https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/BusyHereAndThere.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: I Kings 20:13-42<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Ben-hadad, king of Aram, was determined to take Israel.<\/p>\n
A. At first he tried to cripple Israel by demanding anything he wanted – I Kings 20:2-6<\/p>\n B. He threaten to grind the capital of Israel into dust, but he was rebuffed – I Kings\n 20:10-11\n C. He tried to attack, but a counter-attack was launched while Ben-hadad and his\n kings were at a pre-war party. Ben-hadad was completely routed and barely\n escaped.\n
D. God warned Ahab that he would try again the next spring.<\/p>\n E. Meanwhile, Ben-hadad was convinced that he only lost because of the location of\n the battle, so he decided to attack next on a plain.\n F. Ahab again is guided by God into a great victory. Ben-hadad decides that it would\n be best to plead for mercy. Ben-hadad offers terms of peace and Ahab lets Ben-hadad go – I Kings 20:23-34\n
G. God sends a prophet with an illustration<\/p>\n
1. The man disguises himself as a wounded soldier – I Kings 20:37-38<\/p>\n
2. He gives this story – I Kings 20:39-40<\/p>\n H. Ahab recognizes neglect in carrying out his duty. The excuse that he was busy here\n and there and neglected to watch was not sufficient.\n
I. The prophet charges Ahab with the crime – I Kings 20:41-42<\/p>\n J. What an excuse! I was too busy running a war to ask God what to do with the\n man God helped him capture.\n
II. Yet we offer the same excuse<\/p>\n A. “I was busy here and there, and you know, I just couldn’t seem to find the time to\n talk to my neighbor about Jesus.”\n
1. Do we appreciate the debt we owe the Lord for our salvation?<\/p>\n
a. We were under the penalty of death – Romans 6:23<\/p>\n
b. Yet Jesus died on our behalf – Romans 5:8<\/p>\n
2. Paul understood – Romans 1:14-16<\/p>\n
a. He owed others the gospel<\/p>\n
b. Too often Christians act as if God owes them a reward<\/p>\n 3. There are people who need to hear the gospel. Don’t squander the\n opportunities.\n B. “I was busy here and there, and you know, I just couldn’t seem to find the time to\n raise my children.”\n
1. It is a parents responsibility – Ephesians 6:4<\/p>\n
2. We get what we sow – Galatians 6:7-8<\/p>\n
3. The children see that church is of secondary importance to you.<\/p>\n
4. They get in a habit of negligent service – Proverbs 22:6 (It goes both ways)<\/p>\n
5. We all see the decay of our society. <\/p>\n a. We know that it comes as a direct result of the social programs\n being implemented in our schools.\n
b. There is a lack of discipline and a lack of accountability<\/p>\n
c. What else could you expect to come from this?<\/p>\n 6. The only bulwark against this decay is the family. Yet, we get too busy and\n leave things to others to manage, and then we are surprised that while we\n busy here and there, we lost our children somewhere along the way.\n C. “I was busy here and there, and you know, I just couldn’t seem to find the time to\n nourish my own soul.”\n
1. Even while the Lord was here, some were just too busy – Luke 9:59-62<\/p>\n
2. Salvation can be lost from neglect – Hebrews 2:3<\/p>\n 3. The Israelites lost theirs over time as sin creep into their lives – Hebrews\n 3:12-14\n 4. We get caught up in day to day matters and we forget that salvation\n requires diligent watching on our parts – Hebrews 4:1, 11\n
5. The problem is not with God, but with ourselves – Hebrews 6:9-12<\/p>\n
6. We need endurance – Hebrews 10:35-39; 12:1-3<\/p>\n
III. Busy here and there<\/p>\n
A. And a neighbor is lost.<\/p>\n
1. What can be offered in exchange?<\/p>\n
2. II Corinthians 5:10-11<\/p>\n
B. And a child is lost<\/p>\n
1. It is one thing to lose a child because of sickness or an accident<\/p>\n
2. But to lose a child from neglect?<\/p>\n
C. And we are lost<\/p>\n
1. What can a man give in exchange for his soul? – Matthew 16:24-26<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 20:13-42 I. Ben-hadad, king of Aram, was determined to take Israel. A. At first he tried to cripple Israel by demanding anything he wanted – I Kings 20:2-6 B. He threaten to grind the capital of Israel into dust, but he was rebuffed – I Kings 20:10-11 C. He tried to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[1534,608,1167],"class_list":["post-51777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-busy","tag-excuses","tag-neglect"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39692,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/chariots-of-fire\/","url_meta":{"origin":51777,"position":0},"title":"Chariots of Fire","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Kings 6:8-23 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ben-hadad, king of Syria, caused much grief for the northern kingdom of Israel \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He made many raids into Israel, but he soon ran into problems \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While his strategies were planned in top-secret, the king of Israel always seemed to know them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20226,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-the-famine-mentioned-in-ii-kings-81-the-same-famine-mentioned-in-ii-kings-624-31\/","url_meta":{"origin":51777,"position":1},"title":"Was the famine mentioned in II Kings 8:1 the same famine mentioned in II Kings 6:24-31?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Was the famine in II Kings 8:1 the same famine as in Samaria in II Kings 6:24-31? Did the famine in II Kings 8:1 include all the land of Israel? Answer: The first few chapters of II Kings are a bit difficult to place into a timeline because often\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46889,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-isaiahs-prophecy-that-damascus-would-cease-being-a-city-fail\/","url_meta":{"origin":51777,"position":2},"title":"Did Isaiah’s prophecy that Damascus would cease being a city fail?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am having a conversation with an atheist online and so far I have done well handling the so-called failed prophecies and contradictions he claims. He seems rather shocked and open to studying. I do need a little help with this one because I have never heard of it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41151,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/elijah\/","url_meta":{"origin":51777,"position":3},"title":"Elijah","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 17:1-13 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Bible is filled with memorable characters. Among the prophets, Elijah stands out. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We don\u2019t know much about his background. He just suddenly appears on the scene forecasting doom to Ahab - I Kings 17:1 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0His name means \u201cYahweh is my God\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67063,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-the-king-of-moab-sacrificing-his-son-cause-great-wrath-against-israel\/","url_meta":{"origin":51777,"position":4},"title":"How can the King of Moab sacrificing his son cause great wrath against Israel?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can you also explain II Kings 3:26-27 for me? I'm confused as to how the King of Moab sacrificing his son would cause great wrath against Israel and then cause (what it sounds like to be) the servants of Israel (or Moab?) to withdraw and return back to their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Map-for-II-Kings-3-178x300.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":67263,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/morality-without-godliness\/","url_meta":{"origin":51777,"position":5},"title":"Morality Without Godliness","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Kings 6:24-31 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some people have a pretty good sense of morality and yet are not interested in following God \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For example, not all atheists are immoral people \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But there is a problem with the consistency of their moral standards. II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jehoram \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jehoram was not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51777\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}