2 Kings
1 Kings 22:51 – 2 Kings 1:18 – Mr. Flip Flop (2001) – MP3 / YouTube
King Ahaziah starts with a flip by ignoring the word of God like his father, King Ahab, but later flops by fighting and resisting the Word of God, like his mother, Queen Jezebel. There are three alternatives when we face the Scriptures, we ignore God’s word, we resist God’s word, or we love God’s word by submission and obedience. Our fruitfulness and effectiveness for the Lord will depend on the effect that the word of God has on us. Other passage mentioned: Psalm 1.
2 Kings 2:1-15 – Are You a Loyal Person? (2001) – MP3 / YouTube
In the final interaction between the prophets, Elijah and Elisha, we see one of the great examples of loyalty. If we are not loyal people, then chances are good that we need to repair our loyalty in terms of our relationship with God. Loyalty to God, translates into loyalty to His people and to His work. Like Elisha, do we have the ambition to be used significantly by Jesus Christ our Lord? Also discussed is the significance of the chariot of Israel. Other passages mentioned: 1 Kings 19:21; 1 Kings 18:17-19:21; Ruth 1:16-17; 2 Samuel 15:21.
2 Kings 2:11-25 – Protect the Future (2001) – MP3 / YouTube
Zane discusses the transition from Elijah to Elisha, the lessons that we can learn from them, and how the decisions that we make today can protect our future.
2 Kings 3:1-27 – You Shouldn’t Have Been There to Begin With (2001) – MP3 / YouTube
Zane discusses King Jehoshaphat of Judah joining King Jehoram of Israel to battle King Mesha of Moab, and how we should seek guidance from God for assistance and direction before major decisions, not after.
2 Kings 4:1-7 – With God Expect the Unexpected (2001) – MP3 / YouTube
The widow in this passage experienced a miracle where God provided for her and her sons in a way she never could have expected. In our dealings with our Creator and in our relationship with the living God, God often acts in ways we could never anticipate. When you bring your needs to God, you should bring them in faith and you should be prepared to do what the word of God tells you to do, and you should always expect the unexpected. Other passages mentioned include: Psalm 103:17; Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:34-44; Luke 9:11-17 ; John 6:5-13; Ephesians 3:20.
2 Kings 4:8-17 – I Just Can’t Believe It (2001) – MP3 / YouTube
The Shunammite woman’s simple and unselfish hospitality towards Elisha the prophet is an example for us. The Bible commends hospitality. God never forgets the things we do for Him, even the small things. If you are living a life of obedience and service to God, prepare to be surprised in how God rewards you for that obedience and service to Him whether in this life or in the life to come.
Other passages mentioned: Romans 12:12-13; Luke 14:12-14; Ephesians 3:20.
2 Kings 4:17-37 – Can You Take the Hit? (2001) – MP3 / YouTube
The Shunammite woman’s response to the hit of the death of her son, shows us how we should respond to the hits in our life. Every time you take a hit in life, it is an opportunity to trust God, to believe in His sovereign and controlling power, and to grow in faith that God can take care of His business. The way to take the blows of life is not to worry about how our affairs will work out, but to trust God, to take care of His business, to work His will and to glorify His name.
2 Kings 4:38-41 – Beware of the Poison (November 25, 2001) – MP3 / YouTube
The story of the sons of the prophets and the poisoned stew serves as an illustration, that man’s biggest problem with God’s religion is that man is always poisoning God’s religion by adding to God’s religion. The antidote to poison stew in our religious experience is an extra dose of the truth of God from the word of God and an extra dose of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the word of God.
2 Kings 5:1-14 – Congratulations for Nothing (December 2001) – MP3 / YouTube
The famous story of the healing of Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, from the disease of leprosy, is an illustration of one of the great principles of the Bible, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. We learn that the most important person in this story is not Naaman or even Elisha, but the unnamed slave girl from the land of Israel. God makes Himself known, not to the mighty and the wise and the educated but, to those who are childlike in heart. In this message, Zane recounts his graduation day from Dallas Theological Seminary on May 19, 1958. Other passages mentioned: Luke 6:27-28; Matthew 11:25-26; James 4:6; Matthew 18:4; Philippians 2:8.
2 Kings 5:14-27 – That Gun Is Loaded (February 17, 2002) – MP3 / YouTube
In this sequel to Naaman’s story of leprosy, Naaman learns that the mercy and grace of God are absolutely free. One of the tragedies of the American church is that there are so many churches who teach and believe, that you cannot get into heaven unless you are willing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ or surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ. People who think that way about the God of the Bible, do not understand the God of the Bible. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, is afflicted with the disease of greed, which is similar to playing with a loaded gun. The Lord doesn’t need our pennies, but if we are smart, we will invest everything we can into His capable hands, and He will return it with magnificent interest in the kingdom of God. Other passages: Romans 6:2-3; Ephesians 2:8-9; Revelation 22:17; John 5:24; 1 Timothy 6:10; Psalm 24:1.
2 Kings 6:24-7:1 – Are You Ready to Give Up? (2002) – MP3 / YouTube
Note, original recording cuts out at around 22 minutes. It is in the crises of life, that our true nature and character are best revealed. In this latest invasion by the King of Syria, the King of Israel has become impatient with God. When we are going through a trying time and we are tempted to become impatient with God, it is good advice to say to ourselves, “Be calm and be patient.” If we become angry with God because of our impatience, and we make up our minds that we are going to defy Him, then we have begun a trip that will lead us to personal and spiritual disaster.
2 Kings 7:1-20 – What Do You Want? A Mess or the Message? (November 2002) – MP3 / YouTube
In God’s miraculous victory over the Syrians, we learn the lesson that it is always dangerous to make light of the word of God or to receive the word of God with proud unbelief. The word of God is the answer to our helplessness, despair and fear. Zane recounts his March 1998 heart attack and the comfort of God’s grace by relying on His word. Other passages mentioned: Ephesians 2:8-9; Revelation 22:17; Proverbs 8:4.
2 Kings 8:7-15 – Get This Stuff Out of My Head (June 22, 2003) – MP3 / YouTube
In this passage, Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, and his servant, Hazael, have bad stuff going through their heads. Ben-Hadad tries to bribe God to heal him of his sickness. Hazael rejects the testimony of God as to his own sinfulness. God is not up in heaven to do what we want Him to do. We are on earth to do what His word tells us to do. Other passages: 2 Kings 6:8-7:7; Matthew 19:17.
2 Kings 8:1-6 – If You Lose It, Will You Find It Again? (2003) – MP3 / YouTube
In this passage, we see the contrast between Gehazi and the Shunammite woman. Gehazi’s greed causes him to lose opportunities to serve God, that he will never find again. The Shunammite woman’s obedience to God leads her to recover everything that she has lost. If you lose it, will you find it again? You will find it again, if you lose it for God. No loss in service to God or in obedience to God’s word is a real loss, but rather a gain through God’s gracious provision and reward. Other passages: Romans 12:1; Mark 8:35; 2 Kings 5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 10:39.
2 Kings 9:1-13 – Who Made Your Match? (March 30, 2003) – MP3 / YouTube
Over and over in the northern kingdom of Israel, men have seized the kingship, but now God is going to match the kingship with the man that God has chosen. God wants to match each believer in Jesus Christ with the kind of work that He wants that believer to do. Does God lead us by our feelings? Never once, does the Bible tell us that God leads us by our feelings. The Bible teaches us that God guides us through His word. We do not get to choose our spiritual gift or our ministry for God. Instead, God matches us to our ministry through the wisdom that we can glean from His word. Who made your match? Did you match yourself with whatever you are trying to do for God or did you let God through His word match you to the kind of work that He has for you to do? Other passages mentioned: Ephesians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:16.
2 Kings 9:14-26 – Ignore the Pain and Do It! (June 2003) – MP3 / YouTube
God’s newly appointed king of Israel, Jehu, ignores the difficulties and pain and focuses on doing the word of God. Sometimes we know what God wants us to do, but we don’t want to do it because we are afraid of the pain. The solution is that we should ignore the pain and do what the word of God teaches. Other passages include: Kings 3:1-2; Galatians 6:7; 1 Kings 21.
2 Kings 10:17-31 – Going Too Far and Not Far Enough (August 27, 2005) – MP3 / YouTube
Jehu fulfills the word of God, because he destroys the house of Ahab. However, Jehu goes too far in acting deceptively in destroying Baal from Israel. You cannot serve the God of truth by telling lies. Later, Jehu does not go far enough by allowing the golden calves to remain. If we have the nerve to add to the word of God, rules that God has not spoken, then we are dummies, but if we fail to move on matters that God’s word has told us to move on, then that is even dumber. It doesn’t matter how dramatically you live the Christian life. It doesn’t matter how successful you appear to be in the Christian life. It doesn’t matter how many people you impress with the way you live the Christian life. The only thing that matters is whether you are doing what God has told you to do and that alone. Other passages include: 2 Kings 9; 2 Kings 10:1-16; 1 Kings 18:16-46; Proverbs 30:5-6; 1 Kings 12:26-29.
2 Kings 11:1-16 – Have You Stolen Power? (August 20, 2005) – MP3 / YouTube
Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab and the mother of the recently deceased King Ahaziah, steals the throne of the kingdom of Judah from the sons of David. The theft of power is a widespread human sin, that also happens in the Christian church. However Jehosheba, sister of King Ahaziah, in compassion hides the baby boy Joash, a descendant of King David from Athaliah. When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the free gift of eternal life, that gift can never be lost and it is ours forever. But, when we take power that does not belong to us, that power is sure to be lost and we must give an account at the Judgment Seat of Christ. All human power is eventually lost, and the only power that matters is the power that can be brought to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Other passages mentioned: 1 Kings 2:13-20; 1 Kings 11:11-13; Matthew 5:7; 2 Chronicles 22:11; Revelation 2:26-29.