Introduction:
2 Chronicles 12:1-2 But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel followed him in this sin.
2 Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign.

I)                Rehoboam had everything a person could ask for.

A.    God had put a wall up to keep all the nations from coming there to war against them.

B.    Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and he had it all.

1.     He had wealth and a promising future and he had all the good things God had blessed his father with.

2.     During the time of Solomon (40 years) there were no wars.

a)      I believe that this was the only time that Israel had no wars.

b)     Solomon and the people of Israel were close to God and He blesses them because of it.

II)              Than Rehoboam abandoned the Lord.

A.     He was living high on the hog and he stop going to church, doing his devotions and praying.

1.     He let his relationship with God stop. He started to do things on his own and it gets him into trouble.

2.      And when the King started to go down hill, his people followed him and they all got out of the will of God.

B.     1 Kings 14:23-24, For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. 24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations, which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

1.               They got further and further from God.

2.                Than God comes back to punish them for leaving.

3.     Now I want you to notice something.

III)            Even the Unsaved knew that they where not serving God.

A.     Look back in 2 Chronicles 12:2.

1.     When Egypt saw that they had left the things of God they knew that God would not protect them any more and invaded them.

2.      Remember when I spoke on Rahab back at Jericho.

a)      Rahab said that her people heard what God was doing and they fear them.

B.     The unsaved may not do the things of God, put that does not mean that they don’t believe that there is a God.

1.               They see what God had done for Israel and knows that He protects them.

2.               Shishak (shīʹshak) comes up from Egypt and invades them. He heard that they were not serving God.

Conclusion: Even all the people around the Israelites know about God and fear Him. They knew when not to invade and when to invade.

They saw the blessing of God being taken away while Jews where falling into sin and pulling away from God.

The moral of this story; I pray that you will see the important of keeping a relationship with God and remember, even all your friends around you who are unsaved fear God in some way and have a respect for Him. (Example = Fred & Dana)

I hope that you will get to the point that you would be afraid to lose your relationship with Him because you like seeing God work in your lives.

Sunday morning biker service 1/29/06