Trash Talk part 4
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.
It’s been a few week sense we have been in class so to refresh our minds about whats going on in Hezekiah’s life. Remember they are preparing fro battle against the Assyrians. When a man was sent to Jerusalem to get into the minds of the people. This trash talk was meant to get into the minds of the people to make them afraid of Assyria. This man was named Rabshakeh. We started a few weeks ago looking at some lies that Rabshakeh tells the people to make them afraid. These are a the same lies that satan uses to get to us as well. We are taking the time to look at these lies and compare them to the truths from God.
Lie #4: Following God’s Plan Leads to Misery
Lie #4: Following God’s Plan Leads to Misery
You’d think Rabshakeh would be tired of talking by now, but apparently he was full of hot are, because he wasn’t done yet.
He told the people that they would be much better off surrendering to Assyria than hanging around with Hezekiah to follow God’s plan; in fact, they would actually prosper. The problem with this was that earlier he had told them his plan was to come and take them away. Assyria didn’t want to help Judah; they wanted to destroy them. Surrendering to Assyria meant surrendering to a life of slavery. Satan wants you to believe that God’s plan for your life will only make you miserable compared to what he can offer you. He tells you that everyone else is having way more fun than you, and if you’ll only abandon God’s plan, great things can happen and you’ll be much happier. This is not only a lie; it’s a setup for heartache, disappointment, and destruction.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.
Truth #4: Following God’s Plan Brings True Joy
Truth #4: Following God’s Plan Brings True Joy
Take a stroll down the self-help section of Barnes & Noble, you won’t be able to go far without seeing dozens of books dedicated to helping you discover the “secret” to a life of happiness. In reality, there’s not big mystery as all to finding true and lasting joy; the problem is, too many people go looking for it in all the wrong places.
Alexander the Great thought he could find happiness in achieving military glory. He was pretty awesome at it- he essentially conquered all the known world of his day. But instead of feeling fulfilled and satisfied, he felt empty. As the story goes, he cried in his tent because he had, “no more worlds to conquer.” The nineteenth century poet, Lord Byron, was sure happiness was found in living a life of self pleasure. He lived a life of excess and was famous for having numerous love affairs and racking up huge debts for his life of leisure. But as the end of his short life, he was far from happy, writing the line in a poem for his birthday: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.” And Voltaire, the famous eighteenth century writer and philosopher, didn’t know where happiness could found, but he tired to prove it wasn’t found in God or Christianity. Yet, after years of looking for answers in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other philosophies, he came up empty.
If happiness can’t be found in fame, money, or pleasure, where does it come from? Here’s the truth: serving God and following His plan for our lives brings true you and satisfaction. Our God wants the very best for us. He didn’t design us to be miserable and would never ask us to follow Him into a life of misery. Look what the Bible says about God’s desire for us:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Psalm 37:4–5 (KJV 1900)
Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord; Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Lie #5 You Can’t Win
Lie #5 You Can’t Win
Rabshakeh saved what he thought was the most important part of his speech for last. After telling the people that they couldn’t trust God or Hezekiah and that being ruled by Assyria would be vacation for them, he ended with this:
Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?
Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?
“You might as well give up right now,” Rabshakeh was telling them. “look at all the other nations we’ve conquered. Their gods couldn’t save them, and yours can’t save you. You can’t stop us. You can’t win.” In case that sounded like empty bragging, consider this: archeologists have found Sennacherib’s own account of wars with nations Rabshakeh mentioned. In it, the king claimed to have destroyed 46 walled cities and taken over 200,00 captives. He had already marched down from the north to the Mediterranean coast to assert Assyrian authority. So everything pointed to Assyria’s all-but-certain victory over Judah, too.
Truth #5: You Are Victorious in Christ
Truth #5: You Are Victorious in Christ
Rabshakeh’s goal was to make the people feel hopeless and that they had no chance of victory. He saved this taunt for last because it would’ve been most effective. He knew that when people lose all hope of victory, they truly are conquered.
In the same way, Satan uses lies that you can’t win against him to destroy your hope of ever overcoming sin and temptation. Whatever you struggle with, he wants to convince you that no one has ever beat it, no one has ever conquered it, and you can never be free of your situation. He wants to break you and make you give up. But this lie overlooks one very important fact: if you have trusted in Christ for salvation, we don’t have to fight our own battles. No matter how strong Satan may be, on his best day he’s no match for Christ.
Rabshakeh was right when he said no other nation’s gods could save them, but he didn’t count on Judah’s God being the Lord Almighty. In God’s hands, Judah was already victorious. And the truth is, we don’t gave to be afraid of and enemy and we don’t have to be a slave to sin. In Christ we are more than conquerors.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
So once Rabshakeh finally stopped talking, the people of Judah had a lot to think about, and they had a major decision to make. Second Kings 18:36 they didn’t say a word back to him because Hezekiah had commanded them not to- and we know in the Bible that silence is often the best response when opening your mouth can get you into trouble.
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: But he that refraineth his lips is wise.
But even though the people were quiet on the outside, I bet plenty of thoughts were swimming through their heads. They were facing an enemy who was bigger and stronger than they and who had already started to destroy Jerusalem’s surrounding cities. On one hand, they had Hezekiah who had tried his best to encourage them by telling them God had a plan, which they’d have to take on faith. But one the other hand, they could actually see the massive army of the enemy and hear Rabshakeh’s taunts that no matter how hard they fought, they could not win. Which voice would they listen to?
The same choice is yours to make when you find yourself being intimidated by the enemy. The voice of Satan will tell you that your situation is hopeless, that you’re worthless, and you can never win. But the voice of truth form the Word of God will tell you that your fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), That God had big plans for your life (Jeremiah 29:11), and that through faith the victory is already yours.
Who will you believe?