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THE SAMARITANS' RELIGION

#1 · December 31, 2004, 11:38 am

Quote from Forum Archives on December 31, 2004, 11:38 am
Posted by: henkf <henkf@...>
http://lulu.com/Frijters

*************************

"THE SAMARITANS' RELIGION"

2 Kings 17:24-41

INTRODUCTION

Following the conquest by the nation of Assyria, most of the people of Israel were deported to Assyria. That was one way that kings dealt with the people they conquered. Move them to a different land and that way keep them dependent. They would move whole civilizations around that way.

So the Israelites are conquered and find themselves in Assyria In their place, Assyria imported captives from other countries to live in Samaria, the main province of Israel at that time - 2 Ki 17:24

In our text, the religion of those who were imported is described at length There are several characteristics of their religion we would do well to take note of, so let's begin reading the passage itself

TEXT:- 2 Ki 17:24-41

With this passage fresh in our minds, how might the Samaritans' religion compare with our service to God today? It was the writer of proverbs Solomon who said that there is nothing new under the sun.... this is one of these passages, even though written about a time thousands of years ago, it can readily be written about our times.

[In some cases, the comparisons may be a little too close for comfort!

To begin with, note that their religion was...]

I. A RELIGION OF "FEAR"

A. THIS IS EVIDENT BY THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS...

1. "So they feared the Lord..." - 2 Ki 17:32

2. "They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods..." - 2 Ki 17:33

3. "So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images..." - 2 Ki17:41 4. But that they had the wrong kind of fear is implied in vers 34: "...they do not fear the Lord..."

-- Is this a contradiction? No, for remember that...

B. THERE IS A PROPER FEAR OF THE LORD...

1. As taught by Jesus and His apostles - Mt 10:28; Ac 10:34-35; Ph 2:12

2. As taught by Solomon in the Old Testament - Pr 1:7; 14:26-27

Eccl. 8:12-13; 12:13-14

3. This "fear of the Lord"...

a. Is the kind of awesome reverence towards God that motivates us to turn away from evil and serve God faithfully at all times, not because we HAVE to or are made to, but because we WANT to.

b. Is NOT the kind that never thinks of God when things are going well, and then trembles at the prospect of facing God. It is the kind of reverence for God that says IN THE GOOD TIMES : all good things come from the Father above and it says in the bad times :I know that all things will work together for good as the Lord has said.

SO THE SAMARITANS HAD THE WRONG KIND OF "FEAR"...

1. They would have never thought of God, had it not been for the lions - 2 Ki 17:25-26

2. When they did think of Him, it was only to tremble before Him

3. This is like so many people today

a. Who think of God only...

1) When they are ill, forgetting Him when they are well

2) During their calamities, but not during their joys

3) When faced with problems, but not when enjoying prosperity.

The story was told by H.H.Barber about a man who came to the lord. Started tithing- God blessed - one ,two, three more businesses. Conglomerate. Tithed faithfully but started to give less in percentages as he prospered. One day H.H.Barber asked him about it. That man gave tens of thousands of dollars. "Pastor I have so many business interests I cannot afford to tithe anymore, but I’ll continue to give lots"

H.H.Barber’s answer was : let’s pray. Knelt down dramatically :"Lord take away my brothers businesses so that he can afford to tithe again. Because that is the only way you will be able to bless him.

b. Like some sailors...

1) Who in a storm pray fervently to God for deliverance, making promises

2) But then get drunk or engage in immorality as soon as they get to land

If we turn to God only when things go wrong, our religion is no different than the Samaritans'!

But with the proper kind of fear (awesome reverence), we will draw close to God through obedience; and when we do so, we will find Him to be so gracious and loving that we will serve Him out of love and not just a fear of judgment

- 1 Jn 4:16-18

So we see a religion of fear.

We also notice that the Samaritans' religion was...

II. A RELIGION OF "FORM"

A. THEIR HEARTS WERE NOT IN THEIR SERVICE TO THE LORD...

1. As evident by the fact they continued to serve their "carved images" - 2 Ki 17:33-34

2. What service they rendered to the Lord possessed "form", but not "substance"

B. SUCH WORSHIP IS OFTEN COMMON TODAY...

1. Where there is "form", but not "substance"

2. Now, there is, and I trust you will hear me out when I make this statement, : there is a need for "form" in religion...

You see when God created man he created them in such a way that they posses both a physical and spiritual nature and therefore man needs physical ways to express his spiritual devotion

Thus God has provided physical expressions even in New Testament worship, even though it is much more spiritual than that found in the Old Testament

The Lord's Supper, singing, prayer, giving, etc., they all have "form"

But to go through the "form" without the "substance" (i.e., the right spirit, the right kind of attitude) is "hypocritical" - cf. Mt 15:7-8

Christians are guilty of such worship if they...

.....Sing "Give Me The Bible", but they never read it

.....Sing "Here Am I, Send Me", but are not willing to go or do

......Sing "Wonderful Story Of Love" with bored expressions on their faces Pr 15:13 tells us that a cheerful heart makes for a cheerful countenance!

Worship that is both "form" and "substance" will emulate the example of David...

. "I will praise You with my whole heart..." - Ps 138:1

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." - Ps 146:1-2

"Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is beautiful." - Ps. 147:1

Is our religion one of simply going through the "form"?

Or does it have "substance" as well? If not, then our religion is no more

pleasing to God than that of the Samaritans!

One final point to be made about their religion, it was..

III. A RELIGION OF "COMPROMISE"

A. IN THE CASE OF THE SAMARITANS...

1. They had God and they had "gods"; they liked the latter best - 2 Ki 17:41a

They served their carved images because those Gods made no demands

2. They gave God lip service, but they gave the "gods" their true service

B. AND THIS CAN EASILY HAPPEN TO CHRISTIANS TODAY...

1. When Christians seek to serve God, while also try to serve the world

2. But this is impossible according to Jesus in Mt 6:24 He clearly tells us that no one can serve two masters He tells us we cannot serve God and Mammon.

3. When people try to serve both, the world always wins...

It shows up in how their jobs, their recreation, etc., takes precedence over their service to God

It shows up in how they seek to rationalize their conduct

HOWEVER , IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW WELL WE THINK WE CAN RATIONALIZE, GOD CANNOT TOLERATE "COMPROMISE"....

1. He requires total commitment to Him, no matter the price

As taught in the Old Testament - De 6:5,14-15

As taught by Jesus Himself - Lk 14:26,33

2. To compromise with the world is to commit "spiritual adultery"! - JA 4:4

.3. Thus we need to heed Jesus' admonition: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." - Mt 6:33

CONCLUSION

1. I believe it is easy to see the error of the Samaritans' religion...

They had a religion of "fear, form, and compromise"

But unless we are careful, our religion can easily become like theirs!

2. If with honest introspection we must confess that our religion is closer to the Samaritans' than it should be...

Let Elijah challenge us to give up "a religion of compromise"

IN 1 Ki 18:21 Elijah exhorts the people " How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow Him: but if Baal, follow him."

Let Paul challenge us to give up "a religion of form" -Rom. 2:28-29:

Let John challenge us to give up "a religion of fear" - 1 Jn 3:18-19

Have you accepted the Savior's tender invitation (Mt 11:28-30), which is received today by obedience to His gospel?

Mk 16:15-16 and Acts 2: 36-39 tells us it is through believing that Jesus Christ died for us , shed his blood for the remission of our sins, Is the Son of God.

http://lulu.com/Frijters

.....
  ************************************  Weekly messages of hope and comfort for those who want to learn more about Jesus and His glorious plan for our lives.  To find out more about our ministry go to : worldoutreach.ca/sotn.htm  visit our "Ultimate Bible Quiz Site"  folsom.sk.ca/k4j/BQuiz/Quiz.html  *************************************                                                                              --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]  

Posted by: henkf <henkf@...>

http://lulu.com/Frijters

*************************

"THE SAMARITANS' RELIGION"

2 Kings 17:24-41

INTRODUCTION

Following the conquest by the nation of Assyria, most of the people of Israel were deported to Assyria. That was one way that kings dealt with the people they conquered. Move them to a different land and that way keep them dependent. They would move whole civilizations around that way.

So the Israelites are conquered and find themselves in Assyria In their place, Assyria imported captives from other countries to live in Samaria, the main province of Israel at that time - 2 Ki 17:24

In our text, the religion of those who were imported is described at length There are several characteristics of their religion we would do well to take note of, so let's begin reading the passage itself

TEXT:- 2 Ki 17:24-41

With this passage fresh in our minds, how might the Samaritans' religion compare with our service to God today? It was the writer of proverbs Solomon who said that there is nothing new under the sun.... this is one of these passages, even though written about a time thousands of years ago, it can readily be written about our times.

[In some cases, the comparisons may be a little too close for comfort!

To begin with, note that their religion was...]

I. A RELIGION OF "FEAR"

A. THIS IS EVIDENT BY THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS...

1. "So they feared the Lord..." - 2 Ki 17:32

2. "They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods..." - 2 Ki 17:33

3. "So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images..." - 2 Ki17:41 4. But that they had the wrong kind of fear is implied in vers 34: "...they do not fear the Lord..."

-- Is this a contradiction? No, for remember that...

B. THERE IS A PROPER FEAR OF THE LORD...

1. As taught by Jesus and His apostles - Mt 10:28; Ac 10:34-35; Ph 2:12

2. As taught by Solomon in the Old Testament - Pr 1:7; 14:26-27

Eccl. 8:12-13; 12:13-14

3. This "fear of the Lord"...

a. Is the kind of awesome reverence towards God that motivates us to turn away from evil and serve God faithfully at all times, not because we HAVE to or are made to, but because we WANT to.

b. Is NOT the kind that never thinks of God when things are going well, and then trembles at the prospect of facing God. It is the kind of reverence for God that says IN THE GOOD TIMES : all good things come from the Father above and it says in the bad times :I know that all things will work together for good as the Lord has said.

SO THE SAMARITANS HAD THE WRONG KIND OF "FEAR"...

1. They would have never thought of God, had it not been for the lions - 2 Ki 17:25-26

2. When they did think of Him, it was only to tremble before Him

3. This is like so many people today

a. Who think of God only...

1) When they are ill, forgetting Him when they are well

2) During their calamities, but not during their joys

3) When faced with problems, but not when enjoying prosperity.

The story was told by H.H.Barber about a man who came to the lord. Started tithing- God blessed - one ,two, three more businesses. Conglomerate. Tithed faithfully but started to give less in percentages as he prospered. One day H.H.Barber asked him about it. That man gave tens of thousands of dollars. "Pastor I have so many business interests I cannot afford to tithe anymore, but I’ll continue to give lots"

H.H.Barber’s answer was : let’s pray. Knelt down dramatically :"Lord take away my brothers businesses so that he can afford to tithe again. Because that is the only way you will be able to bless him.

b. Like some sailors...

1) Who in a storm pray fervently to God for deliverance, making promises

2) But then get drunk or engage in immorality as soon as they get to land

If we turn to God only when things go wrong, our religion is no different than the Samaritans'!

But with the proper kind of fear (awesome reverence), we will draw close to God through obedience; and when we do so, we will find Him to be so gracious and loving that we will serve Him out of love and not just a fear of judgment

- 1 Jn 4:16-18

So we see a religion of fear.

We also notice that the Samaritans' religion was...

II. A RELIGION OF "FORM"

A. THEIR HEARTS WERE NOT IN THEIR SERVICE TO THE LORD...

1. As evident by the fact they continued to serve their "carved images" - 2 Ki 17:33-34

2. What service they rendered to the Lord possessed "form", but not "substance"

B. SUCH WORSHIP IS OFTEN COMMON TODAY...

1. Where there is "form", but not "substance"

2. Now, there is, and I trust you will hear me out when I make this statement, : there is a need for "form" in religion...

You see when God created man he created them in such a way that they posses both a physical and spiritual nature and therefore man needs physical ways to express his spiritual devotion

Thus God has provided physical expressions even in New Testament worship, even though it is much more spiritual than that found in the Old Testament

The Lord's Supper, singing, prayer, giving, etc., they all have "form"

But to go through the "form" without the "substance" (i.e., the right spirit, the right kind of attitude) is "hypocritical" - cf. Mt 15:7-8

Christians are guilty of such worship if they...

.....Sing "Give Me The Bible", but they never read it

.....Sing "Here Am I, Send Me", but are not willing to go or do

......Sing "Wonderful Story Of Love" with bored expressions on their faces Pr 15:13 tells us that a cheerful heart makes for a cheerful countenance!

Worship that is both "form" and "substance" will emulate the example of David...

. "I will praise You with my whole heart..." - Ps 138:1

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." - Ps 146:1-2

"Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is beautiful." - Ps. 147:1

Is our religion one of simply going through the "form"?

Or does it have "substance" as well? If not, then our religion is no more

pleasing to God than that of the Samaritans!

One final point to be made about their religion, it was..

III. A RELIGION OF "COMPROMISE"

A. IN THE CASE OF THE SAMARITANS...

1. They had God and they had "gods"; they liked the latter best - 2 Ki 17:41a

They served their carved images because those Gods made no demands

2. They gave God lip service, but they gave the "gods" their true service

B. AND THIS CAN EASILY HAPPEN TO CHRISTIANS TODAY...

1. When Christians seek to serve God, while also try to serve the world

2. But this is impossible according to Jesus in Mt 6:24 He clearly tells us that no one can serve two masters He tells us we cannot serve God and Mammon.

3. When people try to serve both, the world always wins...

It shows up in how their jobs, their recreation, etc., takes precedence over their service to God

It shows up in how they seek to rationalize their conduct

HOWEVER , IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW WELL WE THINK WE CAN RATIONALIZE, GOD CANNOT TOLERATE "COMPROMISE"....

1. He requires total commitment to Him, no matter the price

As taught in the Old Testament - De 6:5,14-15

As taught by Jesus Himself - Lk 14:26,33

2. To compromise with the world is to commit "spiritual adultery"! - JA 4:4

.3. Thus we need to heed Jesus' admonition: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." - Mt 6:33

CONCLUSION

1. I believe it is easy to see the error of the Samaritans' religion...

They had a religion of "fear, form, and compromise"

But unless we are careful, our religion can easily become like theirs!

2. If with honest introspection we must confess that our religion is closer to the Samaritans' than it should be...

Let Elijah challenge us to give up "a religion of compromise"

IN 1 Ki 18:21 Elijah exhorts the people " How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow Him: but if Baal, follow him."

Let Paul challenge us to give up "a religion of form" -Rom. 2:28-29:

Let John challenge us to give up "a religion of fear" - 1 Jn 3:18-19

Have you accepted the Savior's tender invitation (Mt 11:28-30), which is received today by obedience to His gospel?

Mk 16:15-16 and Acts 2: 36-39 tells us it is through believing that Jesus Christ died for us , shed his blood for the remission of our sins, Is the Son of God.

http://lulu.com/Frijters

.....

  ************************************  Weekly messages of hope and comfort for those who want to learn more about Jesus and His glorious plan for our lives.  To find out more about our ministry go to : worldoutreach.ca/sotn.htm  visit our "Ultimate Bible Quiz Site"  folsom.sk.ca/k4j/BQuiz/Quiz.html  *************************************                                                                              --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]