Author Archives: John Sanzone

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CHRISTIAN WORK ETHIC. II Thessalonians 3:6-12. 2/13/2022. #7.

II Thessalonians 3:6-12 [New King James Version]

⁶ But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, ⁹ not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹ For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. ¹² Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

1. One issue to deal with

                a. After much praise of the church, Paul waits until the end of the letter to deal with a thorny issue

                                a1. There were those who had quit their jobs, awaiting the Lord’s return

                                a2. Idleness brought on intrusiveness into the lives of others

                b. Paul uses the word disorderly three times

                                a1. Paul set the example by refusing to impose on others for food and shelter (I Chronicles 9:9-12)

                                                b1. He could have insisted on this

                                                b2. By ministering, he could expect support from those he taught

                                a2. Paul = not want to be accused of being in the ministry for gain

                                a3. Paul worked with leather to support himself and those with him (I Corinthians 4:8-12)

                c. Paul warns against fellowshipping with the disorderly (irresponsible)

                                a1. There are many challenges within churches

                                a2.  Irresponsible and immature believers are a burden and challenge to others in the church

                                a3. Even though most of the church acted properly, some did not

                d. The problem with irresponsible believers in church

                                a1. Irresponsible behavior is contagious (particularly among the least mature)

                                a2. We must not encourage irresponsible acts by ignoring them

                                a3. Irresponsibility is disruptive in a church

2. Loving discipline

                a. Paul commands to withdrawal from the irresponsible (unaccountable, reckless)

                                a1. Romans 16:17-18 avoiding troublemakers

                                a2. Matthew 18:15-18 the entire church becomes involves with dealing with disruption

                                a3. Revelation 2:20 a church shirks its responsibility of discipline; God will step in with harder measures to solve the issue

                b. Paul not only taught the way of salvation and correct doctrine, but proper behavior also (I Thessalonians 4:7-12)

                                a1. People read our behavior first

                                a2. Paul was strove to set a good example

                                a3. Christianity is relational, doctrinal, and moral

                c. Jm. 1:22-25 belief must be put into action to be real

3. The face of irresponsibility

                a. The irresponsible = a blot on Thessalonica church

                b. Paul never taught the return of Christ meant idleness

                c. Three results of irresponsibility:

                                a1. Disorderliness and a disruptive influence

                                a2. Became busybodies in other men’s affairs

                                               b1. Idleness produced nosiness (they had lots of time on hands; others did not)

                                                b2. I Peter 4 hinders others from their work

                                a3. Sponged off of others (took advantage)

                d. Paul commanded three things:

                                a1. If a man doesn’t work = he doesn’t eat

                                                b1. I Timothy 5 take care of own family

                                                b2. Those who refuse to work and take care of self are not owed charity

                                                b3. Charity is for true needs

                                a2. Eat own bread in quietness of own home

                                a3. Church is to exhort the disruptive ones to repent (poor testimony to freeload)

Key verse:  I Thessalonians 4:7-12⁷ For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. ⁸ Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who[a] has also given us His Holy Spirit. ⁹ But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰ and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; ¹¹ that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹² that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

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DAVID’S FINAL DAYS. I Kings 1:1-10. 2/13/2022. #1.

1 Kings 1:1-10 [New King James Version]

¹ Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. ² Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.” ³ So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. ⁴ The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her. ⁵ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶ (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.) ⁷ Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. ⁸ But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah. ⁹ And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. ¹⁰ But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.

1. Preparing to exit

                a. David is old & feeble, preparing to die

                                a1. Though only 70, ancient lifestyles took a toll on the body

                                a2. David cannot stay warm, even with many covers on him

                b. Like much of David’s life, his exit is sloppy

                                a1. He has not named a successor

                                a2. He will instruct Solomon to kill several who had wronged him

                c. David’s servants find a beautiful young virgin, Abishag, to be his nurse & hot water bottle to keep him warm

2. Adonijah’s power grab

                a. Adonijah is the 3rd son that David did not properly discipline

                                a1. Amnon raped Tamar

                                a2. Absalom killed Amnon & later he rebelled

                b. Adonijah figures that he is next in line to the throne

                                a1. He was Absalom’s younger brother

                                a2. He gathers footmen, chariots, & trumpeters to announce his assent to the throne

                c. Adonijah is somewhat premature

                                a1. David is not yet dead

                                a2. David had not been consulted

                                a3. His power is weak & superficial

                d. Several factors worked against Adonijah

                                a1. He did not have either his father’s or the leaders of Israel’s sanction

                                a2. David remained silent throughout Adonijah’s ceremony (no endorsement)

                                a3. He gathered powerful people around him, but he chose them & they did not choose him (no popular mandate)

                e. Adonijah gathers to himself Joab & a couple priests

                                a1. Joab had gone with David against Absalom, but now he sides with Adonijah

                                                b1. No hint why Joab made this decision

                                                b2. Joab is usually shrewder than this

                                a2. Notice that Adonijah did not invite Zadok the High Priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the Captain of the Guard, or any of the Mighty Men

                                                b1. These are key figures for support

                                                b2. Adonijah did not seek their support for he knew that he could not get it

                f. Since Adonijah did this secretly, he knew that he could not receive David’s blessing openly

                                a1. Trying to take advantage of David’s weakened position

                                a2. He tried to make his ascent an accomplished fact

3. Ceremony is not Coronation

                a. Adonijah sacrifices at En Rogel, south of Jerusalem (ironically, this is where spies from David’s camp received messages from Hushai with Absalom)

                b. It is noted that Solomon was not invited

                                a1. It must have been known that David had promised Bathsheba that her son, Solomon, would sit on throne after him

                                a2. Solomon skips over many sons to throne

                c. By not going through proper channels, Adonijah guarantees failure

                                a1. Dan. 2:21 God sets up & removes kings

                                a2. Adonijah did not learn from Absalom

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GOSPEL WARFARE. II Thessalonians 3:1-5. 2/6/2022. AM.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 [New King James Version]

¹ Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, ² and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. ⁴ And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. ⁵ Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

1. Paul asks Thessalonians for prayer

                a. Paul asked each one of the churches for prayer

                                a1. Paul believed in the effectiveness of prayer

                                a2. Our major struggle is not physical, but spiritual (takes spiritual resources)

                b. Paul’s requests were always the same:

                                a1. Not for physical needs

                                a2. For the effectiveness of his Gospel witness

                                a3. Paul wanted the Word to go forth freely

                c. Paul again repeats his praise of the Thessalonians church

                                a1. He wanted all his witnessing to be as effective as it was with the Thess. (joyous)

                                a2. The Thess. grew quickly and withstood trials

                                a3. Not all churches embraced a godly walk and stood firm (Corinthians; Galatians)

                                a4. All churches should respond like the Thessalonians

2. Hindrances to the Gospel

                a. Paul wants prayer to be delivered (rescued) from the perverse and the wicked

                b. Perverse (atopov) = lit., “out of place” (a [not] + topos [place] as in topography or utopia)

                                a1. Translated in KJV as “unreasonable”, which is not quite right (nothing to do with reason)

                                a2. Meaning = not proper, out of alignment, or off of the correct standard

                c. The unsaved are out of sync with God

                                a1. Everyone is born out of sync (Romans 3:23)

                                a2. Most do not realize that they are out of sync due to everyone else being out of sync

                                a3. Many do not want to be in sync with God, for they are used to being out of sync

                                a4. Out of sync people oppose people who are in sync with God (too convicting and no one wants others not to conform with crowd)

                d. People can be out of sync on many levels:

                                a1. Wrong belief system (world religion, cults, pantheism, syncretism, occult…)

                                a2. Humanistic philosophies (atheism, egoism, hedonism, pragmatism, universalism…)

                                a3. Conventionalism = group think and peer group and society conforming

                e. WICKED (poneras) = bad, evil

                                a1. I John 3:19 men love darkness rather than light (driven by evil impulses in them)

                                a2. Darkness hates the light, so it hates God, which means it hates the people of God

                                a3. Evil opposes righteousness (illogical)

                f. Paul prays that perverse and evil men will not prevent the Gospel from freely going forth

                g. Not everyone comes to faith

                                a1. Most people will not respond to Gospel

                                a2. True faith is rare, precious, and opposed

                                a3. Witness takes place in midst of opposition

3. Divine empowerment

                a. Paul encourages the Thess. that God will help them

                                a1. They are not alone (John 16:25-33)

                                a2. God is faithful to protect his saints

                b. God’s protection is sufficient against Satan

                                a1. “Evil One” = same word as in Lord’s prayer

                                a2. 1 Corinthians 10:13 God promises effective defense

                c. Paul is confident that they will continue in faith and obey what Paul taught them

                                a1. Must continue in the love of God

                                a2. Continue in faithfulness through trials

Key Verse: John 16:25-33

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; ²⁷ for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. ²⁸ I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” ²⁹ His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! ³⁰ Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.” ³¹ Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³² Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ³³ These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

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ALTAR OF APPEASEMENT. II Samuel 24:18-25. 2/6/2022.

2 Samuel 24:18-25 [New King James Version]

¹⁸ And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹ So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. ²⁰ Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. ²¹ Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.” ²² Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. ²³ All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” ²⁴ Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ²⁵ And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

1. The threshing floor of Ornan (Araunah)–see I Chronicles 21:18)

                a. David = standing on threshing floor of Ornan

                                a1. God stops the Angel of the Lord (Christophany = OT image of Jesus) from destroying the inhabitants of Jerusalem

                                a2. Ornan and his 4 sons see the Angel of Lord

                                                b1. They are terrorized

                                                b2. Ornan is a Jebusite (Jerusalem was the city of Jebus before conquered)

                b. The threshing floor is on top of Mt. Moriah

                                a1. Place where Abraham took Isaac to offer him

                                a2. The future site of the Temple

                c. The Angel of the Lord commands God to tell David to erect an altar on Ornan’s floor

2. The purchase

                a. Ornan bows down before David

                                a1. With both the Angel and David before him, he figures that he may be in trouble

                                a2. David informs him that he needs to erect an alter to the Lord on the threshing floor

                b. Ornan tells David that he could have everything

                                a1. The land, floor, oxen, yoke, tools, and grain

                                a2. Ornan’s terror prompts offering everything

                c. The terror of the Lord motivates holiness

                                a1. If we keep the terror (awe, reverence) of the Lord ever before us, we will give our all

                                a2. The knowledge of the terror of a holy God should be sufficient to walk reverently

                                a3. We should not have to be shown His terror to know his terror and respond to it

                d. David refuses to take the land and oxen as a gift

                                a1. He will not sacrifice to the Lord anything that did not cost him (would not be his gift)

                                a2. David had owned the inn in Bethlehem where Mary will birth Jesus (1000 years later)

                                a3. Now David owns the land where the future Temple will stand

                e. The purpose of the altar is to appease God so that the plague will be stopped (first of many millions of sacrifices on the same spot)

                                a1. Ornan expresses a fervent desire that God would accept David’s sacrifice

                                a2. God is pleased with Ornan’s offer to give all for the sacrifice (both Jew and Gentile

                                      combine in effort, as at the cross)

3. Appeasement

                a. David pays 50 shekels of silver for everything

                b. David builds an altar and makes the sacrifice

                                a1. God accepts the sacrifices                    

                                a2. The plague is stayed

                c. 1 Chronicles 21:30 David is fearful to inquire of God for an extended period of time

                                a1. The first time he has seen God’s sword

                                a2. David experiences the full measure of God’s wrath (as great as his mercy)

                                                b1. Had never experienced this before

                                                b2. God’s deferred judgment is not God’s precluding judgment

                d. The terror of the Lord is recorded in His Word

                                a1. We do not need to experience it to believe in it and respond to it

                                a2. Holding God in our hearts and mind is a matter of faith and obedience, not force of rod

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SELECTED, SAVED, and SANCTIFIED. II Thessalonians 2:13-17. Jan 30, 2022. #05.

II Thessalonians 2:13-17 [New King James Version]

¹³ But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ¹⁴ to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. ¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

1. Eternal selection

                a. Paul states that he is obligation (ought, bounded) to thank god for the Thessalonians believers (proper to do so)

                b. Believers were chosen from the beginning (arche’)

                                a1. Chosen = eileto (election; selected by God)

                                a2. II Timothy 1:9 God had selected his saints before time began

                                a3. Romans 8:29-30 God knew before he created anything who he was going to select

                                a4. Ephesians 1:3-6 we were chosen before the foundations of the world were laid

                c. God’s choosing is separate from our receiving

                                a1. John 15:16 God has chosen us before we chose him (Matthew 22:14)

                                a2. There are other passages which indicate that men have a choice to receive Christ

                                       (John 3:16, Revelation 22:17, II Peter 3:9)

                d. Freewill and Election are held in unresolved tension in the Scripture (free offer, but a divine selection)

                                a1. Romans 9:14-28 God has not revealed to us the reasons for his choosing some and not others, though Christ died for all (I John 2:1-2)

                                a2. I Peter 2:4-10 Israel was appointed to stumble in order to open the door for the church

2. Set apart

                a. Paul states that we are saved through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit

                                a1. God set all believers apart for himself from before the foundation of the world

                                a2. That setting apart was by the grace and mercy of God (not merit or our reasoning)

                b. The process of salvation required cooperation on the part of the believer

                                a1. Ephesians 2:8-10 grace combined with faith to produce salvation

                                a2. Christians believed the truth of Gospel

                                a3. Paul presented the Gospel along with supporting evidence (Acts 1:1-3; Luke 24)

                                                b1. Presentation of Gospel essential

                                                b2. Election + grace + witness + faith

                                a4. Faith leads to entering into the glory of Christ, obtaining adoption with him

3. Set apart to stand

                a. Paul states that the saved need to stand in faith

                                a1. Be unmovable and unshakeable in faith

                                a2. James 1:8 a double-minded man is unstable

                b. Once truth is embraced, need to stand fast in it

                                a1. A believer full of doubts and fears is not living in the grace and power God gives him

                                a2. II Corinthians 10 along with salvation comes the fullness of grace, assurance, and strength

                c. Truth received by the Word opens up a new life

                                a1. Entering into the love of God (I John 4)

                                a2. Everlasting comfort (Matthew 28:20 the assurance of his presence and watch care)

                                a3. Everlasting hope of eternal life by grace

                d. Paul states that there are 3 results of standing fast:

                                a1. The ability to comfort our hearts with the knowledge of God’s grace and promises

                                a2. Being established in the Word of God (Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:17; II Timothy 3:16-17)

                                a3. Being established in service which leads to usefulness and reward (I Corinthians 3; II Corinthians 9:8)

Key Verse: Romans 9:14-28

¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. ¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” ²⁰ But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? ²² What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, ²⁴ even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? ²⁵ As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.” ²⁶ “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.” ²⁷ Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved. ²⁸ For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

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PLAGUE OF PROVOCATION. II Samuel 24:1-17. Jan 30, 2022.  #56.

2 Samuel 24:1-17 [New King James Version]

¹ Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” ² So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.” ³ And Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” ⁴ Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel. ⁵ And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer. ⁶ Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon; ⁷ and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. ⁸ So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ⁹ Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. ¹⁰ And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” ¹¹ Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹² “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ” ¹³ So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.” ¹⁴ And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” ¹⁵ So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. ¹⁶ And when the [d]angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷ Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

1. Provocation from on high
   1. This is one of the strangest narratives in the Bible
   1. Many questions are raised by this passage:
      1. a1. Since God does not tempt man to sin (James 1), in what manner do we take God moving David to number the people so he could punish them?
      1. a2. Was the sin of numbering the people a matter of pride, self-dependency, or something else?
      1. a3. Do we view God moving David to number the people the same as God hardening Pharaoh?
      1. a4. If God moved David to this action, did he sin by following this impulse or was he already tempted to do this act?
      1. a5. Why did God seek an occasion against Israel?
   1. We have more questions than answers
      1. a1. God sought to move against Israel, presumably for either sin or for lack of proper worship
      1. a2. God decides to move David to number the people
2. The census
   1. David tells Joab to take of census to Israel and Judah
   1. 2 Sam. 24 says that God moved David to do this
      1. a1. I Chronicles 21 states that Satan moved David to do it
      1. a2. Apparently, like with Job, Satan had been asking permission to tempt David, and now God allows it
      1. a3. God, at times, uses Satan to do his will (I Kings 22)
   1. Joab tries to talk David out of numbering the people
      1. a1. I Chronicles 21:3 this will bring guilt upon Israel
      1. a2. David prevails and it takes nearly 10 months to complete
   1. The numbers differ in the 2 accounts
      1. a1. The count was from Dan to Beersheba and from the Mediterranean to Gilead
      1. a2. Israel had 800,000 fighting men (I Chronicles 21 = 1,100,00, which probably included Gilead)
      1. a3. Judah had 500,000 (rounded up from 470,000)
3. Guilt and punishment
   1. Immediately, David’s heart convicts him
      1. a1. He realizes that his pride had led him to do this
      1. a2. He begs for forgiveness from Lord, proclaiming his own foolishness
   1. God sends David Gad, the prophet (Nathan is probably deceased), to give David 3 options:
      1. a1. 7 years of famine in the land
      1. a2. 3 months running from his enemies
      1. a3. 3 days in hands of the Lord
   1. David decides to fall into the hands of the Lord
      1. a1. Pride prevents him from being subject to enemies
      1. a2. David states that the Lord is merciful
      1. a3. David discovers that the Lord is also holy as God sends a plague that kills 70,000 people
      1. a4. Finally, God stops the angel of death at Jerusalem
   1. David asks why the people should suffer for his folly
      1. a1. Many die when leaders act foolishly
      1. a2. God punishes Israel for an unspecified sin
      1. a3. David sees the angel of death from Araunah, the threshing floor of Ornan on Mt. Moriah
   1. I Chronicles 15:30 David is so afraid that he stays away from the Tabernacle for an extended time (God’s wrath is terror)

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THE LAWLESS ONE. II Thessalonians 2:5-12. 01/23/2022. #04.

2 Thessalonians 2:5-12 [New King James Version]

⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

1. The Restrainer
   1. The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit
      1.  Matthew 5 the Spirit dwells in believers, making them the light of the world
         1.  The Spirit works through believers
         1.  Jn. 3:19 the world hates the light, so the world hates saints indwelt by light
      1.  Spirit restraints (inhibits) the evil of men
   1. The Holy Spirit has several functions on earth
      1.  John 16:8-11 convicts the world of sin
      1.  Convicts the world of righteousness (what is holy and right – all know what is right)
      1.  Convicts the world of judgment (the knowledge that we must give an account)
      1.  Ephesians 1:13-14 seals believers permanently
      1.  The guarantee (security) of our salvation
   1. The Restrainer limits sin on earth
      1.  If it were not for the Spirit indwelling saints evil would be far worse on earth
      1.  Matthew 24 once the Spirit is removed, sin and destruction nearly destroy the earth
   1. At the Rapture the Restrainer is removed with us
   1. Man and Satan are free to fulfill their evil desires
2. The mystery of lawlessness
   1. Once the Restrainer is removed, the Lawless One (Antichrist) will be revealed
      1.  The mystery (hidden) of lawlessness stayed hidden until time of its revealing
      1.  The Antichrist is empowered by Satan
   1. The Antichrist will be able to do signs and wonders
      1.  Has the power to do false miracles
      1.  Many will be deceived and worship the Man of Lawlessness
      1.  As in days of Noah, men will be driven to engage in great wickedness, even more than days leading up to Trib. (II Timothy 3:1-9)
   1. Note that signs and wonders are not evidence of God
      1.  Occultists can do many deceptive wonders empowered by demons
      1.  Luke 24 our evidence is grounded in Word
   1. God will destroy the Antichrist, False Prophet, and the Beast along with Satan
3. The strong delusion
   1. The reason why men will follow Satan and the Anti-Christ is that they rejected Christ
      1.  When God’s love is spurned, he turns them over to their own destructive desires (Romans 1)
      1.  It is not sin that ultimately destroys sinners, but rejected the One that paid for sins
   1. After the Rapture, God will send a strong delusion that evil men will believe The Lie (Satan’s lie)
      1.  Genesis 3 as Eve believed The Lie and fell
      1.  Psalm 106:15 God aids wicked man to follow their own lusts to their own destruction
   1. The God of love will not only allow man to go his own way when The Son is rejected, but also aid him in the process to receive their just judgment
      1.  Men believe lies because they want to believe them, for it fits their desires
      1.  Hebrews 6:1-4 to reject Lord is to embrace Satan and all he stands for (no neutrality)
   1. John 3:15-19 love spurned is hatred embraced

Key verse: 2 Timothy 3:1-9

¹ But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! ⁶ For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; ⁹ but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

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DAVID’S MIGHTY MEN. II Samuel 23:8-24. 01/23/2022. #55.

2 Samuel 23:8-24 [New King James Version]

⁸ These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. ⁹ And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. ¹⁰ He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder. ¹¹ And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. ¹² But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory. ¹³ Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁵ And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁶ So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. ¹⁷ And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men. ¹⁸ Now Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of another three. He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. ¹⁹ Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three. ²⁰ Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²¹ And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²² These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. ²³ He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

²⁴ Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

1. David had help
   1. When God raised up David to be king, he also raised up many strong devoted men to help him
      1.  Divided into 3 chief men and 30 mighty men
      1.  Ironically, the last mighty man listed is Uriah –vs. 39
   1. Many of these men are credited with astounding feats:
      1.  Adino = killed 800 men at one time (Samson had killed 1,000 Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone)
      1.  Eleazer stood in battle when all had fled = he killed Phil. until his hand froze to his sword hilt
      1.  Shammah also stood alone in a field of lentils to hold back the Philistines and win a great victory
      1.  David whimsically mentioned that he would like
      1. a drink from the well of Bethlehem
         1.  His 3 mighty men broke through Philistines lines to fetch that drink
         1.  David refused to drink it in honor of the bravery of his men
         1.  Like Henry II’s frustrated outburst, costing Thomas Becket his life, David’s desire was fulfilled by loyal soldiers
      1.  Abishai (Joab’s brother) killed 300 men
      1.  Benaiah killed many mighty men of Moab and a large Egyptian with his own spear (1 Chr. 11:23 = 7 ½’ tall) and a lion in a pit on a snowy day
      1.  The feats of the 30 mighty men are not given us
   1. David’s fame depended very much on his support cast
      1.  This is true of all successful people
      1.  When Solomon speaks of “all the work of his hands”, he did not physically build anything
   1. God provides the means of success (Deuteronomy 8)
      1.  Dan. 4 Nebuchadnezzar found out the hard way that he was not the source of his success
      1.  I Corinthians 4:7 everything that has value is from the grace of God
2. Grace and gratitude
   1. Had David acknowledged the grace of God by providing him with great brave soldiers, he might have realized how much they depended on him to do the right thing
      1.  David owed God and those under him
      1.  When David violated Uriah, he violated one of his mighty men
   1. There is never any circumstance where we can take full credit for anything that we have done well
   1. God credits David with following him fully, except for the Uriah scandal, but this is enough to taint his record
3. Forgiveness
   1. God restored David and David’s followers stayed true to him
      1.  David brought trouble to his family
      1.  God did not abandon David
   1. The story of Israel’s heroes is a story of God’s blessing upon them by grace and not merit
   1. God is able to do marvelous feats through any who trust in him (Joseph, Daniel, Elijah, Paul, Gideon, Ruth, Esther…)
      1.  Biblical feats are the story of God at work
      1.  Superhuman deeds are God’s deeds

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DECEPTION DEFENSE. II Thessalonians 2:1-4. 1/16/2022. #3

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ² not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. ³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

1. Deceivers abound
   1. Throughout Scripture we are warned of deceivers
      1.  The Galatians were tricked by Judaizers
      1.  Paul warned Corinthians of Satan’s tricks (II Corinthians 11:14-15)
      1.  Matthew 24:3-14 many end times deceptions
   1. Main issue with Thessalonians = confusion about end times
   1. Some wrote to church that Christ has already come
      1.  The church had missed the rapture!
      1.  1 Thessalonians 4 they were concerned about those who had already died
   1. Paul indicates that the Thessalonians should not be worried
      1.  Christ had not yet come (Paul still here)
      1.  There will be those who try to deceive you
      1.  All believers will be taken up by the Lord
2. 4 aspects of the 2nd Advent
   1. The rapture of the church starts the second coming
      1.  The Parousia or Coming is a 4 part event (rapture of church, rebellion of man, wrath of God in Tribulation, return of Christ)
      1.  To put all into one point of action is error
   1. This passage leads some to believe that the church will be taken up after the rapture (after the revealing of the son of perdition)
      1.  View the 2nd Coming as 1 event
      1.  Clearly, Scriptures teach a 2-part coming
3. –CHURCH -> RAPTURE -> TRIBULATION -> PAROUSIA  
   1. c. Paul tells Thes. that it is impossible that Christ had already returned
      1.  After the Rapture, The Apostasy (falling away; departure) or Rebellion will occur
      1. (the world will actively oppose God, worship the beast, kill God’s messengers, and blaspheme the Lord)
      1.  The Son of Perdition (Antichrist) will be revealed and he will sit on a throne in the Temple of God, challenging God, claiming to be God)
   1. Paul is essentially asking the Thessalonians, if the Rapture had already come, where is the Antichrist, where is the Abomination of Desolation in the Temple, and where is the Great Rebellion (Apostasy)?
4. Many ways to be deceived
   1. Man has developed many schemes for end times
      1.  AMILLENNIALISM – there won’t be a Tribulation or Millennial Reign (all the end times passages are symbolic of church)
      1.  POSTMILLENNIALISM – the church will usher in a 1000 years of peace and prosperity and then receive Christ at the end
      1.  PREMILLENNIALISM – the church will be raptured before the Lord sets up his Mill. reign (pre-trib = church will not go through Tribulation; Mid-Trib. = raptured in middle of Trib.; Post-Trib. = church goes through Tribulation)
   1. Paul already told the Thes. that we will be raptured
   1. before the Tribulation (1 Thes. 4)
      1.  Church goes to the Marriage Supper of Lamb
      1.  After the Trib. we return with Lord to reign with him (Mt. 25)
      1.  Jer. 33 Israel will finally have their kingdom, having turned to the Lord in Trib. (Zech. 12)
   1. Many clever end times schemes can confuse and trick
      1.  Heretics lift pass. out of context and ignore other passages (use numbers, schemes, and philos.)
      1.  Guard against error (stay with basics)

Key verse: Matthew 24:3-14³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” ⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows. ⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

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DAVID SUMS UP HIS CALLING. II Samuel 23:1-7. 1/16/2022. #54

¹ Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel: ² “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue. ³ The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me:

‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. ⁴ And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,

By clear shining after rain.’ ⁵ “Although my house is not so with God, Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire;

Will He not make it increase? ⁶ But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands. ⁷ But the man who touches them Must be [a]armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.”

1. David the anointed
   1. The author records the last words of David
      1.  Apparently, these were part of the instructions David gave to Solomon on his deathbed
      1.  David lays out the type of man who rules well in the sight of God
   1. The author identifies David as “the anointed”
      1.  God had “raised David up on high”
      1.  David’s elevation was not due to his skills, efforts, or merit
      1.  David’s rise was due to God’s sovereign will according to God’s providence
2. The characteristics of a godly ruler
   1. David instructs Solomon as to the qualities needed for a just and effective ruler
      1.  David states that his words are from the Holy Spirit, who spoke through him
      1.  David at times was righteous and effective, but he was not consistent
   1. David first acknowledges God as The Rock of Israel
      1.  God is the one who determines right and proper
      1.  David agrees that he needed to submit to God
   1. 2 qualities of a great leader: being just and fearing God
   1. Just = righteous, correct
      1.  Judging honestly and truthfully before the Lord
      1.  Justice requires impartiality and fairness
      1.  Personal feelings, prejudice, and ineffective investigation work against justice
   1. Fear of the Lord
      1.  Is. 55 God sees all and brings all to account
      1.  Eph. 6:5 by ruling humbly in awe of the Lord, evil deeds are avoided
      1.  David lost the fear of the Lord during the Bathsheba/Uriah travesty
   1. David states that a righteous ruler is like the morning light and tender grass (refreshing and pure)
3. The Davidic Covenant
   1. David acknowledges that “his house is not so with God” (David had failed at many points)
      1.  David failed in the Bathsheba/Uriah scandal
      1.  David failed with Ammon and Absalom
      1.  David failed by numbering the people
   1. Only God’s unconditional covenant with him allowed him to continue and prosper as king
      1.  God promised David deliverance and increase
      1.  God chastised David, but didn’t abandon him
   1. We often do not live up the ideal
      1.  David did confess and repent
      1.  Like Solomon, had David kept his own words ever in mind, he could have lived up to ideal
4. Judgment of the wicked
   1. David then turns to the wicked
      1.  They are like thorns (hurt and do evil)
      1.  They can’t be treated gently or be reasoned with (taken by hands)
      1.  David advises that the wicked must be dealt with by armed force (armor + spear)
   1. Eccl. 8:11 when the wicked are allowed to roam free without justice, they destroy all in their pathway
      1.  2 Tm. 3 end times lawlessness is a product of wicked people controlling justice departments
      1.  Wicked men must be treated decisively

The end of the wicked is to burn with fire (Revelation 20)