Sermon Tone Analysis

*Subject: Why does stubborn denial, and even more subtle denial, of God’s will in our lives fail?*

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*Object: Because denial is an affront to God and God’s truth, and God is not coerced, no matter how minor the issue seems to us.*

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*Exegetical Idea: Denial of God’s truth, does not change God and has serious consequences for us.

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*Homiletical Idea: Acceptance of God’s truth when revealed to us, and a willingness to be corrected when confronted with denial in our lives, is the only way to grow spiritually, and to be blessed by God.*

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*Introduction:*

 

Many of you know that I work as an engineer and I spend a lot of time on my computer at work designing machines with a computer-aided-design program (CAD).

Several years ago I was working on one drawing for several days, and for some reason had not gotten around to ‘saving’ my drawing for quite some time.

And many of you know what can happen when you forget to save your work!

Of course, while I was working on this drawing, I got that dreaded error message: “file corrupt, press OK to continue.”

Press OK??

But it’s not OK!  How can I lose all this hard work?

I can still see my drawing on my computer screen – there must be a way to save it!

It was definitely NOT OK!  */I was in denial/* and I knew that once I pressed OK, the program would crash and all my work would be lost!

Today we are going to look at two cases of denial in our text – one case was a case of stubborn denial and the other was a more subtle case.

*Please turn with me to: 2 Chronicles 18:1 through 19:3:*

1.     Jehoshaphat was the king of the southern, divided, kingdom of Judah.

He followed the example of David and led the people of Judah after God and even sent officials to teach from the law of the Lord in the cities of Judah.

Chapter 17 also records that God was pleased with him because he did not seek the Baals, sought and obeyed God, and because he did not act as (wicked) Israel did.

As a result, Judah prospered and they enjoyed God’s protection and favor.

Even the Philistines and other nations paid him tribute!

They were God’s people and He was their God.

All was going great.

2.     *Vs 1-3:**  *We see in these verses that Jehoshaphat did what great Kings do, they dabble in world politics.

After being wined & dined by the wicked King Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel, Jehoshaphat agreed to join forces against Ramoth-Gilead (a city taken from Israel by the Syrians).

King Ahab wants to recapture this once Israelite city from the Syrians to expand his kingdom.

*Seems like a logical choice to expand his influence – from a human perspective, but Ahab was not acting on God’s direction or for God’s purposes.

We all make logical choices in our lives, choices for our families and for ourselves – but are these choices in-line with God’s will for me?  Am I willing (and wanting) for God to use my choices for His influence in the lives of others, or are my choices just for my benefit?

Or my families’ benefit?*

3.     *Vs 4-5:* In our text we see that Jehoshaphat, almost as an after-thought, asks King Ahab to seek God’s opinion through the prophets.

Of course, being a wicked king, almost all of his prophets are not men of God, but rather just tell the king what he wants to hear.

And they do that in this case as well.

*What happens when we want to follow God, but ‘common sense’ (or our own desire) seems to indicate another direction?

What kind of counselors do we seek?

Jehoshaphat has already agreed to go with Ahab into battle, but is now seeking God’s direction – Isn’t this a little late??  Do we choose a subtle denial and press on – submitting our ideas to God for His approval, or do we turn around and get back into God’s will and plan?*

4.     *Vs 6-11:* Jehoshaphat still wants to hear from God, and asks for a true prophet of God.

Ahab knows that God is not with him and his plans and routinely avoids God’s will by ignoring and oppressing God’s only prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel.

Ahab surrounds himself with false prophets who tell him what he wants to hear.

In fact, Ahab so encourages false prophecy, that these prophets will say just about anything to please the king!  *His is a not-so-subtle denial, he has decided what the truth is based on what he wants it to be – he’s the king right?

But is truth something we can change and reshape, or is it fixed?

Is truth determined by men or by God??  How often do I try to change truth?

Or at least soften it a little?

Is truth my friend, or an enemy to run from?

Will it ultimately help me or only bring me down?

How hard will I work to not have to admit when I am wrong?*

5.     *Vs 12-14:* God’s prophet Micaiah was even instructed by the messenger what to say God’s will was!

*As if putting words in the mouth of the prophet would actually change God’s mind!  *Micaiah’s name, me·kaw·yeh·hoo, means: ‘who is like God.’

And he was not to be swayed, he knew that he had to speak what God told him to say.

*Do you know any one like this today, a faithful friend who will not replace hard truths with easy living?

Someone who you can’t hide from, who knows who you really are?  Are you listening to what they are saying?

I know a few, and I value them like GOLD.

When they speak truth to me, no matter how hard or convicting it is to me, I know I can bank on what they say – not because it is pleasant and easy to hear (it often isn’t), but because it is true and right and not subject to change later.

You see, hiding from truth only gets more and more complicated.

Living in truth is freeing – no more ‘waiting for the other shoe to fall.’*

6.     *Vs 15-22:* Micaiah starts in mock-agreement with the other prophets telling Ahab that he would win in battle.

Ahab, in amazing demonstration of denial, threatens the prophet and demands the truth – *knowing that his plans are not God’s.*

Micaiah tells him the truth that he will not win, but will die – and that God is enticing him to go up in battle and be killed!

*One would think that at this point, a major rethinking, if not repentance, would be in order!

But once we start down the road of denial, we can often justify more and more denial to support what we want.

If we could only see how silly this looks to others and to God!  *

7.     *Vs.

23-27:** *Ahab thinks that he can *blackmail *God by locking up God’s prophet until he gets back safely from battle!

But even when mocked and threatened, God’s prophet knows the source of real truth and real power and that real safety is only found in real truth – God’s truth.

Micaiah says: “hear all you peoples.”

A.

*Can we hear the truth, God’s truth, or would we rather not know?

God knows when we are sticking our heads in the sand, and He will not be coerced to conform to our ‘good intentions.’

In short, denial does not work!

Or do we think that if we can silence or discredit God’s messenger we can erase the truth?

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B.    *When we are confronted with sin in our lives there is a remarkable urge that comes up in each of us.

Do you know what I am talking about?

It’s that urge we get when someone says “you did this. . .

”  Can you hear it?

What is that response that wells in your gut?

You know, the one that says, “maybe, but YOU did this to me.”

We not only want to shoot the messenger, but we must discredit him too – otherwise I have to admit he may have been right!

Churches have divided over this kind of denial and blame shifting.

Can we not play the blame game and love as brothers and sisters, and can we accept criticism /as from a brother or sister/?

What about that?

Is humble pie edible?

Is it good for us?

WILL I EAT IT when in comes???*

C.   *Sadly, the alternative to eating humble pie, is to eat nothing – As kids we want to steer what Mom serves to what we want to eat, but a loving parent gives us what we need, not what we want.

And if you grew up in my family, you would know that you ate what was put on the table or you went hungry!

Or you sat there with a poached egg until it got cold and soggy and tasted even worse.

Likewise, if we refuse the lesson God is teaching us, we stagnate spiritually, we get stuck, and we don’t get anywhere in our spiritual life.

And when we do accept it, it is even harder to swallow.

Worse, we start to make denial a way of life and we fall away from God.*

\\ 8.     *Vs.

28-34:** * But Ahab, of course, tries to thwart God anyway, and comes up with his own plan to fool God who has decreed death and defeat!

As if the will of almighty God can be thwarted!

This is denial /par excelance/! 

*A.

**Ahab, of course, dies for his stubborn denial.

Could he have taken another approach to the prophecy?

Yes, he could have repented.

Our God is merciful and we see many examples of this in scripture.

Would there be consequences for him?

Yes.

But he would be living in the truth and God would be honored.

God will not be mocked indefinitely with a life of rebellion.*