Sound Doctrine

Guest (Male): We begin today's Sound Doctrine broadcast with some unfortunate stats.

Jeff Johnson: California, did you know that we are the number one leader in pornographic materials coming out of this nation and all the world? Not only pornographic material, but cults coming out into the world. The number one producer of cults to this nation and the world. Do you think God's judging hand is upon our state? God help us not to move emotionally. God help us to move prayerfully. Then when God speaks to us, to go and to preach the word.

Guest (Male): It can be really discouraging to watch the news these days, wouldn't you agree? From the world of finances to trouble overseas, hardship at home, and out-of-control crime in our own neighborhoods. We're living in difficult days and our world is a mess.

Well, today on Sound Doctrine, we take you to 2nd Samuel chapter 21, where there was a national calamity taking place in that day, too. King David did what we should do. He turned to God in prayer. It was a time for David to be seeking the Lord, and Pastor Jeff Johnson says we should do the same.

Jeff Johnson: Second Samuel chapter 21 this morning as we are entering into a time of drought and famine. Jesus said in the Word, "In the world, you shall have tribulation." You're going to have trials. You're going to have tests. You're going to go through things that are not going to be pleasant, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.

David has had his share of troubles and tribulations. It's true that some of his trouble was because he was reaping what he had sown. We all have experienced that, right? We all know what it is to sow to the flesh, reap corruption. We all know what it is to disobey the Lord, to run away from the Lord, and to reap the consequences of that.

But it is also true—and in 1st Peter he talks about this in chapter five, verse nine—knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. In other words, what you're going through is something that not just you're going through. Your brothers and sisters throughout the world are going through the same things. These are afflictions. These are things that have been put onto us by our enemies: the world, the flesh, or the devil.

Along with that comes the chastening of the Lord. There is a scripture in Hebrews 12:11 that says no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but is grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. So, there are those afflictions that are put upon us, but there's also the chastening of the Lord, that the Lord loves us, and so He goes after us to direct us.

Well, in chapter 21 of 2nd Samuel, we see here that David is really going through it, and so are the children of Israel. This chapter is not in chronological order, so it's not going to flow as the others did as far as timing. This is actually a chapter showing the general condition of Israel during the end of David's reign. This is their condition that they were in, and I believe we can learn a lot from their condition.

Already we've learned a lot from David's life. We've looked at David and how he started out. We identify with David in a lot of areas. Remember when he first started out to walk with God as we who know the Lord, how we first started out, when that first time where we were introduced to the Lord and we experienced God's hand on our lives? It was fantastic.

We remember how we were pricked in our hearts because we had sinned against God, and we knew it. We remember how we repented and we were sorry for the sins that we had committed. Christ came into our lives. The guilt that we were carrying around, the shame was lifted from our lives. A new relationship began and there was a lot of victories, a lot of awesome prayer requests that were answered. It was exciting as this new fresh relationship was just getting acquainted with our God, the Creator of the universe, through the Son, Jesus Christ.

The enemy continued to sift our lives, though, as he continues today. All of a sudden, we found ourselves in a compromised position and we did compromise our faith. We began to cool off, if you will. We began to backslide a little. We began to blow it at some areas and make some mistakes.

The warfare then continued and the Holy Spirit didn't give up. He continues to convict us of our sins and He turned up the heat. You know how that heat can be. It's just always there and you're being convicted of the Holy Spirit. You're feeling bad because of what you're doing. You don't like what you're doing. You're wrestling continually. You're frustrated. You're just barely making it. You seem every day is a drag. It's a trial.

Yet, the Holy Spirit is there and then all of a sudden, we see it and we repent. He forgives us and we're back being restored again. From glory to glory, the Bible says, and from strength to strength. We have seen David go through the whole thing, and we have also experienced it in our own lives.

David and Israel at this time are at one of those dry times, one of those times of compromise, being away from the Lord. They lost a few steps in their glory to glory and strength to strength. They had lost their first love, that burning desire to serve the Lord and Him alone. In this time, there was a real drought. There was a real famine. Spiritually, it was hitting their hearts, but it brought on a physical famine, which is very interesting.

As Americans, we consume mass quantities of food. Did you know that? We love to eat big time. Let me give you an example of it. My wife and I wanted to take out Jeff and Christine, our Russian pastor and his wife, out to a nice dinner before they left. We hadn't been to this place in a long time. It's called Claim Jumper.

Do you know that we eat, as Americans, each of us at the end of this year is going to eat one ton of food? One ton. Well, we got there and I think we pig out. Because when we went to the salad bar, I was kind of embarrassed because I know what they're going to and I know what they've come from and I know what they're going to have to experience as they go to Russia. We walk up to this salad bar and this salad bar is unbelievable.

Everybody piles their plate for the salad and they're piling theirs. Then we ordered our little meal and the meal came. By the time we were done, my wife and I, we were done and they are taking half of theirs home to their kids. I was embarrassed. I was just thinking "America," you know? I think we pig out way too much. In fact, I know we do.

Especially as we look at the world today, not just us, but we look at the world, we see the world in famine situations, nations of the world, whole nations starving. As we sit here this morning under drought conditions and we ask, why is this happening? Now, scientists always have a reason and they tell you, well, there's changes in the climate and because of that there is drought conditions and there's the shifting of the planets and then there's the sunspot storms that take place on the sun that develops and they always have these reasons, and this brings forth famine in the world and in parts of the world.

But as a believer, we each have a better understanding of this tragedy called famine and drought. That is that nothing takes place on this planet unless God allows it. Do you remember when Daniel was speaking to Nebuchadnezzar and just trying to get it through to his head that these things are going to happen until you understand and get it through your thick skull that God is in control of everything, that He sets up and He puts down, that He's in control of the whole world?

Now, scientists have those secondary facts that they like to give us, but we know that God is in control and that He allows these tragedies to take place for a purpose and a reason. So look at 2nd Samuel chapter 21, verse one, and it says, "Then there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year."

Famine affected all of Israel for three years. Why does famine take place in different regions? Why does famine take place in different areas with different nations? These things don't just happen. In fact, I believe that they are led and directed by God, who really when concerning the world and when you look at the situations that this world is in today, I think it helps us to understand some of the questions that people have of the "whys" are these things going on? Why is this happening to this country, to that country?

Could it be that God in His mercy allows judgment to fall that those in that nation would turn to Him? Could it be? Over in 2nd Chronicles, there is an incredible portion of Scripture in 2nd Chronicles 6:26. God says, "When the heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against Thee, yet if they pray towards this place, confess Thy name, and turn from their sin when Thou dost afflict them, then hear Thou from heaven and forgive their sin of Thy servants and of the people of Israel when Thou hast taught them the good way wherein they should walk and send rain upon Thy land which Thou hast given unto Thy people for an inheritance."

Then it goes on to say in 2nd Chronicles 7:12, "And the Lord appeared unto Solomon by night and said to him, 'I have heard your prayer and I have chosen this place to Myself for a house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I notice command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, if My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face, then will I hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land.'"

God says I will allow national disaster to come. Why? Where repentance is needed, where a people need to turn. If My people which are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, seek My face, turn from their wicked ways—My people—I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.

So as we look over the nations today under national crisis, they have one thing in common, which is very interesting: they have all rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have all oppressed the people through communism and ungodly governments and they have totally continued to persecute the Christians and reject the good news of the Lord. So God seeks to get their attention, to call them to repentance, to get right with Him.

Here's where we, the church, I think need to really begin to pray and how really we're to be involved in what God is doing in this world. What do we do? Do we send mass relief to these countries and to these areas, or do we send the Gospel?

I was going through Timothy with the pastors and we came across in 1st Timothy chapter two, where Paul is saying, "I exhort you, I command you to pray for all the kings and intercede for them with prayers and supplication that you'll live a quiet and peaceful life." Then he goes on to say, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved, to come unto the knowledge of the truth." That's God's desire.

So that should be our desire, that all men would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Remember, these people are under judgment. Remember with Noah, but Noah couldn't do anything about it, could he? He was inside the ark. So what could he do but just pray? I mean, he knew that everyone was perishing outside that ark. Him and his family just got down and they worshipped the Lord, they prayed.

Look at God's judgment on the area of Canaan, very interesting. Everyone was to be wiped out. Everyone in that whole area was to be snuffed. What is our response as the church? What are we to do? Are we to rise up and rally and sponsor a Canaanite and get our forces together and as we see the TV reports of the Canaanites dying and perishing, what are we to do? How are we to react with our human compassionate state that we find ourselves in as we look at these needy and poor people that are dying? You see the need, you say, oh, those poor Canaanites. This is just not right.

Yet in God's eyes, He was judging. He had given 100 years for those in Noah's time to repent—100 years of preaching the Gospel. Now with the Canaanites, He gave 400 years for them to turn from their sin and to follow the Lord. They didn't respond. So in order for His people, God's people, not to be infected by those that were in the land, God says I want them totally wiped out.

Our human tendency is always to soften, sometimes to soften, the judgment of God. I mean, we get caught up in it, His chastisement, and we cry, this cannot be God's will with what's going on there. How can this be God's will? But it is interesting that there are a few countries—now listen to me closely—that export agricultural goods. Listen to the names of these countries. There's actually six of them throughout the world today: there's America, there is Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Israel.

These six countries have more than enough for themselves to export agriculture all over the world. It is very interesting that every one of these countries are also countries of Judeo-Christian beliefs. Isn't that interesting? That are blessed abundantly. Able to have enough to give to the world. For whatever reason, God has chosen to bless these nations with abundance agriculturally.

Yet these same countries now have begun and have been supporting Marxism around the world. In fact, America has been supporting Russia with wheat and agricultural goods for years. Many people, knowing what we have been doing, have said that we actually extended the misery under communism because of our support of that country. I don't know, politically you know how they're moving things around and the reasons why they do things, but this is what some people have said, that we just extended the misery by kept supporting them that way because they were really in a drought.

Our nation and others, I think, need to reconsider propping up what God is judging. Looking at the world today, you say, but Jeff, this is cruel. You mean just sit back and do nothing? No, I didn't say that. I said that we should ask God so not to try to hinder what the Holy Spirit is doing. We should ask God what we're to do. I think sometimes we can go against God's work and be counterproductive to God's plans. We can get in the way, which has been proven in years past.

The Scripture says that we're to do good to all men, especially of those, or to those, of the household of faith. This is why we have many times responded like I remember in the years past to war-torn Beirut. We as a church, we responded to that war that seemed to never end that devastated a whole country in Lebanon. We responded with money, we responded with Bibles, we responded with supplies to go to these countries: Uganda, and Ghana, and Russia, to bring these to the brethren there, to the church that are there.

We even responded to those in the earthquake zones, but we went and we responded to the areas where the churches were hurt and we as a church went to those areas in Northridge. But to those nations, we have also brought the Gospel and we have started churches. We not only went and helped those in the church, but we have brought evangelism and we have started churches. So we've got to first pray especially reacting materially and I think we need to reevaluate that. Because that's the first thing we want to do.

Some say, well, that's what you got to do first is feed them, then you can preach the Gospel to them. Well, this is true. But how would God have us to react as a church? What would He have us do, and you personally? Our job, I believe, is to evangelize, no matter what. Our job is to establish churches and believers to do what? To be there in that country, natives, to challenge that country to repentance and to return to God. To come to God. They need it. Then God says, what? I will bless, right? Then I will begin to bless, not until.

If you remember with Ethiopia and Sudan years back, and then we go right back to the same thing, and I remember when that tragedy of Ethiopia, I was there in the feeding camps with my daughter, who was 16 at the time. We were in the line actually of those that would live and those that would die, and they were choosing which ones. We were weeping as I was walking along with the camera, we just started to break down. It just is overwhelming as you see these people and what they're going through. It emotionally just nails you. You can't help it.

But when you look at these nations today and you look again at Africa, and the famine belt is growing. It's getting bigger. It's worse now today. All that food and all those supplies, did it do any good? Did it stop anything? No, it's getting worse, folks, as they continue to worship their devils and their demons, and they continue in that realm, continuing to look to their gods and they're perishing.

God is seeking to save and to restore through judgment. It's the same with our backslidden nation. I found out that right after World War II is when we as a nation really started to backslide. We turned our back upon God as never before and we began to plunge ourselves into sin and into idolatry as never before, and killing.

Look at the killing that is going on in our streets today. I found a verse in Isaiah chapter three, verse 12. Listen to this: Isaiah 3:12, as Isaiah says, "As for my people, children are their oppressors. Women rule over them. Oh my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths." Incredible. Children oppress them. Women lead them and they're going down the tubes.

California, did you know that we are the number one leader in pornographic materials coming out of this nation and all the world? Not only pornographic material, but cults coming out into the world. The number one producer of cults to this nation and the world. Do you think God's judging hand is upon our state? God help us not to move emotionally. God help us to move prayerfully. Then when God speaks to us, to go and to preach the word and to continue to go, especially in these times, especially to our state and to our nation.

Look at verse one again going back to 2nd Samuel chapter 21. It says that not only did the famine go on for three years, year after year, but it says that David inquired of the Lord. Lord, what's going on? Why is this happening? And the Lord answered David and told him, "It is for Saul and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites."

David prays, but what amazed me about this is he prays three years later. After three years of famine, he prays. It reminded me of Jonah. Do you remember Jonah? This big fish comes out of the ocean because Jonah's disobeying the Lord and doing his own thing and running away from the Lord, and so the Lord just gobbles him. Through this fish. But Jonah sits there for three days. Man, a minute it happened, I'd be crying out, God. But some people are stubborn like many of us. Because of pride, we stay in and we put up with dry spells and we struggle. But we do it way too long. Sometimes we struggle way too long.

Guest (Male): Jonah is a good example of the stubbornness that always, always gets us into trouble. This is Sound Doctrine, and what you heard today was a portion of Pastor Jeff Johnson's study in 2nd Samuel chapter 21.

We house all of our 2nd Samuel studies at sounddoctrineradio.org. This comes in handy should you miss a study or two on the radio or just want to hear something again or even share it with someone you know. This study and more are available now at sounddoctrineradio.org under "Messages." You can also listen at oneplace.com and through the Sound Doctrine Radio podcast app.

And of course, speaking of podcasts, Sound Doctrine can be heard wherever you enjoy podcasts, and that includes Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This program is made possible through the support of our listeners. To make a contribution to the ministry, just visit sounddoctrineradio.org and click on "Giving." Be sure to join us next time when Pastor Jeff will return to 2nd Samuel, here on Sound Doctrine, a ministry of Calvary Chapel Downey.