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Christians can get real good at showing up at church you know and putting on the suit and dressing right and having their Bibles in hand they can amen and they can nod their heads and they can say good sermon and they can walk right out that door and do things that they know they ought not to be doing secretly and think nobody knows it's a secret thing that I'm doing but guess what God knows God gives this list of things that they did and the first thing he lists is they did secretly those things which were not right against their Lord oh all those things that they thought I didn't notice that's the first thing that he's mentioning tells me that God knows the things that we think we're getting away with the things that we think nobody else knows about God knows them they say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it from the world that really doesn't surprise us but what's sad is when God's people adopt this attitude they won't go so far as to say oh there is no God but they'll sit there and say well God doesn't care God doesn't see what I'm doing God's gonna let me slide on this no he's not that's why we harp on this beat this drum often because God does see and if you think otherwise then you're stupid you're especially stupid if you believe in the God of the Bible and then you sit there and tell yourself oh but he doesn't see me yet they say the Lord shall not see neither so the God of Jacob regarded understand you brutish among the people and he fools when will you be wise he that planted the ear shall he not hear God you know made man in his own image God gave you ears which means what the God has ears and they're not there for decoration God uses his ears just as much as you do probably more no God doesn't hear you're brutish he that formed the eye shall he not see he that chastise at the heathen shall he not correct he that cheats with man knowledge shall he not know it's not just that God hears what you're listening to it's not just that God sees what you're looking at God even knows what you're thinking the thoughts that go through your heart in your mind the Lord knoweth the thoughts of man either you believe that or you don't don't sit there and tell me you believe the Bible if you don't believe that God knows your thoughts the Lord knoweth the thoughts of man yeah but only some of them or the ones you don't want him to know that's those are the ones he doesn't know no he knows all of them oh I know God sees but he doesn't see everything he doesn't see the secret things he sets them in the light of his countenance and says I see you eyes the Lord go to and fro in the earth beholding the evil and the good and then so we're back in second Kings chapter 17 it's only been a week or two since we were out of it of course we had Pastor Anderson down here last week and I'm not gonna take a lot of time to go over everything that we've been through so far of course in the book of second Kings but I will say this second Kings chapter number 17 is a very important chapter it's a very pivotal moment in Israel's history that we see here it's a very significant chapter not that any are insignificant but obviously when it comes to the topic of the nation's history and what you know what's going to become of Israel second Kings chapter number 17 is a very significant chapter and it's about it's kind of a long chapter it's you know I've got it's probably really too much to cram into one sermon so I'm just going to tell you right now there's going to be a part two on this one just because there's some real good important doctrinal stuff that we can still apply today that I want to get into but really I want to just deal with about the first half there about the first 17 verses tonight and I think there's a lot of you know nothing really new that we don't know but it's definitely something that we have to learn and keep in mind all the time when it comes to this idea that you reap what you sow in life whatever you sow in life that's what you're gonna reap if you don't heed the warnings that are given you and you dismiss them you're obviously going to suffer the consequences that's just the nature of life and I feel like that's obviously something we bring up a lot from this pulpit but that's a theme that's just repeated over and over and over in Scripture that's just something you see emphasized in the Bible so if I sound like a broken record it's because I'm really just repeating the broken record so to speak of the Word of God and it's like God is trying to get something across to us with all these examples of people not heeding the warning that they've been given and eventually having to reap what they've sown as a result and you see that again play out in a major way concerning the northern kingdom of the nation of Israel there in 2nd Kings chapter number 17 begins there in verse 1 it says in the 12th year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshia the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over in Israel nine years and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord so nothing new there it's just been a succession of evil kings in Israel over and over again nothing new notice there the detail at the end though it says but not as the kings of Israel that were before him that's not really a high bar when you we would consider some of the things that the kings of Israel had done before him you know saying that he wasn't as bad as them isn't really saying that he's that great of a guy he's obviously still doing evil in the sight of the Lord but he's just not as bad as those that came before him and again Hoshia he's the last king he's this is it Israel's going to be scattered among all nations they're gonna be taken captive by Assyria and it's and it's coming down on him right it's saying this is all happening during his reign but he's not as evil he didn't do as badly as his father's were before him but it said was it really fair to Hoshia then is it really is it really fair to him that he's you know gonna be the one in whose reign all this you know this judgment of God is just coming down on him is that really fair to him now obviously he did evil but he was not as evil as his father's as the Kings came before him and the lesson we can learn from that is that sometimes in life it's too little too late you know we might say well I'm not as bad as other people are I wasn't as bad as my father's before me but you know I wasn't as bad as I used to be but if we're not right with God and then we can't just use that as an excuse and sometimes in a nation or even in a person's life it gets to the place where it's too little and it's too late where God is you're going to have to reap what you've sown in life okay that's kind of the theme I want to focus in on here this evening because that's kind of what we see here it says in verse 3 and against him Hoshia came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria and Hoshia became his servant and gave him presents and the king of Israel found conspiracy in Hoshia for he sent under the king excuse me he had sent messengers to sow king of Egypt and brought no present to the king of Assyria so he is being made Hoshia has made subservient to Shalmaneser the king of Assyria after a period of time it's found out by the king of Assyria that Hoshia is sending messengers he's trying to he's trying to get help from Egypt this is something you often see them doing they're trying to get out from under the hand of one oppressor by appealing to you know another enemy of theirs and he's noticing hey where's my present you're not bringing me any presents and he brought no present to the king of Syria as he had done year by year so he kind of notices you know you're not paying tribute anymore that's what it means by present it wasn't like he was bringing him a little box with some pretty wrapping paper on it a little bow and say you know to Shalmaneser from Hoshia there wasn't like that it wasn't a nice gesture the present mean there basically is talking about a tribute but he was put under you know tribute by this king and he's not paying his taxes basically the king of Assyria notices and he starts to take action therefore at the end the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison and here's the thing and when it comes this idea of reaping what you've sown is that if you just keep reaping or keep sewing long enough and you get to this point of where it's too little too late where you're beyond the point of no return where the judgment of God is going to come in your life there's nothing you can really do but accept your judgment there's really nothing else you can do but just accept your punishment you know when we break the rules you know we have to suffer the consequences you know if we were to go out and break you know some law somewhere and then got arrested and hauled before the judge you know we should expect to be punished obviously you know sometimes we leniency is given sometimes you know not the full weight of the law is brought down upon us that we don't always have the book thrown at us as they say but there's always some kind of a punishment isn't there you know it's no different when you're dealing with the holy just and righteous God like the God of the Bible and you can't say that God's coming down hard look if you've been paying attention through this book God has been very lenient this is this this this this inequity all the sin all the things these things they've been doing it's just been going on for generations and now you know it's the bill is finally coming due and it has to be paid and it just happens that it's going to happen during Hoshia's time and look you can't wiggle out of judgment when the king of Assyria came in and put them under tribute Hoshia he's trying to you know find a way out of it he's trying to find a way to kind of wiggle out of the punishment that they deserve as a nation you know he's trying to find well maybe if I go to so king of Egypt he'll kind of deliver me but here's what we need to learn is that when you know God begins to judge us in our lives there's the really the only thing you can do is just accept your punishment and just pray God in wrath remember mercy and you know avail yourself to the long-suffering and mercy of God but you know if God chooses to punish us for our sins which he often does in this life you know we have to just sit there and accept it and and move on don't try to wiggle out of what you got coming to you you know that's it just makes things worse a lot of times he gets shut up in prison why because he's trying to wiggle out of the punishment that was been brought to him by God through the form of the king of Assyria it says in verse 5 then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years so they just makes things worse when he stops getting his tribute when he finds out he's trying to wiggle out from you know that the the tax that's been levied on him the punishment that's come upon him it just makes things worse you know when we get chastened of the Lord what we should do is just get right we should accept our punishment and and get right not try to avoid you know we should confess and forsake our sin then we shall have mercy as the Bible says it says in the ninth year for she a king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria and placed them in halah and in habor by the river of gozan and in the cities of the Medes so it just makes things worse oh you don't want to accept the punishment you don't want to pay the present you want to give the tribute well I'm just gonna come up to your land I'm gonna put your king in prison and then I'm just gonna carry your whole nation off into captivity and you're gonna cease to be a people upon the face of the earth it's a very severe punishment and of course we know the hand of God was in all of this but you know the application that we can make tonight is that when God you know punishes us when we were being chastened for our sins when God starts to work in our life we better you know listen up to what he's doing because not doing so trying to wiggle out of it trying to ignore what God is doing is just going to make things worse in our lives that's what we see going on here in the story and say well that's not a very encouraging sermon well here well here's the secret right it doesn't have to be this way the secret is it avoid putting yourself in this position to begin with avoid putting yourself in the position where God has to start to deal with you God has to punish you God has to chase in you I know we all have sinned we're all gonna have to be chasing somewhat you know he chasing at every son whom he receiveth but you know that that should not be the motto of our lives that shouldn't be you know our defining characteristic in life you know what well what's that guy like oh he's just somebody who's constantly getting dealt with by God he's constantly you know being chastened of the Lord you know that's not what we want to be the overarching theme of our lives however when we find ourselves in that position trying to wiggle out of it is just gonna make things worse the key is just to not put yourself in that position to begin with and I'll also I'll point out and this might probably be something I develop more in another sermon about this chapter but notice how it's all of Israel that's being carried away that's you know the severity of the punishment but this is important doctrinal point that needs to be made it says in verse 6 there it says in the ninth year for she had the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away right then verse 7 for it was so that the children Israel had sinned against the Lord their God which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the king of Pharaoh of Egypt and had feared other gods so it's saying there that he took away all of Israel right and we'll see that again later in the chapter I really don't want to belt that tonight that really needs to be its own sermon but there's really you know not much if any of a remnant being left at all in fact we see them that they're actually bringing priests back to teach the people that are there that you know how they ought to worship the God of land even though they don't do it right but notice here again what causes you say okay I want to avoid this in my life how do I avoid being put in this position where I just have to take the punishment of God to begin with right we started out by saying look when God starts to punish when God starts to chase him when God starts to judge and deal with his children as the Bible promises us he will do when that begins to happen you know we need to accept it okay but better than that you know is the alternative of not being in that position to begin with right so how do you do that well don't do what they did okay it says again in verse 7 for so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt and it feared other gods so he's appealing he's telling him why this happened and he's saying look it's because they rebelled against the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh I mean this is he's going all the way back to Moses he's going all the way back to the Exodus right and reminding them that the reason this happened how did this happen how did Israel get to this place it's because they forgot the God of their salvation they forgot the God that redeemed them they got you know out of Egypt the God that delivered them from the hand of bondage that's why it happened that's why everything is turning out the way that it is is because these people have forgotten that they've been delivered by a mighty hand okay they've forgotten the God that has redeemed them they forgot the God of their salvation and look that's what's gonna happen to us in our lives if we forget the God of our salvation and this is what happens to Christians they get saved and then the newness wears off and then living the Christian life you know they start to find out it's actual work that it's actual discipline that it's not all just fun and games that it's actually difficult and then they get allured by the world they get pulled away by the world they go back to old sins and they forget the God that delivered them out of bondage they forget about their salvation and they go back and you know to the world they go back to these other sins and then God has to come in and say well let me remind you that I'm the one that bought you I mean isn't that what's happening in the story I mean he could have said you know why did this happen he could have listed so many other things that they did throughout their history of Israel I mean we've been reading about it for weeks now just all the different things that they've been doing leading up to this point even in the you know the immediate history surrounding this time the immediate events that led up to this but no he goes all the way back and says because they forgot the God that brought them out of Egypt and that's the warning that we have to learn tonight is that if we just kind of forget you know let our salvation become lackluster if we start to forget what it means the fact that we're redeemed that we've been bought with the price as the precious blood of a lamb that we've been sanctified by the blood of Christ that we've been redeemed from all iniquity through Christ that we forget you know the power of our salvation and it becomes lackluster to us you know it's only a matter of time until we start to get into these things until we start to say well you know the things of God just don't really appeal to me anymore and you say I don't want to deal with God you know judging me well you know this is what this is how people end up in this position that's how this entire nation ended up under the cheat you know the chastening hand of God because they forgot the God that brought them out of Egypt which was a long time I mean nobody in this story has you know for generations has been around but that's what God is appealing to in Scripture that's what he's reminding us of they forgot the God of their salvation and isn't it interesting in the story that Hoshia is seeking help from who from so the king of Egypt he's going back to the the very nation that God delivered him from and you know that's kind of the picture that we have there is that you know when we forget the God of our salvation we go right back to the world and we look for help there we look for you know fulfillment there we look for you know satisfaction from the world again and that's what leads to all this see I don't want to end up under the chasing hand of God well then don't forget the God that bought you don't forget about your salvation don't forget about the fact that you're saved through Christ you know there's no help found in the old man is there you know people run into circumstances people go through things in their life and they end up going back to the old habits they end up going back to their old life they end up going back to these things that you know that are sinful and what does that lead to I mean maybe there's some temporary relief but ultimately what is legal what's happening in our story it just leads to more judgment now God says well now not only do I have to chasing you for that but now I've also got a deal with you because you've gone back to these other sins because whatsoever a man so at that also shall he reap it's the Bible promises us look at verse 8 it says and he so he goes back and they feared other gods it says at the end of verse 7 and walked in the statutes of the heathen whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel and of the kings of Israel which they had made and we're just so used to hearing it we just so used to hearing it in the Bible you know we have to really think about what it's telling us when we should go back and read the story in Exodus and the you know the plagues and the strong mighty and outstretched arm by which God delivered this nation that were completely were on the brink of destruction that we're going to be destroyed by the Egyptians God's redeeming them and destroying Pharaoh's army it's it's a powerful story I mean God really moved in these people's lives in this nation's life and now here they are verse 8 they're walking in the statutes of the heathen they forsaken the Word of God they forsaken the Lord who is what cast them cast them out before the children of Israel and the kings of Israel which they had made and the children of Israel did secretly those things which were not right against the Lord their God then it gives this litany of things that they did he gives us this list of things that they went ahead and did it says in verse 9 that they did secretly those things which were not right not against the Lord their God they built them high places in all their cities from the tower of the watchmen of the fenced City verse 10 and they gave them up and they set them up images and groves and every high hill and over every green tree and there they burnt incense all the high places as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them they're doing the exact same things that that that the people did that were in that land that God drove out that carried them away and remember God said you know he warned them and said if you start doing what they did the land will spew you out to I'll do the exact same thing to you if you start doing what these heathen did because that's why he took all those heathen out of land that's why he took all the Canaanite nations out because the you know the abomination of the king of the the Canaanites was full and God judged them judge the world through Israel coming in and driving them out of their own land and now because they're behaving themselves just like the world because they're behaving themselves just like the heathen the exact same judgment is coming to them you know that's the warning to us if we know we get saved you know we get born again and you know in Christ we're God's people but if we just continue to live like the world then you know what we're gonna be judged we're not gonna be condemned like the world we're not gonna go to hell but we're still gonna face judgment in this life God will judge us just the same that's what he's doing here with this people and it's you know when you really think about what they're doing it's it's it's shocking that people would even do this they serve verse 12 idols where of the Lord had said of them he shall not do this thing but notice in this whole litany of things that starts out and says that they did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God obviously it's not just you know then he tells us all these things you know so is it really a secret once he tells us maybe that he's that's what he's referring to maybe it's the way they weren't about doing it but it seems like you know it's these secret things the things that they thought nobody else noticed you know and that's the thing you know that that crew you know we today Christians can fall into because you know Christians can get real good at showing up at church you know and putting on the suit and dressing right and having their Bibles and hands they can amen and they can and they can nod their heads and they can say good sermon and they can walk right out that door and do things that they know they ought not to be doing secretly and think nobody knows pastor doesn't know the preacher doesn't know nobody else in church knows it's a secret thing that I'm doing parents don't know my spouse doesn't know it's a you know but guess what God knows you know God gives this list of things that they did and the first thing he lists is they did secretly those things which were not right against their Lord he's saying God's saying yeah I know even about the secret things in addition to everything else that they did I the first thing he lists is all those things that they thought I didn't notice that's the first thing that he's mentioning tells me that God knows you know the things that we think we're getting away with the things that we think nobody else knows about God knows them okay go to Psalms 94 Psalm 94 you know Moses warns about this very thing all the way back you know in the time of Moses he said thou has set our iniquities before us our sick secret sins in the light of thy countenance all those things that we think nobody else knows about God just takes them out and just will set them right in the light of his countenance and says I know all about him you say well I don't know about that you know it's a really dumb thing to sit there and think that God doesn't know that God doesn't see that God doesn't hear the secret things even that we think we get away with you know and that's the warning here in this passage there's no hiding anything from God why should I fear God because you can't hide anything from him you can hide it from a lot of other people can't you you can hide it from your pastor you can hide it from you know your parents you can hide it from your spouse you can hide it from the other Christians you can hide it and hide it and hide it but you'll never hide it from God who is you who's who you know who's the one person you got to be more afraid of finding out than anybody you know someone else might find out some secret thing that you're doing and be upset with you but you know I can't judge you I mean obviously there's certain sins that if they're found out will get you kicked out of the church according first Corinthians chapter number five but that's not everything you know not every single sin that you commit you know will get you kicked out of church but that doesn't mean it's not good well if it's not a first Corinthians five then I'm not gonna be upset about it you know I might get mad I make it angry I might even preach against it but you know that's about the limit of my power that's really all I can do you know unless it's something that has to be brought before the church you know you might be doing something that if your parents found out they'd be very disappointed in you and they might need you know there might even be some punishments there might even be you know a certain discipline you know discipline put into action and it might be uncomfortable you might not like it but there's only so much that they can do you know they're but here's the thing if God knows about these things I mean God can do whatever he wants that's why the Bible reminds us that it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God why because he knows everything and there's no hiding anything from him right he sets it right in the light of our countenance this is a very strong warning this is something we have to constantly keep in mind okay Psalm 94 verse 3 Lord how long will the wicked how long shall the wicked triumph it says in verse 3 Psalm 94 verse 4 it says how long shall they utter and speak hard things and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves they break in pieces thy people the Lord they afflict thine heritage they slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless I mean this is what the unsaved don't understand they just think they're getting away with everything and that's kind of the what the Paul the psalmist here is kind of lamenting is saying how long are they just gonna get away with murdering how long are they just gonna get away with you know slaying the widow and the stranger and murdering the fatherless how long are they gonna get away with all this wickedness and oppression how are you gonna you know put let them get away with it and why is it that they do these things why are they so bold to commit such wicked sin and and behave themselves in this way to where they're you know he's talking about murder and afflicting the heritage of God why do they do that verse 7 yet they say the Lord shall not see you know why the wicked are so bold to do the things that they do in this world because they think God doesn't see me they say yet the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it the God of the Bible he doesn't see he's not even real it's a superstition the God of the Bible that old Stone Age archaic you know Bronze Age you know a book that was written by a bunch of knuckle dragging Neanderthal go hurt you know all the things that these atheists out there like to say you know they they need it they want to convince themselves of that more than anybody else because they don't want that to be true that the God of the Bible does see and does hold people accountable I mean that's why they're so bold to do the things that they do why is our nation so bold to just you know just put all of the most abominable filth out there for the whole world to see because they think well you know God's not gonna do anything about it there is no God they say God's not even real we don't have to worry about this book they mock God yet they say the Lord shall not see you know and this is when people are their most wicked aren't they when they're convinced that God doesn't care what they do they just convince them all yeah I could do whatever I want because you know I don't care if it upsets the sigh you don't care if it upsets you know the people my of the my life I don't care if it you know if I if I upset my parents or the church I don't care and if I can upset other people because what are they're gonna people gonna do to me anyway nothing I could do whatever I want I can do and they but they're they're most bold because they think God doesn't see God's not gonna hold me accountable for anything there is no God and you know that's that's the devil's lie isn't it that's the lie the devil's been telling for so long and look his message is strong isn't it and he's telling little kids and it's been going on for decades hundreds of years oh you're just you just you know a billion years ago you crawled out of the ocean billions of years ago it rained on some rocks into some primordial ooze and then you know life slithered out of the ocean and grew some feet and then climbed a tree and started eating bananas and then it climbed back down and stood upright and you know it's all just one big cosmic chance there is no God there is no righteous holy wrathful vengeful God that's gonna hold you accountable children and they've been telling the devil's been telling that the lie there is no God for so long and then you look at society it's like well why are they so bold to do what they do because that's what they've been told for so long that's their mentality there is no God we could commit all the adultery and all the fornication we can just be drunkards we can just be gluttons and wine bibbers we can just go out there and we can just celebrate the sodomites of this world and if anybody says anything against it you know we'll just we'll just cut them down too why are people so bold to do what they do today because they think there is no God that's what they think they say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it we're gonna get away with everything but what's you know and and from the world that really doesn't surprise us but what's sad is when when when God's people adopt this attitude they won't go so far as to say oh there is no God but they'll sit there and say well God doesn't care God doesn't see what God doesn't see what I'm doing God's really not that interested God's gonna let me slide on this no he's not you know and that's why we harp on this that's why I you know beat this drum often because God does see and if you think otherwise again this kind of reminds me Sunday Sunday night then you're stupid you expect you're especially stupid if you believe in the God of the Bible and then you sit there and tell yourself oh but he doesn't see me I mean that's what he says here in Psalms 94 verse 7 yet they say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it verse 8 understand ye brutish among the people what's brutish we went over that Sunday night means just it's stupid you're being ignorant you're being stupid he's saying look understand you brutish among the people and he fools when will you be wise he that planted the ear shall he not hear oh yeah we believe here that God you know made man in his own image and oh and God gave you ears which means what that God has ears and they're not there for decoration they're there God uses his ears just as much as you do you know probably more some probably some of us in the room probably don't years use our ears as much as we ought to or we like to pretend that they're not working right we like to just tune out the preacher when he gets like this and it's just you know he's giving you this very important message this very important warning oh here he goes again find another channel in that brain ears think about something else tune it out you know but this is the warning shall he that planted the ears shall he not hear no God doesn't hear you're brutish if you think that he that formed the eye shall he not see he that chastise at the heathen shall he not correct if God chastens the world how much more so his own people the Bible says that judgment must begin in the house of God oh we're and we gets and look and I'm all for God chasing the heathen we love that we preach that that's what the Bible says but he also reminds us he that chastise at the heathen shall he not correct us I mean he's talking about us is he gonna correct us he that cheats at man knowledge shall he not know I mean it's not just that God hears what you're listening to it's not just that God sees what you're looking at God even knows what you're thinking God even knows the the thoughts that go through your heart in your mind that's what it says in verse 11 the Lord knoweth the thoughts of man either you believe that or you don't don't sit there and tell me you believe the Bible if you don't believe that God knows your thoughts because the Bible says in verse 11 the Lord knoweth the thoughts of man yeah but only some of them oh oh the ones you don't want him to know that's those are the ones he doesn't know no he knows all of them oh I know God sees but he doesn't see everything he doesn't see the secret things he sets them in the light of his countenance and says I see you the eyes of the Lord go to and fro in the earth beholding the evil and the good the Bible says you know this is the mistake that Israel made oh the God of Jacob shall not regard and they got very bold didn't they to where they're doing the exact same things that God judged those heathen nations for and cast them out and destroyed them and now it's their turn they're gonna be chasing just the same way and destroyed well what were some of the things they were doing in verse 10 we get this list you know it starts out the secret things and it says in verse 10 and they set them up grow images and grows and every high hill and in every green tree and they burnt incense and all the high places as did the heathen did as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger and look and you know you've been paying attention the series if you know your Bible this isn't something that they did all they did all this yesterday they've been doing this for generations they've been doing this for a very for hundreds of years this has been going on and then all and then it just God just came out of the blue right then all of a sudden God's just like okay I'm done I'm just gonna destroy him that that's that's not even true God you know still appealed to them God still reached out to them and try to try to get them to change it says in verse 12 they served idols wherefore the Lord had said unto them you shall not do this thing verse 13 yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah by all the prophets and by all the seers saying turn ye from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes according to law which I have commanded your fathers in which I sent to you by my servants the prophets it's not like God just went from you know zero to hundred real quick you know God got he was provoked and provoked and provoked he sent prophets he sent seers and he's prophesying to them he's telling repent change stop you're doing I'm gonna judge you I'm he's warning them for generations and this is what I'm trying to get across tonight is that God sees everything God is you know and if you don't like this sermon right now you know this is God admonishing you this is this if you don't like this warning from the Word of God this is exactly what he's talking about here in this passage you know the Prophet the seer is here telling you God sees God hears God knows and God judges and will judge so get it right or you know when the judgment comes just be prepared to accept it the trick is to not even get there to begin with which is the point of him sending all of the seers and all the prophets and taking that time to admonish them to stop he doesn't want to have to do this but you know what God's long-suffering comes to an end eventually the Bible says that God is long-suffering and merciful and compassionate his mercies are new every morning but you know what there is a point where you it's you cross that line and God's like I have no other choice but to just judge you God does that to people I mean he appeals doesn't he he warns you know and that's that's all I'm doing tonight and just warning through the scripture I'm just I'm just in second Kings chapter 17 tonight I mean maybe this doesn't apply to anybody in the room hopefully not but you know what if it does this is your warning and we hear it all the time in preaching God judges God judges God sees God chases look you know get it right all the time and preaching because it's in the it's just all over the Bible and if we just ignore it and ignore it or eventually God's gonna say well my long-suffering has come to an end I've been warning you and warning and now you just leave me no choice I have to judge you just like the nation of Israel here it comes to an end so you know the admonishment tonight is don't ignore the warnings of God I don't like this preaching I don't like it well you know this is biblical preaching you know this is this is why was this biblical the Bible literally says in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine that's what the Apostle Paul told Timothy his protege his son in the faith when he's saying hey you're gonna be a pastor you're gonna go out and preach the Word of God here's how you're gonna do it Timothy you're gonna reprove and you're gonna rebuke you know today you know most churches it's just all exhortation it's just all you know do right and just you know hey God loves you and God's everything's fine and look we preach that too but there's two negatives there you know the exhortation is more you know the encouragement that the positive that's one-third of the preaching that that Timothy was told to do the other two-thirds of preaching were what reprove and rebuke you know reprove is hey you're wrong rebuke is you're wrong it's a for it's a stronger form of reproof you know that's what that's all the preaching is you know that's what we're supposed to do that's what God's been doing with with Israel and they ignored it don't ignore the warning of God's words don't ignore it you know wise people if they're smart go to Proverbs chapter number nine book market will be in Proverbs chapter 9 because again we're going to talking about wisdom here you know wise people receive and welcome rebuke you know if you were wise you know and this sermon or any sermon you know it was started to hit home if you were wise you'd say you know what the Bible is true what's being said is right I need to change that that's what a wise person would do not just get mad at the person who's telling them that you're like if you're standing on a train track and I'm like hey there's a train coming you might want to get out of the way don't tell me what to do the train will move it's like no really you you're gonna get annihilated you're gonna just get smeared all over the rails we won't even be you know we want to be able to find the body we're gonna be picking you up all over the place no you should really get out of the way you're so mean you jerk I have his right to stand this trade track as much as anybody else and so you're a fool you're an idiot you know it's funny but you know that's what people do spiritually in their lives hey the drunkenness the fornication the adultery it's gonna bring God's judgment your life shut up preacher that's what the Bible says they get mad at they get mad at the preacher it's like well you're really mad at this book you're mad at God you don't like what the book says I'm just the messenger I'm just telling you what it says I'm just trying to say look out there's a train coming shut up leave me alone I'll do what I want yeah just get smeared don't ignore a wise person would say hey I need to listen to that I need to do what the Bible says Paul said first Corinthians I write not these things to shame you and first Corinthians chapter number four and if you know your Bible first Corinthians chapter number five gets pretty heavy there's some hard preaching or he's calling out sin specifically I mean he's practically I mean he names people in other places but he's saying hey whoever that guy is in your church you need to kick him out for you know deliver him unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh saying get that guy out of there and let Satan have his way with him right I mean that'd be pretty harsh wouldn't it well I mean and and you know in some instances that's what we're called to do with the local New Testament Church and certain sins if it's found out it's like well you know we have no choice but to take before the church and let everybody know that you know so-and-so whatever is involved in this sin and we're kicking him out of the church until he gets it right and if you know and he can go out and be judged by Satan guy he can be judged in the flesh and like let the devil have his way with them I mean what if we did that what if you what if you ever been in a service like that because I have it's awkward it's not fun you know say you guys do that yeah does that really go on yeah because we believe the Bible Bible says in 1st Corinthians 5 if people are guilty of fornication covetousness drunkenness you know and a list you know a few other things that we are to put them out from you know up away from ourselves and to have no fellowship with them that the soul may be saved you know for the destruction the flesh that they would get right of course we know 2nd Corinthians you know the guy got it right and he was they were he was told to receive him back again lest he be over you know swallowed up with over much sorrow you know that the reason why you do that is so people will repent of that sin and and then they can come back once they get right but if they refuse to do that deliver them unto the Satan for the destruction of the flesh for that's 1st Corinthians 5 okay read it on your own but that's a hard thing isn't it but notice how what Paul says in 1st Corinthians 4 I'll just read to you he says I write not these things because he knows what he's about to write he said I don't write these things to shame you but as my beloved sons I warn you that's all Paul was trying to do is just warn these people look you don't want the judgment of God to come down on all of you get that wicked person out from among you I'm warning you guys you know wise people receive warning they hear the warning and they go okay yeah you know they they pull their car up to the train track the they see the the bells begin to go ding ding ding ding and the red lights are flashing and the arms come down they go I think I you know a wise person goes I better wait they don't go try to go weave through it right or race the train they accept the warning Bible says in Proverbs chapter 9 look at verse 8 repute reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee reprove not a scorner you know we don't go around preaching this to everybody out in the world do we this is you know we're here tonight with God's people you know we're here you know in church and the warnings being given right the reproof is being given in church you know because hopefully the people in church tonight they have a heart for this they want it you know hopefully you come to a church like this because you want to be warned because you want to do right reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee well why don't you go out and preach never because they just hate it because they're their attitude as well God if Jacob doesn't see God doesn't know the Lord doesn't see they would scorn you oh yeah God's gonna judge me okay I mean that's what we hear all the time when we're out there trying to get people saved try to preach in the gospel oh yeah sure God's gonna throw me oh yeah you believe in a place called hell mm-hmm yeah right okay they're scoring you know the Bible says don't reprove a scorner but what does it say rebuke a wise man and he will love thee you rebuke somebody that actually has some wisdom thing man I'm so glad that I'm being rebuked and someone's straightening me out on something I love that person I'm glad there's somebody in my life that will tell me how it actually is they'll just say like it is they'll just tell hey me you need to fix this man that's your friend you know faith you know faithful are the wounds of a friend the Bible says but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful reprove a scorner and lest he hate thee rebuke a wise man and he will love thee go to Proverbs chapter 29 you know and again just expect the consequences for ignoring the warnings of that you're given if we just ignore the warnings you know we should just expect the consequences Proverbs chapter 29 verse 1 he that being often reproved hardened at this neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy keep something in Proverbs go back to 2nd Kings he that being off to improve hard at this neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy you know the guy who just keeps being reproved and reproved and reproved and just and just stiff hardens his neck I mean that that's the problem that we see with Israel verse 14 says again at the end of verse end of 13 I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets he's saying look I appeal to you I preach to you I told you to turn from your evil ways I testified against all the Israel he says in the beginning but they wouldn't listen says in verse 14 notwithstanding they would not hear but harden their necks that's you know like having a stiff neck they harden their necks like to the neck of their fathers and that that did not believe in the Lord their God and that's what you know that's and eventually God has to judge them why because they harden their neck you know harden and stiff necks are what being rebellious go to Jeremiah chapter 17 Jeremiah chapter number 17 having a hard neck is you know waste time as being stiff neck that's another way that's put in the Bible and what he's saying is that they were rebellious that's what being stiff necked or hard necked is related to it's related to being a rebellious person I mean that's what you see there where we just read 2nd Kings chapter 17 notwithstanding they would not hear but harden their necks like the neck of their fathers and did not believe and it's interesting you know it's interesting phrase they harden their neck you know it always makes me think of somebody kind of like you know sticking their chin up in the air we talk about you get tell me what to do it's like this proud arrogant kind of just you know look that people get because look you know if you approve somebody who's wise you know somebody who has a meek is meek and humble and they and that something is pointed out to them even even just gently sometimes even if it's just not even like a harder be just a hey you know you should you need to deal with this this isn't right you know they get their reproved rather than rebuked even when people are genuinely ashamed of something that they've done wrong you know what a lot of times they do is they drop their head don't they oh man right the head just kind of drops right or if someone tries to get your attention you know you look you're not just gonna ignore them you know but sometimes when people are approved or told they're wrong they just you know they do this they get stiff necked they're not gonna look the way they're supposed to look they're not gonna turn their head and pay attention to what they're supposed to pay attention to someone might come along and say you need to you need to look over here and deal with this you know here's a problem over here you're not dealing with I'm not gonna look at that I'm gonna put you know that doesn't happen that's not really going on that's a hard neck it's rebellion so it means to have a hard neck to be stiff necked it's a phrase the Bible uses look at Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 21 it's gotta mean something I mean maybe you don't agree you tell me what being hard necked means then the context it looks to me like being hard necked being stiff necked is associated with not believing the Lord their God being rebellious verse 21 Jeremiah chapter 17 thus saith the Lord take heed yourselves and bear no burden on the Sabbath day nor bring it in the gates by in by the gates of Jerusalem neither carry forth the burden out of your house in the Sabbath day neither do any work but hollow ye the Sabbath day as commanded your fathers right that's God commanded them to observe the the Sabbath right they weren't doing it verse 23 but they obeyed not so that's rebellion neither incline their ear you know you know what does it mean to incline something you know like put an angle on it if you we go up an incline you kind of tilt a little bit when you incline your ear I mean I'll notice that sometimes when I'm preaching the people that are listening sometimes they'll kind of they'll turn an ear you know they'll kind of turn their head a little bit like what's he saying you know and if you're not doing that I don't think you're not listening okay now everyone's going oh I'm listening for you all right but that's what he's saying there you're like they didn't climb their ear why cuz they have a stiff neck they can't turn their head to listen they don't want to listen they don't want to hear they obeyed not neither incline their ear but what but made their neck stiff that they might not hear I'm not gonna turn my head to that I'm not gonna give that guy an ear there's just stiff necked nor receive instruction I'm not gonna listen to what the Bible says I'm not gonna listen to that preacher I'm not gonna listen to this godly counsel I'm being given why cuz you're stiff necked you're hard necked you rebellious you don't want to do what the Bible says I mean it's it's it's associate you know rebellion and not obeying is associated with having a stiff neck in the Bible Deuteronomy 31 for I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck and people get this idea of just well if I just ignore God you know I'm not how am I really rebelling against God if I'm just ignoring him the Bible says if you're if you're stiff neck and you're just ignoring God that's that's rebellion and rebellion it says the sin of witchcraft did you keep something there in Proverbs go to 22 Proverbs chapter number 22 says in verse 17 bow down thine ear and hear the words of the wise and apply thine heart unto my knowledge you know people if they really want to hear something sometimes they you know they have to bow down this idea of you know bowing down your ear to hear the words of the wise you can't do that if you have a stiff neck you can't do that if you're rebellious you can't do that if you're not willing to incline your ear and that's why you know being rebellious is associated with you know having a stiff neck and what being proud and arrogant because bowing down your ear that is talking about having humility you know humble people will bow down their ear and listen you know this is and well I don't want to say that I'm not gonna go there because anyway but people that really want to hear sometimes you'll notice this when people are really paying attention to what you're saying maybe you'll even catch yourself doing this if you're really someone's giving you instruction that you really want to paint a lot of times you might find yourself even kind of leaning in and doing that you ever noticed that you kind of and it's just bowing down you're listening right you're making yourself smaller you're kind of getting in there it's like you're elevating them in a way it's like the subconscious thing that we do but if you have a stiff neck you're not gonna do that this you're gonna puff up and you're gonna tell me you know and that's rebellion and that's what Pete and look people do this to God that's ultimately the problem that we're seeing here with that's what Israel is doing to God in this chapter saying I sent the prophets I sent the seers I repute reproved you I appealed to you I pleaded with you and you got stiff necked you would not bow down you would you would not humble yourselves this is what this nation did to God look even God's people can do this to God they can do this in their lives you know they can come to church and they could sit there and they can hear what the Bible says and get stiff necked it happens all the time they can get rebellious which is as the Bible tells us is it's a sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry stubbornness and rebellion go hand in hand go back to 2nd Kings 17 so we're just going through this litany of all these things that Israel was guilty of it says in verse 15 and they rejected his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and his testimonies which he testified against them and they followed vanity and became vain you know that's the alternative you know when you reject God when you reject his covenant we reject his statutes you reject the testimonies reject the Bible all that's left is vanity all you're gonna be is a vain person they went after the heathen that were round about them concerning whom the Lord had charged that they should not do like and like them verse 16 and they left all the commandments of the Lord their God and made them molten images even two calves and made a grove and worshipped all the host of heaven and served Baal which is Satan and they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire they're literally burning their own children alive in idol worship that's what the Bible saying and use divination and enchantments and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of Lord to provoke him to anger I mean God was just seeing it all God's just watching it all God's just seeing them do all of these things and why were they so bold to do it because they're just like well God doesn't see and of all the people that should have known better it should have been them it's like don't you remember the heathen that God drove out before you don't you remember everything that God did with your fathers no they forget all those things and they just provoked God to anger they left all the commandments it says there in verse 16 and look the other thing you have to be on guard in your Christian life is you know obedience you know when it comes to obeying God it's all or nothing you can't have this attitude the Christian life well I do some of the things that God wants of me I do some of it I obey in certain areas but you know I have these other secret things these other secret sins that you know that nobody else you know I've got all this other stuff right but you know then there's this other area in my life that's you know that's you know for me that's not obedience you know it's like well you know we're we didn't we might have built some calves you know we might have gotten into idolatry but you know we weren't we weren't burning any children you weren't committing you know child sacrifice oh we were sacrificing our children to bail but you know we were doing it in the name of Lord you know it's like we did something notes they left all the commandments of God and God into these things look obedience with God it's all or nothing and obviously we're never gonna be perfect but we strive for that and that's why Deuteronomy tells us and I know I got to wrap it up it says in Deuteronomy 6 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with most of thine heart is that the commandment you know you shall love the Lord thy God mostly you know as long as it's the majority of your heart that loves God God's cool with that that's not what it says thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might sounds to me like obedience is everything or nothing that's how God sees it it's all of your heart it's all of your soul it's all your might it's not just well I have a little soft spot for God you know that might work with your crush or whatever it's not gonna work with God God's not interested in you having a little soft spot well I have a cute little picture you know that I have put on my nightstand and every now and then I think about him every now and then I look at that picture go huh that's nice I just go by my God's not interested in some little you know he doesn't want you to flirt with him you see I'm saying God is not interested you just have a little soft spot like ah oh yeah isn't that cute that God wants some things oh that's cute but God wants your whole heart God wants all of it God wants all your strength all your soul all your mind all of it your whole heart everything God wants all of your obedience every single bit of it you know and I thought about this because it goes on in Deuteronomy 6 is gonna have you turn there but I'll just read to you he says thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soul and with all thy might you know God wants that which is inward right your heart your soul your mind your strength the things that come out of you your effort your will that's what God wants from us and then he goes on and says in verse 6 and these words which I have commanded these this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently children so on and so forth and he says in verse 9 and thou shalt write them upon the post of thine house so he starts out by saying look you're gonna love the Lord thy God with all thy soul thy mind thy strength thy heart you know you're gonna teach these things to your children diligently when you walk by the way when thou sittest down when thou risest up you're gonna teach these things to your kid you're gonna get you know you're gonna be all in for God and then verse 9 he says and thou shalt write them upon the post of thine house and on thy gates and I'm not against people doing this don't take this the wrong way I do this in my house people get real good about putting up Bible verses don't they they look at verse 9 thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house and they go you know they they go to you know Walmart or wherever they get these things and they have all the typical verses you know except the watchman you know keep the keep the city they accept the Lord keep the city the watchman wake his butt watch his butt in vain and I'm butchering it you know the Psalm 23 they have that posted somewhere they have all that you know they have all these famous verses that people put up on their walls don't they they love verse 9 but what about the rest of it what about everything you know verse 9 is kind of tagged on at the end and look I'm not against people putting up verses in their house I think it's a good thing to do I mean that's what he's telling us to do but you know this this having a soft spot for God not giving God you know verses 6 not having all those other things that come before verse 9 you know decorating with these encouraging verses and then you know and fervently hiding the Word of God in your heart are two different things aren't they it's one thing to just put a nice little decorative verse up say oh isn't that nice and then fervently hiding the Word of God in my heart that I might not sin against him thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee the Bible says you know it's one thing to put up a nice little verse it's another thing to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart mind soul and strength so you know people love verse 9 and I love verse 9 too but you know what's a whole lot more important verse 6 thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soul with all thy might and these words which I command in this day shall be in thine heart he said not just on your wall not just in a nice little decorative frame not just painted in there you know with some calligraphy then I'm not against those things but just make sure they're in your heart you know make sure you've written them where they really count it starts there with your heart and then it comes out then it comes out on the walls then when we actually look at those things you know we have a deeper connection with the Word of God as a deeper meaning to us it's not just decor you know it means something to us I mean that's what the command is thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soul and then with all thy might you know your strength your strength is what is put on display it's what the world sees your actions but where does it start it starts with your heart it starts with your soul it starts with the inward and works its way outward go to Galatians chapter number six we're gonna close there because this is kind of the theme here that we're seeing in this chapter you know God wants wanted all of their heart God was very long-suffering with the nation of Israel God sent prophets to them God sent seers to them God pleaded with them God was trying to get them to do right but they harden their hearts they stiffen their necks and they would not listen and they did that repeatedly for hundreds of years and eventually sorry oh yeah I know you weren't as bad as your father's you're still evil but now that now you've gone too far now you guys have to reap and what you're seeing in chapter 17 is Israel's spiritual reaping okay and that's the lesson that we need to learn you know why should I give God all my heart why should I give my God all my soul my strength you know why should I go after the not leave all the commandments of God why should I not go after you know vanity why should I not forsake his testimonies and become vain because God sees and God hears and God will judge you he will reap what you sow in this life that's what it says in Galatians 6 you know all this is all Old Testament verse 7 be not deceived God is not mocked for what's over a man soweth that shall he also reap look you either believe that or you don't and whatever you're sowing is what your reap you're gonna reap for he that soweth to his flesh all the flesh reap corruption verse 8 you sow to the flesh that's what you're gonna reap you know you can't plant you know potatoes and hope for tomatoes you're gonna get what you planted whatever seed you put in the ground that's what's gonna spring up you sow to the flesh that's what you're gonna reap in life but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap light life everlasting you're gonna get the opposite of corruption you're gonna get life so the admonishment is you know love the Lord thy God with all thy soul thy mind thy strength sow to the Spirit keep don't don't you know that we started out by saying hey look when the judgment comes don't wiggle your way out of it accept your punishment but the greater admonition is don't even put yourself in that position to begin with don't reap or don't sow to the flesh you will reap of the flesh you cannot escape this the best way to avoid that is to is to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soul with all thy strength all thy might and don't think that well you know he doesn't see these secret things yes you he does and you will still reap even those secret things the bill came doing Hoshia's day didn't it it was a long time coming but it finally came due and this nation had to sow had to reap for what had been sown for generations God's long suffering eventually runs out it's gonna be the same way in our lives folks if we're stiff-necked if we're hard-necked people if we're stiff-necked if we won't listen to the admonishment the reproof and the rebuke of the Word of God it'll be the same way in our life it's guaranteed it's a promise out of the Word of God because whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap it's a promise in the Word of God mark it down let's go and pray