GOD IS GRACIOUS BUT THE PEOPLE STILL SIN

PROCLAMATION

“The Lord provided a deliverer for Israel, and they escaped from the power of Aram.  So the Israelites lived in their own homes as they had before.  But they did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam …”  2 Kings 13:5-6 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

While Joash son of Ahaziah was king of Judah, the southern kingdom, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, the northern kingdom.  Joash did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord but Jehoahaz did evil in the eyes of The Lord following the sins of Jeroboam and worshiping the golden calves. (2 Kings 13:1-2)  This caused The Lord to be angry with Israel and He allowed them to be attacked and captured by Hazael king of Aram. (2 Kings 13:3)  King Hazael severely oppressed Israel to the point where King Jehoahaz called on The Lord God for help. (2 Kings 13:4)  God heard his prayer and He graciously sent a deliverer for Israel and freed them from the king of Aram.  However, after they were freed and returned to their homes, they continued to worship the golden calves created by Jeroboam.

APPLICATION

Frequently we find ourselves in trouble because of our own sinful choices and we turn to The Lord God for His help.  We make promises to Him while we are in the midst of our troubles saying, “ Lord, if you will just get me out of this, I will do such and such.”  He hears our plea and answers our prayers, but all too often we are ungrateful and quickly return to our sinful ways instead of thanking Him and following Him.  We forget all about the promises that we made to Him.  That is why He said, “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven …” (2 Chronicles 7:14)  Most of us can easily identify the sins of others but we don’t seem to see our own sins. (Matthew 7:3 and Luke 6:41)  We all need to recognize that we have fallen short (Romans 3:23) and ask for forgiveness.  And, we need to thank Him for getting us through the storm, as well as do a better job of following Him and obeying His word.

We Are Special Protected And Blessed

"I sought The Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and The Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of The Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that The Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear The Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing." Psalms 34:4-9 (NIV)

David again thanks The Lord for saving him from his enemies. He states that those who encounter The Lord are not the same. And as for protection, Christians have a guardian angel with them. He knows that God is good, and that He blesses believers and supplies all their needs.

Once we meet The Lord, we are never the same After we accept Christ, we are given special status. God hears and answers the prayers of His saints when we call upon His name. We are protected and blessed. He will supply all of our needs if we only believe.

Ask Jesus For What You Want

"As Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want Me to do for you?" He asked. "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him." Matthew 20:29-34 (NIV)

Because of the miracles that He had performed, a large crowd followed Jesus as He left Galilee and headed towards Judea near the Jordan river. Jesus had compassion on the crowd and He healed the sick among them. These two blind men were not part of the crowd but were sitting along the road on which Jesus was travelling. They had heard of Him and heard that He was passing by and they called unto Him. They did not listen to those in the crowd who told them to be quiet. These two blind men boldly asked Jesus for their sight. He blessed them, they received their sight and afterwards they became followers of Jesus.

We can learn several points from this example. One, when we want a blessing from The Lord, ask Him for it. Two, do not be discouraged by those around us who try to stop us from getting the blessing that we want. Three, we need to be specific with our request. Four, we must believe and expect that He will bless us as we requested. Five, we need to be thankful and show Him that we are grateful for His blessings. Remember, our actions speak louder than our words.

God Has Plans For You To Prosper In The Future

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares The Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

This is from the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

The same can be applied to us today. God knows all and He knows what plans He has for each of us. He knows why we are going through the storms in our lives. His plans are for us to prosper and to have a better future. So, keep the faith, keep your hope in The Lord, things will get better and "you will understand it better by and by".

God Is Always With Us

"The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him, but the wicked He will destroy." Psalms 145:18-20 (NIV)

We are never alone, God is always with us and He watches over us. To those of us who love Him, He fulfills our desires, hears our cry, and He saves us. He keeps us from all hurt and harm; and protects us from dangers seen and unseen.

We ought to thank God for all that He has done for us, is doing for us, and what He will do for us.