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Good & True?
TEXT: 2 Kings 14:3 And he did that which
was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like
David.
INTRO: When a person tries to justify his wrong
behavior by pointing to the conduct of others, he
isn’t aiming high enough. A college student
learned a lesson when he was reprimanded by the
school president for misbehavior. The young
fellow offered this lame excuse for his
questionable conduct: “But, Sir, you’d find it
difficult to locate 10 men in this school who
wouldn’t have done as I did if they had been in my
circumstances.” The president replied, “Has
it ever occurred to you that you could have been
one of those 10?”
This is also true if he
patterns himself after someone who gives the
Lord only partial obedience. When a
person tries to justify his righteous
behavior by pointing to the conduct of others, he
isn’t aiming high enough.
TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT: I want to look at
some characters in 2 Kings to see what our
standard should be in zeal.
1. Comparison
Amaziah was a good king. He worshipped
the true God and showed mercy to the children of
some who had conspired against him. Apparently
he set a good moral example. But he foolishly led
his troops into a shameful defeat and was finally
executed by a group of rebels.
In 2 Kings 14:3, we are told why Amaziah did
not experience the full blessing of the Lord. The
text says, “And he did that which was right in
the sight of the Lord, yet not like David.” He
followed the example of his father Joash and
failed to put a stop to the semi-pagan worship
conducted on hills throughout the land. He
should have patterned himself after his forefather
David.
Turn: Mt
19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these
things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I
yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be
perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come [and] follow me. 22 But when the young
man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful:
for he had great possessions.
The young man was fine by his standards, for he had done more than most.
So in trying to justify himself to Jesus He met God's standard!
Like Amaziah, He simply didn’t aim high enough. Now
Amaziah didn't reach David's standard, yet his
standard is not as high as ours.
Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of
God, as dear children; Means? Mt 5:48 Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect.
What? I know, the
preaching is easy! Your right! But we have the
help in this age that meets our expectation.
Joh 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one; and that the
world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast
loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Jesus intercedes, The Holy Spirit sanctifies and the
Father justifies!! Now there our standard and thats
whose helping us reach it!!
2 Kings 14:3 And he did that which was
right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like
David.
Who do you compare with?
What is your standard? Are you still striving or
are you becoming complacent?
2.If It Quacks..!
2Ki 18:3 And he did [that which was] right in
the sight of the LORD, according to all that
David his father did.
The footnote in II Kings 18:4 is most
interesting.
TURN:II Kings 18:4 When
Hezekiah found the brazen serpent made by Moses
in the wilderness still being worshipped, he
destroyed it. “...he called it
Nehushtan.”
The footnotes explain the
meaning—”a serpent made of brass.”
One is made to wonder how such an idol
could have existed so long. It would seem that in
the reformation movements of one of the judges
or kings, it would have been destroyed. My
opinion is that it was not recognized as an idol
and hence was preserved. Perhaps they justified it
by not calling it an idol. Hezekiah, however, came
and called it what it really was—a brass image of
a snake. How often we justify sin by calling
it a different name! Some call adultery, “a
meaningful relationship.” We excuse
covetousness by calling it “prudence” or
“economy.” A life of sensual pleasure is “living
with gusto.” Even what God gives may be a
blessing, but thats it Just a peice of brass! God is
worthy alone!! If it quacks like, smells like, looks
like, a duck. Its probably a Duck! So with sin!
In answer to a critic, Abraham Lincoln
asked, “How many legs does a cow have?”
“Four,” was the reply. “If you call her tail a leg,
how many does she have? asked Lincoln. “Five,”
was the answer. “No,” Lincoln said, “Just calling a
tail a leg, doesn’t make it a leg.”
TURN: Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to
do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.
Not only is acting out a sin,
but inaction of righteosness is also!
Have we made a similar mistake? Do we think
that sin is not sin, just because we do not call it by
its right name? Ignorance is not Bliss!! What you
don't know CAN hurt you!!
2 Kings 14:3
And he did that which was right in the sight of the
Lord, yet not like David.
Is sin still called sin? Will you settle for excuses
and justifying? Or will you do right in the sight of
the Lord, even as your Father, Jesus?!!
3. Filling Jars
Widowed, childless, and past 80 years of age, Bill
Cruxton wanted his $500,000 fortune to make a
difference in someone’s life. A 17-year-old
waitress who had been kind to him seemed the
perfect choice. So when Cruxton died on Nov 9,
1992 he left the bulk of his estate to Cara Wood, a
high school senior who befriended him during
the 13 months she worked part-time at a
restaurant. Even after she quit her job, Cara kept
in touch with Cruxton, running errands for him
and helping him around the house. Because of his
poor eyesight, she often helped him read his mail
and pay his bills.
Like Cara Wood, theres a widow in
TURN: 2 Kings 4:1-7 whose story became the
recipient of another’s wealth. But the riches she
received came from the hand of God. The woman
had known great heartache. She had lost her
husband, who was of the men from the “company
of the prophets.” Soon she would lose her sons as
well, since they were about to become slaves. The
Mosaic Law gave a creditor the right to claim the
person and children of a debtor who was unable
to pay. They were obliged to serve as the
creditor’s hired workers until the year of Jubilee,
when they were set free
It was not a
happy prospect, and the prophet Elisha, who
knew her husband’s devotion to the Lord, wanted
to help this desperate widow. When he learned
that she had nothing in her house but a small flask
of oil, he told her to collect from her neighbors as
many empty jars as she could—leaving the
number of jars, and the size of her faith, up to her.
The woman was to shut herself and her sons
inside the house and pour from her flask until all
of the jars were full.
The woman did as Elisha instructed,
and had enough oil to pay her debts and live off
the rest. If we obey properly, in the sight of the
Lord, we too can be instruments of His
miraculous provision for His people. God's
watching to see how many jars your gonna fill.
How much you trust Him! how many jars? What are your jars?
Blessing? Circumstances?Souls? Freedom? Needs? ...
God's reptitvie message is we can have/even need
another's wealth. For healing, freedom, etc. And
that other's wealth is Christ's! And our Good &
true actions help us attian them!! Thats what it
comes down to -In the sight of the Lord.
Are you fully aware that you are ever in the sight
of the Lord? Is that who your aiming to please?
2 Kings 14:3 And he did that which was
right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David.
What is your level of satisfaction in
your zeal? (There shouldn't be one!) Are you
settled in your growth? How many Jars are you
filling up? (Or have you stopped?) Do you do
whats right? In the sight of Lord? Is it Right to in
your expectation, or the Lord's expectaion?
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