Rebel Against the Enemy (Kenya 8 - 2023)
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Our life is fully of decisions, but the most important decision any person can make is whether or not they surrender their life to Christ.
We need Christ. Why? Because none of us are perfect. We all have a sinful nature. We come by it honest because we are born with sin in our hearts.
Choosing to accept Jesus as your Savior means we are rebelling against the enemy of our soul. We are rebelling against sin itself. The enemy would love for us to reject Christ and live a self focused sinful life. Christ has broken the power of sin and death. We are victorious rebels! We don’t have to compromise with the devil.
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Today, I want to encourage you to continue your Rebellion Against the Enemy. I want to remind you that we are called to a higher standard of living. We aren’t supposed to compromise with the enemy.
The enemy is defeated and we need to stop giving up ground.
There was a man in the Bible named Hezekiah. I want to tell you part of his story to encourage you to get outside of your comfort zone and live up to your God given potential.
You might be on the ropes of life today. But I’m here with good news! God is here and one touch from Him can change everything.
The same God we are going to read about in the story of Hezekiah is the God we serve today. He never changes. What He did for one man, he can do for you.
He’s looking for people who are full of faith. People who are willing to stand up for truth. People who won’t compromise with the devil.
Who was Hezekiah?
.
20 Everything Hezekiah did while he was king of Judah, including what he did for the temple in Jerusalem, was right and good. He was a successful king, because he obeyed the Lord God with all his heart.
Hezekiah was a King:
Judah had 20 different kings
There were only 4 Kings that really did what was right in the eyes of God. David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah.
What made a bad King?
Hezekiah Dad, Ahaz, was a real piece of work
Ahaz allowed pagan altars, idol worship, and all sorts of depravity.
The bronze serpent from Numbers 21
After being delivered from Egypt the Israelites took a detour that God didn’t want them to take. In response, as punishment for their disobedience, God sent deadly snakes to bite them and many people died.
God, in mercy, told Moses to make a snake from bronze and to hang it on a pole. When people looked at the pole they would be healed.
It was pretty cool because it was really prophetically depicting how Jesus on the Cross brought healing to everyone who looks to Him.
800 years passed and now the wicked King Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, allowed people to worship this old bronze snake.
Bad Kings of Judah allowed stuff like this all the time. They just didn’t care about God.
What made a King good in the eyes of God?
A good king wasn’t perfect, but they all seemed to have a heart turned toward God.
David was a man after God’s own heart.
Jehoshaphat renewed the Worship of the One True God
Josiah obeyed the Lord and got people to repair the Temple
Why does the Bible say Hezekiah did what what right and good?
He became King at the age of 25 and committed to doing the will of God for the Nation of Judah
He took that bronze snake that Ahaz allowed to be worshipped and he broke it into pieces.
He cleaned up the land by removing pagan altars.
God specifically wanted people to worship at the temple.
He obeyed God with his whole heart
There was something else about him that I want to focus on today that made him a good king.
This is the cool part, and I hope you tuck this part into your heart.
Hezekiah was a Rebel
Hezekiah was a Rebel
7 The Lord helped Hezekiah, so he was successful in everything he did. He even rebelled against the king of Assyria, refusing to be his servant.
Who was the King of Assyria?
During Hezekiah’s reign Sennacherib was the King of Assyria
He was the most famous King from Assyria because he was very successful.
He was a brutal and violent man
Conquered cities and then deported the conquered people to annihilate their distinct cultures.
Assyrian Kings wanted to conquer Judah - they had already conquered Israel to the north, but Judah was still standing.
Why didn’t they invade Judah?
Ahaz, Hezekiah’s Father, made a deal Assyria for protection.
Ahaz became a king in name only, he became a puppet for the king of Assyria.
Judah was paying taxes and sending people to serve the king of Assyria.
Hezekiah Changed the Deal
Hezekiah Changed the Deal
God didn’t want Judah under the thumb of Assyria, and Hezekiah wanted to restore God’s will for his nation. Hezekiah stopped paying the King of Assyria.
He was a rebel!
I think God likes righteous rebels. In fact, I’m sure of it!
If you are a believer, you’ve got to change the deal in your life. We can’t live like the world and expect the blessings of God.
Jesus tells us that He didn’t belong to the world and we don’t either. When He prayed for you this was never more evident.
15 Father, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one.
16 They don’t belong to this world, and neither do I.
How do we change the deal with the world?
We understand that this world is not our home.
We live as ambassadors of Christ.
Loving people
Pointing them to our Savior
Living a life set apart
Honoring God in our job, relationships, money, words, purity, and all areas of life.
Being a rebel to the things of this world doesn’t mean you have to be some sort perfect person hidden away from the world. NO Way! It means that you should stand out by showing how God has changed you.
2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.
What was Hezekiah doing by rebelling against the King of Assyria?
He was saying that God was greater than his enemy
Let me ask you a question about your life - are you living in the comfort zone of seclusion or are you living in such a way that people see God in you? It might be time to change the deal. Stopping paying the enemy of your soul.
Opposition Will Come
Opposition Will Come
For 13 years Hezekiah didn’t pay the Assyrian King. Guess what that did?
It painted a big ol’ target on the nation of Judah. Assyria was coming after each and every city.
In fact, Sennacherib was capturing all the cities of Judah.
Can you identify with this? You commit your life to the Lord and it seems like everything is going pretty good for a time, but you eventually find yourself in difficult situations? Almost like everything around you is falling apart?
We’ve all been there.
Think of Hezekiah. He had done what was right, but all that was left was the city of Jerusalem. How could they stand against such a powerful army?
Have you felt that way, you’ve lost everything that mattered in life. All that you have left is just a small portion of what you once knew.
What happens when opposition hits us? Fear.
Fear is disorienting. It messes with us. We start to question everything.
Hezekiah was no different. When the enemy was at his doorstep he became afraid.
What did he do?
Fear Reveals our Faith
Fear Reveals our Faith
When you’re afraid it affects the way you think.
Fear does crazy things to our minds and hearts if we allow it to work.
Let’s read what good King Hezekiah did:
14 Hezekiah sent this message to Sennacherib, who was in the town of Lachish: “I know I am guilty of rebellion. But I will pay you whatever you want, if you stop your attack.” Sennacherib told Hezekiah to pay about eleven tons of silver and almost a ton of gold.
After 13 years of righteous God anointed rebellion, he caved because he was afraid. He asked the enemy to have mercy.
Our Rebel with a cause lost his backbone.
We are going to be tempted to lose faith if we walk in fear. To overcome fear we must continually walk with the Lord.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
God gives us faith when we spend time with Him.
You can’t make it through opposition if you aren’t leaning on the Lord.
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.
We’ve got to renew our strength by trusting in the Lord.
Even good people will make the wrong decisions if they aren’t resting in the Lord.
Hezekiah didn’t have that kind of money in the bank. What did he do?
He stole it from the temple.
15 So Hezekiah collected all the silver from the Lord’s temple and the royal treasury.
16 He even stripped the gold that he had used to cover the doors and doorposts in the temple. He gave it all to Sennacherib.
When we walk in fear, not only will it rob us, but we will rob God! God says we are His treasure. We are his workmanship. When we give into the enemy we are robbing God.
You are valuable. God doesn’t want you to walk in fear and give into the enemy.
Have you ever started out strong with the Lord but over time you find yourself compromising? Have you even found yourself slipping back into your old way of living. Maybe you stopped praying, worshipping, reading, coming to church, giving your tithe and offering, or any other thing that takes you farther from God’s will in your life?
We’ve all be there before. Here’s the problem of backsliding. It makes your testimony weak. How can you stand up and and give a testimony in church about how christians have victory over alcohol and you’ve got a bottle of whiskey in your purse? It makes your testimony weak!
The enemy will exploit our weaknesses.
Did Hezekiah’s payment work?
No - it just confirmed to the enemy that he was afraid and weak.
Compromise NEVER Works
Compromise NEVER Works
Jesus told us that we can’t serve two masters. In other words, we can’t compromise in our walk of faith.
Compromise gives the enemy opportunity.
What opportunity did the King of Assyria see?
Vulnerability
He sent thousands of troops to surround Jerusalem.
Hezekiah gave in a tiny bit and the evil King was about to take everything
We must learn this lesson. Giving into temptations exposes our vulnerabilities.
People are affected by our choices
The city was surrounded by the enemy and now they are not only intimidating Hezekiah, but they are reasoning with his people.
Listen to this scripture and try to put yourself in their shoes. They are given an option to surrender and live or rebel and die.
28 Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted in Hebrew: Listen to what the great king of Assyria says!
29 Don’t be fooled by Hezekiah. He can’t save you.
30 Don’t trust him when he tells you that the Lord will protect you from the king of Assyria.
31 Stop listening to Hezekiah! Pay attention to my king. Surrender to him. He will let you keep your own vineyards, fig trees, and cisterns
32 for a while. Then he will come and take you away to a country just like yours, where you can plant vineyards, raise your own grain, and have plenty of olive oil and honey. Believe me, you won’t starve there. Hezekiah claims the Lord will save you. But don’t be fooled by him.
When we are surrounded and afraid, the enemies arguments seem logical.
In the culture we live in right now, as Christians, we are being yelled at by the world to become more tolerate, accepting, and allow people to make their own truth.
It seems logical, but it’s just like a carmel covered onion. It seems good on the outside, but the inside is rotten.
The King of Assyria was giving these people a choice - eat your own excrement, or live in plenty.
You know what the problem with this compromise was? It’s the same problem we have in our world that is offering compromise?
In order to compromise you must become a slave.
16 Don’t you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him.
What did Hezekiah end up doing?
Hezekiah Surrendered
Hezekiah Surrendered
Let’s read the scripture:
14 After Hezekiah had read the note from the king of Assyria, he took it to the temple and spread it out for the Lord to see.
15 He prayed: Lord God of Israel, your throne is above the winged creatures. You created the heavens and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms of this world.
16 But just look how Sennacherib has insulted you, the living God.
17 It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts.
18 They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped.
19 But you are our Lord and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only God.
Do you want to know the key to overcoming things in your life?
How to walk in faith instead of fear?
To live boldly for the Lord instead of in compromise?
Surrender to God. Give Him everything! Trust Him above all else.
Return to His presence.
When we do we are given some promises:
17 I love everyone who loves me, and I will be found by all who honestly search.
29 In all of your troubles, you may finally decide that you want to worship only the Lord. And if you turn back to him and obey him completely, he will again be your God.
9 So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you.
10 Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.
13 You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you
Have you believed the lie of the enemy? Are you compromising in any area of your life?
Like Hezekiah, it’s time to repent and RUN to His presence.
In His presence:
Healing
Peace
Love
Forgivness
Freedom
Restoration
Strength
In His presence is where we need to live!
Hezekiah literally laid everything out to God, acknowledged that God alone could help the desperate situation because He alone created the universe with just the sound of His voice.
Surrender to God and Receive a Miracle
Surrender to God and Receive a Miracle
After Hezekiah prayed the prophet Isaiah came with a word from the Lord:
32 I promise that the king of Assyria won’t get into Jerusalem, or shoot an arrow into the city, or even surround it and prepare to attack.
33 As surely as I am the Lord, he will return by the way he came and will never enter Jerusalem.
34 I will protect it for myself and for my servant David.
There were two promises in this scripture:
One from the King of Assyria
It was a false promise of comfort and peace
The other promise was from the King of Kings!
This promise came to pass
History records that Assyria was unable to take Jerusalem because the Lord sent and angel to wipe out a massive number of their army.
King Sennacherib was murdered by his own sons.
I have one thing to tell you today: It’s Time to Rebel Against the Enemy!
When we are in Christ, we are on the winning side.
It might seem dark, but don’t give up!
You might have messed up, but don’t give up!
The enemy could have you surrounded, but don’t believe his lies!
RUN to the temple! RUN to His presence! RUN to the Arms of a loving Savior!
He’s waiting for you today.
Are you ready for Him to touch your situation?
Your miracle is on the way.
Breakthrough is coming
But only if you ready to surrender.
Only if you are willing to trust Him
Only if you are willing to WAIT on the Lord for His timing
You know what I know to be true?
Sometimes we need to ACT in a church service.
Some of you need to take a stand against the Enemy and it is going to start right now by stepping outside your pew and coming to the front of this church for prayer.