Osceola Sermon Bible I & II Kings March 3, 2013 Pastor Bob Vale / Osceola UMC

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1 Osceola Sermon Bible I & II Kings March 3, 2013 Pastor Bob Vale / Osceola UMC In 1 Kings and 2 Kings: March 3 rd, 2013 (Third Sunday in Lent) Book Theme: He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Sermon Title: If God Gave You One Wish What Would It Be? Sermon Topic: How to Find Wisdom in this life. Sermon Text: I Kings 2:1 4; I Kings 3:1 3:15 Speaker: Pastor Bob Vale Scripture Lesson: Biblical Focus: 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship Service: Hymn of Praise: # 61 Come Thou Almighty King Prayer Hymn:# 171 There s Something About That Name Prayer of Confession: (Responsive Reading # 893) 11:00 Solid Praise Contemporary Worship Service: See Matt Boggs Song Sheet

2 Do you ever wish you were given the chance to be granted one wish and that it would actually come true? Solomon was a King of Israel, who was given such a question by God. Three friends were stranded on a desert island. After several weeks with no food and no drinking water, they were beginning to lose heart. Suddenly, a bottle floated into the shore and a beautiful genie popped out. She said, "I have three wishes to grant. Each of you gentleman can make one wish come true." 1. Friend number one got excited. He said, "I wish I was in Las Vegas with dice in one hand and a drink in the other, surrounded by music, food, and beautiful women." Instantly he was gone, his wish granted. 2. Friend number two smiled and said, "I wish I was back home right now with my wonderful wife and our two small children, at our log cabin in the woods sitting in front of the fire and singing Christmas carols together." Just like that, he disappeared. 3. The genie asked the remaining man, "And what do you wish for?" He answered, "Gee, I wish I had my buddies back to help me decide..." Second Story: Sometimes we need to be careful what we ask for: There was a 50 year old un-married man who was granted one wish; anything he wanted. He thought to himself and then asked, if he could find a wife that was twice as young as him. Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and he was 100 years old. We live in an American country and culture, divided by who can grant the desires of our heart; Walt Disney or God. If God gave you the same question he gave Solomon; what would you ask for?

3 Overview / Summary of I & II Kings Author of the book of I & II Kings is: Unknown. Since 1 and 2 Kings are the second half of 1 and 2 Samuel, it is possible that these four books were produced by contemporary prophets of the day. The time period for the writing of these books are: BC. In the Hebrew Scriptures the book of Kings was originally one book. 1. I & II Kings was broken into two books for convenience sake because of its length. The Books of I & II Samuel and I & II Kings cover Israel's period as a nation under many kings: 1. Samuel the prophet anointed Saul (I Samuel 9:16) 2. Samuel the prophet anointed David (I Samuel 16:7) 3. Kings--Solomon and the divided kingdom 4. Kings--The fall of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah The Old Testament books of "Samuel-Kings were written just after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The author, whether it was Jeremiah or someone else from the 'school of the prophets,' had access to the royal records of both the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah, as well as records that antedated the Divided Kingdom period. It is truly a story about the history of the kings of Israel, beginning with the desire to have a human king rather than a Godly King. It also details the split of the nation of Israel into two separate Kingdoms and eventually the fall of both kingdoms as they refused to follow God s commandments and direction.

4 Within these two books there are moments of great triumph and other times of disaster and tremendous grief. Somewhat like life itself. The dividing of the single kingdom into two, reminds me of the splitting of the church over the centuries. What was once the Holy Catholic Church is now thousands of different faith groups and denominations scattered all over the earth. This is both bad and good. Bad that the oneness of the church is not unified. However good because the faith groups have multiplied until one third of all the earth s population claims to be Christian, worshipping in a way that meets the needs of the people in their nation and community. I am going to give you the quick and skinny on the history of I & II Kings. However, to walk you through the choosing and reign of the kings of Israel, I need to take you back into I & II Samuel to lead you into I & II Kings. (Remember all four of these books were written as one larger book.) I Samuel begins with the choosing of Saul by Samuel the priest. Saul was a great king at first. He was the obvious choice as he was handsome and stood head and shoulders above everyone else. The nation of Israel celebrates greatly at their new king. All was well as Saul and his son Jonathan defeated many local enemies and expanded the kingdom greatly. However, in time, pride was Saul s downfall. He was a great warrior and won many battles. Over the many victories he began to read and believe his own press on how great he was. Slowly he lived his life as if he did not need God any longer. He thought his victories and battles could come at his own might, rather than the leadership and power of almighty God. Interesting how I have seen that prideful attitude infect the minds of many people in our country. We call them self made men. They don t need God..they can do and get everything on their own.

5 Saul eventually began to seek the counsel of a fortune teller / Witch of Endor, and at one point he grew impatient while waiting for the priest to bless the battle efforts, he took it upon himself to perform the Priestly duty of sacrifice rather than waiting for Samuel to arrive. This both angered Samuel and the Lord greatly. There will only be one person who will hold the office of Prophet, Priest and King; and that was the coming messiah; Jesus Christ. In time, the Spirit of the Lord left Saul and he became weak, frustrated and his kingdom began to crumble out from underneath him. Look at the following words of Samuel to king Saul in the scriptures: I Samuel 13:13 "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command." Three Chapters later in I Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. Even while Saul was still the King, the Lord rejected him and decided it was time to find a different king. Not one who was full of himself, but one who was humble and ready to rely on God rather than his own human abilities. That person was a young shepherd boy named David. He was the son of Jesse, who also had many other sons to choose from. I love the picture the scripture paints of the choosing of little David. 1SA 16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

6 1SA 16:2 But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me." The LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, `I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." 1SA 16:4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" 1SA 16:5 Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 1SA 16:6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." I SA 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1SA 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the LORD chosen this one." 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11 So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." 1SA 16:12 So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." 1SA 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. 1SA 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

7 The point of this passage in choosing the boy king is two-fold. 1. God can use anyone. 2. Teach his people to rely on God rather than their own might and power. (I believe we need to stop here and think a moment.) Where is the balance in living an independent life and relying on God? As Christians how do we do both? Men I especially want to talk to you. As men we are sometimes too prideful when it comes to doing things on our own. We have it in ourselves to get though this would / life without any help from anyone; even God. People have been doing it for thousands of years. We certainly can trudge through life without God and be successful; but in no way can the unbeliever do anything great for God. Only Christians who carry the Holy Spirit inside of them can do great things for God; allowing God to pull the greatest weight. Men, if you want to live a courageous Christian life and do something great for God in your life..then sign up. But I ll tell you this. 1. It will not be easy. 2. It requires ongoing discipline. 3. You may get made fun of or perhaps even persecuted because of the life you live and the choices you make. 4. But the rewards are astounding; both here on the earth and in heaven above. 5. God is looking for men who will allow the Lord to take charge of their life and use them for greatness. (ladies: the same goes for you.) The rest of Samuel details King David in all of his ups and downs. Despite some tremendous failures; for the most part, David is faithful and true to God, he eventually becomes one of the greatest kings of Israel. He expands the kingdom of Israel through winning battles more than any other king in its history. David wants to build God a beautiful

8 temple, but the Lord asked him to allow his son Solomon to do this, since David was such a warring king. So David did his best to collect all the materials to get ready for his son to build the new temple. As we open up the book of I Kings, David is still the king of Isreal, but in time, he passes on the kingship to his son Solomon. I Kings begins like a TV soap opra. King David is very old and near his death. As he is aged and lying in his deathbed, his leaders suggest getting him a young virgin to Keep Him Warm. So they found a beautiful young lady named Abishag to keep the king warm. Knowing of his father s impending death, the oldest of David s sons, Adonijah; gathered some supporters, and abruptly crowned himself as the new king of Israel, without the blessing of the prophet Nathan or Zadok the priest. Much earlier, King David had made a promise to his wife Bathsheba that their son Solomon would be the next king. So she went to the king and asked that he fulfill his promise. So the Prophet Nathan and Zadok the priest took Solomon and anointed him as the new king. Not long after Solomon was anointed as the new king of Israel, King David passed away and went into heaven. This indeed frightened his older brother Adonijah, who made himself the king and he asked for forgiveness to Solomon the true king of Israel. Of course Solomon was kind and spared his brother s life. However, Adonijah was not done yet trying to wiggle his way into the throne. His next request was through Solomon s mother. It appeared to be an innocent request, but had a hidden meaning. Adonijah asked Bathsheba if she would ask Solomon if he could marry the young virgin Abishag who was sent to king David to Keep Him Warm. Bathsheba went to King Solomon to make this request on behalf of the older brother Adonijah. When Solomon heard this request he was extremely angry and ordered that his older brother Adonijah be killed for this request. So let it be written.so let it be done.and Adonijah was history and was killed.

9 You might ask the question, why was Solomon so angry to have his brother killed for such a simple request. Abishag, was still a virgin and now was without a husband? Why not? What Adonijah was looking for was more reason to attempt to regain the throne of Israel. If he were to claim Abishag; the past mistress of the king as his bride, that titles him in another way as heir to the throne as well as being the oldest son of the king. Adonijah wanted to build a stronger case to the people to get the throne, in case things went bad for Solomon s leadership as the new king. Basically it was insubordination towards a future coup attempt against his brother. As we dive into I & II Kings we see several notable stories and situations. The next story is the heart of what I want to ask you today. Here is the big question. If you could have any wish answered by God.what would you ask for? 1. Wealth. 2. Fame 3. Long life God actually asked King Solomon this very question. Turn in your Bibles to I Kings 3:5-14 I Kings 3: At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 1KI 3:6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 1KI 3:7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give

10 your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 1KI 3:10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." I believe there are several key lessons to be learned in this story: 1. If God ever asked you: what wish can I grant you? Come up with a good answer. (Which Solomon did) a. James 4:2 You have not, because you do not ask God. Many times we don t get what we want in this world, because we simply don t ask God or don t dream the dream. 2. God was pleased that Solomon took the higher road and asked for wisdom in governing the people rather than for wealth or long life. a. Proverbs 8:11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Solomon asked for that which would help him most in service God as ruler of his people. Wisdom. 3. God seems to bless those who obey his commands. a. Psalm 137:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. b. Deuteronomy 28:2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

I Kings 3:16-28 The next story about Solomon is probably what he is most famous for in regard to his wisdom. He is presented with a situation between two women who claim to own the same baby.

11 I Kings 3:16-28 The next story about Solomon is probably what he is most famous for in regard to his wisdom. He is presented with a situation between two women who claim to own the same baby. They both had a baby born three days apart. One infant died and the other traded the dead baby for hers. Now both mothers claim to own the living child. The answer Solomon gave was to take a sword and cut the baby in half giving both mothers half of the baby. The true mother of the living baby cried out not to cut the baby in half, but to give the other mother the baby. The other mother said to go ahead and cut the baby in half. Solomon knew then, that the true mother, was the one who was willing to keep the baby alive. Solomon was noted for his great wisdom among his Kingdom. (I Kings 11:1-3) As wonderful as Solomon was as a king, his downfall was the alliances he created by marring 700 wives and have over 300 concubines. He married wives from many foreign countries who brought with them their various religions. Solomon eventually began to worship some of the various religions of his wives. (I Kings 11:4) He was apparently so obsessed with power and wealth that it overshadowed his spiritual life and he ended up falling into apostasy. The dividing of the Kingdom: Solomon was the last of the great kings of the united Israel.

12 After Solomon s reign, the fame and fortunes of Israel went downhill. The nation rebelled against God and his laws. God might have destroyed Israel had He not promised to Abraham a redeemer and He still planned to use the house of David for this. When Solomon died, a civil war broke out as Solomon's sons and generals fought for the throne. Rehoboam had his father s blessing to be the new king, but Jeroboam had more military influence. In the end, Rehoboam took the southern half of the country and called it "Judah". Jeroboam took the northern half and kept the name Israel. Each claimed to be God's chosen king. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 of the tribes (excluding Judah and Benjamin). It lasted for about 210 years until it was destroyed by the Assyrian in 722 BC. The capital of the Northern Kingdom was Samaria. Every king of Israel was evil and not follow God. The Southern Kingdom consisted of 2 tribes (Judah and Benjamin). The kingdom extended in the north as far as Bethel, while in the south it ended in the dry area known as the Negev. Its eastern and western boundaries were the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem was its capital and it lasted from about B.C. Prayer; Heavenly father, may we learn from the examples of the men who have walked before us; (even kings and rulers.) May we learn of the triumphs of their faith and repeat them in our own lives. May we learn of their mistakes and never repeat them in our own lives. Amen. Words of Wisdom: As I see it.the crucial common mistake of King Saul, King David, and King Solomon was a prideful heart, thinking they could live and lead on their own merit; without God. (Pastor Bob Vale) Benediction: May we be sensible enough to trust in God alone; may we be humble enough to look up to God when were in trouble; and may we be smart enough to love our neighbor as ourselves! Amen.

7/16/ Samuel 16: Samuel 16: God called an ordinary shepherd boy into an extraordinary mission that changed the world!

7/16/ Samuel 16: Samuel 16: God called an ordinary shepherd boy into an extraordinary mission that changed the world! The Lord said to Samuel, Listen to all that the people are saying to you. It is not your they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. Now listen to them, but warn them solemnly and let