GOD’S WARNING TO ALL NATIONS!

2 KINGS 17

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. THE REMOVAL [v. 1-6]

1. The Last Royal of the Northern Kingdom [v. 1-2]

2. The Last Rebellion of the Northern Kingdom [v. 3-4]

3. The Last Report of the Northern Kingdom [v. 5-6]

 

II. THE REASON [v. 7-23]

1. Sins Against the Lord [v. 7-12]

2. Stubbornness Against the Lord [v. 13-18]

3. Spreading Against the Lord [v. 19-23]

 

III. THE RESULT [v. 24-41]

1. No Focus [v. 24-28, Philippians 3:13]

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

2. No Fidelity [v. 29-33, “Semper Fi”, 1 Corinthians 4:2]

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

3. No Following [v. 34-41, Luke 9:23, John 10:27, 12:26; 1 Peter 2:21]

- And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

- My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

-If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

-For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

MRS. JOB

JOB 1:1-2, 2:7-10

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. HER INCLINATION PROBED

1. Sorrow in which She Blamed Job Wrongly [1:18-22, Exodus 4:26]

So he let him go: then she (Zipporah) said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

2. Spiritual Apathy in which She Blamed God Foolishly [2:9-10]

3. Selfishness in which She Didn’t Want to Care for Job in His Illness [2:7-10] she said nothing until Job got sick

 

II. HER ENDING POSSIBILITIES

1. She was Replaced [42:13-15]

2. She was Recycled [1:2, 42:13-15]

3. She was Repentant [42:7-10]

 

III. HER INTERESTED PARTIES

1. Satan had Use for Her [1:12, 2:9-10, Luke 4:8, Mt. 16:23]

--Why did Satan leave her? Same reason the Soviets sent Madalyn Murray O'Hair back to America. She would help their cause.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

-But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

--Are you a spiritual help or hindrance to those around you?

2. Job had Love for Her [2:10, Ps. 14:1, 74:18] He didn’t call her a foolish woman but said she was speaking like one

-The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

-Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.

3. God had Lessons for Her [2:10b]

JESUS IS GOD

JOHN 20:24-31

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

Let us not be shy or coy about this matter. Let all doubt and disputation flee from our minds, our mouths, our meaning. Jesus is God. He is as much God as God the Father and God the Spirit. Let no namby-pamby, mealy-mouthed cowardice keep us from this great and important Truth – the deity of Jesus Christ! The great  missionary C.T. Studd but it this way, “If Jesus Christ be God, and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great of me to make for Him!” And He is God!

 

I. WE HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF HIS WORD

 

1. He Spoke with Authority [Mk. 1:22, 27; John 6:63, 7:46]

- And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

-And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

- It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

- The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.

 

2. He Indirectly Claimed to be God [Jn. 11:39-45]

Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

 

3. He Directly Claimed to be God [Jn. 8:51-59]

Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

II. WE HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF HIS ACTIONS

 

1. He Forgave Sins [Lk. 5:20-25]

And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

 

2. He Accepted Worship [Matthew 2:11, 4:8-10, 8:2, 9:18, 14:33, 15:25, 28:9, 17]

- And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

- Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

 

3. He Rose from the Dead [Ecclesiastes 8:8, John 10:18, Rm. 1:4]

-There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death

- No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

- And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

 

III. WE HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF OTHERS

 

1. Demons Recognized His Divinity [Luke 8:27-28]

And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

 

2. Certain Men Recognized His Divinity [Ps. 110:1, Luke 23:42, Jn. 1:1-4, 14-17; Acts 9:1-6]

- A Psalm of David. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

- And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

- IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men

- And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

 

3. God the Father & God the Holy Spirit Proclaim His Deity [Heb. 1]

GOOD CHANCES & BAD CHOICES

2 KINGS 16

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. THE WALK OF KING AHAZ [v. 1-4]

1. He Didn’t Walk Like King David [v. 1-2]

2. He Walked Like the Kings of Israel [v. 3a]

3. He Walked Like the Heathen [v. 3-4]

 

II. THE WAR OF KING AHAZ [v. 5-9]

1. The Invasion of Syria & Israel [v. 5-6] v. 6 first usage of “Jews” [note-this reference is not of the tribe of Judah]

2. The Rejection of God [Hos. 1:6-7, Is. 7:1-14ff]

-And she [Hosea’s wife] conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away [beginning in 2 K. 17]. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

- AND it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

3. The Subjection to Assyria [v. 7-9]

 

III. THE WORSHIP OF KING AHAZ [v. 10-20]

1. Started by the Sinful King [v. 10-18]

2. Supported by the Sissy priest [v, 10-11, 15-16, the priest Azariah stood against King Uzziah in 2 Chr. 26:16-20]

3. Stopped by the Sitting Judge [v. 19-20, Heb. 9:27]

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

PRISCILLA – A PARTNER [Ladies of the Bible]

2 Timothy 4:19  Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.           

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. SHE WAS A PARTNER IN HER MARRIAGE [Acts 18:1-4]

1. They Opened Their Home [v. 1-3a, Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2]

-Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

-Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby [m] some have entertained angels unawares.

2. They Opened Their Work [v. 3b]

3. They Opened Their Hearts [v. 4, 16:14]

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened,

 

II. SHE WAS A PARTNER IN MINISTRY [Acts 18:18-28]

1. They Moved with Paul to Ephesus [v. 18-19]

2. They Ministered in Ephesus [v. 24-26a]

3. They Discipled Believers [v. 26b-28]

 

III. SHE WAS A PARTNER INTERNATIONALLY [Rom. 16:3-5, 2 Tm. 4:19]

1. They Moved through Doors God Opened [Rm. 16:3]

Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:

2. They Made Headway through Deadly Opposition [Rm. 16:4-5]

Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

3. They Maintained through Dedicated Obedience [2 Tm. 4:10, 19]

-For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

-Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

MY LORD, MY GOD, MY SAVIOUR

 

JOHN 20:24-31

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. THE TROUBLED SAINT

1. Thomas Delinquent [v. 19-24]

2. Thomas Doubtful [v. 25]

3. Thomas Declaring [v. 28]

 

II. THE TREMENDOUS SAVIOUR

1. Jesus Invited Thomas’ Assessment

[v. 24-27]

2. Jesus Accepted Thomas’ Assessment

[v. 28-29a]

3. Jesus Exalted Faith’s Assessment

[v. 29b, 31, 24-25]

 

III. THE TEACHING OF SCRIPTURE

v. 25 “the Lord”, v. 26 “Jesus”, v. 28 “my Lord and my God”, v. 31 “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”

1. Bottom Line – in these verses these terms are synonymous, all referring to the same Person [Acts 2:36]

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

2. Fine Line – each title/name has a different emphasis

3. Lifeline – Believe for Life [v. 31]

-spiritual life [Eph. 2:1] AND you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:

-abundant life [John 10:10] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

-eternal, everlasting life [John 3:16, 36] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

 Sometimes young people, well-raised, with godly mothers and fathers who take to heart and put restrictions on young people, say, "Oh, but they don't trust me."

Well, if you have any sense you wouldn't trust yourself. Your native instincts and natural inborn nature and the old Devil taking advantage of you make it so you ought to be on your watch. - John R. Rice [Adultery & Sex Perversion, pg. 10-11]

Thank God. he can save you and make you set apart for Heaven, that is, sanctified. He can justify you. He can make it so you are counted just and clean. You can have peace of mind and know you are forgiven. You can have all that if you will turn from your sins and trust Jesus Christ. You need Him. He wants to help you. And He is ready to do it today. John R. Rice [Adultery & Sex Perversion, pg.23]

Some preachers preach always on the love of God and on trusting in Jesus Christ and those are wonderful themes. But the Bible that says, "God is love," also says "Our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29), and that "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Psa. 7:11). There is as much in the Bible about Hell as about Heaven; and if we do not preach Hell, sinners will see no reason to seek Heaven. If we do not preach about sin and bring conviction of mind and heart and conscience about sin, men will not repent of sin and cannot trust in Christ as a Saviour from sin. Great revivals from Heaven are always accompanied or proceeded by deep conviction for sin. - John R. Rice [All Have Sinned, pg. 5]

Man simply cannot save himself, cannot be justified by his deeds. Every man, woman, and child is so incurably wicked by nature that he or she cannot be saved except by the mercy of God and through the merit of the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, the righteous One. - John R. Rice [All Have Sinned, pg. 9]

You wonder whether you may have committed the unpardonable sin. No, you have not. First, the unpardonable sin is the sin of a lost person, one who has never accepted Christ, one who has never been saved. One whose sins are forgiven cannot commit the unforgiveable sin. Second, the fact that you are burdened and concerned and want God's blessing is proof that you have not committed the unpardonable sin. One who had committed the unpardonable sin would have no conviction, no burden, and would not want God and salvation. The unpardonable sin is a sin of rejecting Christ, after great enlightenment. Anyone who is trouble about it and trying to be right with God has not committed the unpardonable sin. ― John R. Rice, Dr. Rice, Here Are More Questions

Christ is the sinner's substitute. Christ died, not as an example, not as a martyr, and not as a good man, a victim of circumstances. No, He, the Son of God, the Son of Man, purchased salvation for sinners by His death on the cross. - John R. Rice [All Have Sinned, pg.18]

All of us are sinners; we are all in the same boat. But, thank God, Jesus Christ will save the whole boatload if we let Him! If sin is universal, salvation is offered just as freely and universally. - John R. Rice [All Have Sinned, pg.19]