Delivery Room Danger
PPT 1 Title
Today I want to talk about when God has deposited something in you and life or the devil are conspiring to abort it. I am especially thinking about a promise from God, or something His word declares we can have.
PPT 2 Scripture
Isaiah 37:3 …for the children are come to birth and there is no strength to bring forth.
Have you ever been to the carnival and seen the strength test? Ring the bell to win a prize. You want the prize but just cant seem to be able to muster the strength to ring the bell. Sometimes life is like that, if that is you, this message is for you.
I will explain the background to this scripture text in a minute. But for now, I want you to think about the critical moments of pregnancy. The process of giving birth is incredibly tiring, stressful, and to be frank it can be very dangerous. I think there may be more than one woman here who can relate to the a childbirth where they had been in labor so long, exhaustion had set it, and they could say they felt like they didn't have the strength to see it through.
I want to talk about giving birth, but not of a child, but of a promise or destiny which God has for us.
We will skip for the most part the process of conception, which is that which is without with meeting that which is within and combining to create life. The bible describes that process as the word being mixed with faith.
PPT 3
Heb 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it].
Some people when it comes to the word of God have a spontaneous abortion. Jesus talked about that in Mark 4, saying the devil steals the sown word. I wonder how many people have had a destiny or God's purpose for their life aborted?
Some people will never carry God's promises to term because their womb won't accept a promise.
We will skip morning sickness, and back aches, and leg cramps, stretch marks, clothes that don't fit, and in general overall uncomfortableness other than to say that before you can give birth to something there is a whole lot of physical and emotional struggle that will precede it.
Possessing your promise, is like pregnancy. The joy is not in getting pregnant, pregnancy is the difficulty, rather the rejoicing is in giving birth. Just like there are people who get pregnant but are never able to deliver successfully in the natural, there are a lot of people with glorious promises who will not successfully give birth.
The text we read is part of a communication from Hezekiah King of Israel when the King of Assyria entered Israel and began attacking and overtaking many cities. He sent word to Isaiah and said tell God what's going on here, and specifically tell him that we are in danger of losing this child (our destiny, our nation, the promise of this land), we are at a critical moment, I sense it could be the time for the birth of something wonderful, but we are completely out of strength to deliver the baby.
This message today is for those who have been pregnant with a promise and you sense there is a danger of losing the baby. Hezekiah had been brought to the brink of despair, maybe that is you today.
It is also a warning to those whom God would stir up with a promise that hell is always seeking ways to abort everything God wants to give birth to.
Back to our bible story:
PPT 4
Isa 36:1 Now it came about in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.
One by one the cities of Israel fell into his hand, finally he gets to Jerusalem, and instead of attacking he offers them the idea of surrendering. His speech was very intimidating as you will see, before we get there I want to talk about one of the types of strength that Hezekiah realized he no longer had.
There are several types of strength that you can run out of in labor:
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Spiritual
But in chapter 36:1 and verse one the type of strength that I think Hezekiah lost was community strength.
Notice that Hezekiah was living in a day and age when he saw bad things happen to other believers. Fortified cities. These things weren't happening to Johnny come lately's but to fortified cities.
Let me repeat what I said a few weeks back we are in a day and season where you are going to have to stand alone. God is getting us ready for the time when the bible says that many shall betray one another, they will depart from the faith, the love of many will wax cold.
Hezekiah felt abandoned, he felt alone, he felt like he was the only one left carrying the shield of faith, and he sends word to Isaiah, "I don't know if I can keep this up."
In Genesis 32:24 we read, "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day."
He was alone, he was in a fight, until the breaking of the day. This is not a day that you should be all surprised if you find out you are fighting alone. If you can't walk on alone you are in for trouble. Later in Israel's history the whole nation was carried away into captivity, but only 4 boys chose to continue to live for God, and I believe their courage pushed others back into the fold of faith. They walked alone and they were an inspiration to others.
We used to have society (here in America) in general walk with us. We could pray in schools, the 10 commandments were on our court houses, now society has become our enemy. Hezekiah had seen fortified cities fall, and whenever we see others fall it can trouble our faith. There is a scriptural principle that when the shepherd is smitten the sheep will scatter. We live in a day and age where the news reports of fallen ministers are frequent and severe.
The fortified cities had fallen, Jerusalem was alone. People that Hezekiah thought were pillars, were captured by the enemy, and he realized that the protection of being in a group was gone. He was on his own and he was fearful of his ability to make it.
What is interesting is that when the Assyrians come to Jerusalem instead of attacking with military might they attack instead with words. Some people all they have to have is a little intimidation and they will run for the hills. Let me very clear about this, if you are going to live for God and stand on his word, you are going to have to face and learn to deal with intimidating words spoken by the enemy.
PPT 5
Isa 36:11 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, "Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand [it]; and do not speak with us in Judean, in the hearing of the people who are on the wall."
Isa 36:12 But Rabshakeh said, "Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, [and] not to the men who sit on the wall, [doomed] to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?"
The military officers who were better educated, better trained, and also spoke multiple languages, and also probably war experienced were concerned the rank and file who weren't as well prepared would melt in fear so they tried to get Sennacherib's men to speak only to the leaders. They were trying to shield the people from intimidating words. The strong ought to protect the weak, but the truth is that a faith that can't stand intimidating words is not a very good faith.
Sennacherib's men respond: Shouldn't the guys who are going to eat there own dung and drink their own urine hear what we have to say? In short we cannot protect people from intimidation, everyone has to face it and learn to overcome it. Our kids will face it in the classroom and on the playground. We will face it on the assembly line and in the boardroom. You will have to deal with it in community meetings and in your prayer closet. There will always be voices to challenge your faith in God.
The second area of attack was that it was the weakest part of the line that was under attack.
All the real attacks you will have in life, will be in your greatest area of weakness.
The enemy always attacks your weakest flank. We tend to ignore our weakest flank, our General however, sees the need to strengthen the line in that area, and that is why he allows skirmishes along that flank.
How many times have you thought that you would much prefer an attack in an area you were emotionally better prepared to handle?
If I was your enemy I would scan your lines for your weakest flank and attack there. God knows our weakest flanks and the most often used way to build up that flank is to allow it to be attacked so that we become better warriors in that area. The flu shot is a little sickness to able us to handle a big one. So are life's trials.
How do you think the rank and file took those words. The men will eat their own dung and drink their own urine? Those words were not said in a vacuum, Sennacherib's army was there to back them up. Those were scary words. Scary words will make you run from your promise or to God, which have you been doing?
So we see Sennacherib sent his field commander to Jerusalem to intimidate Judah into surrendering. The enemy often invades our lives to taunt and test our trust in the Lord. He does it with disturbing words and or thoughts.
There have been countless destiny abortions because of scary thoughts.
God is not going help you, if he was you wouldn't be where you already are in this situation.
You are not going to make it.
It's too late.
Now I know that at this time Sennacherib was just using words, but the words were backed up by his massive standing army.
Words alone won't get you to quit or give up, it is when they are conveyed and you can see just on the horizon the build up of enemy forces.
This was a very real and dangerous battle for the very life of the Jewish nation.
This is the story of the do or die battle we often find ourselves in.
It is the story of the enemies continual attempt to abort everything God has and desires for us.
Whether it be a promised future.
A calling.
A healing.
A breakthrough.
A turn around for your marriage or your business.
A restoration of a relationship.
For your children to serve God
Bringing to birth God's promises is often akin to warfare. It is a fight often with armies with superior forces. The bible says we are not fighting against flesh and blood! There are powers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in high places. Whenever you are troubled by the thought of who you are fighting against, calm yourself by reminding yourself of who it is on your side in the fight with you. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
You are not going to like how this message ends today, this is the part of the message where the pastor usually gives 5 keys to recovering your strength, and armed with that we have our battle plan and the war is over by morning. That isn't how this story ends, or this sermon.
But I will try to help some before I close.
1. When the enemy gets in your face. Turn your face from him towards God. Hezekiah went to the temple and then sent word to the prophet Isaiah and he sought a word from the Lord.
PPT 6
Isa 37:1 And when King Hezekiah heard [it], he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD.
Isa 37:2 Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
That same sentiment is offered up by the prophet Habakkuk and I love his wording: (Message version)
PPT 7
Hab 2:1 What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I'll wait to see what God says, how he'll answer my complaint.
When you get in a mess, get in the Word and don't leave it till you feel God has given you a promise of some comfort that will help carry your through.
2. Realize that before God gives victory He often gives a postdated check that you must wait before cashing..
PPT 8
Isa 37:6 And Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD," Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
Isa 37:7 "Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land."'"
We live in a day and age where you can take a picture of your check and it is deposited in your account immediately. It hasn't always been that way. Sometimes if your money was a little short people would let you pay by check and put a date in the future on it when they could cash it. That is called post dating a check. Sometimes in life God gives us an answer that is like a post dated check, the only difference is that He writes the date it becomes available in invisible ink! In other words we have a promise but don't know when we can cash it in.
So He gives us an answer but doesn't tell us when we get what we want.
So don't be surprised in life, when God's answer is trust me it will be all right. I will take care of it, everything will be Ok, stop worrying, rest in Me. The check is post dated. We have the answer, but we don't know when it will be accomplished. Till then we have to walk by faith. It is amazing how many people who are supposed to live by faith, fall apart when God asks them to walk in faith. We are a microwave society, and sometimes God seems to move at a glacial pace.
The whole events of Isaiah 36, 37 is a long unfolding story. The fact fortified cities fell, doesn't mean they fell overnight. There would have been a siege and some would have held out for quite some time. The trouble took time to mount and rise to dangerous levels, it was a process. The answer would be the same.
So Hezekiah get this word and nothing changes from his perspective. After a while Rabshakeh leaves, but his army stays, he goes back to his master Sennacherib, whom he finds has moved from where he thought he was to someplace else. He tracks him down, and somewhere in this process he withdraws his troops. This may have been over a period of weeks or months.
What I am trying to say is this, sometimes God's answer to us is, "trust Me it will be alright." And it will.
You can trust Him, because He is trustworthy
You can trust Him, because it is impossible for Him to lie
You can trust Him, because He loves you.
You can trust Him, because if anybody's check is good, His is!
The baby will be delivered, but the labor may last a little longer than you wanted.
Trust Him is the word Isaiah sent back, and it is the word of the Lord for some here today.
PPT 9
Lu 1:45 And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Close: Are you at a place where it seems God's promise has failed, or that your strength to continue believing is near gone? Would you like prayer because you are battle or labor weary?...
