2 Kings 6:16-17, God Our Protector..

Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”

Introduction...

these lyrics were penned, All Night, and All Day, the Angels keep watching over me...(repeat) TALK, PREACH..

Psalm 121:4–5 “Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.”

TALK, PREACH......

from the time He created me and formed me in the womb, my God has been watching over undeserving me...

when i turned my back on Him, He was watching over me...

he was watching and protecting me when i was to caught up in this world...

All Night, and All Day....TALK, PREACH.......

once again as we continue our series on Who God Is....

last week we looked at Him as our creator,

this week we will see Him as our true protector...

Psalm 91:10–12 “No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

TALK, PREACH.....

God has our back...and more ways than we can count...

we have not gotten this far because of who we are but because of whose we are...

do you realize that there has been someone talking about you behind your back...

someone trying to scandlize your name...

somebody out there plotting on you

like the youngsters would say, they out there hating on you and sometimes its because of something you have no control over...TALK, PREACH....

but when you truly understand who your true protector is...all fear is gone...

because i heard what the psalmist said...he will prepare a table before you in presence of your enemies...TALK, PREACH.......

and Isaiah said it best Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.” ..TALK, PREACH.......

God is our protector....

my girls know that if they call daddy, i am coming and i am bringing some friends with me....

but before i get there, they know the one that doesn’t sleep...

they know who to call on...

Now, the question has come up...

why would such a good God allow bad things to happen to his people...

and people do not like the answer that is giving

sometimes God allows things to happen to get your attention...

TALK, PREACH......

even death...

scripture says it is appointed unto man...

we do not know the time, day...TALK, PREACH......

but it rolls back around to making sure you have a solid relationship with..

because once you truly know who God is and have gotten closer to Him thru Jesus....ALL FEAR IS GONE...TALK, PREACH.......

and thru this text, that we use as an example, we wil see that God is our protector....

Text...

this story starts in verse 8...we see the king of syria, going to war against the Israelites...(work text as you tell the story v8- 23)

but one of God’s truly appointed prophets, Elisha, had warned the king of Israel and was helping them out...

the king of syria, is like what is going on and his people tell him it is the prophet that is a step ahead.

the king of syria, puts a bounty on the head of Elisha

when Elisha and his servant wake up the next day, they see the army of they syrians all around them

his servant is nervous but Elisha made a wonderful statement in v16 and then what they saw in v17...

shows that God was there protector...

this text should show us that God is our protector, our defense, our fortress, our shield, our refuge, our hiding place....TALK, PREACH.....

this lesson for us should be most reassuring that God has the power to defend us, to protect us from the attack of any enemy. No matter who or what the enemy is, God will defend us and deliver us through the attack.

and here is some more good news when we seem defeated, just know that can carry you through all circumstances that will thrown at you...

because He is our protector...

as we prepare to go deeper into the text, this text shows us that...

your enemy will come for you...

that God has given us a reason not to fear...

and finally we need to let someone else know about the army of God.

let’s go deeper...

Points....

your enemy will come for you...

The prophet had a love for God’s people and was doing what the Lord had Him do and that was to take care of the people.

so when he knew about the attack, he warned the king

when he knew about the plans of the syrian king, he warned the israelite king...

so just by him doing what he was supposed to be doing, he made a enemy and the enemy had decided to come for him...

church, you can just be living your life, do what is needed to be done and someone is hating...

God will bless you and someone will be hating..

and they will come for you....

i do not know why, we can not just pick each other up and support each other...TALK, PREACH........

and the attack will come in so many forms,,

ridiculing, scoffing, making fun, persecuting, attacking, assaulting, cursing, falsely accusing, spreading rumors, showing contempt and the list goes on...

this is a cruel world but we shouldn’t let it surprise us....

i heard a preacher say PREWARNED, is being PREARMED...TALK..

scripture let’s us know that Job 14:1 ““Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.”

but we are prewarned and should be prearmed....TALK, PREACH......

they can for the prophet, a man of God, so please know that they will come for you as well...

but here goes some good news...

that God has given us a reason not to fear...

look at v16, 2 Kings 6:16 “So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.””

 We notice that Elisha gave his servant a reason to not fear. This was not empty hope or wishful thinking; it was a real reason for confidence, even if the servant could not see it.

Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings The Rebellion of a Stubborn Heart (2 Kings 6:8–24)

Elisha tells his servant, “Don’t be afraid.” We need to hear this. God protects His people

Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings The Rebellion of a Stubborn Heart (2 Kings 6:8–24)

Because of this truth, we can live in peace, not in fear. Are you living in fear because of finances, illness, or relocation? Find refuge in God’s promises and His presence.

God has the power to defend and protect us from all enemies, whether human or spiritual...

come here Job, Job 2:6 “And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”......TALK, PREACH.......

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 6–8

Verse 16 is as true for the Christian today as it was for the Jews in that day. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Let’s stand on the word of God

Luke 21:18 “But not a hair of your head shall be lost.”

Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.””

2 Samuel 22:2 “And he said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;”

James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Jeremiah 1:8 “Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.”

if you know God for yourself, then you know He has, He is and He can protect you...

all good reasons not to fear...

(hit verse 16 again) TALK, PREACH........

so we know that evil is always present but we know that there is no need to fear..

so we need to make sure some else knows it as well....

let someone else know about the army of God.

2 Kings 6:17 “And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Elisha did not pray that God would change anything in the situation. His only request was that his servant could actually see the reality of the situation. Yet, Elisha also did not try to persuade the servant of the reality of those who are with us. The servant could not have this explained to him nor could he be persuaded into it. He had to see it.

sometimes we have to let them know, the reason that thing you just went thru didn’t eat up because of who was with you...

A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, Vol. II: Joshua–Esther Chapter 6

The eye of faith sees the reality of the Divine presence and protection where all is vacancy or darkness to the ordinary eye.

God answered Elisha’s prayer. When a person is blind to spiritual reality, only God can open his eyes. God may do it through the words someone speaks, but the work of spiritually opening eyes is spiritual work and belongs to God alone.

we have so many people that are blind to the power of God.

and it is so easy to obtain...Jesus said anything you need of the Father, ask it in my name...

as disciples, we need to encourage everyone to come to Jesus, so they can feel the protection that the father has to offer.

Because God is our protector....

Our protector is all inclusive....the drug dealer...TALK, PREACH......

Conclusion...

Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings The Rebellion of a Stubborn Heart (2 Kings 6:8–24)

God is a refuge for His people. He delivers His people

Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings The Rebellion of a Stubborn Heart (2 Kings 6:8–24)

Elisha tells his servant, “Don’t be afraid.” We need to hear this. God protects His people.

we must know without a shadow of doubt that God has our back..

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

“Faith is never the imagining of unreal things. It is the grip of things which cannot be demonstrated to the senses, but which are real. 

“If our eyes were opened, we should see the angel-hosts as an encircling fence of fire; but whether we see them or not, they are certainly there.” (Meyer)

Because I know, because my faith is strong in Him...i can say...

ALL NIGHT AND ALL DAY, THE ANGELS KEEP WATCH OVER...

i know that He has saved me from myself...TALK.....

but most of all i know that He has protected me from sin taking over my life.....this goes for you too...

TALK, PREACH, CLOSE.......