Effective Living

Effective Living 2 Kings 1:1-17 One day there was a young man who was on his way to visit a friend named Mark who lived on a farm. He turned off the paved road and entered the long gravel driveway leading to his friend's home. While going slowly down the gravel driveway, he had to pass by a barn. As he got near the barn, he had to stop because he saw something that amazed him. On the barn were 30 targets. In the middle of each target was a bull's-eye, and in the middle of each bull's-eye was a hole. Someone had used the barn for target practice, and whoever it was, sure could shoot! The barn had no other holes in it except the holes in the bull's-eyes. When he met up with Mark at his house, he said, "Before we start our day, I've just got to ask, who in the world did the shooting on the barn?" Mark said, "That was me." The man was surprised and replied, "Wait just a minute! I can't believe anybody could shoot that good. There's 30 targets, with 30 bull's-eyes; a perfect shot each time. You mean to tell me you did that?" Mark said, "Yep, I made every shot." "Well, where in the world did you learn to shoot like that?" Mark answered, "It's simple. I shot first, then I drew a picture of the target around the hole." A lot of us are like Mark, aren't we? We just look like we're on-target. We've learned the talk, practiced walking the walk. We've learned to carry the Bible under our arms and know how to go through the right motions. We've even learned to put on our Sunday smiles, just to make it look like we've hit the bulls-eye. It's not so much that we've hit the bulls-eye; we've just learned how to paint well. It's possible to go through the motions and not live a life on-target. Today, we'll read about a man who knew how to walk the walk, but how idolatry kept him from hitting the bull's-eye. And in learning from his mistakes, we'll discuss 3-ways in which we can live to live effectively in a God-honoring way. 2 Kings 1 continues where 1 Kings left off. Ahab has died, and Ahaziah now reigns. If you turn back a few pages to 1 Kings 22:51-53 you'll read that Ahaziah "did evil in the eyes of the LORD," because he served the false god of Baal and not the true God of Israel. Now, in 2 Kings 1, we see that "Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself." Apparently, he hurt himself so badly that he was afraid for his life, and instead of seeking God, he wants to consult a foreign god. His request is a telling one because here he lies at the end of his life, implying that either the God of Israel does not exist, or that He is irrelevant to his needs! Ahaziah tells his messengers to, "Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I'll recover from this injury." Baal was a fertility god who was supposed to have the power of prophecy. Ahaziah's statement to ask the god of Baal reveals his desire for the supernatural and a total disrespect for God. Now it's important to note that Baal-Zebub was not the same god as Baal, the false Canaanite god who Ahab and Jezebel worshiped in 1 Kings. Ekron was an important Philistine city about 25 miles west of Jerusalem, and Baal means "lord." The Hebrew translation for this false Canaanite god was Baal-zebul meaning, "Baal the exalted" or "Lord the exalted." But with such hostility toward this false god, the author of 2 Kings referred to this false god as Baal-zebub, which means, "Lord of the Flies." But the God of Israel, our true God, knows all, sees all, and is all-powerful. And in verse 3, God sends an angel of the Lord to Elijah the Tishbite with a message. The angel of the Lord says to Elijah, "Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?' Therefore this is what the LORD says, 'You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!' So Elijah went." Now, to condense 2 Kings 1, the king of Samaria, Ahaziah, knew right away who Elijah was just by his description. And in his hatred for Elijah being a man of God, he sent a captain and 50 men to arrest Elijah on three separate occasions. And on three separate occasions God's message to Ahaziah is repeated: "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub ... You will certainly die!" Now pay attention to what happens because here comes the meat of today's message. In verses 9 and 11, Ahaziah sent a captain with a company of 50 men to Elijah. Notice how these two captains called Elijah a "man of God," but "fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men." This is because they were not being genuine. God was not in their hearts. But now, notice what the third captain did in verse 13, he "went up and fell on his knees before Elijah." This third captain knew what had happened to the previous two captains and their men, and even if he didn't before, this third captain now has a reverence for God, and humbly asks for mercy. His attitude revealed respect for God and saved the lives of his men. 3-times, the king sent people to Elijah, but only the last third was saved from the consuming fire because they came in humility. This reveals the truth of Hebrews 12:29, which says, "God is a consuming fire." God is merciful, but ultimately God cannot tolerate or accept sin. Let this remind you that while "God is love," He is also a God of Justice, and while Jesus came the first time in peace, the second time He comes is "in a blazing fire with His powerful angels," And "He will punish those who don't know God and don't obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might," as 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 says. "God is love" who is full of grace and mercy and desires that everyone repent and turn to Christ for salvation. But let Ahaziah and his troops be a lesson for you; that God is a consuming fire and can't tolerate sin. All unrepented sin leads to eternal death, but those who have faith in Christ live eternally with God in His kingdom. I want you to also notice something rather interesting. If you add them up, a total of 153 men were involved in today's Scripture, 2 Kings 1. But compare this to the 153 fish the apostle Peter caught in his net in John 21:11. Jesus will come in flaming fire and consume those who refuse to humble themselves and obey the Gospel. The choice is yours; humble yourself and admit you're a sinner in need of Christ's forgiveness, or be eternally separated from God. Ahaziah and his troops reveal that God knows the heart and our intentions. Simply saying religious words or acting religiously doesn't fool God. Heed the warning from 2 Kings 1 and from Galatians 6:7, which says, "Don't be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Don't deceive yourself and deny God. So, in light of today's Scripture lies the heart of today's message: Effective Living begins with the right attitude toward God. Make sure that before any religious words come out of your mouth, they come out of your heart first. To do this and live effectively, we must live a life around 3 truths. We must live a life of Respect, Humility, and Servanthood, that all glorify God and not ourselves. First is Respect, which is to regard others feelings, but it goes deeper than that. True respect is loving the sinner but hating the sin. It's respecting others by loving them enough to tell them the truth about sin and salvation in Christ Jesus. But it's also not wrapping up your sins in respectability while pointing out other people's sins. Remember, the Pharisees of Jesus' day did this. They glossed over their sin while glistening other people's sins. They made themselves appear good by doing good works and saying good words, just like Ahaziah's captains who called Elijah a "Man of God," but never really meant it. Respect is also not being prideful or self-righteous. Just remember, that stranger you may passively talk to today could become your friend tomorrow. To God, there are no strangers, and the same should be for the Christian. Treat everyone as your neighbor; you'll never know who could come back into your life. Perfect example: Before I became a pastor, I worked for Sherwin-Williams. While there, I would occasionally talk with a man who came in once a month or so. Now, no matter what type of day I was having, I always tried to give my best to every customer. Sure, they might be able to tell if I was having a bad day, but I was never rude to them. And I'm glad because now I pastor the church that man has been attending for years. In fact, when I first began my appointment at Rocky Springs, that man was the first to greet me. You never know how you can influence others, and you never know who may come into your life, what stranger or acquaintance might become your friend. So respect everybody. Second is Humility. Humility is a modest view of your own importance. Humility isn't putting yourself down or agreeing to be treated negatively. It's having a true perspective of yourself and imitating Christ, who is the true example of humility. Sounds good right, but how can we humble ourselves? Let's use football as an example. In football, the coach tells the offensive line, that no matter how big you are, stay low. So that you can have leverage, stay low. No matter how big you get in life, stay low. No matter what title you have in front of your name, how much money you have, or how popular you are, stay low. The moment you use your knowledge, power, prestige, or resources to attempt to be like God, it will be made very clear, there is only one God. Humility, on the one hand, means comparing yourself with Christ, realizing your sinfulness, and understanding your limitations. But on the other hand, it means recognizing your grace gifts and strengths and be willing to use them as Christ directs. As one author puts it, "Humility is not self-degradation; it is a realistic assessment and commitment to serve." To stay low and to stay humble, respect God's majesty by comparing yourself to His greatness. Be reminded of Psalm 8:3-4, "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?" Looking at creation has a way of making us feel small in comparison. Use that as a healthy way to look at reality. But don't stay and dwell in your smallness because humility is standing tall in Christ while remaining on your knees in worship. Third, Effective Living means Servanthood, which is serving as Christ served. Jesus challenged society's norms and taught that greatness comes from serving. Jesus said in Matthew 23:11-12, "The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Serving keeps us aware of other's needs while stopping us from focusing solely upon ourselves. Ask yourself, What type of greatness do you seek? Ahaziah sought greatness in false gods, and his first two captains sought greatness in the eyes of their king. But the third captain had respect for God and Elijah, humbled himself, and kneeled to serve the Lord. In a previous sermon called Combination Separation, I said that people don't like being told what to do because of their "rights." People often excuse selfishness, evil, or pride by claiming their "rights." "I can spend this money because I worked hard for it!" "I can say this or that because I have the rights of speech!" "I don't have to do that because of my rights!" Worldly rights you may have, and government rights you do, but servanthood enables you to lay aside your rights in order to serve others. The rights we enjoy must first be in line with God, and if we say we follow Christ, we must also say we want to live as He lived. Some companies will have staff audits that are designed to analyze who is where, and whether they're producing at the level they ought to be producing for the position they have. The point is to make sure that the right people are in the right place, doing the right things in the right way. One of the questions during a staff audit is, "Does each staff member's job and productivity contribute to the goals of the company?" This is the same question God wants answered. How does your life as a Christian contribute to His kingdom? The higher you rise in the likeness of Jesus, the lower you will stoop in your service for others. So serve for the good you can do, not for the praise you get. Or in the words of John Wesley, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." Now, consider the third captain: he humbled himself, begged for mercy, and was spared. God's message to Ahaziah may seem like a harsh rebuke of disobedience, but viewed another way, it's also an offer of hope. We can repent and turn back to God. He has not forgotten us, and He calls us to obedience once again. If only Ahaziah would have heeded that word! Today's Scripture reminds us of the seriousness of idolatry, but also of God's mercy. Have you, like Ahaziah, treated God as nonexistent or irrelevant in your own life? Take some time today to reflect on the ways you may be turning from God while relying upon something else for comfort. Then take today's Scripture as a challenge for repentance and an offer of mercy from a faithful God who doesn't give up on His people, even in their unfaithfulness. There's a story of a little boy who was trying to play baseball by himself in his backyard. He would say, "I'm the greatest batter in the world!" Then toss his baseball straight up into the air, swing, and miss. Undaunted, he would pick up his baseball, say, "I'm the greatest batter in the world," throw it straight up into the air, swing, just to keep missing again and again. After a while, he paused for a minute and stared intently at his ball and bat. Then, one more time, he said, "I'm the greatest batter in the world," threw his ball straight up into the air, swung harder than ever, but still missed the ball. Without missing a beat, he then said, "Wow! I'm the greatest pitcher in the world!" Brothers and sisters, the power of perspective is an amazingly strong influence in our lives. Ahaziah's perspective was idolatry, that led to his death. The third captain's perspective was in fear of the Lord. So make sure your perspective comes from heaven and not just earth by living a life on target. Effective Living means living an effective life of Respect, Humility, and Servanthood that glorifies God so you too can be called a "man or woman of God." AMEN 2