Our King Will Not Be Mocked B

All Uzzah did was what he thought was showing some respect. God doesn't want your respect. He wants your obedience. Don't tell me that you advocate the slaughter of babies in the womb.

Don't tell me you want to destroy masculinity, femininity, marriage. You can make any pledge you want. Don't mock God. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur.

I'm your host, Phil Johnson. The sinfulness of mankind is as ancient as the Garden of Eden. Yet these days, doesn't it seem that the world has crossed into a new dimension of depravity, marked by social disorder and violent crime and government corruption and the rejection of biblical morality, and also the acceptance of those things by many of the most powerful voices in our society? In the face of such decline, what does God expect from His church? To help you think biblically about the current chaos, follow along now with John MacArthur as he continues a timely study that he calls the world versus the kingdom of God.

I'm going to challenge you a little bit. I'm going to go into the Word of God, and I'm going to ask that you go with me and stay with me in this, and I can promise you the reward will be just exactly what you would expect when you give attention to the Word of God. I think we need to be reminded that the world, not just in its social perspectives, but even in its political perspectives, is never intended to be a friend of the church or an ally in any way. Listen to the words of our Lord in John 15, 18. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. There's the issue.

If you decide that you love the world, you can wiggle your way into it and draw out some level of affection. In John 16, 33, in the next chapter, He said, in this world, you will have tribulation. We lose, right? Now, for now, in this world, you will have thalipsis, pressure, tribulation.

But, He said, I have overcome the world. The end of the story, Christ wins, and we win in Christ. But losing now and winning then has nothing to do with any political help.

So here's another surprise to add to that one. The Bible doesn't recommend, prefer, or even discuss democracy. The ancient world had kings.

No other form of government appears either in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Kings were a common grace. We talk about God giving common grace, and government is common grace to bring order to society.

We understand that. But do you also understand that the most common, common grace of governmental character is a monarchy? In fact, so common were kings that we find in the Old Testament no nation under any other kind of government. So normal was it to have a king that the epic tragedy of Israel in the Old Testament was that they wanted a king like all other pagan nations.

First Samuel chapter 12, verse 12 says, a king shall reign over you, although the Lord your God was your king. This is the epic apostasy of Israel. Enter, you know who, Saul, Saul that is going to be their king.

Go over to chapter 10. They've selected Saul. We won't go through all that story, but Samuel, verse 17 of chapter 10, calls the people together, Mizpah, and he said to the sons of Israel, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I brought Israel up from Egypt. I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.

But you have today rejected your God who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses. Yet you have said, No, but set a king over us. Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans. Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. By the way, any king in Israel was supposed to be from the tribe of Judah. Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin nearby its families, and the Matrite family was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was found. Saul, why him? Well, we already know because, verse 23 says, he was taller than anybody else. And tall, dark, handsome, and cowardly. Verse 22 says, Where's Saul? He's hiding in the baggage.

Oh, great. We've got a tall, dark, handsome guy in the baggage, hiding. By the way, what did he do? He looked for lost donkeys. That was his job.

Unfortunately, he didn't do it very well. He couldn't find them. He went from one end of the land to the other end of the land and couldn't find them.

Somebody said, Oh, they're already back home. Tall, dark, handsome, cowardly donkey finder. Sin makes you stupid, and it makes you make stupid choices about leadership. Who trades in the eternal God for a tall, dark, handsome, stupid donkey finder?

Who wants to hide in the baggage? So why did God allow this? As a judgment. If you understand that, as a judgment. You want a king? I'll give you a king. I'll give you a king that will show you how foolish you are to turn from God. Saul is the anti-king. He's the illustration of the worst kind of ruler.

That's God's whole point. Saul was a complete disaster, and we know the sad story of it. The post-mortem on Saul, just a few verses, chapter 15, verse 23, rebellion is as the sin of divination.

Insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king. Saul was such a disaster, the people rejected the Lord to get Saul, and then the Lord rejected Saul because Saul rejected him. Saul said to Samuel, I've sinned. I've indeed transgressed the command of the Lord in their words, your words, because I feared the people and listened to your voice. There's the coward hiding in the baggage who fears the people.

Tall, dark, handsome, empty-headed donkey finder. He was a total disaster. You don't hear this very often in the Bible. Verse 35 of chapter 15, the Lord regretted He had made Saul king over Israel. Oh, by the way, Samuel said, there's not going to be any future for you.

You're done. The next king won't come from your family. Again, the wisdom from below is demonic, isn't it? Sin makes you stupid.

Is there hope? Look at chapter 14 of Hosea. This is the heart of God through the prophets crying. Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you've stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the Lord.

Say to Him, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously that we may present the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us. We will not ride on horses, nor will we say again, our God, to the work of our hands. We won't worship idols we make, for in You the orphan finds mercy. Do that and I will heal their apostasy.

I'll love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I'll be like the dew to Israel, like the blossom on a lily. He'll take root like the cedars of Lebanon. His shoots will sprout and His beauty will be like the olive tree and His fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon. And those who live in His shadow will again raise grain and they will blossom like the vine.

His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. Oh, Ephraim, or Israel, what more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you.

I am the luxuriant Cyprus. From me comes your fruit. Whoever is wise, let him understand these things.

Whoever is discerning, let him know them. The ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them." Who is your God? Who is your King? Two hundred years of warning before the captivity came. Israel turned in their king, the true and living God, for a sequence of wicked rulers.

They chose a fake, a fraud. They chose an anti-king, a kind of anti-Christ, over the eternal King of the universe. Oh, by the way, God promised to send a king, and He did, a true King. He told David in 2 Samuel 7, I'm going to send someone out of your loins who will have an everlasting kingdom, and the gospel of Luke, of course, begins when word comes down from heaven to Mary from an angel. You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His kingdom.

There will be no end. And Isaiah said, that child born to us will be wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the Father of eternity. And He came, the true King again, and it all culminated when they had to make a choice. Did they want the true King?

Did they want a thief and a robber named Barabbas? The same kind of horrendous, sinful stupidity rises in the 18th chapter of John, verse 33. Pilate enters the Praetorium, says to Jesus, "'Are You the King of the Jews?' Jesus answered, "'Are You saying this on Your own initiative, or did others tell You about Me?' Pilate said, "'I'm not a Jew, am I? Your own nations and chief priests delivered You to me.

What have You done?' Jesus answered, "'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews.

But as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.' Pilate said to Him, "'So You are a king.' Jesus answered, "'You say correctly that I am a king, for this I have been born, for this I have come into the world to testify to the truth.'" And here's the key, "'Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'

Pilate said to Him, cynically, "'What is truth?' When He said this, He went out again to the Jews and said to them, "'I find no guilt in Him, but you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?' So they cried out again, saying, "'Not this man, but who?'" Barabbas over Jesus?

That's the folly. Over to verse 15 of chapter 19, "'Away with Him, away with Him. Crucify Him.' Pilate said to them, "'Shall I crucify your king?' Chief priests answered, "'We have no king but Caesar.'" There's only one true king, right? The tragedy of Israel's history, the tragedy of human history is that the world doesn't want to recognize the true king, the true and living God and His Son. God has already determined His Son will be king.

Why are the nations in an uproar and the people devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, "'Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us.' He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, "'But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will give Him the nations as His inheritance and the ends of the earth as His possession.

He will break them with a rod of iron, shatter them like earthenware. Show discernment, O kings. Take warning, O judges. Worship the Lord with reverence. Rejoice with trembling."

Listen to this. "'Kiss the Son that He be not angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled.' Blessed are those who take refuge in Him."

You better take your refuge in the true King, right? So the story of Israel is a story of blasphemy, a story of abomination, a story of apostasy, a story of defection, inconceivably a story of trading in the one true God for the anti-King, the wicked King, the foolish King, Saul, trading in the Lord Jesus Christ ultimately for the Antichrist fool named Caesar. It was during David's time, 2 Samuel, chapter 6, I want to show you something.

Let's close there. 2 Samuel, chapter 6. So they finally want to bring the ark back. There was a prescription for how the ark was to be moved. It had rings, and you put up a long pole so that no one ever touched the ark. No one touched the ark. Took long poles, put them through the rings, carried it that way. They didn't do that. Because they wanted to move the ark, and verse 3, they placed the ark of God on a new cart.

What is that? That's a clear violation of God's order. So they could bring it from the house of Abinadab, which is on the hill. A couple of guys named Uzzah and Ahio were leading the new cart. So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark.

Meanwhile, David and all his house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all kinds of instruments made of fir, wood, and with harps, lyres, tambourines, castanets, cymbals. This is like a coronation now. God's coming back. They're going to re-enthrone God in the place where He belongs. Verse 6, when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God, took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it, started to topple off the ark. So Uzzah reached out to steady it. Look at verse 7, the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence, and he died by the ark of God.

Let me say something. You better be careful when you put your hand on God. You can say whatever you want to say, but when you touch the ark, when you place your hand on the throne of God, because God is enthroned in His Word, and you place your hand on the Word of God and pledge to do the very things that blaspheme His name.

You talk about a high-risk action. All Uzzah did was what he thought was showing some respect. God doesn't want your respect, He wants your obedience. Don't tell me that you advocate the slaughter of babies in the womb.

Don't tell me you want to destroy masculinity, femininity, marriage. You can make any pledge you want. Don't mock God. Final word, just a reminder, the deeds of the flesh are evident, immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. The message has to end here, seek the kingdom, right? Seek the kingdom by seeking the King. Repent the King is here. Repent and receive the gospel.

Let's bow in prayer. Father, we certainly are reminded of an Old Testament king by the name of Nebuchadnezzar, who ended up mocking you, was driven away from humanity, for seven years lived in a field. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven, his hair grew like eagle's feathers and his nails like bird's claws. And he was there until he learned that you rule over the realm of mankind. At the end of that period, he said, I bless the Most High and praise and honor Him who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth, and no one can ward off his hand or say to him, what have you done? At that time, my reason returned to me, and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways are just, and He's able to humble those who walk in pride. Lord, we're going to see Nebuchadnezzar in heaven.

How wonderful is that? As wicked as he was, there was grace where there was repentance. Our desire, of course, is not judgment.

That's why we live in this world shining as lights in this perverse generation, so that people can see the light and turn from the darkness. There's another king that Daniel wrote about. This is our king.

He says, I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man was coming, and he came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him. To him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. The Son of Man is our King, none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

All other kings will be crushed by Him. All those who worship any other God face only eternal judgment. May the light of the church shine brightly. May the gospel be clear. May we proclaim it with urgency and love for your glory, we pray.

Today's lesson on Grace to You is from John's current study called The World vs. the Kingdom of God. With that said, John, the theme of our current series, The Kingdom of Darkness vs. the Kingdom of Light, fits right in with your latest book. People still love books. We know that because whenever we make a book available, it goes out fast and in large volume. I still spend my time reading books, even with all the media access that we have to content.

I love books, and I'm sure many of you do as well. So our editorial team produced a new book called Truth Triumphs. This is to commemorate my 55th anniversary at Grace Church.

That's amazing. Which is also Grace to You's 55th anniversary. It's a sad reality. We're living in a Romans 1 world. Society at large is hostile to God's truth and has rejected Christ and biblical morality. Yet as bleak as the situation is, and as much as we all want Christ to return and put an end to the spiritual rebellion, it's important to remember this. Every Christian in this era of church history is right where God wants them to be.

That's encouraging. You are made for a time such as this, and God has a purpose for your life as one of his children to advance his kingdom. The source of believers' strength is the same. It is biblical truth, the Word of God. Each chapter in Truth Triumphs features a sermon that was particularly chosen because it gives biblical instruction on how to live and serve in this present age. More than half of the sermons are ones I preached in the COVID era, but I think you'll find that even the earlier messages are just as relevant to the current day, and that speaks to the timelessness, the eternal nature of God's Word. Chapters include Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World, We Will Not Bow, We Must Obey God Rather Than Men, and 11 more chapters, hardcover 290 pages affordably priced, available now from Grace to You.

Yes, friend, each chapter of John's new book explores life-shaping truths from God's Word that have equipped generations of believers for the world they would one day face, the world that we're facing today. To order a copy of Truth Triumphs, contact us today. You can place your order online at gty.org, or you can call us at 800-55-GRACE. Shipping is free for Truth Triumphs.

The cost is $19. Again, to order John's brand new book called Truth Triumphs, call 800-55-GRACE or shop online at gty.org. And remember, at gty.org, you can also tap into a wide range of other Bible study tools, including daily devotionals, over 3,600 sermons, MP3s and transcripts, streaming video of Grace to You television, and the Grace to You blog, with articles by John and other staff members. At the blog, I would encourage you to look for a series of articles titled When the Church Becomes Like the World. It's a great supplement to John's current radio study, and all of these resources and more are available free of charge at our website, gty.org. Now for John MacArthur and the entire Grace to You staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Remember to watch Grace to You television this Sunday on DirecTV channel 378, and be back tomorrow when John shows you a strategy to protect yourself and your church from the Lord's influence. It's another half hour of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace to You.