Series: Questions the LORD
asked sinners
Title: Is It Not Because?
Text: 2 Kings 1: 2-17
Date: October 19, 2017
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
The great object for our souls
to seek is the LORD God of heaven and earth by coming to Christ in faith. It is
true at all times: from our youth to old age; when we fall under conviction of sin;
when we come into great trial; when we face decisions; when things are good. At
all times the great object for our souls to seek is the LORD God of heaven and
earth in Christ Jesus his Son.
Proposition: Those who come to Christ asking mercy
shall receive mercy but those who do not shall receive the fiery judgment of
God.
THE FALL
2 Kings 1: 2: And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper
chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick:…
The reason we need to seek
mercy from Christ is because we are fallen.
The law of God required that lattice should be put
around ones top floor of his house and made strong to keep men from falling.
Deuteronomy
22: 8: When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for
thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from
thence.
The reason God gave that law
is “that thou bring not blood upon thine
house, if any man fall from thence.”
Ahaziah broke the law of God by
not putting up stronger lattice. And by
breaking that law, it was he who fell and died.
Adam broke one law of God and
fell and brought blood on his house—every person needs to seek Christ because
we all fell into sin in Adam.
Romans
5: 12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Like Ahaziah when we fell in
Adam we became sick: sin-sick. Legally
we are unrighteous and guilty before God—“the
judgment was by one to condemnation.” Spiritually
in our sin-nature we are unholy before God—“by
one man’s offence death reigned by one.”
Now that he sees he has fallen
and is very sick, if Ahaziah turned and obeyed God’s law, put up stronger
lattice, could Ahaziah heal himself and put away his offense before God? No. He had already broken God’s law, was
fallen and was sick. When a sinner sees his sin, he cannot turn and start
trying to keep God’s law and thereby heal himself of his sin problem. We cannot
cure ourselves by our works. Christ said, “A
corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit.”
Romans
3: 20: Therefore by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is
the knowledge of sin.
Do not miss this point. Wrong
on the fall, wrong on it all! We are so
guilty and sinful before God by birth that there is nothing we can contribute
to our salvation. Christ must do it all!
THE FRUIT
2 Kings 1: 2: [Ahaziah] sent messengers, and said unto them, Go,
inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
Since we are fallen in sin
dead fruit is all we can produce.
Ahaziah was king of Israel—he
is in the one nation where God revealed himself. Yet he sent messengers to
inquire of Baalzebub in Ekron. Baal means Lord.
If you would have heard them speaking they would have said, “Lord, Lord.” But Christ said, not
everyone that says, “Lord, Lord shall
enter the kingdom of heaven. Depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I never
knew you.” Their lord was another
Lord. Zebub means flies—they were worshipping a man-made, idol, called the LORD
of the flies. The idols men worship are worshipped in church buildings as the
call, “Lord, Lord!” But except a man be made new by Christ then the Lord he
calls upon is a false god.
To make this even more
insulting to God, they had to go right past Jerusalem to get to Ekron.
Jerusalem is where God promised to meet with his people over the mercy seat! God has promised to meet with his people in
heavenly Jerusalem in Christ our Mercy Seat through faith in him! Therefore, to
by-pass Christ for a god of our imagination is the greatest insult to God.
The king was not interested in
eternal salvation, he only wanted his fortune told. He wanted to know “shall I recover from this disease?” A
spiritually dead sinner is the most irrational thing there is. He
is not interested in God or his word but he will go out of his way to a fortune
teller or some preacher who tells him what he must do in order to be
saved. He is not interested in hearing
how men can live eternally by Christ’s blood and righteousness but is only
interested in how to live right now in this life by the work of his own hand.
Sinner, if you get a disease,
if you recover, the sin-problem that caused it is still there and you will
still die! This body is going back to the dust. Christ is the only Physician
that can heal us of our sin-disease and give us eternal life so that though
these bodies die, we shall never die!
Seek him!
THE QUESTION
2 Kings 1: 3: But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the
Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say
unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that
ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?
Ahaziah was guilty of a complete
and absolute denial of Jehovah and God called him on it! To go after an idol
rather than Christ is denying God. I ask every unbeliever that hears my voice
the same question, “Is it not because [you imagine] there is no God in
Israel, that ye go to enquire of the idol gods of this world?”
I
ask this of you and me who believe. When
we come into trials, into a tough situation and know the will of God, especially
when times are good, so often we let something come between us and God. Whatever
takes us away from Christ or or comes between us and Christ is an idol: sports,
pleasure, money, drugs, music, fortune-tellers, philosophy, loved ones, the
many forms of will-work religion, irrelevant doctrines of men. God makes this
charge— Is it not because [you think] there is no God in Israel, that ye go
to enquire of the idol gods of this world?
I
don’t want to play the fool, do you? God says, “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.” (Ps 14: 1)
THE DIFFERENCE
2 Kings 1: 4: Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which
thou art gone up, but shall surely die. And Elijah departed.
2 Kings 1: 9: Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with
his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill.
And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10: And Elijah answered and said to
the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from
heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. 12:..And
the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Here is how the Lord deals
with a man who rejects Christ—“Now
therefore [for this reason] thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from
that bed on which thou art gone up, but shall surely die. And Elijah departed.”
All who refuse to believe on
the Lord, the Lord shall sentence him to die and not recover. But physical
death is not the eternal death—after physical death comes the judgment of
Christ and his fiery judgment on all unbelievers—we see it pictured here. When Ahaziah
heard that this word came from Elijah then the king sent these captains of
fifty with their fifty to arrest Elijah.
The first fifty came with no
reverence, no repentance, no respect for God or his prophet. The fire of God came down and consumed
them. Christ shall judge all who stand
before him having never bowed the knee to Christ in saving faith. Just as Elijah was on the top of a hill, Christ
is on top of a high hill at God’s right hand and all judgment is committed unto
him.
Acts
17:31: he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given
assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
God shall pour out fiery
judgment at Christ’s word on all unbelievers in the day of judgment. God is holy. He must honor and vindicate his
law which we broke. Christ honored and
vindicated God’s justice on the cross for his people when he bore the fire of
God’s wrath for all who believe! But
Christ shall vindicated God’s justice by pouring it out on all who refuse to
believe on him in the day of judgment. Paul said,
Romans
1: 18: the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
2
Thessalonians 1: 7:…the Lord
Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory
of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among
you was believed) in that day.
Sinner, do not meet Christ on
top of that high hill in judgment. Believe our testimony now and come bowed
down asking mercy from Christ.
Let’s see how the last group
of soldiers came and what happened to them—2
Kings 1: 13: And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And
the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before
Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my
life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14: Behold, there came fire down from
heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties:
therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. [how does Christ
receive such a humbled sinner?] 15: And the angel of the LORD said
unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went
down with him unto the king.
The other men demanded Elijah
to come down. But Christ has already come down when he bore the fire of God’s
holy justice on behalf of his people and redeemed us from the curse of the law.
Christ is not coming down until the day of his return. So in these last men we see it is the sinner
who must come down and bow to Christ and confess him.
The day of Christ’s judgment
is coming. But for now, this is the day of salvation. When Christ walked this earth, when
confronted by unbelievers, James and John said, “Lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume
them, even as Elias did?” But Christ rebuked them and said, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
Don’t misunderstand, the day of judgment is coming when he shall cast men out
into outer darkness. But this is the day of grace. Christ will receive all who
come to him in true God-given faith and humility.
John
6: 37: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out…44:no man can come to me, except the Father which
heath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
You might say, “If I had been there and saw what happened to
the first two bands of soldiers, I would have come like those last men came as
well.” Would you? Every day, you see
sinners perishing all around you living in rebellion against God, taking God’s
name in vain, continually blaspheming him and perishing in sin under the wrath
of God. In this place you have seen sinners who God drew to Christ who Christ
received—who joy in the Lord. So will you? Which one will you join in
with?
Those who never bow shall bow
the knee in that day then receive the fiery judgment of God for eternity. But
right now, Christ receives all who come with a broken and contrite heart asking
him, “Lord, let now my life be precious
in thy sight!” To that plea, Christ delights to show mercy!
May God regenerate and draw
his lost sheep that we might give him all the glory now and forever!
Amen!