Rev. Rob Henderson
Shelby Wesleyan Church
48 Ferry
Shelby, MI 49455
https://www.angelfire.com/mi2/robhenderson/
robnaomi@oceana.net
September 12, 1999 am
2 Kings 18:31-35, 19:32-34
His name was Kevin Pops. He was the biggest kid in class. From second grade I seemed to never have been able to escape Kevin’s shadow. My first encounter came when I was moved up from the middle reading class to the first reading class. As I went to sit down in the circle of other students suddenly there was no chair. Wham! I hit the floor. I was embarrassed. I sheepishly got up amid all the laughter and went to sit down again. Wham! No chair again. Kevin had deftly slid the chair away both times. The third attempt landed me safely in the chair as I learned to take ahold of it myself and sit.
Kevin did things to make my life miserable. He would make fun of my hair-cut or take away a swing. Whatever it was I was unable to counter because not only was he big he was smart. Kevin was not a dumb bully. He was a smart bully.
One day we played marbles. Finally, I defeated Kevin in something. We played for keepsies but- you guessed it- win or lose Kevin kept his marbles- and mine.
Sennacherib was the king of Assyria. Not only was he king he was the neighborhood bully. He had already defeated other kingdoms and had exacted a pay-off from Hezekiah to not attack. Hezekiah paid the fine even though it meant ripping the gold off of the walls and doorposts of the temple. But it only whtted Sennacherib’s appetite.
Sennacherib’s army was on the march. Nothing was going to stop them now. They were advancing on Jerusalem with rape and pillage on their minds. They would spare no one. Advance word was sent to Hezekiah.
Sennacherib was intent on displacing the people of Judah. He was intent on not only defeated but humiliating God’s people and ultimately God himself.
Got any bullies in your life? Is there someone who keeps knocking at your door and trying to defeat you? Is there a bully of strife that strives to keep you weak and war-weary? There are bullies all around us. And there is one bully- his name is Satan. And Satan uses whatever means, people, or situations to bully God’s people.
I believe that there are many Christians who have seen the bully at work against them. They have seen Satan rear up his ugly head in situations and has caused them grief. You had tried to do the right thing only to have it thrown back into your face. Whether its on the job or at a family reunion Satan is alive and well.
I believe that there are many Christians who have been pushed around by emotional pain. Trauma from the past has defeated so many Christians. Something they did or even something someone did to them has kept Christians weak and heartbroken. A wrong choice or decision has been a road-block for your own spiritual-emotional victory. And whether it’s in the private closet of devotions or the public square of worship the bully has stood near, pointing his crooked finger- accusing you both day and night.
I believe that there are many Christians who are defeated by addictions. Drugs, alcohol, pornography, and anything else that Satan can use to get a foothold into your life. Let’s not kid ourselves: good Wesleyan Christians are just as susceptible to these addictions as any others. We just don’t want to talk about it because we have been saved and sanctified. Well, let me tell you this: good saved and sanctified men and women of God have fallen hard because Satan got a foothold in their life and soon it became a stronghold and the castle crumbled when it looked its most formidable.
What about you? What has the bully been doing in your life? What has Satan been successful at in his wily attempts?
Remember, Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy.
He wants to steal the seeds of righteousness that God has planted in your life. He wants to kill your will serve God. And ultimately, he wants to destroy your soul.
What do we do when the bully comes knocking on our door.
I must make a confession. I like halloween. Now I don’t agree with the history of it but I do believe that we can claim anything for the glory of God. What Satan has meant for evil God can use for good. And one of the principles we learn from God’s word is take every opportunity to sow seed. And boy do I love to sow seed on halloween. I love to pass out candy.
We lived in a mobile home park in Muskegon many years ago. And one year I decided I was passing out candy. And so I did. If you trick or treat, come to my house and you will get candy. And I won’t tell anybody you came. My goal is to be the talk of the neighborhood. I want kids to know that the Pastor is not cheap. I try to pass out the best candy. This year will be no different. No gum drops or dum dums from the Hendersons. No sirree. Candy bars. Big ones. And I enjoy meeting the ghosts and goblins and Bill Clintons and Richard Nixons. I enjoy the excitement that is in the air for the kids. What a wonderful time: free candy.
Satan loves to trick or treat in our lives. He loves to show up at our door when we least expect it and expect us to give him what he wants.
Sennacherib went trick or treating around his neighborhood. He went from town to fortified town, and kingdom to kingdom- taking, raping, and pillaging whatever he desired. He was doing the end around. He had already conquered the other kings and their gods and now he was threatening King Hezekiah and the kingdom of Judah.
Sennacherib was no dummie. He was shrewed and calculating. He knew that Jerusalem believed in one God. He knew that there was a revival because of Hezekiah’s strong belief in God and his efforts to destroy the Baal worship. Sennacherib had defeated all the other nations and their gods. In fact he burned those gods made of stones and wood. And he believed that past success would guarantee future results. He was out to do the same to Jerusalem and to their God.
But he doesn’t know who he’s messing with. He isn’t just messing with Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. He isn’t messing with the kings of Gozen and Haran. He isn’t messing with gods made by human hands. He’s messing with God.
How did Hezekiah refer to God? Look in 2 Kings 19:16:
“Give ear O Lord, and hear; open your eyes O Lord and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.”
God heard what Sennacherib was saying. God heard this man of Satan say what he was going to do to Jerusalem and the people of God. Hezekiah recognized something that Sennacherib had overlooked. God is not like gods made from wood and stones.
God is the LIVING GOD.
The Psalmist chimes in for us this morning that niether does He sleep or slumber. God is alive and well and is in control.
And let me tell you something: when Satan goes prowling around you like a roaring lion you have a living God on your side.
Are you confused? You don’t need the gods of this world because you have living God. No cars, no houses, no nothing is going to care for you like God. You got problems? You don’t need Psychic Friends Network to solve your problems and take your money! We have a living God who wants to share in your life.
You see, when Satan messes with you, he’s messing with your whole family! Jesus Christ died for you and arose from the dead. He defeated sin and death. Fear? Fear of what? “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” When you are in the kingdom you have the rights of the heir of the throne!
And when you are under attack go to Him. Pray to the Lord and ask for deliverance. Hezekiah went to the Lord and he recognized where deliverance was going to come from. Hezekiah prayed with confidence, faith, and security.
So what if you have showed up here this morning defeated. Remember, you have an advocate with the Father. When you are defeated you can still go to Him for forgiveness, strength, and a way of escape.
What God means for us this morning is this: He will win the battles, the conflicts, and ultimately the war. We just have to let him.
GOD RESPONDED TO SENNACHERIB.
This is what He had to say in 19:22- Who is it you have insulted? Who is it you have blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel.
God let Sennacherib know in no uncertain terms who he was messing with. He let him know that he was dealing with a God who is very real and very much alive. Sennacherib was informed that he was a pawn in God’s sovereign plans. That God used him to bring about judgement on other nations people. And now God was warning him about his pride and how pride would be his downfall.
Satan and his hosts must take much pride in their work. To see the fall of men and women. To see the defeat of Christians. It was pride that got Satan kicked out of heaven when he thought he could overthrow God. It is the same pride that gets in the way of good men and women who believe that they can order their lives better than what God can. I have met good people who wanted nothing to do with Christianity. They had good morals, were honest, and hard-working but didn’t need the Lord. Remember the Proverb? “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Sennacherib had a pride problem. He had whooped every one else in the neighborhood and now he was going to take on God’s people and defeat them and God. But he only deceived himself.
And when you face those temptations and times of anguish just realize that if God goes before you how could you lose the battle. As we learned from Jehoshaphat: “The battle belongs to the Lord.” How can we lose if the battle is God’s? How can we ever lose if we let him pitch for us, bat for us, run for us, and score for us?
Not only did God respond to Sennacherib but
GOD MADE A PROMISE TO HEZEKIAH
God made a promise of subsistance for the people of Judah. You will be able to plant and reap without worry of invasion. Verse 29:
This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
God was telling Hezekiah that for this year you will have to depend on what naturally grows. Next year you will still be dependent, but by the third year you will be planting and growing just as before.
God also promises that a remnant will remain in Jerusalem. Verses 30-31: Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.
God has always had a people. God has always had men and women of God who worshiped Him. He has always had those who would remain loyal no matter what the circumstances.
Noah and his family were a remnant. Abraham and Sarah were a remnant. In the days of Elijah God had prophets who were still doing His will. And here in Jerusalem there was a remnant of believers who were standing firm in the face of the enemy. God is declaring that He will always have a people. A people who stay strong, who do not waver, who will not follow Satan. A people who will keep on keeping on. A people who will follow Christ no matter the cost.
God then promises protection for His people.
He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the Lord. I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.
Not only did God respond to Sennacherib and give a promise to Hezekiah:
GOD SECURED HIS WORD
What God said was a sure thing. God was not going to play games with some clown like Sennacherib. God was being real when he responded and now God was going to show his power in battle. The Assyrian army never stood a chance. Look in verse 35:
“That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning- there were all the dead bodies!”
Do you have bullies in your life? Are there areas of your life that Satan keeps defeating you? Are you battling battles and feel like you’re losing the war?
The power of Jesus Christ wants to deliver you from the hand of evil. This all-surpassing power is available anytime, anywhere, and for anyone! Just as God delivered His people out of the hands of Sennacherib he surely wants to do the same for you today.
How can you win?
1) Admit you are weak. And then cling to the power of the cross.
2) Confess to the Lord your confusion and frustration with sickness or even sin. Give it to the Lord.
3) Give the battle to the Lord. If it is sin then surrender your will to Him. If there is defeat because of sickness or frustration surrender that situation to the Lord and put it in his hands.
4) Find an ear. Share with someone your frustration and fault.
5) Know who you believe in. Realize that God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will stick with you. Let him.
