First Baptist Church Litchfield
chapel 3/19
  • Walk in His Ways (Psalm 128:1)
  • Light Of The World (John 8:12)
  • Grace (La-De-Da) (Ephesians 2:8)
  • They will see God (Matthew 5:8)
  • Hey Man
  • New Creation (1 Corinthians 5:17)

  • God created all that is. Therefore, all that is is His (Genesis 1-2).

    Adam and Eve wanted to be their own; Rebellion in their hearts was sown (Genesis 3:1-3).

    Judgment to the snake God spoke, And hope in Adam’s heart awoke (Genesis 3:9; 14-19).

    So, “mother of the living,” he named his wife, For her seed is the source of life (Genesis 3:20-24).

    People never did do good, but God saved Noah at the flood (Genesis 6-9)

    Land, Seed, and Blessing God promised to Abram, and the nations, also would be blessed in him (Genesis 12: 2-3; 15:5-6)

    From Egypt God His People saved, and at Sinai, the Law He gave (Exodus 7-14; 20:1-3)

    Then by God’s power the land they took, but then, their good God they forsook (Joshua 11:23; 21:43-45; 1 Samuel 8:7-8)

    God raised up David as their King, God’s rich mercy, he did sing (1 Samuel 17:49; 2 Samuel 22:50-51)

    David’s Sons Forsook the Lord and Did not Keep His Holy Word 1 Kings 11:4

    The people kept not God’s commands and He drove them from the land (2 Kings 23:27)

    Exile…to your room

    All of us have experienced some form of exile in our lives. Some may have been confined to their rooms as punishment for upsetting their parents. You had to leave the comfort of the living room or kitchen for the restrictions of your room. Being sent to your room is somewhat similar, but not exactly like, Israel's exile from their land. They had to leave the comfort of the Lord due to their disobedience. However, they did not go to their rooms; they became slaves in Babylon.
    The exile of Israel and Judah represents a pivotal moment in biblical history, where God's judgment resulted in the expulsion of the people from their homeland due to ongoing disobedience. These accounts underscore the seriousness of God's reaction to idolatry and sin and the historical repercussions of the exile. But you can take heart,

    Even in our darkest moments of disobedience, God’s desire is always to bring us back home to Him, offering hope and restoration through Jesus Christ.

    Even during our own periods of spiritual disobedience from God, there remains a promise of restoration and redemption, if you will have it. God's discipline, while difficult, is a loving effort to draw us back to Him. By examining the reasons behind the exile, we can reflect on our personal lives and strive to avoid the traps of disobedience. God seeks a relationship with His people, and intentional disobedience can lead to severe consequences, such as spiritual exile. Repentance is the sole path back to God, and He is eager to restore us, as God's plans ultimately lead to redemption.

    Judgment Pronounced and Placed (2 Kings 23:27)

    2 Kings 23:27 ESV
    27 And the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”
    Leaders faced execution, kings were forced into exile, treasures were plundered, and the Lord's temple built by Solomon was reduced to ashes. Yet, we must remember that all this destruction and loss occurred by the Lord’s directive. A chapter later we read,
    2 Kings 24:3 ESV
    3 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done,
    2 Kings 24:13 ESV
    13 and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the Lord had foretold.
    God had pronounced judgment on his people, and his judgement was severe. He was removing his people from the land he promised them. Why?

    The people kept not God’s command

    Just before they entered the Promised land, Moses preached his last sermon. It is the Book of Deuteronomy. In the last four chapters, Moses presents the people a decision. If you will follow the Lord and keep his commands, God will richly bless your life and the land. Moses says
    Deuteronomy 28:1–10 ESV
    1 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
    They would experience peace, prosperity, and future generations. Life would be truly fulfilling. However, if they fail to obey God’s commands and pursue false idols, they will face curses.
    Moses says to them
    Deuteronomy 28:15–30 ESV
    15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. 20 “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. 21 The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 22 The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. 23 And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. 24 The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed. 25 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. 27 The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. 28 The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, 29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you. 30 You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit.
    Israel failed to obey God. What was their greatest act of disobedience? They did not love the Lord their God with all of their heart, soul, and strength.
    God does not desire obedience out or duty. God desires your obedience out of love. Just before Joshua died, after the Lord had given his people rest and prosperity, Joshua told the people,
    Joshua 23:11 ESV
    11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.
    How was love for God expressed? With a single minded heart united loyal love.
    Joshua 24:14–15 ESV
    14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
    Just as it was for Israel, so it is for us on this side of the cross. Jesus says to his disciples,
    John 14:15 ESV
    15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
    I am reminded of the story of Mary and Martha, two sisters who were disciples of Jesus in the New Testament. Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet instead of helping Martha in the kitchen. Martha became upset with Mary. Jesus told Martha her priorities were not right. Mary had chosen a better thing, to sit at the feet of Jesus and that will not be taken from her.
    Martha seemed to be obeying out of duty, feeling it was expected of her. Mary’s choice came from love and a desire to be close to Jesus. This story reminds us that obedience rooted in love is always more rewarding and honoring to Jesus more than fulfilling duties. We are called to prioritize closeness with God, which leads to authentic obedience rather than mere compliance.
    God is faithful to His promises. Due to their persistent disobedience, God had to distance Judah from Him because of their idolatry. His discipline can be harsh, but it is part of His loving intention to lead us back to Him. God's deepest wish is for our restoration and return. We see this most clearly in Christ, where we discover complete restoration and reconciliation, even amidst our spiritual exiles caused by sin.

    Jerusalem's Fall and Future Hope (2 Kings 25:8–11)

    2 Kings 25:8–11 ESV
    8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile.
    God shared His plans for His people, telling them there would come a time when they would be removed from their land, which happened during the invasion of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II’s army. This exile unfolded in three significant waves: first in 605 B.C., then in 597 B.C., and finally in 586 B.C., when Jerusalem and its magnificent temple were devastated. While the troubling events described in these final verses of Kings are quite shocking, they were not without warning. Moses had foreseen this, advising the people of the need to stay faithful to God and urging them to cultivate a new heart eager to obey Him.
    From the very beginning (Deuteronomy 29–31), it was apparent that Israel’s stay in Canaan was intended to be temporary. God envisioned something so much larger—not just a single nation confined to one area, but a gathering of people from all nations across a renewed earth (cf. Gen. 12:3; Isa. 19:16–25; 49:6; Revelation 21). When Christians think about God’s judgment, it’s natural to feel a tremor at His strong opposition to sin, which can lead us to a moment of reflection on our backsliding or sinful habits. Yet, our sorrow doesn’t linger; it transforms into joy (Jer. 31:13) when we recognize that the punishment we rightly owe has been lovingly taken upon Himself and paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).

    The Exile of the Cross and the Hope of the Resurrection

    Israel’s exile foreshadows the ultimate exile of Christ on the cross and His subsequent resurrection, which restores our relationship with God. Just as the exiled people had a hope of return, Christ offers us the hope of eternal life and reconciliation with the Father.
    Always keep in mind the recurring theme in Kings: “for the sake of my servant David” (cf. 1 Kings 11:32, 34; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 19:34; 20:6; Isa. 37:35). This assurance fills us with hope—that God will treat us favorably, drawing on the merits of another David, the true and better David, King Jesus (2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 22:16). Let’s seek the refuge mentioned in this book, guiding us away from the judgment detailed within, for there is truly “no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1).

    Even in our darkest moments of disobedience, God’s desire is always to bring us back home to Him, offering hope and restoration through Jesus Christ.

  • Empowered by the Spirit, Guided by the Word
First Baptist Church Litchfield
pastorjason.fbcl@gmail.com
217-324-4232
http://www.firstbaptistlitchfield.org/
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