no chance whatsoever of one person who is in sin

Ever slipping past the security of God.

 

TURN TO: MATTHEW 22:1-14

 

I hope you notice why the man was not able to sneak in.

BECAUSE THE KING HIMSELF EXAMINED THE GUESTS.

 

John the Baptist said that He will “thoroughly clear the threshing floor”

 

And that is what He does here.

He knows every guest by name.

 

– Those He does not know, He spots and removes.

– Those who try to enter by their own goodness, He spots and removes.

– Those who try to live in their sin, He spots and removes.

 

GOD IS THOROUGH WITH HIS JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED

 

You need to know that God will not let sin slide.

You need to know that God will not let sinners go undetected.

 

He finds them all, regardless of where they hide.

Revelation 20:13 “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.”

 

The only way to slip past the judgment of God is to be holy.

The only way to be holy

Is to be clothed in the righteousness of God’s only Son.

 

 

 

In that parable in Matthew 22, you may notice who attended.

 

(10) “Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”

 

The evil were welcome, so long as they clothed themselves

In the righteousness of the Son.

 

It was the one who refused to clothe himself in Christ’s righteousness that was removed.

 

We learn from Jehu and Ahab that God’s judgment is not a joke.

His warnings are not idle threats.

 

You and I are intended to head the warning

And seek out His salvation.

 

That salvation is found in Jesus Christ.

The sinless Son of God who gave His life on the cross

To pay the penalty of sin, and appease God’s wrath on sinners.

 

To escape God’s wrath, we must submit our lives to Him.

 

 

On the day of Pentecost, men were terrified at God’s judgment.

Here is what Peter said to them:

Acts 2:37-40 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ” Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

 

This world is headed for the destruction of intense heat.

Be saved by repenting and trusting Jesus.