Sermon Central
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God Solves Real Life Problems
Contributed by Paul Wallace on Feb 21, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Many people think God only did great things in the past, but he doesn’t do big things today.
God Solves Real Life Problems
(paralell passages Isisah 36, 2 Chron. 32)
Many people feel like God is a nice idea, and that he helps people get through life better. But when it comes to real life problems you are on your own. They think the Bible is a wonderful book of childrens stories, but it doesn’t have real answers for my adult problems. “God may have done great things in the past, but our world is to sophisticated for God to help us today. Third world countries whose people are superstitious and believe in spirits may believe in God and his help, but we are the enlightened, our scientific world view doesn’t have room for God’s intervention. They have relegated God to fairy tales and old wives tales, and the work of superstitious uninformed minds. The fact is nothing could be further from the truth. God purposely recorded these events from history to show us how he can solve our real life problems.
Most of the historical facts from this event are verified by archeology in Ninevah and other extra biblical historical writings. It was recorded in three different books in the Bible.
I The Enemy Attacks
(Read 18: 13-16)
A. He was doing the right things - Reforms and Revival
B. He refused to pay tribute to Assyria as his father had done.
C. He tried to appease the enemy.
-No record of praying or seeking God for a solution.
-He just did what seemed the only thing to do. Man’s solution
-Like Sennacherib Satan can’t be appeased to leave you alone.
D. He went as far as to give the enemy the gold off of the temple doors and door posts
-the writer doesn’t comment, but I think he felt it was evident this was wrong.
-It may have given him a temporary reprieve, but it didn’t solve the problem.
E. We often try to solve our problems the same way.
-We give up our virginity because our boyfriend/girlfriends threatens to leave us
-We quit paying our tithe to solve our financial problems
-We take a job in a strip club, bar, to solve our financial problems.
-We cheat on a test or paper to solve our academic problems
-We lie on resume to get a job, coach George O’Leary Notre Dame
F. You can’t do wrong and expect good to come from it.
-it is so tempting, because it may give temporary relief
-but it never really solves it, and it cause more difficult problems.
-the easy way out rarely is a way out
Colorado Rockies (USA Today article 6-1-2006)
By the time the sun rose Dec. 4, 2004, Rockies management had vowed the direction of the organization would change. Pitcher Denny Neagle had been charged with soliciting a prostitute, another embarrassment for a franchise that had not been competitive for years.
"God gave us a challenge right then and there," McGregor says. "You always say you want to do the right thing, but often in this business we warp our values and do less than what’s the right thing."
Colorado released Neagle three days after his arrest — he joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays but did not stick — and ended up paying $16 million of the $19 million owed him on his contract.
"It was an expensive, painful education," McGregor says.
Monfort says: "We had a great thing with the fans, making the playoffs in ’95, selling out, and we just became arrogant. The honeymoon started waning, and we went into panic mode" by spending millions on free agent players who didn’t pan out.
The Rockies say they welcome anyone regardless of religious beliefs. "We don’t just go after Christian players," O’Dowd says. "That would be unfair to others. We go after players of character."
II The Problems Remains (18:17-37)
A. Threats and Intimidation
(READ 19-21)
B. Who are you trusting In to Save you (Solve this problem)
1. Words - Big Talk against military might (Self Effort)
2. Allies -Egypt
3. THE LORD? V22
-Tried to use their misunderstanding of Hezekiah’s reforms to scare the people
(“Your God is going to be mad at you - He won’t help”)
C. Mocking their Meager Resources v23
1. If we gave you 2,000 horses you couldn’t find riders
D. Your God sent us to attack v25
E. Offer of Help for Surrender (The devil’s favorite line) v(27 & 31-32 READ)
1. Food and water instead of urine and dung
2. Devil says “I’ll make your music career take off if you quit singing gospel”
“I’ll make you popular if you Party and have sex”
“I’ll make your self esteem higher if you sleep with a lot of people”
“I’ll give you love and security if you live with your boyfriend before marriage”
