WEBVTT - Jeff Archey - Oct 29 - 6:00 am 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:04.300 To those in captivity, the Lord through Jeremiah said, And 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:07.420 you will seek me and find me when you search 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:12.090 for me with all your heart. Seeking and searching. Well, 0:00:12.450 --> 0:00:15.750 let's do so today with our study from the International 0:00:15.930 --> 0:00:16.730 Gospel Hour. 0:00:20.150 --> 0:00:23.670 It's time for our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. 0:00:24.230 --> 0:00:26.850 I'm Jay Webb, and welcome to our study today as 0:00:26.910 --> 0:00:29.710 we embrace God's Word to help us meet the challenges 0:00:29.770 --> 0:00:32.989 of today. Let's open our Bibles and open our heart 0:00:33.050 --> 0:00:36.180 for this time of Bible study with our speaker, Jeff Archie, 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:40.479 of International Gospel Hour, a broadcast of the Churches of Christ. 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:47.430 Here's Jeff. Well, greetings, everyone. Great having you with us, 0:00:47.530 --> 0:00:50.370 and thank you for joining us for our studies today 0:00:50.490 --> 0:00:54.170 from the International Gospel Hour. A special thank you to 0:00:54.310 --> 0:00:57.940 our J-Web, whom you will hear from in our broadcasts. 0:00:58.250 --> 0:01:02.090 with some study opportunities just for you. But for now, 0:01:02.590 --> 0:01:05.640 let's return back to what we just mentioned from Jeremiah 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:09.940 29 verse 13. And you will seek me and find 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.840 me when you search for me with all your heart. 0:01:13.540 --> 0:01:17.000 The Lord's words drew the prophet Jeremiah to Israel taken 0:01:17.140 --> 0:01:21.120 in captivity. Their choices brought them to that place. They 0:01:21.170 --> 0:01:24.330 had stopped seeking the Lord and stopped searching for Him. 0:01:25.410 --> 0:01:29.209 When we cease following His direction, we will go in 0:01:29.530 --> 0:01:33.470 any direction. But let us remember other words from Jeremiah. 0:01:34.230 --> 0:01:37.050 O Lord, I know the way of man is not 0:01:37.090 --> 0:01:39.880 in himself. It is not in man who walks to 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:45.319 direct his own steps. Let's study today of those who 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:50.060 truly failed to seek and to search. And from the outset, friend, 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:56.170 are you seeking and are you searching? In 2 Kings 1, 0:01:56.170 --> 0:02:00.270 the wicked king Ahaziah had taken the throne following his 0:02:00.310 --> 0:02:04.470 father's death. The names of his parents, Ahab and Jezebel, 0:02:04.770 --> 0:02:07.690 had become synonymous with the corruption, adultery, and evil that 0:02:07.770 --> 0:02:10.850 dragged the northern kingdom of Israel away from God and 0:02:10.910 --> 0:02:15.150 towards destruction for centuries. Now that Ahab had been killed, 0:02:15.669 --> 0:02:18.109 the first book of Kings ends and the second book 0:02:18.130 --> 0:02:23.630 of Kings begins with statements of his son's wickedness. Ahaziah's 0:02:23.690 --> 0:02:27.329 reign was brief. 1 Kings 22.51 states that he was 0:02:27.389 --> 0:02:30.750 king for only two years, and 2 Kings 1 and 0:02:30.750 --> 0:02:33.450 2 opens the narrative by describing an injury that would 0:02:33.510 --> 0:02:38.660 eventually prove fatal. Following said injury, Ahaziah made a decision 0:02:38.790 --> 0:02:43.700 that doomed him. Instead of calling upon the God of Israel, 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:47.940 the kings sends messengers to call upon Beelzebub, the god 0:02:47.980 --> 0:02:51.950 of Ekron, a false deity of Philistine origin. This is 0:02:51.990 --> 0:02:55.220 the same deity that would be denoted later as Beelzebub, 0:02:55.260 --> 0:02:58.840 the prince of demons, in Matthew 12, 24, Luke 11, 15, 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:03.000 and elsewhere. This decision angers both the true God and 0:03:03.060 --> 0:03:06.710 his prophet Elijah, who delivers the message that Ahaziah will 0:03:06.750 --> 0:03:10.350 die of this injury because of his idolatry in verses 0:03:10.350 --> 0:03:14.050 3 and 4. At this point, the messengers that Ahaziah 0:03:14.090 --> 0:03:16.410 has sent come back to him and report the prophet's 0:03:16.450 --> 0:03:19.780 words in verses 5 and 6. And in verse 7, 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:21.780 the king asks for a description of the man that 0:03:21.820 --> 0:03:24.560 has proclaimed such a thing, and after being told of 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:27.920 the prophet's appearance and clothing, he promptly proclaims that it 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:32.459 is Elijah the Tishbite in verse 8. There are a 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:36.970 lot of lessons to be learned in 2 Kings 1. 0:03:36.970 --> 0:03:39.910 The rest of this chapter goes on to tell us 0:03:39.970 --> 0:03:43.170 about multiple failed attempts by men of Israel to arrest 0:03:43.210 --> 0:03:47.530 the prophet, a moment of humility that eventually leads to 0:03:47.590 --> 0:03:51.720 his appearance before the king, and as promised, Ahaziah's death 0:03:51.780 --> 0:03:55.260 and replacement by his brother Jehoram. This is a story 0:03:55.380 --> 0:03:57.800 of the importance of humility, the call that the children 0:03:57.820 --> 0:03:59.960 of God have to stand up for the truth no 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:03.140 matter what, and the ultimate lesson of the sovereignty and 0:04:03.180 --> 0:04:06.420 power of God. However, what I want to focus on 0:04:06.460 --> 0:04:09.540 here is the simple fact that Ahaziah, a wicked king 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:13.400 given to pagan gods, was able to identify a prophet 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.930 of the Lord so quickly and easily. After all, men 0:04:16.990 --> 0:04:18.969 who were in a much better place to make such 0:04:18.990 --> 0:04:23.390 a judgment would end up failing miserably. The first chapter 0:04:23.420 --> 0:04:26.760 of the Gospel of John is amazing. The first 18 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:28.980 verses make up a passage of Scripture that has been 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.920 inspiring to millions and millions of people. It is an 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:35.640 incredible spiritual description of the person of Christ, the Word 0:04:35.690 --> 0:04:38.050 who was with God and came to the earth so 0:04:38.089 --> 0:04:40.710 that men might see the light and hear the Father proclaim. 0:04:41.779 --> 0:04:45.540 Verses 5-8 and 15 also talk within this context of 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:48.739 the man John the Baptist, one who was not that light, 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.279 but was sent to bear witness of that light, according 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:55.440 to verse 8. After beginning his gospel with such beautiful sentiments, 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:58.440 the Apostle John turns to a more complete focus on 0:04:58.500 --> 0:05:03.229 John the Baptist, starting in verse 19 of John 1. 0:05:03.230 --> 0:05:06.870 Immediately we find that the Jews sent priests and Levites 0:05:06.910 --> 0:05:10.740 from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? In fact, 0:05:10.779 --> 0:05:14.339 this is just the first question. Verses 19-23 is actually 0:05:14.380 --> 0:05:17.840 a summary of an apparent interrogation that took place here 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:20.919 as these men tried to surmise for themselves who this 0:05:20.980 --> 0:05:25.950 baptizer could be. Eventually, John quotes Isaiah 40 in verse 0:05:25.950 --> 0:05:27.950 3 to tell them that he is the one who 0:05:28.210 --> 0:05:31.570 is to make straight the way of the Lord, implying 0:05:32.130 --> 0:05:35.510 and confirming to the modern New Testament reader his importance 0:05:35.570 --> 0:05:39.560 in God's plan to bring forth the Christ. Hold on. 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:44.000 If John was such an important person in the plan 0:05:44.020 --> 0:05:47.520 to reveal the Messiah, how could these men from Jerusalem, 0:05:47.580 --> 0:05:51.130 specifically sent by the Pharisees, according to verse 24, not 0:05:51.170 --> 0:05:55.089 know who he was? This question is especially pressing when 0:05:55.190 --> 0:05:57.530 paired with the events that we have already seen taking 0:05:57.589 --> 0:06:01.750 place in 2 Kings 1. If Ahaziah, a pagan and 0:06:01.830 --> 0:06:03.969 a wicked ruler, had thrown away the law of God, 0:06:04.410 --> 0:06:08.170 could recognize one of God's prophets, how could those who 0:06:08.210 --> 0:06:12.070 were supposed to have been the law's protectors in John's day, 0:06:12.470 --> 0:06:17.049 have missed him? Well, Jesus himself, friends, answers this question 0:06:17.089 --> 0:06:19.610 later on in the book of John. These are the 0:06:19.650 --> 0:06:24.150 words of John 3, 16-21, the last part of Jesus' 0:06:24.420 --> 0:06:29.220 late-night spiritual discussion with Nicodemus. For God so loved the 0:06:29.260 --> 0:06:32.200 world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever 0:06:32.220 --> 0:06:34.900 believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. 0:06:35.779 --> 0:06:37.839 For God did not send his Son into the world 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.330 to condemn the world, but that the world through him 0:06:40.370 --> 0:06:44.219 might be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned, 0:06:44.260 --> 0:06:47.520 but he who does not believe is condemned already, because 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:49.420 he has not believed in the name of the only 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:53.280 begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:56.490 the light has come into the world, and men love 0:06:56.529 --> 0:07:00.510 darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For 0:07:00.730 --> 0:07:04.070 everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come 0:07:04.110 --> 0:07:07.599 to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But 0:07:07.640 --> 0:07:10.640 he who does the truth comes to the light, that 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:13.760 his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:18.900 done in God. Now the last three verses of John 0:07:18.900 --> 0:07:23.780 3 and the latter part there of verses 19 through 21, 0:07:23.780 --> 0:07:27.380 they are especially relevant to our discussion. Now it would 0:07:27.430 --> 0:07:30.450 seem that the Pharisees are lost as to John's identity 0:07:30.590 --> 0:07:32.970 as well as a great many things regarding the plans 0:07:33.010 --> 0:07:36.550 of Christ because they have chosen to walk in darkness. 0:07:37.450 --> 0:07:39.930 They professed a true relationship with God, but they were 0:07:40.070 --> 0:07:44.100 also pointed out by Jesus in passages such as Matthew 6, 0:07:44.100 --> 0:07:48.030 5 and Matthew 23, verse 5 as hypocrites for being 0:07:48.130 --> 0:07:52.250 prideful in regard to their prayers and service towards the Father. 0:07:53.170 --> 0:07:57.240 Of course, Ahaziah wasn't exactly walking in lockstep with God 0:07:57.420 --> 0:08:00.400 or His law either. But at least he thought to 0:08:00.460 --> 0:08:03.640 make what looks to be a genuine inquiry to some 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:08.210 deity regarding his plight. He was incredibly flawed in his 0:08:08.230 --> 0:08:11.910 spiritual practice, but he at least had a spiritual outlook 0:08:11.990 --> 0:08:15.330 good enough to recognize a prophet when he saw one. 0:08:16.290 --> 0:08:18.910 While the leaders of Israel in John the Baptist's day 0:08:18.970 --> 0:08:20.940 were more than happy to point to God as the 0:08:21.010 --> 0:08:26.640 one true God, that was about where their genuine faith stopped. Therefore, 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:30.820 when the prophet of the light, and eventually the light himself, 0:08:30.900 --> 0:08:34.860 came before them, they were none the wiser. The point 0:08:34.900 --> 0:08:38.390 is this, friends. In order to recognize Christ and His 0:08:38.450 --> 0:08:41.490 followers for who they are and the truth for what 0:08:41.530 --> 0:08:45.070 it is, we have to be searching. In a time 0:08:45.110 --> 0:08:48.200 of captivity and desperation for the people of Israel, God 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:51.760 told them through the prophet Jeremiah, And you will seek 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:54.559 me and find me when you search for me with 0:08:54.600 --> 0:08:59.530 all your heart. Jeremiah 29.13 Paul told the church at 0:08:59.570 --> 0:09:03.030 Corinth that now our salvation is nearer than when we 0:09:03.070 --> 0:09:07.429 first believed. Romans 13.11 It shouldn't be hard at all 0:09:07.490 --> 0:09:09.689 if we are truly trying to walk in the light 0:09:10.190 --> 0:09:12.590 and we should never let Jesus or the truth that 0:09:12.630 --> 0:09:16.709 he died to establish pass us by because we weren't 0:09:16.790 --> 0:09:23.780 looking or especially because we didn't know what to look for. Friends, 0:09:24.380 --> 0:09:27.640 awesome study today and I appreciate you studying with me. 0:09:28.420 --> 0:09:31.260 And what we want to do is as we think 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:35.850 about the questions, who are you? and recognizing and seeking 0:09:35.910 --> 0:09:39.520 for God. Not only with our studies here as you 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:42.679 tune in to our broadcast, but we'd like to also 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:46.140 share with you some study material that can be of 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:49.120 help to you on your own. Now what I'm going 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:51.660 to do is I'm going to defer to our Jay Webb, 0:09:51.780 --> 0:09:54.429 and he is going to have an online study offer 0:09:54.470 --> 0:09:57.530 for you. And then I'm going to come back and 0:09:57.630 --> 0:10:01.679 lead us into some more words by Jay with a 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:05.319 Bible study by mail. So whichever one or both will 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:08.280 work for you, we want to give you those details 0:10:08.820 --> 0:10:11.300 as we wrap up our broadcast today to help you 0:10:11.380 --> 0:10:15.040 continue in your studies of the Word of God. Let's 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:18.740 hear the online offer via our Jay Webb. 0:10:20.150 --> 0:10:23.750 Where did we come from? Looking for a purpose in life? 0:10:24.710 --> 0:10:28.270 Your answer to these fundamental questions is greatly affected by 0:10:28.330 --> 0:10:31.429 whether you believe in God, believe the Bible is true, 0:10:32.010 --> 0:10:36.300 and believe Jesus to be divine. Our friend and evangelist 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:40.100 Rob Whitaker conducts a great study called Believe the Bible. 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:43.120 Please allow us to send you the link and check 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:51.420 it out. Just call toll-free at 855-444-6988. And leave your name, email, 0:10:51.820 --> 0:10:55.120 and just say, Believe the Bible. You may also go 0:10:55.179 --> 0:11:00.200 to our website at internationalgospelhour.com. Click on the Contact tab 0:11:00.260 --> 0:11:04.100 and leave us the same information. Name, email, and type 0:11:04.580 --> 0:11:08.040 Believe the Bible in the message blank. We will send 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:09.120 the link right away. 0:11:10.580 --> 0:11:13.839 And friends, again, we will gladly send you that link 0:11:13.900 --> 0:11:16.179 for that study. We think that's one that you will 0:11:16.260 --> 0:11:19.910 greatly enjoy. Now, if you would prefer to have a 0:11:19.970 --> 0:11:23.890 Bible course by mail, we have that available as well. 0:11:24.370 --> 0:11:26.609 Maybe you would like to try both, and if you do, 0:11:26.670 --> 0:11:29.130 that's fine. Let us know. But if you would like 0:11:29.150 --> 0:11:32.110 to just do the Bible course by mail, again, the 0:11:32.150 --> 0:11:38.390 same toll-free number of 855-444-6988, you can leave your name 0:11:38.429 --> 0:11:41.600 and address and just say, Home Study. That's all you do. 0:11:41.700 --> 0:11:44.620 We get calls from folks all over, and they'll leave 0:11:44.660 --> 0:11:47.540 their name and address and just say, Home Study. And 0:11:47.580 --> 0:11:50.760 we will mail that to you right away. Either tool, 0:11:50.840 --> 0:11:53.880 you can study the Bible at your own pace because 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:58.180 we ourselves need to be individuals seeking to find and 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:01.380 searching to know. I want to credit a young brother 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.160 in Christ by the name of Luke Tatum from Salem, 0:12:04.220 --> 0:12:08.780 Virginia for our study today that's originally titled, Who Are You? 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:12.990 This was originally posted via a legacy of faith found 0:12:13.110 --> 0:12:18.490 at fawnfamily.com. an exceptional website for families, and some great 0:12:18.550 --> 0:12:22.410 material therein. We're going to continue our studies together at 0:12:22.470 --> 0:12:24.810 another time. Thank you for joining me today on the 0:12:24.870 --> 0:12:29.070 International Gospel Hour. I'm Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening. 0:12:29.090 --> 0:12:31.790 God be with you. 0:12:31.570 --> 0:12:35.199 Till we meet again. Thank you for listening today. To 0:12:35.290 --> 0:12:37.979 God be the glory. And we hope that our study 0:12:38.020 --> 0:12:40.980 today will draw you closer to His Word to walk 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:44.360 in His way. Feel free to listen to our other 0:12:44.390 --> 0:12:51.020 programs at our website at internationalgospelhour.com. And join us next time. 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:56.350 God be with you till we meet again.