Causing Our Children to Pass Through The Fire
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome back!
This morning, we are going to be looking at a passage taken from 2 Kings 21 and talking about the subject of “Causing our Children to Pass Through the Fire.”
I have actually preached about this very subject once before, all the way back in 2012.
But I felt really impressed to turn back to it again and take a second look, mainly because of the many ways in which both society and the 21st Century Church has changed over the years.
And I know that I harp a little bit on the 21st Century Church and sometimes may sound like I’m beating the same drum, but the reality is, I am just trying to sound the alarm.
In our small church we are somewhat insulated from the worldly influences that some of our other churches struggle with, but that doesn’t mean that we are perfect.
And that also doesn’t mean that there is not a wordly influence that impacts all of us as well.
And finally, that most definitely doesn’t mean that we do not need to be watchful and vigilant in our struggle against the sin that is in this world and constantly trying to come in on us.
So, it is important that we continuously look at these subjects in our Bibles in order to keep ourselves safe and also help others who may be in danger.
This morning though, we are going to be discussing King Manasseh.
Now, King Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah and the grandson of Ahaz.
And Hezekiah was known as one of the best kings of Israel and Ahaz as one of the worst.
Hezekiah’s son Manasseh came to power when he was (12) years old and was the longest reigning king in Israel at (55) years.
However, this reign was not marked by any great achievements or any great spiritual awakening of the people.
Manasseh was actually a wicked king and led the children of Israel astray and away from God.
He led them instead into sin, idolatry, and downright devil worship.
The nation of Israel as a people actually took a step backward, because Hezekiah was a godly king that led the people toward the Lord, but Manasseh was like his grandfather Ahaz, leading the people astray.
So, this morning we want to look at the life of King Manasseh and see how things go to the place that they did in his life.
In doing so, we will want to explore the steps that Manasseh took that provoked the judgment of God onto the people.
The ultimate goal and what I hope to show us is a comparison of the actions of King Manasseh to the people of today.
The people not only in the world, but also those in the 21st Century church.
So, we will start out though by taking a broad look at our Scripture Focus.
Looking at 2 Kings 21, starting in verse 1, or Bible tells us . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger. He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their forefathers, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them.” But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.
Building Altars to False Gods
Building Altars to False Gods
So, Manasseh was a bad dude and did a lot of bad things in his life.
And our passage revealed a lot about him, but it’s best to break it down into chunks, so going back to verses 2-5, again the Bible says . . .
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts.
So, right off the bat, Manasseh began to stray away from God and began to lead the people astray and away from God, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had already driven out before the Israelites.
He actually took a big step backwards.
Instead of consulting God, like his father did, Manasseh began to "do his own thing."
He began to follow the popular influence of the people and not the directive of God.
What was worse, was that Manasseh wasn't even following the path of the Israelite people, but rather the "heathen people" that God had drove out from among them.
That worldly influence began to creep in and insert itself into the life of the children of Israel through their king.
And instead of following the "hard way" or the "narrow path" Manasseh began to lead the people down the "easy way" or the "broad path."
It’s the same thing that Jesus warns us about in Matthew 7 . . .
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Why is that so, though?
Why is the way that leads to destruction wide, and the path to life narrow?
The answer is in the path itself.
The world has so many different ideas and beliefs that can lead you astray.
The devil has laid so many deceptive traps that it is easy to find yourself caught in one of them.
On the flip side though, there is only one way to heaven.
And We know that as being .. .
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Christ is the only way.
There is no there is no other path to take that will get you there.
He is the one and only.
Any other way, any other idea is deception, not of God, and will lead you astray.
But the world doesn't want to admit that because in the flesh we want to "do it on our own."
We want to "work out our own salvation" but want to do it without the "fear and trembling."
This makes us easy prey for the devil.
Then you add into the mix, the leader of your nation, your "king" telling you that the way of the world is alright and acceptable and the people are greatly deceived.
This is absolutely no different than what we have going on in today's society.
And I am not talking about just our president, but the majority of our leaders today.
How many of them are consulting God before making decisions that affect us all?
Our economy is a mess, crime is rampant, Washington is ineffective.
This isn't just one man's fault.
It is the result of all of those chosen to lead, putting their own selfish desires first and not following after the will of God.
As our Scripture puts it, they are just like Manasseh who . . .
He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts.
And that is exactly what we are doing today.
We are building up our own "high places" and "altars for Baal" which God had previously destroyed and delivered us from.
Instead of moving forward and moving toward God, we are moving backwards and moving away from God.
This isn't just in the political arena as well.
Notice in verse (4) it says that they built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
In other words, this is going on in the church world as well.
No longer are the altars dedicated to the Lord in the church, but rather these are altars of Baal.
In many places the church is no longer the place where you come to receive of the Lord.
Rather the church has been turned into a place of entertainment.
A place where you have to "put on a show."
The altar has went from a place of deliverance to a "quick fix".
However, no real deliverance has taken place at all.
And, why?
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
It is much easier to believe and follow the lie than it is to follow the pathway of truth.
The result is the dulling and searing of the conscience.
Causing the Children to “Pass Through the Fire”
Causing the Children to “Pass Through the Fire”
And what happens when you are severely burnt?
The nerve endings are destroyed and you lose feeling.
That's what Paul is talking about here.
The conscience of the modern church has become seared and burnt and lost all feeling.
That's one reason we don't see positive change in this nation and the church has no influence.
The church has taken up with the world and following Manasseh!
And, what is the result of this?
He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
In verse six the KJV talks about Manasseh making his "son pass through the fire."
The NIV says “He sacrificed his own son in the fire.”
But, do we understand what that is?
In Manasseh's day that was human sacrifice.
They would take their children, their babies and thrown them in a fire alive and sacrifice them to these false gods, to Baal.
Sounds, awful doesn't it.
HOWEVER, ARE WE ANY DIFFERENT TODAY?
Now, we may not take our babies and throw them into a fire and bow down to Baal while doing it.
We don't do it openly, but we do it just the same.
Literal example. What about abortion?
Murder is murder.
In 2017, there were approximately 862,320 abortions in the United States.
Of those, Washington DC had the highest abortion rate with 37% of all pregnancies ending in abortion. New Jersey was #2 with 32% and New York was #3 with 31%.
67% of abortions are from ages 15-29.
Only 7% of all abortions are for health issues to either the baby or mother.
0.5% were due to rape.
The rest were for reasons like:
Would interfere with education or career
Not mature enough to raise a child
Don’t want to be a single mother
Done having children
Can’t afford a baby
Not ready for a child
Source: https://abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/
Pure unadulterated selfishness.
But the church stands and opposes that right?
Here’s the thing though, we may not support abortion, but many times we are throwing our children into the fires of hell none the same.
How?—Glad you asked!
The Bible tells us to . . .
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Are we doing this?
Are we training our children in the way they should go?
Are we teaching them about God?
Are we doing the things we should be doing in order for them to see God through our lives?
I'm not casting stones, because I am far from perfect in this area.
However, the question is, do they know what is most important in our lives?
Do they see us praying?
Do they see us reading our Bible?
Is church important to us?
Do we talk about God with them, around them?
We may have good intentions, but here is what happens . . .
But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
And . . .
Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.
The world keeps us so busy we are running to and fro and forget about the important things, we forget about the things of God.
And the end result . . .
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
And, albeit unintentional, our children end up cast into the fire of Hell because they have no knowledge and understanding of God.
They don't have that knowledge, because we have failed to teach them.
That doesn't mean that they are not seeking God, but rather they still seek but like Manasseh, they are seeking through "Observ(ing) times, using enhancements, and dealing with familiar spirits and wizards, as the KJV puts it.
Building Up Graven Images
Building Up Graven Images
Then what happens is they cannot find God in what they are seeking, so they invent and make up a god.
They have to have something to worship.
So, they invent their own . . .
He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.
They have even set up their graven images in the HOUSE OF GOD.
Romans 1 puts it this way . . .
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
The cycle continues, over, and over, and over again and . . .
But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.
They are seduced into more and more evil.
Paul tells Timothy this, and this is where we will finish . . .
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
They will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Where do we fit into all of this though?
Have we been building up altars to false gods in our lives?
Have we caused our children, or grandchildren to "pass through the fire" because we have failed to bring them up “in the fear and admonition of the Lord?”
It all starts with the health of our relationship with God.
So, what is our relationship with the Lord like?
What example are we setting for our children?
What example are we setting for the rest of the world?
Is there a difference between us and the rest of the world?
Can anyone tell the difference?
Those are the things we have to ask ourselves this morning.
Let’s pray . . .