2 Kings Overview Part 7 - Judah's Habitual Denial Of Passing Down Objective Teachings With Subjective Depths
Promise is eternally now, habit nature on loving the world, submit founded perfect will = joy, objectively teach with subjective depths
Denial = Disbelief (God proved the
effect of denial by the lives of 39 kings)
Reason of Judah's Exile:
1) Do not follow the ways of David = not inheriting [promise (4G) -> converse -> walk -> blessed line of descendants]
* 2 ways of understanding: "wait vs now" perspectives
2) Rely on Gentiles
(1) Rely on the world
(2) Rely on Israel (carbon copy church)
- Compromise with church of this era (Good king Jehoshaphat and Ahab's relations -> Athaliah worse than Jezebel)
- Habit of loving the world (Jacob and Shechem): Own Motives/purpose -> turn to God => Develop a habit of loving the world -> make covenant => Stumble -> cleanse
* Be consecrated, start from our own scratch of methods, influence the world
3) Cannot discern God's perfect will
Need a system: (1) Assurance of born again (identity, belonging), (2) Make covenant (lifetime purpose) - fix it, (3) Perfect will (wisdom, answer) - lies within God's guidance, (4) Test and approve perfect will (converse) - get plan, (5) Submission (Body of Christ, church) - joy in the journey, (6) Preach and just say the perfect will = evangelism, (7) Learn to see perfect will = disciple
4) Do not know how to pass down gospel belief (3 king who were reformers yet..)
* Objective and subjective teachings
We are eternally successful. Who can move the hands of the Father? The one who knows that he is the child of the Father and that he is eternally successful - this is he who knows that his prayers will surely be answered. In my daily morning prayers, I confirm this first: ÒI know that all the events and conditions I meet are surely good.Ó
At this time now, we have gone through till the Healing Message 8. We must understand that it is not that if we have no more weakness, we will have won. This week, from Monday to Friday, my family and I fell sick. I heard half of the whole church fell into illness too. It seems that I want to pray but I cannot receive any answers or convictions. In our earthly days, Satan surely attacks. I have a mystery not to be discouraged or fear as in a few days' time, I will be more blessed. Surely if this is God's plan for me to be weak today, I will just live on like this. However much I can pray or whatever much I can do, this is the Lord's plan for me. I have an answer. God does not call a saint to do a lot of things, but to be able to look high upon Him and not the problems, and step by step see His provided steps. Whatever the Lord gives me now, I will just continue on. No matter how much people look down on me, or whatever answers I am given, God loves me most. Jesus Christ prayed for the disciples that God may not take them out of the world, but for the Comforter to come and protect them, and remind them of the words of the Lord.
Denial = Disbelief
What is the highest risk in our Christian living? It is unbelief. Unbelief is denial. This means that we always want to use our own perspectives to think about everything. Whatever God has provided, man should just live. Saints should eat the instructions and guidance of the Lord every day to live. They should not live by any other means. If the word that is preached on the pulpit in the church is not taken in even though God works this way the most, this is denial. Denial is when the word says that we must be healed, we say that there is nothing to be healed.
When I look at brothers and sisters, at their expressions and approaches on encountering their problems (which tell their view of the world, history, etc), I know that they cannot start and fight the battle. If we judge the problems by the way of the world, how can the saint win over Satan, who is the prince of the air?
In 2 Kings, God continually proved by the lives of 39 kings because He ÒfearsÓ that we will not understand. One generation after another, people still fail. God has already fixed the truth for us. Therefore if we just walk by the truth and His providence, the difficulties will stop and many problems will be solved.
The Reason of Judah's Exile
1) * Do not follow the ways of David
This means that they do not follow, or do not inherit the promise that David possessed. It is through the promise that comes the prayers, walking with God and blessed generations after generations coming up.
Promise (Converse, walk with God, blessed generations after generations)
We must understand here what it means by not following the ways of David. It is not that you do not work well in the company, or do not abide by the rules. Not following the ways of David is not following the Promise above (and all that follows above). The most important is the promise. Without promise, we will surely do prayers of mysticism. Without promise, how can we confirm and assure ourselves? We will surely go into abstract areas in search of assurance. If we cannot see the promise that God is with us and guiding us, we will surely not be able to pray. Therefore, the Israelites quarreled over water. We must know that if there is no promise, there is no need to think even for a second that we will overcome Satan. Through the hurts given in the stress and expectations in the company, Satan works. Without promise, saints are influenced easily. When one flips open the newspaper, wealthy and successful people will make us greed. News about health will make us worry. I feel so strange. In this era, saints memorized the 12 names of the disciples (which I cannot even remember till now), but do not know how to meet God when they wake up in the morning.
Therefore, what is the promise? Individual, family (blessings), region (tells you to be blessed, and the bible says that because we stand on that ground, the place will be blessed), world. This is the four gospelizations. Today, you say that you meet with problems in the company. Without having four gospelizations as the perspective, you (and no one at all) can see God is with them.
2 ways understanding promise
How do you come to know promise? Some people says, "God's promise will surely come, therefore I just wait." I am Abraham, and my children are Isaac, and my grandchildren will be like Jacob. They say they surely believe, and they continue to wait and see whether they are blessed when they grow up. However, some other people believe straightaway, and it is already accomplished that their children are Isaac, and therefore, they use this perspective to view all things that happen on the family. If you believe the promise in the first way, you will not be able to overcome Satan. Some people are good people, and they always endure even though people do not like them. One day, a person appears before him (maybe his boss) and continues to torture him. No matter how good he is, there comes one day he cannot tolerate anymore and curse him. Do not wait!
Eternally NOW
I failed in this way a lot of times in the past; therefore I know this very well. We must see God's promise is always with us now. This is the most important part I am going to touch today. If you cannot get this front part, you will not be able to understand correctly the following. Without looking at our children now with the correct perspective, you will suffer as you can only converse and "walk with Him" zealously. Some people say, "I know that God will surely fulfill, therefore I am okay with my current conditions". This is not correct too. Therefore when Jesus Christ came, His Name is called "Emmanuel", which means "God with us". Daniel was one such person who saw that God was with Him. Most of the people in the world now cannot see that God is with them, and therefore they walk their own roads.
Ps 16:8 David said, "I put the Lord in front of me."
Ps 23 The Lord has always been by my side.
David always sees God with him. Do we have such people here now? How do we see things? If someone goes into bankruptcy, it is natural that he will think that he cannot do business anymore, and all the negative things. But the one with promise will think, "The time to be wealthy has come!" This is not exaggerated. What is it in your hearts? Some people cannot even take it when there is a car summon issued to them. I discover that the 2 separated and much contrasted roads come from those with promise and those without promise.
There were 20 kings for Judah. 12 of them were evil, and 8 were righteous. However, none of the 8 was as great as David.
2) Rely on Gentiles
(1) Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Philistine Kings
They asked among themselves, "shall we rely on Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, or the Philistines kings?"
* (2) Rely on Northern Israel
This is even worse than relying on the Gentiles! If we mix with Buddhists and they tell us that "having something is emptiness, having emptiness is possessing everything", we will still want to change their perspective. However, without life, it is easiest and natural for someone to just follow or uplift anyone who is serving zealously or is more committed in the church. But this is wrong. We should follow those with life, and this means those who inherited David correctly.
Do you know that many churches do not talk about Jesus Christ? They only talk about the success of the world and there is no smell of the blood of salvation of Jesus in their messages. They only have the glory, and massive structures and organizations to lead people away.
Jehoshaphat
If you read the 2 Chronicles, you will read this story. When Jehoshaphat became king, the land of Judah increased, and the kings of other nations fear Judah. When he was king, he even built a fleet of trading ships and the army was strong. God surely blessed people like this. However, the only thing that he did that was no good was that he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. Therefore, very quickly after he left the world, his son Jehoram was one evil king of Judah that was so victorious in battles that he killed off all his brothers. In the end, he even married the daughter of Jezebel, who was the daughter of Ahab. This was Athaliah.
In Northern Israel, Ahab and Jezebel were always against Elijah. Have you wondered why such a blessed Jehoshaphat would allow his son to marry with the evils of Ahab? Therefore, God gave his son, Jehoram, a disease from young and his intestines broke out. He died because of suffering such a shameful disease even though he was a king.
Now, Ahaziah was the son of Jehoram and Athaliah. Ahab and Jezebel's son was also called Ahaziah. Remember that this was the king who died while viewing scenery (God caused deaths just like that)? They also had son called "Jehoram" (Joram). Judah and Israel must have been so close to name their sons the same.
Jehoshaphat was so blessed, but he just failed in this area. This is just like some blessed pastors. They loved and served the Lord so well, but they just could not understand spiritual things and thus failed terribly.
Jehu then came. Jehu was the general of Ahab. Elisha's disciple anointed Jehu and he was to kill off Ahab's whole family. Jehu was chasing Jehoram, Ahab's son, and that time, Ahaziah king of Judah seemed like he was visiting Jehoram in good relations. Jehu killed Jehoram and Ahaziah at the same time. And all the 42 brothers of Ahaziah were killed by Jehu as 70 brothers of Jehoram were killed by Jehu too.
I want to draw an illustration here. Whatever happened to Israel also happened to Judah. Whoever escaped the sword of Hazael will not escape the sword of Jehu. Whoever escaped the sword of Jehu will not escape the sword of Elisha, which is the word of God. No one can escape the word of the Lord. Therefore, if you see properly, Ahaziah of Judah 3 to 4 generations were gone. Athaliah saw this and was so angry - she was the mother of Ahaziah. She went back to the palace and killed everyone. Athaliah was the Empress Dowager Cixi of Judah, who reigned over Judah for 6 years. She was worse than her mother Jezebel, who was queen with Ahab. Ahaziah had a son called Joash. In these 6 years, Joash was blessed to live and grow in the temple with Jehoiada.
If Judah compromised with Israel, the worst thing will happen.
In the bible, there is another story that is very familiar. Jacob left Laban's home and was going back to Bethel, where God continually told him to return to. His brother Esau wanted to kill him. Jacob struggled with God, won, and Esau changed his heart. However, when Jacob was supposed to go back to Bethel, he stopped by a place called Shechem. The place was good to do business, and the people were courteous, and Jacob bought land, intending to stay! Dina, the only daughter of Jacob, loved the place and the idols there. She went to "Orchard Road" daily, and already mixed with the world. She must be very beautiful to behold. But (oh no), one day, a "fly" came along, attracted by the outer beauty of Dina, adorned by the beauty of Shechem. This man was also called "Shechem"! If Israel mixed with the world, very easily, there would no longer be any more righteous people left. Surely God could exterminate the city then because there would be no more righteous people left. The bible did not say that Dina was raped, but she committed adultery (defiled). Actually a one-night (stand) disgrace would be over, or bad enough, but Shechem proposed. Marrying Gentiles would mean the extermination of the whole tribe. The brothers took action and "circumcised" the people of Shechem, then killed them. Jacob saw and asked, "What have you all done?" Jacob knew straightaway as one who inherited faith correctly from his fathers that this was the risk of extermination. This was Satan's strategy to exterminate the children of God. I believe that Jacob could not sleep that night. He must have heard the Lord telling him, "I will save you and your household, but there is a condition. If you remain here, therefore, your perspectives will be like this and things will therefore happen this way. You must go back to Bethel, where the promise of 4 gospelizations are." Jacob told them all, "Change your clothes, get rid of all your idols, and let us go back to Bethel!" They must have replied, "Do we have idols since we have got ridden of them since the last time we moved?" However, it was discovered that the wife Jacob loved most, Rachel, hid and took the idol from Laban, and had the most idols. ÒGoing back to Bethel and abandoning the idols is a type of repentance which totally changes everything. If you just "repent" from that one small thing, it is like repenting nothing. Jacob went back, and at a place called Luz (Bethel), his name was really changed to Israel. God took away Rachel first (which is the best for saints so that their worldly habits will influence less around them), and the 12 tribes were realized then.
Our brothers and sisters are really blessed, but the areas where we are most bounded are our motives in the world.
(1) Motives, Purpose
Upon realizing, we must turn to God. This means turning all our motives and purpose in Him.
(2) Habit of loving the world
Have we realized that we Christians have so hard and thick a skin? Jacob should know about quickly returning to Bethel, but after he overcame the risk of getting killed, his eyes went around the world. Abraham came out of Egypt and was relaxed after overcoming a risk, therefore bore a child through Hagar. We have no need to hear the story of the Korean doctor again, right? He had cancer, repented, and was healed. But because of "a habit to love the world", he thought that he did not have cancer in the first place. When he died, the report said that he actually did have cancer.
(3) Make covenant
Therefore we must really make covenant with God.
(4) Cleanse (repent)
We may love the world again out of weaknesses. But since we have made covenant, we will only need to cleanse. We will be weakened by the influence the world and people around us have on us. Unless we have fixed our eyes on the world, we will not need a total repentance. But if we have already made covenant with God about 4 gospelizations, we just need to cleanse.
Actually God already said very clearly in His word. "It is dirty. It is not clean", says the Lord, but we continue to touch the things. Brothers and sisters, just be a little upright, and turn around or cleanse as the Lord said so clearly.
If we must have strength, we can never come together with people to discuss methods of creativity to solve problems. Therefore, I said last week that we must come up with our own creative ideas of business rather than get them from others. The world always talks about coming together and gathering strength. Therefore, in all the prayer meetings organized for the various religious leaders to come together during special events, Christian leadersare not present. This is correct and is of course the correct understanding. Christians are not to be one with the world, but they are separated or consecrated. They must not be an outcast, but they must win over the world. We must respect our minister, but we, the church, must be raised up to influence the churches of this era, to influence Singapore.
3) Cannot discern God's perfect will
We should not be more concerned about cults. We must be able to discern God's perfect will. Put effort here, and do not be zealous for the Lord on anything you see, but yet do not know the perfect will of the Lord. Everyone in the charismatic church nowadays will listen to those who say they have the conviction of the Holy Spirit. However, when everyone says that they have the conviction of the Holy Spirit, which is the one true one?
There is an emphasis of God's perfect will daily. Christian living is defined simply as "Do you know what is God doing?" God does not want a saint who does things without knowing what God wants him to do. If you pray and do not know the perfect will of the Lord, why do you pray? If prayer is living and active, you know what God is telling to do right now.
However, it is not so easy to know the perfect will of the Lord. There is a system. We do not obey by feelings. This system will tell us what is God's perfect will.
(1) Assurance of born again (identity, belonging)
You are the child of God, the most successful person. Therefore, you have everything that is born again: born-again perspective, born-again purpose. If not, we will have mixed with the world.
(2) Make Covenant (lifetime purpose)
God has something for us in our lifetime. The success you have in the work and family is only in God. God is the success. Without this, you have to be responsible in your work and in your family. Fix this promise in your lifetime, "Lord, this weakness is for this purpose; that strong condition is for this purpose."
(3) Perfect will (Wisdom, answer)
God's perfect will is spiritual. Therefore, it must come out by the above 2. For a small group meeting that did not really have a clear purpose of what I have gone through this week, it seemed that I have failed, but I have a secret. (1) I am most successful. (2) Surely God has a purpose in it, and this is for gospelization that I have covenanted. (3) Therefore, I can test and approve God's perfect will that this weak small group is for the purpose of letting me understand the grace of God in our weaknesses. When in pain due to sickness, my daughter complained that she was in pain. I discovered God's perfect will in my own sickness, and therefore wisely used it as a chance to evangelise to her in her own understanding, "Your father is also in pain. But when I serve the Lord, the pain goes away". What I meant was "if we remain in His grace, our pain will be dimmed".
(4) Test and approve perfect will (Converse)
After knowing perfect will, we have to walk with God by testing and approving the perfect will of God in our lifetime. Problems and sicknesses come. It is not that the laying of hands will solve everything, though it is effective, as mentioned in the bible. God's perfect will cannot be that if we lay hands, He will heal, because it will mean that God gives illness for no reason. There is a reason for the time of going through every pain and illness. Test and approve!
(5) Submission (Body of Christ, Church) (Walk with God)
Why are you not in joy even though you know God's perfect will? This is because you do not submit. All submissions come from centering on the Body of Christ and the church. This is the first submission of everything.
(6) Preach and just say the perfect will
This is evangelism.
(7) Learn to see the Lord's perfect will
If you have learnt about this, you are a disciple. Every time I say that God is with you, it means that God's perfect will is with you. If you cannot see the perfect will, you will not see that God is with you.
The above is the 7 breaches.
4) Do not know how to pass down gospel belief
There were 3 reformers for the 3 revivals in Judah: Joash, Hezekiah and Josiah. Joash was a righteous king, but his son was an evil king. Hezekiah was a famous king, and through one night's prayer, God was convicted by him and heard his prayer. However, he was afraid of death even though God wanted him to leave peacefully, the greatest blessing. Therefore, God gave him 15 more years. His son was Manasseh, an evil son, and was one of the most evil kings in Judah. Manasseh was so evil that it was then that God said that Judah would be exiled. It is not that the children must take up the sins of the father, but the sins of the fathers influenced the sons. Josiah's son, Jehoahaz, was the first to die in a foreign land (Egypt), and Jehoiakim, Jehoahaz's son, was the first to be exiled to Babylon. Jehoiachin was also taken to Babylon and his uncle Zedekiah even had his eyes gouged out.
Such a consequence was because they were unable to pass down the gospel. Many ministers serve the Lord well, but they do not know how to put what they teach into practical use. Therefore, I see that the disciples of some famous pastors do not even have a tenth of the power of the pastor, but their sermons are only "learnt" and have a likeness of their teachers. A person has a system to teach and raise disciples. From now, especially you small group leaders, lead small groups by this. Do you prepare your messages from getting messages convicted "from the air"? If you look at Paul, you know there is a system in him. If you do not have a system, you can share with power to the small group members, but you will not be able to pass down the life.
Objective teachings and subjective teachings
I discover that people cannot teach others like how Elijah taught Elisha because they do not teach by objectivity. The messages have to be learnt as objectively as possible, but have to experience the subjectivity with so much depth so that he goes even to the third heavens. What I mean is that without going to the third heavens, his objective teachings will enable him to teach people who have been to the third heavens. Paul went even to the third heavens, but he said that this was the least of the gifts, so why do people seek this? With the most objective understanding, seek to realize how God is working so subjectively and alive in your own lives. Some people can speak in tongues, but some cannot. However, your blessedness is not influenced by whether you can speak in tongues or not.
For example, when a pastor foretells someone reading his degree in medicine that he will be a doctor missionary in future. He will, of course, feel good. However, he will know himself best with his prayers. For the Red Sea miracle that you experienced, do not be too "high" because God separated the Red Sea for you, but be ÒhighÓ that God is with you. This is because the objective teaching is that God is with you in whatever circumstances, therefore, God can let you cross the Red Sea by dry land, by boat, or by any other methods provided to you. Just another example, the bible teaches objectively that at best, a divorced person is not to re-marry. However, if a pastor, who is divorced, subjectively experiences re-marriage because he met a sister who happened to have the same burden and vision as him, he cannot teach his congregation by his subjectivity that re-marriage is good. He should in fact teach that his experience is subjective as how God leads him. The bible teaches that it is better to remain single for serving the Lord. Yet another example, the objective teachings of the bible says that blessedness of one person will bring salvation to the family. We cannot accord by the subjective experiences that some families are not totally saved. However, this is very important here. If someone is shaken, and believes this promise half-heartedly without any conviction, the family may not be totally saved. The word of the Lord is true, men are liars. "You will surely enter Canaan", however, only Joshua and Caleb took hold of this. The whole Israelite fell in the desert. God says that we will be rich if we hold on to His promise. However, we cannot teach subjectively that a person will become wealthy by money. Yet another example: the bible says that the husband must love the wife, and the wife must submit to the husband. In some perspective, this instruction is subjective. However, for some couples who do not have strength, such words kill straightaway. Without knowing their deceiver, how can the instruction be then given?
Judah was not destroyed because David made covenant with God. God is faithful in abiding to His covenant. Judah's story has not ended here. Daniel became prime minister of Babylon to conquer the world. This is an eternal covenant. Even though there is unbelief, if you have made covenant with God, the blood of covenant will surely flow down to our descendants and the covenant through our descendants will never end.
Taken from Discipleship Training on 17 August 2007, 2 Kings Overview Part 7.