COME DOWN
Read: 2 Kings 1:1-12
Text: Vs 9 "Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down."
Intro:
How often has the world said to us "Come Down". Come down from your Bible reading and spend time watching TV or the Movies. Come down from your faithfulness in attending Church and enjoy life for a change. Come down from your arrogant position that Jesus is the one and only way to God. Who calls us to come down?
Who is this man that called Elijah to come down. Ahaziah the King! But who was Ahaziah? Ahaziah’s mother was Jezebel and his father Ahab.
What was his father like? 1 Ki 16:30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. 1 Ki 16:33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
So what was Ahaziah like? The bible says in 1 Ki 22:52 that Ahaziah "did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:"
2 Kings starts out by telling us that Ahaziah accidentally injured himself when he fell though his roof. Instead of turning to the Lord, he looked to idols to find out if he would die. Elijah condemned the king for not seeking God.
2 Ki 1:3b "Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?"
2 Ki 1:4 "Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die."
God’s judgement failed to produce repentance in Ahaziah as it did in his father 1 Kings 21:27-29. Instead it produced anger and he sent his soldiers to take the prophet by force! But we are going to see that God protected Elijah.
How does Elijah respond to the call to "come down"?
I/ FIRST, NOTICE ELIJAH’S POSITION WHEN TROUBLE CAME
He was on the mountain top! In the old days, men went to mountain tops to worship God! Elijah was faithfully worshiping God. Many times the call to come down is extended when we are on a mountain top!
1. Note Satans position when he fell - Ezek 28:14
2. Note the fate of many prosperous Churches
3. Note the lesson Elijah had already learned 1Kings 19:1-4
II/ NOTICE ELIJAH’S CONFIDENCE - Vs 10
1. "If I be a man of God" The confidence shown here reflects the faith of one who has a personal walk with the Lord. Rom 8:31b "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
2. See his courage in the face of the enemy! Question: How easy is your faith shaken - when trouble comes? Heb 11:32-40
3. See what Elijah expected!
a. A miracle - How big is your God? Mine spoke the world into existence, called the dead to life, stilled the storm, and made the blind to see.
b. God’s protection - Eternal security
III/ NOTICE THE RESULT OF ELIJAH’S FAITH - Vs 13
1. God is honored by the faithful stand of Elijah
2. What the church lacks today is Elijah’s confidence in the Lord.
1 John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
IV/ HOW HAVE OTHERS RESPONDED TO THE CALL TO COME DOWN
1. Lot - to the well watered plains of Jordan (Gen 13:10)
Away from the fellowship of Godly Abraham.
RESULT: Lot listened and went down vs 12 and lost all.
2. The 3 Hebrew Children - Daniel 3 They refused to bow down
Were not saved from the fire but in the fire.
RESULT: They found out that fire purifies, releases bonds, provides fellowship with Christ.
3. The Lord Jesus Christ - Called to come down from the cross! Matt 27:40&42 He stayed there and suffered and died for you and for me. RESULT: Our sins paid for, and salvation given.
V/ TODAY LET’S LISTEN TO THE CALL OF GOD TO COME UP
1. Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
2. Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
3. Heb 12:22,23 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
