<TITLE>05. Par 18-21</TITLE>L-18 God, when He makes a way of escape, or sends a shower of mercy, and the people ignore it, God asked, "Why?" He's got a right to ask, "Why?" When He makes everything ready and presents it, and then the people turn it down, God wants to know, "Why did they do it?" And He has a right to ask, "Why?" for He did it for our good.
Like in the 1st chapter of II Kings, after the death of Ahab, that wicked king of Israel, Ahaziah reigned in his stead, which was his son. And he was just as wicked as his father and mother, Ahab and Jezebel. And while he was walking up in the top of his palace in Israel while he was king over them, he fell through. And when he did, a great sickness set in upon him, and he was almost dead. And he called two of his soldiers and sent them over to Ekron to inquire of the god, Beelzebub, if he was going to get over that sickness or not. He did it secretly.

L-19 And when they were on their road going, doing this wicked thing... There is no wickedness but what God knows about it. There was a little old bald-headed prophet setting down in a little mud hut somewhere in the desert. And the Angel of the Lord come to him and told him what was going on. And He said, "Go up there and stand in the road."
And he cut across the desert and up over the hill, and he stopped the two soldiers. And he said, "Go back and tell that king, is there no God in Israel? Is there no prophet in Israel that you might consult these things, that you'd have to send up to Ekron to the god, Beelzebub? Is that the reason? There's no prophet here or no God to consult, you have to go to such resources as that?" Said, "Go tell him, "THUS SAITH THE LORD, that he will not come off of that bed, but he's going to die for his wickedness."
The soldiers turned and went back. And when they got back to this king, he said, "Why did you return?"
Said, "We met a man. And he told us thus."
The king said, "What kind of a looking fellow was he?"
Said, "He was hairy all over, and he wore leather on his loins."
And the king said, "That's Elijah, the Tishbite." He knew he had done wrong.

L-20 There was a God in Israel. There was a prophet in Israel. But it was because of the king's stubbornness. It was because of his wickedness and his willful sin, that he didn't come and consult God about it. And he lost his life.
So is it today. We don't need so many UNs. If we are a Christian nation, let's call God on the scene. The reason there is no Balm in Gilead... Sure there is Balm. There is a God in America. There's a God here. It's because of the stubbornness of the people that they don't want to consult Him. They'd rather take the advice of some intellectual student, than to come to the blessed Holy Spirit that God sent to the earth. It's the reason that we are in such a condition today. It's not because there isn't a God, it's not because the Holy Spirit isn't still real, it's because the stubbornness of the people. It's because they want to sin. It's because they desire to do those things. That's what's in their heart.

L-21 It's like a man dying on a doctor's steps. If a doctor has a remedy for the disease that the man has, and the man sets on his steps, but refuses to take the remedy, he will die there. And it isn't the doctor's fault. He's got the remedy, and he's willing to give it, but the man's too stubborn to take it.
And so is it today. There's no need of any man dying in sin. There's no need of all of this stuff that's going on. God's got the remedy. And the people set on the church steps and die because they won't receive it. They die in sin setting in the church in the pew, because they won't receive it.


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