I had the choice to either grow up and find God in the situation or become bitter. I chose to find God. And I experienced freedom like I never knew before. --- Heather Mercer - Christian Aid Worker who was imprisoned in Afghanistan, 2001.
Home Sermon Notes II Kings Sermon Notes II Kings 24-25

Sundays Sermon Podcast

Calvary Chapel Kampala
  • 1 Peter 1 "Our Living Hope"
    "We all remember Peter, that disciple that opened his mouth too much with Jesus. Peter later, however, because one of the chief pillars of the early church. Peter and Paul were the two major apostles in bringing the gospel to the Jews (Peter) and Gentiles (Paul). The themes are hope, holiness, and suffering. This letter was mainly to bring encouragement and renewed motivation to live in Godliness no matter what the circumstances"
  • Nehemiah 13 "Cleaning House"
    "When you clean your house do you only have to do it once and then it remains clean? No. There is dirt around here and messy people. It takes a continual maintenance and cleaning. When you take a bath do you only have to do it the first time and then you don't have to bathe anymore? No, we get dirty living in this world. We need to keep on cleaning or we stink and become grotesque. The people had made many promises in chapter 10 of what they were going to do for God and how they were going to live. Unfortunately, when Nehemiah went back to report to the King the people had turned quickly back to the sin and impurity that they had said they would not do. Through God's Word, and spiritual leadership, God's people were going to clean house again. This chapter is about cleaning that which was rebuilt. It is a maintenance process to examine your life, family, church, and leadership to make sure they are according to the standard of purity that God has shown us in His Word. "
  • Nehemiah 11-12 "Rebuilding Together"
    "The work of rebuilding is not something we can do alone. We need God obviously, but we also need one another. There are a few lasting lessons that we can take with us about rebuilding our lives. We are given a reminder of those lessons in these final chapters. The people were now right with God, and together they continued in the day-to-day decisions that made this rebuilding last. Let us be reminded that: Rebuilding Together Needs People. Rebuilding Together Needs Praise. Rebuilding Together Needs Provisions."
II Kings 24-25

2 Kings 24-25 “You Know Defeat is Coming If…”

 

  1. I. If You are Living in Unrepentant Sin (24:1-6)

  1. When the sin doesn’t stop, defeat is just around the corner
    1. Jehoiakim didn’t turn from the sins of Manasseh or repent of his own sins.
    2. Are you living in a state of constant and unrepentant sin (according to the Bible)?  Then you are in great danger.
  • Ezekiel 18:30-32 “"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD."Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!”

  1. II. If There is No Difference Between You and the World (24:7-9)

  1. The people of God should have had victory, yet their fate was the same as the people of the world (Egypt)
    1. This was because Jehoiachin was practicing the same wickedness as the pagan nations
    2. We will never have a solution for the world if we behave just the same as them!

 

  1. III. If You Think You Are Exempt From Failure (24:10-17)

  1. The king, his mother, and all of the strong mighty men were taken
    1. Sometimes our strength is our greatest weakness
  • 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
  • 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness…”
  1. Only the poor of the land were left
  • Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

  1. IV. If You Don’t Learn From Other’s Mistakes (24:18-25:7)

  1. “It won’t happen to me”
    1. It will happen to you if you don’t learn from the mistakes of others—especially these lessons found in the Bible.
    2. Zedekiah didn’t turn from wickedness, and didn’t listen to God
  • 2 Chronicles 36:11-20 “Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD…And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.”

V. If The House of the Lord is Missing (25:8-17)

  1. You know defeat is coming if you don’t have the house of the Lord in your life
    1. It is important to attend church and fellowship with other Christians on a regular basis.
  • Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
  • Don’t forget the importance of fellowship as you attend. Many people leave before saying one word to others.
  1. These people saw the house of the Lord destroyed, but we will never see that because we are the house of the Lord!
  • 2 Corinthians 6:16 “…For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people."

  1. VI. If You Act Independent of Godly Leadership (25:18-26)

  1. God wants us to submit to His leadership
    1. We need to make sure that the leaders we submit to are going the right direction. We aren’t called to “blind acceptance” of everything we are told.
  • These leaders in Judah who were rebelling against Babylon were actually disobeying the word of the Lord. (18-21)
  • It seemed like the right thing to do but it was actually contrary to the word of the Lord.
  1. Gedaliah wasn’t popular among many, but he was a good man, a friend of Jeremiah the prophet, and obeyed the Lord
  • God wants such people to lead in the church. It will be profitable to follow them.
    • Hebrews 13:17 “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
    • Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.”

  1. VII. If You Give Up Hope. (25:27-30)
    1. Because Even When We Fall there is Hope for the Future!
      1. See that even though the people were taken into captivity there was still hope. In the goodness shown to Jehoiachin we see a glimmer of hope—God is not done with His people!