The Conquering Love of God (Romans 8:31-39)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:06.839 Maybe seated. Let's turn our attention this evening to second chronicles, Chapter Twenty 2 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:14.509 one. Second Chronicles Chapter Twenty one after the reign of a couple relatively successful 3 00:00:14.910 --> 00:00:19.109 and great kings in Israel, and we now read of the reign of one 4 00:00:19.149 --> 00:00:27.980 of their sons, Jehoram, who is disgraceful, I'm despicable, a not 5 00:00:28.219 --> 00:00:31.859 a model in any way to be followed. And these are some of the 6 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:37.409 things that will consider as we consider the Kingdom of God, as God has 7 00:00:37.929 --> 00:00:43.289 established it and has been revealing it in history and has revealed it now in 8 00:00:43.450 --> 00:00:48.450 Christ. Well, let's hear God's Word From Second Chronicles Chapter Twenty one. 9 00:00:48.450 --> 00:00:54.560 Jehosha fat slept with his father's and was buried with his fathers in the city 10 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:59.880 of David, and Jehoram, his son, reigned in his place. He 11 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:07.390 had brothers, the sons of Jehoshah fat, Ozariah, Jeheliel Zechariah, Azariah, 12 00:01:07.750 --> 00:01:12.629 Michael and Chefetil. All these were sons of Jehosha fat, King of 13 00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:19.260 Israel. Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold and valuable possessions, 14 00:01:19.379 --> 00:01:26.540 together with fortified cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to Jehoram 15 00:01:26.819 --> 00:01:33.650 because he was the firstborn. When jehoram assent had ascended the throne of his 16 00:01:33.810 --> 00:01:41.170 father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword and also 17 00:01:41.290 --> 00:01:45.930 some of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was thirty two years old when he 18 00:01:46.049 --> 00:01:51.959 became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem, and he walked in 19 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:56.719 the way of the kings of Israel, as the House of Ahab had done, 20 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:01.030 for the daughter of Ahab was his wife, and he did what was 21 00:02:01.150 --> 00:02:05.989 evil in the side of the Lord. Yet the Lord was not willing to 22 00:02:06.109 --> 00:02:09.469 destroy the House of David Because of the covenant that he had made with David 23 00:02:09.949 --> 00:02:14.710 and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons 24 00:02:14.750 --> 00:02:22.139 forever. In his days, Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set 25 00:02:22.180 --> 00:02:27.099 up a king of their own. Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and 26 00:02:27.180 --> 00:02:30.050 all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had 27 00:02:30.090 --> 00:02:36.969 surrounded him and his chariot commanders. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah 28 00:02:37.009 --> 00:02:40.889 to this day. At that time, Leibna also revolted from his rule because 29 00:02:40.930 --> 00:02:46.199 he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his father's moreover, he made 30 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:52.159 high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into 31 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:57.719 hordem and made Judah go astray. In a letter came to him from Elijah, 32 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.270 the Prophet, saying thus says the Lord, the God of David, 33 00:03:00.310 --> 00:03:05.830 your father, because you have not walked in the ways of Jehosha fat your 34 00:03:05.909 --> 00:03:08.349 father, or in the ways of ASA, King of Judah, but I 35 00:03:08.550 --> 00:03:13.819 walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the 36 00:03:13.939 --> 00:03:19.539 inhabitants of Jerusalem into Hordem, as the House of Ahab led Israel into hordem. 37 00:03:20.099 --> 00:03:23.860 And also you have killed your brothers of your father's house, who were 38 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:28.530 better than yourself. Behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your 39 00:03:28.650 --> 00:03:34.849 people, your children, your wives and all your possessions, and you yourself 40 00:03:34.889 --> 00:03:38.250 will have a severe sickness, with a disease of your bowels, until your 41 00:03:38.330 --> 00:03:46.439 bowels come out because of the disease day by day. And the Lord stirred 42 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:51.479 up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near 43 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:55.710 the Ethiopians and they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all 44 00:03:55.789 --> 00:04:00.349 the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house and also his sons and 45 00:04:00.469 --> 00:04:04.710 his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoah has, 46 00:04:04.870 --> 00:04:10.580 his youngest son. And after all this, the Lord struck him with the 47 00:04:10.699 --> 00:04:15.180 struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In the course of time, 48 00:04:16.180 --> 00:04:20.939 the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease 49 00:04:21.779 --> 00:04:28.689 and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, 50 00:04:29.089 --> 00:04:32.250 like the fires made for his father's. He was thirty two years old 51 00:04:32.370 --> 00:04:38.529 when he began to reign and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem and he departed 52 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:43.439 with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but 53 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:57.110 not in the tombs of the Kings. You get a real sense of what 54 00:04:57.230 --> 00:05:02.509 the Chronicler is doing here through all these comparisons that he sets up in second 55 00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:09.939 chronicles twenty one. Over and over and again, this word or this person, 56 00:05:10.019 --> 00:05:14.579 David keeps coming up. And did you notice that? How many times, 57 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:17.899 in many ways where you think it could have just as easily been left 58 00:05:17.980 --> 00:05:23.410 out, but and the story would have still made sense. But yet the 59 00:05:23.449 --> 00:05:29.569 chronicler continues to tie everything that's happening here back to David, and not just 60 00:05:29.689 --> 00:05:32.649 to David, but also the kings that have most recently come before Jehoram, 61 00:05:33.290 --> 00:05:39.160 his father Jehosha Fat, and before Him Asa. In all of this, 62 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:44.879 Jehosha fat is being compared, he is being compared here to these kings who 63 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:48.399 have gone before him, who have followed after the ways of David, this 64 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:58.670 paradigm of what a Godly King ought to be, and at every point Jehoam 65 00:05:59.029 --> 00:06:04.060 fails. He fails so completely and so miserably. In fact, instead of 66 00:06:04.139 --> 00:06:09.980 being characterized with his father David, or even Jehoshah fat or even Asa, 67 00:06:10.779 --> 00:06:15.420 he's characterized as one of the kings of Israel with a have, this terrible, 68 00:06:15.459 --> 00:06:21.370 rotten king who did terrible did horrible things, who fought against the Lord, 69 00:06:21.730 --> 00:06:28.689 who established all kinds of idolatry and wickedness in Israel. Judah was supposed 70 00:06:28.689 --> 00:06:32.240 to be the place of safety, Judah was supposed to be the place of 71 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:41.639 holiness, and instead we see a Libna leaving the house of Judah because it's 72 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:46.709 so bad. They're a kind of revolt or rebellion, not usurping the king, 73 00:06:46.870 --> 00:06:54.149 but just I'm getting out of here, it's so bad God's rule in 74 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:58.829 this we see always a continues on. There are always remnants that remain, 75 00:06:59.110 --> 00:07:04.100 and that is good news for us. But to go back to David, 76 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:09.579 it's also connected with that promise. The Lord says this in Verse Seven. 77 00:07:10.339 --> 00:07:14.939 Despite all of these things and despite all these horrors that come upon Jehoram, 78 00:07:15.660 --> 00:07:19.089 yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the House of David Because of the 79 00:07:19.250 --> 00:07:24.529 covenant that he had made with David and since he had promised to give a 80 00:07:24.569 --> 00:07:30.360 lamp to him and to his son's forever. It's not an accident that there 81 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:35.639 was one son left to Jehoram when his enemies came and took away all of 82 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:41.920 his possessions and his wives and his sons. They didn't leave one by accident. 83 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:47.230 God preserved this child. He desired that the kingdom would go on. 84 00:07:47.750 --> 00:07:53.350 And there are other ways that this comes out as well. But let's step 85 00:07:53.430 --> 00:08:00.500 back a minute and remember the strong foundation in which Jehoram began his work as 86 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:05.620 a king. It was a very strong foundation. Jehoshah had an asa before 87 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:13.089 him had made great reforms in Israel. They had established prophets and teachers throughout 88 00:08:13.129 --> 00:08:16.889 the land. They had put down idols, they had routed kings, they 89 00:08:16.930 --> 00:08:22.089 had established great peace throughout. This, of course, wasn't just their work. 90 00:08:22.209 --> 00:08:26.009 This was the blessing of God. Remember, all the way back to 91 00:08:26.129 --> 00:08:33.000 Deuteronomy, God established his covenant with his people. He promised them that if 92 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:35.960 they obeyed and if they followed after him, he would blow us them with 93 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:43.669 land and possessions, with with growing families and rich fields and harvests and cattle, 94 00:08:45.429 --> 00:08:48.350 safety from their enemies, union with one another, everything that you would 95 00:08:48.350 --> 00:08:56.259 want in a nation. God promised to to pour out on them abundantly as 96 00:08:56.299 --> 00:09:01.379 they followed after him. But he also warned them if you don't follow after 97 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:05.700 me, if you run after other gods, if you whore after idols of 98 00:09:05.820 --> 00:09:11.970 your own making, if you reject my kingship, then I will reject you. 99 00:09:13.250 --> 00:09:18.889 When God pours out his wrath on Jehoram and on Jehoram's people, he 100 00:09:20.090 --> 00:09:24.960 is not just being vindictive or mean hearted. He is fulfilling his word. 101 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:35.519 He is punishing sin and their rebellion against him as their king. Jehoram however, 102 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:39.190 he begins in this such a great place, Asa and Jehosha fat having 103 00:09:39.230 --> 00:09:45.669 gone before him and established this good line. The story even starts out so 104 00:09:45.909 --> 00:09:50.870 well. In Second Chronicles Twenty one, we read that as Jehosha fat died, 105 00:09:50.350 --> 00:09:56.500 he had these sons and to these sons he blessed them, he gave 106 00:09:56.580 --> 00:10:00.539 them great gifts. Of this is verse three, of Silver, of gold, 107 00:10:00.539 --> 00:10:05.700 valuable, Thou lable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judam. This 108 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:11.049 is a good situation, right. They have wealth, they have power, 109 00:10:11.490 --> 00:10:15.529 they're not under attack, they have peace with their their enemies, they have 110 00:10:16.009 --> 00:10:22.120 security within the land, union with one another. But what does Jehosha fat 111 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:26.639 do with this? We says very clearly verse four. When he ascended the 112 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:33.440 throne of his father and was established in it, he kills all of his 113 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:39.029 brothers. This is not just a wicked act, it's a faithless act. 114 00:10:39.950 --> 00:10:45.470 It's an act that doesn't trust the Lord to establish him and keep him secure 115 00:10:45.669 --> 00:10:48.909 and strong as a king. It's an act that a faithless act, that 116 00:10:50.019 --> 00:10:54.379 does not trust God, it does not trust his will, but seeks to 117 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:58.620 establish, by his own power and his own strength, through wicked ends, 118 00:11:00.419 --> 00:11:07.169 his right and terign and his length of his reign. He tries to eliminate 119 00:11:07.250 --> 00:11:13.129 all possible threats to him, forgetting that the only threat to him is the 120 00:11:13.250 --> 00:11:20.519 Lord himself, the Lord whom he should fear and tremble at. This is, 121 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:26.320 of course, the reveals to us the great sinfulness of mankind. It's 122 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:31.279 hard to imagine in one and how Jehorem could have not known this lesson. 123 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:37.269 His father, just before him, had seen in very striking examples how, 124 00:11:37.350 --> 00:11:43.350 when he would follow the Lord, Trust Him, God would work mighty miracles 125 00:11:43.509 --> 00:11:46.299 to protect him and establish him. But when he ran to the King of 126 00:11:46.379 --> 00:11:52.179 Israel, when he did evil things, the kingdom fell apart. You, 127 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:56.379 we wonder. I wonder. I think to myself, how could Jehoram have 128 00:11:56.580 --> 00:12:01.210 not understood this? He's seen it over and over again. It's recorded in 129 00:12:01.289 --> 00:12:07.690 his own family's history. But of course I understand why, and we all 130 00:12:07.809 --> 00:12:11.730 do. The Lord teaches us these lessons, he shows us these things. 131 00:12:11.009 --> 00:12:16.039 We have them here in scripture, just like jehoream did. And yet we 132 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:20.960 fall away, don't we? We fall after the sinful things. We try 133 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:28.240 to secure power and and our position in our place through any means possible. 134 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:33.870 Other than trusting in the Lord. We want to establish our own kingdoms and 135 00:12:33.029 --> 00:12:41.549 our own ways instead of trusting in him. Well, when Jehoram does all 136 00:12:41.629 --> 00:12:46.620 of this and does these evil things in this short period of time, to 137 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:54.460 presidential terms in US terminology, eight years. In eight years, he sort 138 00:12:54.500 --> 00:13:00.210 of decimates everything. In setting up the high places, he establishes false worship 139 00:13:00.330 --> 00:13:05.250 in Israel, these high places being places of idolatry and worship of other gods. 140 00:13:05.649 --> 00:13:13.519 Edom revolts, libna separates. Other enemies come up against him, the 141 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:20.879 Philistines in particular, the Arabians as well. He aligns himself and marries with 142 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:26.440 Ahab's family. All of these things, on such evil things, and you 143 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:33.710 see his kingdom of being torn apart. God warns him against this and then 144 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:43.259 brings this great plague upon him and his people. The consequences for disobedience are 145 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:48.259 all over the place in the scripture. This is something we can never forget. 146 00:13:48.419 --> 00:13:52.779 We must never forget, because it's a constant theme. When we go 147 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:58.769 against the Lord, when we fight against him and his kingdom, he doesn't 148 00:13:58.809 --> 00:14:03.210 ignore these things, he doesn't sweep them under those under the rug. And 149 00:14:03.409 --> 00:14:07.610 here this king who was called to obey, who is called to protect, 150 00:14:07.730 --> 00:14:13.720 who is called to mediate and rule on God's behalf in this kingdom. When 151 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:18.679 he acts and rebels against the Lord, the Lord brings his wrath upon him. 152 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:24.309 And, as we read in verse twelve, because you have not walked 153 00:14:24.350 --> 00:14:28.110 in the ways of Jehoshaphat, your father, or in the ways of Asa, 154 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:31.870 the king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the king 155 00:14:31.110 --> 00:14:37.710 of kings of Israel, and if enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into 156 00:14:37.750 --> 00:14:41.419 hordem, as of that as the House of Ahab led Israel into Hordem, 157 00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:46.580 and also if you killed your brothers, who are better than yourself, the 158 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:50.980 Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives 159 00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:54.049 and all your possessions, and you yourself will have a severe sickness, with 160 00:14:54.129 --> 00:15:00.409 a disease of your bowels until your bowels come out because of the disease. 161 00:15:00.529 --> 00:15:11.840 Day by day, over the course of two years, Jehoram would suffer and 162 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:22.149 suffer and suffer in great agony until he died. Sadly, we never read 163 00:15:22.230 --> 00:15:28.429 a single line of Repentance. We never read a single line of him who 164 00:15:28.429 --> 00:15:35.149 were calling out to the Lord in hope or in pleading for mercy. Kings 165 00:15:35.230 --> 00:15:39.659 before him had done terrible things, had made bad choices, false alliances, 166 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:45.539 had fallen into great sins. But the godly kings who had come before him 167 00:15:46.779 --> 00:15:50.009 turn to the Lord that they had rebelled against, turn to the one whom 168 00:15:50.370 --> 00:15:58.090 they had as sinned against, and they pleaded him from mercy, for forgiveness, 169 00:16:00.330 --> 00:16:07.120 for help, for supply in their needs, and in every case God 170 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:11.679 answered their prayers. This is yet another lesson that Jehoram did not learn, 171 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:18.000 another lesson that he refused to listen to. Not a word here of him 172 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:22.830 calling out, not a word here of him hoping or wishing or trying to 173 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:30.350 do anything different. Instead, he simply presses on, and his humiliation is 174 00:16:30.429 --> 00:16:34.980 not only made evident in the way that he died, but even after his 175 00:16:36.179 --> 00:16:40.860 death, his people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made 176 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:48.330 for his father's. He departed with no one's regret. Good riddeness, they 177 00:16:48.409 --> 00:16:53.450 said of Jehoram. They buried him in the city of David, but not 178 00:16:55.129 --> 00:17:03.639 in the tombs of the king's what are we to learn as we study Jehoram, 179 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:10.799 this horrible man? I think one obvious lesson is that coming from a 180 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:15.710 good family, me, even a covenant family, even belonging to this in 181 00:17:15.950 --> 00:17:22.670 a very direct way, to the Covenant with David, did not guarantee success. 182 00:17:22.789 --> 00:17:30.539 Sin, pride, rejection of the Lord, these things can topple in 183 00:17:30.660 --> 00:17:37.660 adulthood all that is given in childhood. This is a lesson for all of 184 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:41.539 us to pay attention to, no matter where it is that God began to 185 00:17:41.700 --> 00:17:47.170 richly pour out his blessings on us, whether that was from our very infancy 186 00:17:47.289 --> 00:17:52.450 or even later in life. What will we do with those gifts, the 187 00:17:52.609 --> 00:17:57.759 grace of hearing his word, the opportunity to belong to his church, to 188 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:03.400 hear his promises, to know his law, to be promised His forgiveness? 189 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:11.079 What choices will we make? Will we take them and embrace them by faith? 190 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:17.269 Will we live our lives and confidence of God and his kingdom that he's 191 00:18:17.309 --> 00:18:22.309 established in Jesus? Or we will? Or will we despise him and turn 192 00:18:22.509 --> 00:18:27.619 from the word of the Lord, turning to other gods? Will we, 193 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:33.900 who have heard and tasted of the good things of God, desire evil more 194 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:41.059 than good, trust ourselves instead of him? If so, then Jehoram's life 195 00:18:41.259 --> 00:18:45.970 is a great warning to us. It's a warning that those who depart from 196 00:18:45.009 --> 00:18:49.569 the Lord, those who rebel against him and leave him, will law, 197 00:18:49.890 --> 00:19:00.759 will remain and find themselves in darkness. If you find yourself even now experiencing 198 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:07.599 great aspects of the Lord's discipline because of your sin, and you're hearing the 199 00:19:07.720 --> 00:19:11.750 message that he calls you to repentance, that he promises you life and blessing 200 00:19:11.869 --> 00:19:18.150 in him, then know that you are being blessed even now, that your 201 00:19:18.309 --> 00:19:23.940 experience and trials under the discipline hand of the Lord can be turned for good, 202 00:19:26.339 --> 00:19:32.019 can be made into repentance. But know also that if, like Jehoram, 203 00:19:32.819 --> 00:19:37.900 you refuse and your you refuse to listen and you remain in your blindness, 204 00:19:37.690 --> 00:19:42.369 then you will end in a much worse place than he did, that 205 00:19:42.490 --> 00:19:47.809 as we read of it here, in his time on earth, because the 206 00:19:47.890 --> 00:19:52.410 judgment of God and the wrath of God does not continue just while we are 207 00:19:52.450 --> 00:19:56.839 alive or even a little bit in the memories of people after our death. 208 00:19:56.680 --> 00:20:02.680 But Jesus promises us that those who rebel against him, those who sin and 209 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:10.230 do not turn in repentance and will suffer a life of everlasting torment, of 210 00:20:10.349 --> 00:20:18.829 everlasting disgrace and horrors and agonies. JEHORAM's life must be a warning to us 211 00:20:18.549 --> 00:20:23.259 of both of what God requires and of the promises that he makes to us 212 00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:33.140 to turn to him when we fail to meet his demands. That brings us 213 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:40.009 to a second lesson that we learn from Jehoram's life, and that is this, 214 00:20:41.130 --> 00:20:48.490 that the Lord God is true to his covenant. And like Jehoram and 215 00:20:48.650 --> 00:20:52.480 like a lot of people, all of us who lie and are deceptive from 216 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:57.079 time to time at least, if not in our whole lives, the Lord 217 00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:03.789 is always, always, true. He never lies, he never departs from 218 00:21:03.789 --> 00:21:08.630 his word, he always does what he says he will do. Now, 219 00:21:08.670 --> 00:21:12.630 of course, this holds great threat for those who rebel against God, those 220 00:21:12.670 --> 00:21:18.619 who depart from him. To know that the Lord will judge and will take 221 00:21:18.660 --> 00:21:23.819 vengeance on those who fight against him is a threat, it is a promise. 222 00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:32.339 The Lord's keeping of his covenant and reminds us of this. But that 223 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:37.609 the Lord is true to his covenant also reminds us that his promise that all 224 00:21:37.769 --> 00:21:44.369 who cling to him by faith will be saved is absolutely true. It's as 225 00:21:44.609 --> 00:21:48.960 true as his justice is. For some period reason, we often doubt this. 226 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:55.759 Many people are willing to recognize that God is just, that is God 227 00:21:55.960 --> 00:22:00.519 is good and that that is sure that one day we are all going to 228 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:03.309 get what's coming to us, one way or another. That many people can 229 00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:10.589 and will affirm. But that same Lord who has promised Justice has also promised 230 00:22:11.029 --> 00:22:18.980 great forgiveness and repentance. He has promised to David that he would establish a 231 00:22:18.099 --> 00:22:23.980 king on his throne, a light and a lamp that would never be snuffed 232 00:22:25.019 --> 00:22:29.019 out. This was his promise, and even in the life of Jehoram, 233 00:22:29.259 --> 00:22:34.730 this wicked king, we see the promise of the Lord continuing on, and 234 00:22:34.890 --> 00:22:38.170 that's a promise, of course, that is made even more sure and brought 235 00:22:38.210 --> 00:22:45.480 to completion in Jesus. In all of the ways that Jeh Ram is a 236 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:51.720 terrible king, a despicable king, of rotten king, Jesus is wonderful. 237 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:59.509 He comes in as the great son of David and he is good in every 238 00:22:59.589 --> 00:23:06.589 way, upright in every way, perfect in every way. This is God's 239 00:23:06.710 --> 00:23:12.420 answer to promise and in the same way that Jehoram p plunged all of his 240 00:23:12.619 --> 00:23:22.099 people into plague and darkness and idolatry, Jesus does the converse. He lifts 241 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:27.049 all of us up to godliness and true worship and and goodness and greatness. 242 00:23:29.930 --> 00:23:34.809 Psalm Twenty Five Eight says good and upright is the Lord. Psalm thirty four 243 00:23:34.930 --> 00:23:40.609 eight says taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man 244 00:23:40.650 --> 00:23:47.319 who trusts in him. Jehoram is terrible, he is not good and not 245 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:52.279 to be trusted in Jesus, however, is the ultimate good, the ultimate 246 00:23:52.400 --> 00:24:02.509 promise, and everyone who trusts in him is not plagued but blessed. The 247 00:24:02.670 --> 00:24:10.059 greatness of Jesus is on display in a thousand ways throughout scripture. The psalms 248 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:12.980 declare it in many ways. Consider what we read earlier from Psalm one hundred 249 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:18.500 and forty five. The Lord Is Gracious and merciful, slow to anger and 250 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:22.980 abounding steadfast love. The Lord is good to all and his mercy is over 251 00:24:23.140 --> 00:24:27.490 all that he has made. And then notice the works that it speaks about 252 00:24:27.569 --> 00:24:34.730 his kingdom, this kingdom that was failing in a way under Jehoram but ultimately 253 00:24:36.329 --> 00:24:41.119 upheld and and strengthened by God. In some one for eleven it says, 254 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:45.599 they shall speak of the glory of Your Kingdom and tell of your power, 255 00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:52.839 to make known to the children of Man Your Mighty deeds and the glorious splendor 256 00:24:52.869 --> 00:24:59.269 of Your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and your dominion endures throughout 257 00:24:59.269 --> 00:25:03.710 all generations. This is a promise that seemed very much to be under threat 258 00:25:04.430 --> 00:25:11.500 with Jehoram. The Enduring Kingdom of God did not seem to be the case. 259 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:18.859 LIBNA separating, other parts of Judah are separating, Israel has already separated. 260 00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:25.170 Everything seems to be falling apart, but the very thing that Jehoram refused 261 00:25:25.210 --> 00:25:29.970 to recognize was the thing that was still going on. God was still sovereign, 262 00:25:30.369 --> 00:25:36.440 God was still good, God was still in control, God was good, 263 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:40.400 God was great. And when Jesus is born into the world, all 264 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:47.400 of this goodness and this greatness comes on display. As he casts out demons 265 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:51.390 we read earlier, and establish his kingdom, his kingdom, as he heals 266 00:25:51.470 --> 00:25:56.029 the blind, as he makes the lame walk, as he feeds the hungry 267 00:25:56.190 --> 00:26:02.910 and gives grace to the poor. Jesus establishes this wonderful kingdom, a good 268 00:26:03.029 --> 00:26:10.380 kingdom, a great kingdom and, praise be to God, a gracious kingdom. 269 00:26:11.819 --> 00:26:17.740 We can belong to the Kingdom of God because of the forgiveness and promises 270 00:26:17.819 --> 00:26:22.410 that he offers to us in Christ. I want to read to you a 271 00:26:22.650 --> 00:26:29.009 verse that some verses that we heard earlier the week and the week during our 272 00:26:29.609 --> 00:26:37.440 devotion on Wednesday. It's comes from Titus Chapter Three. Paul writes to titus. 273 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:42.200 He says, for we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, let us 274 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:47.869 stray, slaves of various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and 275 00:26:47.990 --> 00:26:52.910 envy, hated by others and hating one another. We are a bunch of 276 00:26:52.950 --> 00:26:59.470 Jaho rooms, in other words. But when the goodness, not the evil, 277 00:26:59.509 --> 00:27:03.420 but the goodness and loving kindness of God, our Savior, appeared? 278 00:27:04.420 --> 00:27:10.900 How did it appear in Jesus, who's born into the world to bring forth 279 00:27:10.980 --> 00:27:17.170 the Kingdom of God we read? Paul says that he saved us not because 280 00:27:17.170 --> 00:27:19.569 of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, 281 00:27:21.210 --> 00:27:25.930 by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured 282 00:27:26.009 --> 00:27:30.720 out on US richly through Jesus, Christ, our Savior, so that, 283 00:27:30.839 --> 00:27:36.119 being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of 284 00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:41.640 eternal life. You see, just as Jehosha fat poured out great, great 285 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:48.950 riches and blessings on his son's, God also has poured out great blessings and 286 00:27:48.069 --> 00:27:55.549 riches on us, his sons. Through Jesus Christ, through him, God 287 00:27:55.750 --> 00:28:00.940 has established a kingdom. He has taken what Jehoram was ruining and bringing to 288 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:10.059 completion, or it was bringing to disintegration. What he was ruining, what 289 00:28:10.299 --> 00:28:15.930 mankind has always been ruining, what sin always tears apart, and he brought 290 00:28:15.009 --> 00:28:22.210 it together, he established it strong, he made it, as we read 291 00:28:22.250 --> 00:28:30.839 in Psalm, one hundred and forty five, everlasting. This means that we 292 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:38.400 have in our savior a king worthy of the Kingdom of God. And because 293 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:42.349 is he's worthy in this way, not only as a son of David but 294 00:28:42.509 --> 00:28:48.150 also as the soven of God, we can have absolute confidence that we will 295 00:28:48.190 --> 00:28:52.829 never fail as long as we are in him. If your faith is in 296 00:28:52.910 --> 00:28:56.660 Jesus, you never need to worry that he's going to turn out to be 297 00:28:56.740 --> 00:29:03.019 a JEHORAH. You never need to worry that at the eleventh hour, Jesus 298 00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:07.420 might go astray and lead us all into idolatry, because he's not just a 299 00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:15.289 human king, he is God himself. We don't just follow after him, 300 00:29:15.329 --> 00:29:19.569 in other words, we worship him, we praise him, we lift up 301 00:29:19.609 --> 00:29:27.599 his name and as a king who is not only worthy but of all praise 302 00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:33.119 and honor, but who is also right and everything that he does good and 303 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:38.069 everything that he does successful in everything that he does. This teaches us that 304 00:29:38.230 --> 00:29:44.269 we don't need to we don't need to worry either about Jesus leading US astray, 305 00:29:45.349 --> 00:29:49.869 but about any other king or person that would come into our lives and 306 00:29:51.109 --> 00:29:56.099 seek to do us harm. In Christ we have a king that not only 307 00:29:56.220 --> 00:30:06.420 rules well, but is secured our salvation forever. The saints in Leibna our 308 00:30:06.539 --> 00:30:11.650 good example to us, people that saw and recognize that this king was not 309 00:30:11.849 --> 00:30:15.410 from the Lord, was not leading in the ways of the Lord. But 310 00:30:15.529 --> 00:30:19.329 they didn't lose heart, they didn't lose faith, they didn't say, well, 311 00:30:19.490 --> 00:30:23.799 guess the Kingdom of God is all over now. They trusted still in 312 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:33.440 God that he would remain true to his promises to David, and we should 313 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:37.430 have that same kind of faith, knowing who God is, knowing what he 314 00:30:37.470 --> 00:30:41.789 has done. In Jesus, we never need to doubt, we never need 315 00:30:41.910 --> 00:30:49.099 to worry. We can completely and always trust in Jesus Reign. Where Jotham's 316 00:30:49.099 --> 00:30:57.380 reign brought disease and disgrace, Jesus's reign is eternally present, eternally present, 317 00:30:57.500 --> 00:31:04.049 but pleasant also and and full of grace. and Jesus we have every blessing 318 00:31:04.130 --> 00:31:10.650 that we could ever want, every security that we could ever need. So 319 00:31:10.849 --> 00:31:15.970 trust in him, lean on him and when there's darkness around you, in 320 00:31:15.130 --> 00:31:21.960 Evil and idolatry, and you worry and you fear, fear not, for 321 00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:26.559 God has given you a king that is above all. Let's pray and ask 322 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:30.200 that God would establish us very strong in Him