Title: Wasn't God?
Contents
Was there no God?
(2006.11.26. Week) (2 Kings 1:1-4)
Depending on what people are close to and live with, their status changes, their lives change, and their results change.
If you live close to fighting, you become a fighter and a gangster. If you live close to stealing, you become a thief.
If you live close to lies, you become a liar. If you live close to play, you become a playboy.
Shall we see the spiritual state?
If you are close to a demon, you are called a person with a demon, if you are close to a demon, you are called a person of the devil.
If you are close to the church, you are a member. If you are close to your life of faith, you are a believer. If you draw near to God, you are a person of God.
But the important thing is that one person cannot serve two masters at the same time.
You cannot serve the devil and God at the same time. So you need to be sure which side you are going to stand on.
Let's think of Dongducheon, where we live, as our current location.
The closer you get to Jeongok, the farther away from Uijeongbu.
The closer you get to Uijeongbu, the farther away you get from Jeongok. - The same is true spiritually.
The closer you get to God, the farther you are from the devil.
The closer you get to the devil, the farther you are from God.
I pray that you will do your best to become blessed believers who are far from the devil and closer to God.
1. A person who turns away from God.
Let's look at some of the kings of Israel.
*King Solomon served God very well in the early days - At that time, King Solomon received God's love and everything went well. Then Solomon became close to a foreign woman - he became closer to idolatry - and gradually became distant from God - God said to him that he would take away the blessings he had given him so far.
*Look at King Ahab - Ahab was a priest of Asherah, and he approached a man named “Ethbaal,” who was nicknamed a man of Baal, and married his daughter Jezebel. Silver died without any descendants, and the family door was closed.
* Today's text tells the story of Ahaziah, Ahab's son.
(1:2) - “Ahaziah fell from the upper railing in Samaria and became ill, and he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, ask Beelzebul, the god of Ekron, if he will be healed of this disease.”
Sick Ahaziah wondered what would happen to his illness - so he turned to "Beelzebul," who he thought was "the king of demons," and sent someone to serve Beelzebul.
What is God's warning about that?
(1:3) - "The angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishphite, Arise, go up, and meet the angel of the king of Samaria, and say to him, "Do you go to inquire of Beelzebul, the god of Ekron, because there is no God in Israel?"
Was there no God? Do you want to turn away from Hanani and serve other gods? - God was angry with those who turned away from God and trusted in vain gods. - What was the result?
(1:4)- “Therefore, says the Lord, ‘You shall not come down from the bed you have climbed up on, and you will surely die.’ So Elijah went?
There is no one who will turn away from God and be blessed. If you distance yourself from God, you will eventually perish.
*There are times in life when you encounter difficult things - Then - Who are you looking for? - If you get close to the fortune teller and the shaman, difficult things will become more difficult and eventually you will fail.
You must not forget the word of God that you must have no other gods besides me. - It's not just idolatry.
It is the same even if you love the world more than the church and the pleasures of the world more than worship.
2. A person who relied on God.
When Ahaziah was ill, he turned away from God and sought vain gods - but when he was rebuked that “there was no God,” Ahaziah died.
Hezekiah also fell ill. I got a very serious illness. I fell ill to death. It was a disease that could not be cured by worldly medicine. Now that I am not sick, I have been told to prepare to die.
What would Hezekiah do then?
(2 Kings 20:2-3) - “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD, and said, O LORD, remember that I have walked before you in truth and with all my heart, and did what was good in your sight, and wept bitterly.”
When all the hopes of the world were cut off and death approached the threshold, Hezekiah sought God. I prayed to God. God loved Hezekiah like that.
(20:5-6) - “Go back and say to Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayers and have seen your tears; I will heal you, and on the third day you I will go up, and I will add fifteen years to your days, and I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will protect this city for myself and for my servant David.” - Hallelujah!!
Ahaziah was also ill, and Hezekiah was also ill - both of them were ill. But.
*Ahaziah - When he was sick, he went to the king of demons, waited for divination, and was cursed to death, and the payment was cut off.
*Hezekiah - when he was sick and dying - searched for God and risked his life to pray. He was loved and healed, and the country was at peace.
You must never turn away from God. I pray that you will always draw near to God.
3. Lessons from Jesus.
I compared the two kings Ahaziah and Hezekiah in the Old Testament times. I compared Ahaziah, who fell away from God, and Hezekiah, who was blessed by drawing near to God.
*Now let's listen to the lesson our Lord Jesus gave us.
(Matthew 10:32-33) - “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven; and whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.”
Those who are close to Jesus are also close to those who are close to Jesus, and those who are far from Jesus are also far away from Jesus.
* The Apostle James also said - (James 4:8) - "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and sanctify your heart, you double-minded." - Do not serve both God and the devil. I can't - I'm telling you not to have two hearts and come to one side. It is only a lesson to gaga-gai God. It is the word of promise that when a person draws closer to God, God will draw near to that person too.
*Once again, let us consider the word of God given to us through the prophet Elijah.
“Are you going to inquire of Beelzebul, the god of Ekron, because there is no God in Israel?” - Do you draw near to the king of demons because there is no God? Don't forget your rebuke. - He still says the same thing.
<Do you not believe in God because there is no God?> <Are you close to heresy because there is no healthy church?>
<Are you going out into the world because there is no church?> <Are you unable to worship because there is no place to worship?>
Dear saints - God is always ready and waiting to welcome us. The church is always open and waiting for you to come. Sunday is always the day God is waiting for you.
God is close to you, and the church is close to you - you must not distance yourself from God and the church. Was there no God? No church? If you ask me, it will last forever.
I pray that you will always be close to the church and always close to God, so that you may receive abundant love from God and receive abundant blessings.