here 11, and that's found on page 315 in the Bibles that are in your seats. I'll give you a moment to find that. This is part two of 2 Chronicles 11. We looked at this last week, and we looked at how Rahabom was in the midst of sin, but God's prophet Shamaya came to him and spoke to him, and on a dime he turned and repented, and God brought him great blessing for his repentance. This week we look at this passage again and see other things that God says to us through it. 2 Chronicles 11, beginning in verse 1. When Rahabom arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 fighting men to make war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rahabom. But this word of the Lord came to Shamaya, the man of God. Say to Rahabom, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin, this is what the Lord says. Do not go up to fight against your brothers. Go home, every one of you. For this is my doing. So they obey the words of the Lord and turn back from marching against Jerobom. Rahabom lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for the defense in Judah. Bethlehem, Etaem, Takoa, Bethzur, Soko, Adulam, Gath, Marasha, Zif, Adorem, Lakesh, Azika, Zora, Isolan, and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them with supplies of food, olive oil, and wine. He put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his. The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. The Levites even abandoned their pasture lanes and property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jerobom and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord. And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goats and calf idols he had made. Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their fathers. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rahabom son of Solomon three years walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time. Here in our reading we have a response of thankfulness printed for us in our bullets and there on the bottom left hand side of it. Let's give thanks to the Lord. The word of the Lord, let's pray. Our God and our Father, we are grateful that you have not left us as orphans, but you have given us your word to direct us, to guide us, to instruct us in life that we might know you better and better as each day passes through this year's word and through your spirit's application of your word on our hearts and minds. We ask Jesus that you would preach to us by this year's word and your spirit, change us, conform us into your image, make us more like you, we ask in Christ's name. Amen. If you're a fan of the show 24, you've seen over this season and last season, breaches of security over and over again. Last year there was a breaching security and somebody got in and they released this toxic gas into the ventilation system at the CTU building in Los Angeles there or this year there was a group of Chinese rebels who get into the building through the floor system and they shut down all the computers so that the CTU folks don't know what's going on and then within a minute, CTU folks are faced with guns in their faces, security has been breached and we never like that when security is breached. Today we live with something called identity theft, don't we? And so because of the sin of man there are security problems and we end up if we have a shredder at home and we get some credit card application, we throw that thing down through the shredder so nobody fills that out and ruins our credit, we make sure we grab our credit card back and sometimes when we're using a credit card the person hands it back just let me give that to you now so I don't forget all kinds of things, people can get their identity stolen and their name abused because there's been a breaching security. That's what we deal with now we're not a nation where we have to worry about some other nation coming in with an army and showing up on our front lawn, not that kind of security, God's people did when they were dealing with these things here, that was very much something that was on their minds, will we be secure or will I be taken advantage of, will life hand me a bad hand and God answers this here talking about security and how security is gotten how security is reached, how security is assured for us as his people. God says to us a couple
of things and that's not a mistake, you do have a point three is your first point this morning. Last week was part one of the sermon and that was point one and point two there that we have to be humble people and repentant people before him but point three from this passage God says to us this, he says submit to the gospel, submit to the gospel for it brings security that's your blank if you like to fill out blanks in an outline you can you don't have to you can sit there and listen and that's okay too but if you like to fill out the outline there you go, God says to us submit to the gospel for it brings you security and peace. We see this in verses five through twelve of this passage when Rahabom submit to the good news, when he submit to this word of God from Shemaah the Prophet the first thing God does, first thing God shows us is that he accomplishes for his people security and peace. What happens in verses five through twelve here? Well, we see that God blesses Rahabom for his repentance for turning back from creating war with, he was a southern kingdom of Israel and there was a northern kingdom known as real, he was known as Judah and he relents from, he's going to go up and attack these guys in the north and he responds to the Shemaah the Prophet's word there and he doesn't and he stops and God rewards him first of all would not have an a war with the nation up north but secondly he grants him security in his own nation in Judah and Benjamin which were to the south and he gives them we see it in verses five through twelve all these fortified cities a sign of strength he's able to build walls in these cities and have these be fortress cities so that God's people are safe wherever they're living any, any puts munitions, soldiers there that kind of thing and they're well supplied with with we have this expression supplies of verse eleven food all of oil and wine those are things you have when there's an abundance all of oil, wine so much grape juice that you're able to take some of it and turn it into wine and God richly blesses Rahabom for responding to this good news from Shemaah the Prophet that he would not be a war but peace that was the good news that came to Rahabom and God says to us today the same thing submit to the gospel for it brings you security and peace submission to the gospel this is your a point in that outline submission to the gospel gives you peace first of all with God submission to the gospel gives you peace with God Paul writes about God's gospel message Jesus comes and says believe in me and you know the forgiveness of your sins Paul writes in Romans five one and says those who have submitted to the gospel have peace with God and Paul also writes in Colossians that those who haven't submitted to the gospel those who haven't received the gospel message of forgiveness through faith in Jesus the son of God those who haven't received that message are under God's wrath we read from Ephesians to this morning and a little bit before that passage that we read it talks about how everybody on the earth is under God's wrath until they have faith in Jesus why because God is their creator God is the sustainer of their life God has given them everything they have they take another breath because God gives it to them their heart beats another time because God causes that heart to beat and so we all got everything but those who are in the business like we once were of ignoring God are rightfully under God's wrath not at peace and in fact Paul says in Colossians one that we're hostile in mind toward God and so God gives us his spirit and causes us to receive him so submit to the gospel this gives you peace with God and submission to the gospel is here's your blank it's faith submission to the gospel's faith it's just another way of saying have faith in Jesus submit to the gospel believe this message submit to this gospel message that says you are a sinner and you need Jesus or you're lost for eternity or hell is yours for eternity that's a hard message to receive none of us like to hear that what we deserve what John Musgrave deserves is hell for eternity but that message is true that's what I deserve I'm a rebel against the God has created me and who sustains me and that's why the message of the gospel needs submission having faith in Jesus requires bowing the knee to King Jesus and saying Jesus I need you to be my king my king over death my king in life to guide me and that's what we're talking about here submission to the gospel's faith and brings the security and peace of your a point there I've got two a sorry about a under a God sovereign care that's your blank God sovereign care for you now you know when we submit to the gospel when we have faith in Jesus we get peace in our lives peace with God and how does that how does that map out well we have peace with God because we know that he's caring for us Romans 828 a favorite verse of of many who are believers tells us that nothing happens to us except which God ordains for us nothing slips through his fingers God never says oh whoops sorry about that my dad had things that were pet peeves of his and one thing he never let his office staff say to anybody was sorry about that you're sorry if you say sorry about that say I'm sorry sorry about that and so God never says that to us sorry about that he says to us nothing of that kind he doesn't have to there's a truth in that movie love story your fan of that like I am Ryan O'Neill and Ally McGraw Ally McGraw's philosophy of life somewhat bankrupt but there's a little bit truth in it love is never having to say you're sorry now that's that's all bull for us because love is saying you're sorry we're sinful people but for God he never has to God never has to say I'm sorry to us because he never gets it wrong there's never a point in our lives there's never a thing that happens to us that is not marked by his love and his care force even when that thing is persecution or difficulty persecution and difficulty comes to us is because God loves us he cares for us he's building in us the character of his son Jesus and this gives us peace whether things are going well for us or things are going poorly for us it's a mark that God cares for us and that he's sovereign he's in control of all events that's you and I were talking with somebody who came to our garage sale yesterday and he told me he's he's an atheist but he was glad to find somebody he's he's an honest atheist he says but I've realized I've come to this point in my life where I realize it's a foolish thing to be an atheist if I've never heard from somebody who believes in God and so he wants to get together for lunch and it's like oh great you know he's one of these you know easy opportunities of evangelism and but we talked to him for a while and and one thing that's very apparent in his life was he talked in clichés he had nothing to hang his life on he didn't know how to think about this or how to think about that or how to think about this other thing how should I relate to my parents he had great uncertainty great amounts of insecurity about all these different things in his life and it's because he doesn't have this anchor of God in his word he doesn't have security or peace with God he's nervous about all the decisions that he's made in his life and and that's a good thing he should be nervous because he's just trying to think out of thin air what might be best to do
so we have peace with God and and that a part of that is God's knowing of God's sovereign care for us now but part of the peace from God that we get from God is this idea of God's eternal this is your viewpoint God's eternal care for you in heaven you know despite what the survey say that the chief fear of people is public speaking and the second chief fear of people is death i think death probably really outruns public speaking it's just people yeah death outruns public speaking it's just people think i will probably have to public speak before i have to die so let me worry about that one first right that's how that works hevers too here's our speech teacher here Ron taught speech in the public schools for a career and helped people get over that fear of public speaking but fear of death scripture says for us and hebers too is what people fear all their lives and when we submit to the gospel Jesus says don't worry about it i've taken care of it i died for you in your place do not fear the second death because i have gone through death for you i've taken Jesus has taken upon himself our sins we read about that in our declaration the good news of crisis morning first Peter 2.24 and Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross he took upon himself God's wrath against whoever would believe in him and so God's wrath is removed from us so we don't have to fear death because death is not a facing of God's wrath for us anymore all God's wrath against our sin was poured out upon Jesus on the cross and so we don't fear death as believers our death is Paul describes it to us in Philippians 1 as a looking forward to better things Paul and contemplated his own life and his own death and that passage in Philippians 1 said boy if i die that's much better for me for i get to be with the Lord that is peace knowing that if i leave this place this morning and pull out on the 42 and get wiped out by a Mack truck i go and i'd be with the Lord that's a fantastic thing that's peace and that's what the kind of peace that we get when we submit to the gospel but secondly in this passage and this is the kind of peace Rahaboham has instead of war with the north he has peace and security at home and instead of war with God instead of hostility in our minds toward God and facing God's wrath not war with the north but war with God himself we have peace are the borders of our lives so to speak are fortified because of the work of Jesus our king he's the greater Rahaboham that has built fortified cities to protect our souls from the wrath of his father against our sins but secondly submission to the gospel also gives us peace with men that's your blank submission to the gospel also gives you peace with men this is not the history of the world all we have to do is turn on the news at any point and see that we're not as at peace as a nation we're at war right now and all over the world there are wars going on and through the history of mankind there have been wars going on why because men can't get along they can't agree with each other about things and it reaches to such a level that they send out their sons to die their husbands to die families to be broken up because peace is not there hostility is so high nations are willing to forfeit harmony in families and in societies and go to war on a more personal level if you've ever seen the movie I think that describes as well as the war of the roses Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner and it when was that you know when that movie was it was like early 90s that movie and these two are going through divorce but before the divorce has completely gone through they're just back and forth trying to destroy each other's daily lives crashing each other's parties ruining each other's most prized things and it consumes them and as they're trying to ruin their their spouses life it actually ends up ruining their own life and in the end of the movie well I won't spoil it for you but there's big ruin there if you're ever contemplating divorce watch that movie first it's good good marriage counseling but this is what our point for is talking about the gospel submission to the gospel gives us peace with men and how we put it here apply the gospel to your living by pursuing unity the message of the gospel is not only do you have peace with God but you also should have as you apply the gospel in your life you should have peace with your fellow man especially with your brothers and sisters in the church but also as much as it is on your part Paul says with others who are even outside the church now this has an all the church hasn't always done real well in this look in the yellow pages under churches testimony that the church has not pursued unity it's not just that we have baptists and Catholics and and assemblies of God but we have multiple Presbyterians we have multiple and multiple baptists and we have multiple kinds of assemblies of God and all kinds of churches out there even within particular denominations even in the the Mormon cult there's Mormons and Reformed Mormons with Judaism their Jews and Reform Jews and Orthodox Jews all kinds of denominations why is this it's because this message in this text has not been heated the gospel brings peace between us on a church level and on an individual level let's put it simply verse four look at verse four there the message the word of the Lord to Shamaya on to God's king and his people this is what the Lord says do not go up to fight against your brothers don't fight your brothers now bringing this forward to the church that's first of all speaking to our brothers and sisters in Christ this is not the universal universal brotherhood of man this is talking about our brothers and sisters in Christ first and foremost and that's your blank there and your outline you're not to fight with your brothers preserve unity to put it in the positive preserve unity when there's discord that starts to develop between you and your brother you and your sister in the church or in church denominations and church leaders start talking about an issue and there's not agreement upon it this passage tells us is the rest of scriptures scripture does and in Ephesians two that Bob Red Force does that Jesus came and he is a peace establisher even between Jews and Gentiles Jews and Gentiles hated each other more so Jews hated the Gentiles saw them as foul and infidel in Paul tells the church and Ephesus who was made up of Jews who had come to believe in Jesus and Gentiles who had come to believe in Jesus that they should never form two congregations based on being Jewish and background or Gentile and background but rather they should be one church there was a dividing wall that Jesus had demolished so that the two might grow up and be one man together and this passage tells us this further not only our brothers not to fight against each other but where to preserve unity at great and here's your blank here keep unity even at great cost that's your blank even at great cost to yourself verse 14 see how the priests do this and there are priests from the tribe of Levi and worship was centered around Jerusalem which was in Rehoboam's territory but priests were given land all throughout Israel farm land and when they weren't serving in temple they would serve in this farm land and what did they do verse 14 here the Levites even abandoned their pasture lands and property those that lived in the north and they came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord
they come to be unified with the son of David the grandson of David Rehoboam and they lost their property to do it this denomination started in a similar way actually people abandoning their property to surround themselves around Jesus keep unity even at great cost to yourself the priests in all Israel do this this is not a doctrineless unity this is not a pretend we all agree unity this is a be unified because we agree unity the unity we have with each others based on something our unity is centered on a common ground in other words and here a couple of blanks for you our unity is centered on these common ground gospel truths these connections of a together being the temple verses 13 through 16 we see that this unity is based on the Levites the priests leave from up north because the south was where the temple was and if they were to properly worship God which they couldn't just being up in the north they had to come down to the south and so the temple unified them and your b point together they were subjects of the rightful king who was Rehoboam but in our case your blank there is Jesus looking verse 17 there they that is these Levites who came down from the north they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam not just some random man but who is Rehoboam why had they come from the north to the south why had they lost their property why had they become disenfranchised why was it worth it to them because Rehoboam was son of Solomon who walked in the ways of David and Solomon unity was based on being worshippers at the temple and being united as followers of the son of David who was king how does that work for us the church well the New Testament it says that those who are believers in Christ are the temple so we're drawn together we're the temple we're living stones of the temple Peter tells us and this draws us together this means we are together whether we like it or not now we'll act like it God says we're all parts of one body but we're not just the temple drawn together because we are the temple but we also we are also loyal to the son of David just like these Levites from the north we know who is rightful king it's not Jeroboam king of the north it's not the Almighty dollar it's not our jobs it's not our peer approval it's not the approval of our parents if they don't follow Jesus our king our head is the son of David Jesus and so we come together in the church with other people who have bowed the knee to King Jesus it said I will be loyal to you okay what's that that's a Matt that's a good I should put a Star Wars thing in there right Matt when Anakin balances knee to Darth Sidious there and says I will follow you what's the line oh no Matt's our resident Star Wars expert in that third in that third episode when Anakin bows down to Darth Sidious he bows his knee and says master and that's what we do to Jesus we submit to the gospel and the church is this group of people that have bowed the knee to Jesus in his gospel and said you are our master that's what our unity is based on it's based on us as believers in Jesus being the temple drawn to other temple stones like these Levites from the north and it's based on being loyal to Jesus and because we're the temple because we're loyal to the rightful king Jesus we pursue unity and it's at all costs and what does this mean in practical terms to us why are there so many denominations you know why there are so many denominations it's because people stayed out of position and were too prideful to wait and be patient with their brothers and to be patient with themselves as they said okay brother we disagree on this that's a that's a holding of hands not a fist okay brother we disagree on this but we're united on Christ we need to stay together let's keep talking let's work this out let's search the scriptures and will you brother vow with me that if you find yourself to be an error according to the scriptures that you will say I am wrong I vow to you my brother that if I see the scriptures saying something else and I what I'm saying right now that I will bow before the scriptures and say you were right I was wrong in vice versa that's why denominations have started that's maybe an oversimplification but not very far not very far our patience has been too little with each other and we've allowed each other in this denominational structure to get into further and further error say if we're right and our brothers wrong and we haven't held on to our brother we allow him to go and confirm himself in his error instead of staying with him and and us talking together and vice versa things that are our blind spots we haven't had our brothers standing next to us saying you know what I just can't agree with that because of these scriptures in a brotherly loving way God says to us don't fight with your brothers this means when there's a dispute within a local church and we've said I think it should be such in such way someone else says I think it should be another way this means that when things are decided and it doesn't go my way it means I cannot stomp out of the church now for those of you are new we've never had really anyone do that so don't think I'm speaking to something specific here this is a warning not to do this this is to say keep doing what you're doing don't take your ball and go home that's not fair that's outside the rules okay you know take the ball take your ball and go home it's when you're on the playground playing basketball and and when things don't go your way you say well you know I'm leaving you take your ball and ruin it for everybody else and you go home that's the land that we lose most of the time it's us being prideful and we have to be willing to lose that land lose that possession so to speak of our dignity or our being right we have to give up what is rightfully ours maybe the idea of being right the idea of being smarter the idea of having figured it out we have to give up everybody saying oh John was right and you know and Pete was wrong isn't John better than Pete we have to be willing to say Pete was right boy I'm sure glad he spoke up I didn't see it at first but he's right and a love Pete for that that he kept me from going in error okay now how do we do that our unity back on your outline our unity is made possible by the gospel it's the gospel that allows us to have unity among each other we saw this in Ephesians 2 Jesus brings unity the gospel trains us the gospel message is a slap in the face you have that yeah gospel message is a slap in the face just like Rahabom he had staked himself out before all these people the fighting men of Israel and God comes to him in the form of Shemaah and slaps him in the face and says you idiot you're fighting your brothers cease and Rahabom receives that word that's good news that when we get it wrong God comes and he disciplines us he comes and he bonks our nose so we realize that we were wrong the gospels of slap in the face says you're a sinner and in the very thing that you needed to get it right being in a right relationship with God you've gotten it way wrong and in fact you don't have God's favor you have his wrath that's the gospel message the front half of it at least and that message we remind ourselves of the most basic thing in my life I've gotten it wrong therefore in this little thing out here in my life this day there's a good chance I got it wrong here too and so the gospel trains us so when we come to those instances in our lives where we've staked our position or said we should do it this way and it comes out that it's really not that way we know hey that's par for the course I get things wrong sometimes there's sometimes when I don't see things as clearly as my brothers and sisters in Christ and so we're to be like Rahabom we're to see when we've gotten it wrong and to repent and to return from where we've gotten wrong the message of the gospel is here's your black we still sin we remind ourselves of that Roman 7 Bob Red Force today we still sin Paul the Apostle Paul struggled with sin and he said the sin nature in me wants to sin in my mind I'm convinced that that's stupid but I still sin because I got this sin nature in me that wants to sin so I struggle and I mess things up and I do things that in my mind I know I shouldn't do I do things that in my mind I know are harmful to me
that's the gospel we still sin the gospel reminds us that we Rahabom then can't look at the rebellious around us with here's your blank condemnation you know what Rahabom was partially right to be mad at northern Israel for leaving him all those nations in the north all those tribes in the north that left his kingship they were wrong didn't matter how he had treated them they were wrong to leave they were in sin for leaving and for naming a new king over themselves yet Rahabom was right to look at his own doing in their rebellion you know had Rahabom listen to the counselors of Solomon and respond to them in a kind way like Jesus has responded to us in the gospel his followers said they would have followed you Rahabom they would have followed you all their lives the kingdom would be unified together and so Rahabom was right even if he had the troops gathered together he was right for saying you know what they have some justification for leaving me they have some justification for stomping out mad because I treated them harshly I did not represent God well here and because I didn't represent God well because I wasn't patient with them like God has been patient with me they left and so how can I condemn them it's really my fault and their weak state of being ready to leave and their weak state of being ready to sin I provoked that sin and it was my fault and that's how we need to be in our relationships with each other the reason the gospel gives us peace with men is because it gives us the ability to say in any conflict we're in in any disagreement that we're in my fault I've already admitted that when I received Jesus when I bowed the knee to him in the gospel I already said my fault I already said that sometimes I get it wrong sometimes I get it really wrong sometimes it's mostly your fault but I provoked you to that my bad this is how the gospel gets lived out in our lives and this is why Rahabom is an example for us here he doesn't look at the rebellious with condemnation and when he hears the message of Shamayah instead as the gospel has reminded him this good news of Shamayah has reminded him of his sin the gospel has reminded him and here's your blank that we should assume that we we is your blank we should assume that we have a role in almost all our relational difficulties whether it's the immediate provoking event or whether it's because we have not treated that person who's mad with us now mad at us now we haven't treated them always in love and in consideration and so now it's just bearing fruit so the gospel teaches us that we should assume that we have a role in almost all our relational difficulties when we hear the gospel and admit our sin we're enabled to respond toward our brothers in the right way we're enabled to respond even when it's clear that they have sinned against us we're able to respond to that sin of others with love grace and here's your last blank humility because the gospel teaches us that we need others to respond to us with love and grace and humility there will be times when we've done things wrong and we've acted sinfully against somebody and we need a brother or a sister in Christ to respond to us with graciousness with humility we need a brother to come to us and say you know what I've been a part of the way you've acted toward me here I've had that coming and I apologize to you for the way I've acted towards you sometimes we need that grace at one point I've been in I started doing ministry stuff when I was 20 years old and and I went into ministry right out of college at 22 and I'm 40 now so it's been about 20 years that I've been in ministry leading various things and handling God's word and and that kind of thing and at one point in in a ministry I was I was in and a part of I had a couple of folks that stomped out mad they stomped out mad and due to the wise advice of an older brother someone more mature to me and the Lord he said to me John go to these folks and admit your faults go to them and say you know what I know I'm part of this I know I'm I've been a disappointment to you and that's why you've stomped out I don't say the word stomped but that's why you've left and so this was very contrary to my own nature we wanted to name all the bad things that these couple of folks had had done to me that kind of thing but instead I followed my older brother and the Lord's advice and and went to these folks and and said you know what I realized that I'm a disappointment to you and you were wanting this and that and I really just haven't delivered and you know so it was and it worked living out the gospel worked it always does and and we left reconciled we left united we left feeling good toward one another and lo and behold they showed up the next time we met together as a group in this ministry situation the gospel works when we act in a way that's contrary to us we want to inside we want to name people's faults and and put them to death for it that's what Reha Bohm wanted to do but instead he responds with understanding toward those who have acted wrong against him he responds with grace he responds with humility he responds with love toward his brothers and what happens some from the north who would have been victims of his war come and they join him and are united to him and that's our model as believers to remind ourselves that we are a part of relational difficulties and therefore to be humble with other people to be patient which is the way Jesus has been to us in the gospel let's pray father thanks for this example of Reha Bohm who refrained from executing his wrath for feeling injured by these northern 10 tribes of Israel thank you for the good news that Shamaya brings that you got or not a maker of war among brothers but the Jew in the church give us peace peace with you fortified fortified borders so to speak that you Jesus have provided for us protecting us from death but you also Jesus are our peace removing for us dividing walls through our living out of the gospel exhibiting patience and humility and love toward each other that we might be united and show you off as the great united king cause us to act according to the gospel we ask in christening amen let's now