Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. Continue on in Wednesday in the word and in our Bible study of Nahum Last time we talked about Nineveh's fate Foretold and how God used the very waters That were around the fortress to bring down the mighty walls when no other enemy could bring them down here tonight We talked about Nineveh's faith detailed I'm glad. You know what? When we look at this, we look at how God's favor is being withdrawn. There's at least 21 times in the Bible when Almighty God says to somebody, Hey, I'm against you. Needless to say, in each instance, it's not a good thing. I'll be having a word of prayer before we get into the scripture. And we'll be reading our scripture as we go forward and teach it. Amen. But we remind ourselves last time, the very last thing of Nahum chapter 1 verse 15, that there was an announcement of peace and vengeance. Nahum envisioned messengers proclaiming peace and celebrating the downfall of Nineveh, bringing relief to God's people. Now, God will execute vengeance on his enemies. He will ensure peace and freedom for all of his true followers. And so we know that that was the fulfillment in history that Nahum's prophecy of Nineveh's fall in 612 BC reflects God's judgment on nations that persecuted his people and that persisted in sin without repentance. And so when we get into Nahum chapter two, verses 1 through 6 we see judgment coming on Nineveh because Nahum prophesies about a future invader not identified explicitly who will bring the judgment upon Nineveh but it's fulfilled by the Babylonian and the Median coalition and so Amidst that judgment, Nahum sees a picture of peace for God's people once their enemies, like the Assyrians, are defeated. Now, though not a direct prophecy about Jesus Christ, Nahum's imagery of a messenger is proclaiming peace that hints at the ultimate peace brought by the Messiah on the cross of Calvary, the Prince of Peace himself. And so, when we look, we're reminded of last time in verse 15 of Nahum chapter 1 of Sennacherib's judgment because Sennacherib was a ruler that symbolized evil and wickedness that plotted against the Lord and that leaded those astray. And so this parallel with Satan, Nahum's description of such rulers are worthless an evil that parallels Satan's nature and promises God's intervention and ultimate defeat of evil. And so I'm glad that as we open up in Nahum chapter two, let's open up with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before you with our hearts open to receive and our minds, and Lord, I take and ask you that as none of us fake, May we gain insight into your justice and in your mercy. Help us, Father, to be more like you each and every day. And Lord, I pray that in our study of Nahum, may we look back and through this Bible study, Lord, even as you speak of a destruction of Nineveh, Lord, I pray, that Lord that even through these evil rulers and through this prophecy I pray God that you'll help us to break down with love and kindness the enemies that come across our path and those father that are evil that we may break the darkness and the evil with the light of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And Lord, I pray, teach us to walk in your ways and to trust in your righteous judgment. And Lord, I pray for those many that are out in darkness and sin and have no peace and have no joy. Lord, I pray that you don't withdraw your favor from any of those that have left you by the wayside. Lord, I pray for them in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Now, I'm glad. Take your Bibles with us over to Nahum chapter two. And what did I say a while ago? There are so many times in the Bible when almighty God says to somebody, hey, I'm against you. And that's not something that's good. When God says he's against you, it means there's an impending judgment. The book of Nahum prophesies of God's coming judgment on the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. And Nineveh was a metropolis city that was built on the eastern banks of the Tigris River. It looked like a city that had everything going for it. It was like your typical New York City. It had untold wealth, splendor, grandeur, unprecedented power, but it had one, one, one major problem. God said to it, I'm against you. Nineveh was a city that was built on the plundering and destruction of others. It was a city that had forgotten God. And you know what? It was full of idolatry, lust, and greed. And Nahum's message was simply this, judgment day is coming. And so we look and we see out of this that one of the most fundamental principles in all of life is that we reap what we sow. If we sow friendliness, we reap the benefit of good friends. But if we sow discord and division, we're going to reap a life of loneliness. And if we sow honesty and hard work, we reap the harvest of employment. But if we sow disrespect, if we sow laziness, we reap all of those things. Because in any line of work, if we sow goodness and kindness, we're going to reap the satisfaction of helping others. But if we sow wickedness, behavior, we're going to reap the judgment of that. No matter what area of life, we reap what we sow. And so, here, one of the great natural laws of the universe that God establishes. Here, he states that Assyria was to suffer the coming judgment of God. And for over a century, this cruel people had wreaked havoc on earth, brutally attacking nation after nation, plundering their wealth, enslavering the survivors. Never before in history had a nation been so given over to cruelty, shed so much blood, committed so many horrible atrocities. the Assyrian brutality that had unparalleled in human history, but it was now time for God's judgment to fall upon this vicious people. Boy, you know what? Nineveh, the capital of the greatest Syrian empire, was soon to fall into God's hand of a terrifying judgment. And I tell you, I remember reading one time in our Daily Bread that recounts the fall of a mighty fortress due to an internal corruption and an external attack, reminding us that there's no power that's immune to downfall when it opposes God's will. And so, here we talk about Nineveh's fate detailed. And I'm glad that this is something that when it happens, you know God's against you. We're gonna talk about in verses one through eight, first of all, the assault on Nineveh. The word of God tells us in the King James, he says, he that dashes in pieces has come up before thy face, keep the munition, watchest the way, make thy loin strong, fortify thy power mightily. He says in verse two of the King James, for the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of Israel for the emptiers have emptied them out and marred their vine branches. He says in verse three, the shield of his mighty men is made red. The violent men are in scarlet. The chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation. And the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. In verse 4, the chariots shall rage in the streets. They shall jostle one against another in the broad ways. They shall seem like torches. They shall run like the lightning. In verse 5, he shall recount his worthies. They shall stumble in their walk. They shall make haste to the wall thereof. And the defense shall be prepared. In verse 6, the gates of the rivers shall be opened and the palace shall be dissolved. In verse 7, The Hazab shall be led away captive. She shall be brought up and her maid shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breast. And lastly, in this first part, in verse eight, but Nineveh is of old like a pool of water, yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry, but none shall look back. Hmm. What is he saying? He's saying, Nineveh, you're under attack. The power that's gonna shatter you has come. You better prepare your defenses. You better guard the road. You better get ready for Babel, because the Lord's about to restore the glory, the mighty glory of Israel, and it was before her enemies plundered her. And so the enemy soldiers, they're carrying red shields, and they're wearing uniforms of red, and they're preparing to attack. and their chariots flash like fire, their horses are prancing, the chariots dash through the streets running back and forth through the city squares, they flash like torches, dart like lightning, the officers are summoned, they stumbled as they pressed forward and they rushed to the wall and set up a shield for the battering ram. But you know what else we read? That the gates by the river burst open, the palace is filled with terror, The queen is taken captive. The servants moan like doves, beat their breast in sorrow, and like water from a broken dam, the people rush from Nineveh. Stop! Stop! And the ring cries out, but no one turns back." Wow! Verses 1 through 8, when we look at these scriptures, we're reminded of the imagery described of the fierce assault on Nineveh. Despite their preparations, despite the city's defenses, they crumble, chaos ensues, and the fall of Nineveh signifies the failure of human strength against God's judgment. Amen. I know when we look at this, how can a person be prepared for the future day of judgment? Well, there are truths that we must understand that are found here in Nahum chapter 2. First of all, their power is futile on the day of judgment. There was not a more powerful city on the face of the earth than Nineveh. It looked invincible. It's situated with water of the Tigris River all around it as an island that it said in verse 8. But, nay hum. symbolize Nineveh as a lion, and as a powerful and rabious lion, it had stalked its prey, filled its den with prey from nations and cities, but Nahum vividly depicts what Nineveh's judgment day would look like. Nahum uses sarcasm, because he says, get all your mighty power ready, but then it reveals the outcome, because mighty Nineveh is going to be fallen and dashed in pieces, and they're going to be left They'll be left as women which were led away captive. And you know what? When God brings judgment to the earth, many armies, many nations, many people are going to be crushed. They will be absolutely powerless when Christ brings judgment in Revelation chapter 6. We notice over in Revelation chapter 6 the list of kings and great men and mighty men because on judgment day man's power will be rendered useless. Salvation and deliverance will only be found in one place and that is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that the psalmist of Psalms 37 tells us about and so power is futile on the day of judgment but also secondly we see in verse 2 that pride will be bashed on the day of judgment because in verse 2 God reminds Nineveh of the judgment that he had brought on his own people Israel The word excellency means arrogant, pride. God's people Israel had gotten full of themselves and they had rebelled against God and they had disobeyed God's word. Do you hear me America? And yet God brought judgment and their enemies had emptied them out as Nahum begins to say in verse two that he began to tell us that he said, for the Lord had turned away the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of Israel, for the emptiers have emptied them out and marred their vine branches." You know what? When we see this, it has to do with the Lord humbling the ten tribes. using the Assyrians as his instruments, and they emptied out the whole land of the northern kingdom of Israel, and they marred their vineyard branches to fall as the destruction of Israel, as the effort to subdue Judah. But I'm going to tell you, you know what? I'm glad that he talked about the shield of the mighty men that was made red. And so, we see pride that was abased on the day of judgment. God has desired for Israel to be a fruitful vine, but because of sin, their vine branches were now marred, and Nineveh was full of itself, and they thought they were invincible. And the night that the Babylonian army finally broke through the walls, the king was so full of pride and assuredness that he and all of his nobles were partaking in some kind of a drunken orgy. But judgment came suddenly, and the king and his people were brought low in a moment. Boy, I'm going to tell you something. You know what? That depicts a mighty lion brought low. Isaiah described the future day of judgment in Isaiah chapter two. God brings low the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. Have you ever humbled yourself before God and recognized your need of his grace? And so we see the power that is futile on the day of judgment according to verse eight. And then we look also that in verse two, the pride that was abased on that day of judgment. But then we see the possessions that are worthless on that day of judgment because there was no way to describe how wealthy this city was. The Assyrians were a powerful war machine. They would capture, they would plunder, they would destroy cities and nations. The gold, the silver, and anything of worth from their victims would become theirs. But there is a verse that says, listen, you reap. what you sow. Amen? Because when Nineveh's judgment day finally came, their wealth could do nothing to save them. Do you understand and do you hear me America? You can work all day, you can keep on making it and bringing the bacon in, but it won't save you. No, it won't. You can have all the money in the world, but it will not keep you. God can break you with your health. He can take every dime and every penny and every cent you got because you think you've got all the money in the world that you can do whatever you want to. But here in verses one through eight, there was an assault on Nineveh. And so, I'm glad that when we look and realize of what He's telling us, Amen, He said, you're going to reap what you sow. And so, I'm glad that in verse 8, He said, but Nineveh is of old like a pool of water, and yet they have fled away. They stand, they stand. Shall they cry? But none shall look back. You see, the multiple thousands of traders and merchants who flocked to the city as water flowed into a pool, and yet they fled away. Because the siege of the city, the ultimate fall, all of these people were running away, concerned only for their own safety, despite all of the captains saying, stand, stand. They fled, and none of them looked back. Boy, what a shame, because what we say, you're going to reap what you sow. When Judgment Day came, she was empty and void and waste, and it does not matter how much stuff you accumulate on this earth, because on Judgment Day, it will mean absolutely nothing. Listen, you can't pull the U-Haul behind the hearse. On Judgment Day, it will mean absolutely nothing. And this is why Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, verses 19-20, lay not up for yourselves treasures. Paul said not to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God. Are you prepared for Judgment Day? Your riches won't prepare you. What will? Only those who have trusted in God will survive the day of judgment. And so, we see the plundering of Nineveh, starting with verse nine, going down to verse 13. The Bible says, take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold, for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture. Verse 10, she is empty and void and waste, and the heart melteth and the knees smite together. and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness. In verse 11, where is the dwelling of the lions and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked? and the lion's whelp and none made them afraid in verse 12 the lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps and strangled for his lionesses and filled his holes with prey and his dens with raven and Lastly, verse 13. Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts. I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lines, and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard. You know what? They plunder the silver, the gold. The city is full of treasure. Nineveh's destroyed, deserted, desolate. And all of a sudden the knees tremble and the strength is gone. And now the city that was like a den of lions, the place where the young lions were fed, where the lion and the lionesses would go and their cubs would be safe. The lion killed his prey, tore it to pieces for his mate and her cubs. He filled his den with torn flesh. But now in verse 13, It says, I'm your enemy, says the Lord Almighty, and I'm going to burn your chariots, and your soldiers are going to be killed in war, and I'm going to take away everything that you took from everybody else, and I'm going to tell you, you're no longer going to be heard of anymore. You know what? Here we see that as the Word of God, the once mighty city that is plundered and left desolate, the imagery of lions symbolizes strength and dominance, highlighting the complete overthrow of Nineveh. Here, God's declaration against the city underscores his authority and futility of resisting his will. And so, you know what? Only those who have trusted in God will survive the day of judgment. God will bring judgment against sin because he's holy and because he's just. He's the judge of the earth, and he wouldn't be a good judge if he allowed sin and disobedience to go unpunished. And yet God is a good God and He desires to show mercy. He wants to be your stronghold when Judgment Day comes. He has already made a complete provision for you and me to be capable to escape the Judgment Day and to be able to live with Him forever. on the cross of Calvary is what He made available. Jesus Christ took that judgment that you and I deserve on the cross, and we have all sinned against God. We deserve judgment. We deserve eternal death. But Christ died for all of our sins on the cross of Calvary. God simply desires to see yours and mine heart trusting in the payment Christ made for our sins. Nahum said, the Lord knoweth them that trust in him. Boy, ain't that good? I'm glad that he does, praise God. I'm glad that he does. He knows those ones. He knows us that trust in him, praise God. And so I'm glad that when we look and realize that the Lord is looking for us, he is looking for us to be able to trust him. Have you trusted Christ to save you? Listen. I'm glad that every one of us, you can be saved right now. You can trust in God's Son and what He's already done for you. The thought of Judgment Day is a fearful thing to those that have rejected Christ. But for those that have trusted Him, Christ has taken away all the fear. Nineveh, once a mighty city on the Tigris River, faced judgment due to its greed and violence. And Nahum's message echoes throughout scripture, warning of a future day of judgment. This chapter, too, provides how that one can prepare for judgment day, because I'm glad powerlessness is on judgment day. Despite Nineveh's might and strategic location, it would fall to enemies as depicted by Nahum. Even the powerful will be humbled on judgment day. And I'm telling you, I'm glad that every one of us, humility in judgment, God humbled Israel and would do the same to Nineveh in his arrogance. Pride leads to downfall. And so, We see that wealth won't do you no good on Judgment Day. Nineveh's wealth and plundered riches could not save it on Judgment Day. Material possessions hold no value on Judgment Day. Jesus taught to lay up treasures in heaven and not on earth. And so we can have salvation through trust in God, because Nahum emphasizes God's judgment against sin, but also his desire to show mercy. And Jesus provided the way to escape judgment through the sacrifice on the cross. Trusting in Jesus is the only way to be saved from that eternal judgment. And so I'm glad that God judges sin because he's just. Salvation is found in trusting Christ alone. And so, have you trusted Jesus Christ for your salvation? Because His sacrifice offers forgiveness and eternal life. How does understanding God's justice affect your view of sin and righteousness? You see, God's justice demands accountability. for sin, it urges us to repent and trust in Christ. You know, why is humility something that's essential in our relationship with Almighty God? Because pride leads to downfall, but humility opens the door to God's grace and mercy. What steps can you take tonight to lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth? Listen to me. Listen to me, by prioritizing eternal values, if you will invest in God's kingdom, by stepping out on faith and taking on his word and letting him be the keeper of your soul through faithfulness and through his generosity, you can have eternal life. Understanding that I'm a sinner, listen to me, but believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross to free me from the punishment of my sins, I now receive him as my Lord and Savior. And from this day forward, I desire to live to please Christ and in placing my trust in him for the gift of eternal life. You can pray that prayer in your own words and in your own way. But if you believe it, if you step out and take God at his word, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. What did I tell you? You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips. Let's close out. Father, thank you for your warning and for your promises of Nahum's prophecy. Help us to heed your call to repentance and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. And may we live with eternity in mind, laying up treasures in heaven, sharing our message of grace with those that are around us, our co-workers, those that are around us, oh Father. And I pray God, Lord, that no matter what, Lord, I pray that we will pronounce the love of Jesus as we share his light, as we go into the darkened places of the world, that, Lord, that we can lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. And so, Father, help us to heed your call to repentance and trust Jesus Christ for salvation, that we live with eternity in mind and share the message of grace with others. In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. so so