2 Kings chapter 3. And we remember this passage, we've read it twice already, so I'm not going to read the whole passage. I'm going to read from verse 13. But just a recap, we have the Moabites rebelling against Israel. And Israel asking Judah, Judah's king, King Jehoshaphat, if he would come and help him. And then they pick up the king of Edom on the way, but they've been wandering about in the desert without any water. And they reckon they're gonna be defeated before they've even drawn a sword by the Moabites. And then we read in verse 13, looking around for children's sheets. Have you got the sheets yet? No. That's because I've not. King Jehoshaphat, the good king, asks, Is there a prophet of the Lord? And he's told, yes, Elisha. And they go to Elisha, and this is Elisha's response in verse 13, and we'll read to the end of the chapter. 2 Kings chapter three in verse 13. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, what have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.' But the king of Israel said to him, No, it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, as the Lord of hosts lives before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. But now bring me a musician. And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, thus says the Lord, I will make this dry stream bed full of pools. For thus says the Lord, you shall not see wind or rain, but that stream bed shall be filled with water so that you shall drink it, you, your livestock and your animals. This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. he will also give the Moabites into your hand. And you shall attack every fortified city, and every joy city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop up all springs of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones. The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water. When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border. And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. And they said, this is blood. The kings have surely fought together and struck one another, struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil. But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites till they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they went. And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land, every man threw a stone till it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees till only its stones were left in Ker Haraseth. and the slingers surrounded and attacked it. When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through opposite the king of Edom, but they could not. Then he took his oldest son, who was about to reign in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall, and there came great wrath against Israel, and they withdrew from him and returned to their own land. Amen. Well, we hope and pray that the Lord will bless the preaching of his word. In this passage, The three kings are given great deliverance from their enemies and from dehydration by the Lord. And we considered the first sermon we had on this, that the only reason the king of Israel and his army were delivered was because he was with the king of Judah. You remember that? In verse 14, and Elijah said, as the Lord of hosts lived before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. Were it not for Jehoshaphat, I wouldn't save you. But because they're with Jehoshaphat, they're saved. Now, of course, Jehoshaphat is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Was it not for Jesus Christ, we would not be saved. In the second sermon, we considered how this deliverance is completely of God. He brings the water supernaturally and He delivers the Moabites into the hands of Israel. It is God who delivers. It is not man's work, it is God's work. And today we are coming to consider this deliverance in its abundance. This deliverance that God gives here in our passage, but even more so what it points to for us. is such an abundant deliverance. I hope it will bring delight to the hearts of the believers here this afternoon. So the first point for the children, the first big point on the front side of your sheet, the abundant breadth and depth of God's deliverance. First point, the abundant breadth and depth of God's deliverance. We looked at in the last times that these three armies, though they were in a desert and there was no natural water, were given water by God. Enough water for all of the three armies to satiate themselves and for any horses or animals that they had with them. And then there was enough left to appear like blood for the Moabites to see. This was a lot of water, an abundant quantity of water. But upon predicting this, look in verse 18. He's saying that the water will come, there'll be enough for their livestock and their animals, then verse 18. This, the supernatural giving of water it's talking about, this is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. It is a light thing to supernaturally bring water enough for three armies and all their livestock. Does that seem like a light thing to you? Doesn't seem like a light thing to me. That's quite a heavy thing, quite a significant thing. The Lord's definition of what is a light thing and our definition of what is a light thing are two very different things. You might have a very big man, for whom a rock is a light thing for him to pick up and throw around, but for a child, maybe like Freddy, couldn't possibly even lift it, because it's too big. So it is with God and us. What is light for God is impossible for us. I make my wife's coffee in the morning, each morning of the week. I get up, and I grind the beans, and then I put them in the cafetiere, and I put the nearly boiling water in, about 95 degrees, and then I heat up her milk in the microwave, and I pour that into the milk, because she likes a flat white. I make my wife coffee. That's a light thing, isn't it? Like, it's something I do every day, it's consistent, she appreciates it, but if she was to say, thank you, husband, for this good thing you've done for me, I could say, that's no problem, wife. It's a light thing. and I'm not losing my arm or my leg or having to do any terrible chores. It's a light thing. One of the men in one of these armies in our passage could perhaps have gone and found some water. Perhaps you've got the hardest, bravest, fittest man and he runs until he finds some water, fills up a flask and brings it back. That would not be a light thing for him, would it? That would be a hard thing. But it's one flask of water. God just swashes in enough for all the armies and all their livestock. God is not like us. Whatever you think of Donald Trump, he certainly considers America a great nation. His slogan is, make America great again. But he already considers America to be great. And it is a superpower. You know, if there's a war, I hope America's on our side and not against us. But in the recent Los Angeles wildfires, they ran out of water to put the fires out with. Now, could Trump or could America supernaturally swash in a load of water with all their billions of pounds? No, because there wasn't any. You see, God is not like us. Even the greatest, most powerful nations, they're nothing compared to God. This is a light thing for God to do. God is not bound by natural laws. He's not bound by limitations of weakness and ignorance like we are. Is your view of God too small? It is, and so's mine. We all have views of God that are too small. And even in all eternity, our view of God will be growing and growing and growing. But nevertheless, we need to convict ourselves. Let us expand our view of God. Have we limited His power in our minds? Do we treat Him with too little respect? He is enthroned in heaven. He is seated at the throne above all other thrones from all eternity. And consider this, past, present, future is for God, as He sits outside of time, an eternal present. An eternal present. Can you even comprehend that? Everything for God is now because he's outside of time. Everything throughout the whole of history. God is not like us. Christian, your God is in control. He can do everything he pleases. It is all in his will. Global changes, the rise and fall of nations, but even down to the hairs on your head, He has numbered them. He is in control, you can trust in Him. But bringing this water, I think it's not just a light thing because it's easy for God, I think what Elisha is also saying is God is very happy to do this for the sake of King Jehoshaphat. This is not something which God is like, hmm, well I might or I might not, Not sure, no, God is, he's very happy to do it for the sake of King Jehoshaphat, who remember, typologically for us, is the Lord Jesus Christ. God will not just give them this water, verse 18, look at the second half of verse 18, he will also give them Moabites into your hand. Now we've studied before how this happened. It happened because they rose in the morning and they saw the water and they thought the water was blood and they said, they've all killed themselves, Moab to the spoil. And then they came into a trap and then they were just wiped out and they continued slashing them down as they went along. And the rest of the story unfolds. But we're focusing today on not exactly how it happened, but on the abundance of this deliverance. If you come with faith to God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he will give you an abundant deliverance. God delights to give good gifts to his children. He delights in it. Know that God is an abundant, generous God. He loves to give good gifts to his children. He delights in it. Is that your view of God? Or is your view of God some sort of divine Ebenezer Scrooge who wants to give the little as he possibly can? Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens' A Christmas Carol barely pays his faithful clerk, Bob Cratchit, That's it, isn't it? Bob Cratchit, he barely pays him. He doesn't want to even give him Christmas day off. He's such a Scrooge. God doesn't have a divine treasure chest. Misers always have a chest under their bed where they put all their money and it never comes out. God doesn't have a divine chest where he keeps all his good things and never lifts them out. God wants to give them to his people. God delights to give. This is a light thing for God to do for Jehoshaphat, his servant. And it's a light thing for God to do for anyone who comes with the Lord Jesus Christ. God's generosity to his people is abundant. Did he not give his only begotten son? And so typologically, that is, this points forward to the new covenant, to the gospel that we know and love. We've already alluded to it. Is there anything limited or small about the deliverance that God offers to sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is there anything small about it? Is there anything miserly about it, measuring out small amounts? No. God lavishes with great generosity. Is there anything about the deliverance that we have in Jesus Christ where we could say, well, God ladled that out with a very small ladle there, give me a very small amount like those very snazzy restaurants, a massive plate with a tiny bit of food. Is that what God's like with us, with deliverance? No, it's not, is it? He lavishes it upon us. How so? Let us briefly consider, and at this point, some of the blessings of God's deliverance to Christians. Does he not open our eyes? Do you know before the Holy Spirit opened our eyes, we were spiritually dead, which means the truths of God could have been placed before us in all their glory, in all their perfection, and they would have meant nothing to us because our eyes would have been closed. But God opens them to the wonder of the gospel. He opens our hearts. In fact, he takes out our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh that desires the Lord Jesus Christ, that sees our own sinfulness. He opens our eyes. He gives us his only begotten son. This is what God does for believers. Gives them his only begotten son to live as a man for 33 years on this earth, and then to die. To die on a gruelling cross. To die, not just in physical torment, but in spiritual agony, as the Father pours out His wrath upon Him. In this deliverance, through that sacrifice, we have forgiveness of sins. Do you see it's like, as one person said it, one theologian of the past said it, it's like God goes around behind us, or He sends a messenger behind us. And every sin we commit, and then goes on our account, and you'd expect we'd have to pay for that sin. No, God is scrubbing it out. He's saying, that's been paid for, that's been paid for, that's been paid for. Forgiveness for every single sin that you ever have committed, and that you ever will commit. But we have also in this deliverance freedom from the devil's reign. that reign of terror over which he held us. In our sin, we were chained to him, but those chains are smashed. We no longer need to bow to the devil. We have a new king, a gracious king, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have reconciliation and communion with God. Ever since Adam's sin, humanity has been torn away from God. God cannot abide wickedness, but in the Lord Jesus Christ, God's face has been turned back to us. and we have reconciliation and communing with God, that which gives us purpose, that which gives us life. We are adopted into the family of God, sons and daughters of God. Within heaven, that seat at the table waiting for you. We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. If you're a Christian, actually dwelling in you. He will cause you to persevere to the end. He will cause you to be sanctified. Your sins to become less and less and your righteousness to become more and more. He will enable you to conquer, wherein yourself you would only be conquered. We have the communion of the saints. What a blessing the communion of the saints is. Where would we be without that? If we were all on our own with the Bible. God has given us the communion of the saints, he's given us church, he's given us his word, preached and read to uphold us, to guide us, a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. He's given us the Lord's supper whereby we eat and drink and receive afresh that promise of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that is as certainly for us as the bread that we just ate and the wine that we just drank. He gives us the hope of heaven, a hope that for all eternity we shall be seated in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, in bliss and communion with God. And we have the new heavens and the new earth, whereby all things shall be made new. And we are given all the blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. Christian, your God is a God who lavishes good gifts upon his people. How much we can trust Him. How thankful we should be. How unthankful we so often are. How unthankful we so often are. How much God has done for us and we have been so cold towards Him. We have been so shallow in our worship. We have been so insincere in our thanksgiving. But God is here to forgive us, and he is here to enable us by the power of his spirit with new life to seek a greater thankfulness, to seek a warmer love for him. And so that's our first point, but secondly, second big point. The measures taken to make this deliverance enduring. The measures taken to make this deliverance enduring. 2 Kings chapter 3 and verse 19 to 25, we see this. Elisha tells them in the stead of God, that they shall attack every fortified city and every choice city and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones. And we see that is exactly what they do to the Moabites. The Moabites who have a history of sexual immorality a history of worshipping false gods, a history of being a right pain to the Israelites, this judgement upon them will mean that they won't be strong enough to attack the Israelites again for a long time. Think about it. They are to attack every fortified city. They are to take down all the fortifiedness of the nation. They are to not be able to have that strength in their cities. They are to chop down every tree. I think he's referring to fruit trees. So that they're going to struggle for food. They're to block up the springs so that they're going to struggle to water their crops. Yes, this is a strong judgment, but this is a judgment from God. And it is because, partly, the Moabites are not to attack the Israelites again. And this is ensuring that that won't happen in strength for a while. It's true, the Moabites continue to hate Israel and to send in bans, but there was no real wholesale rebellion. This judgment is intended to weaken them. This is intended to free the Israelites from the rebellion of the Moabites for a long time. And do we not know this for ourselves? Is this not so with us? Our deliverance from the punishment for our sins, our deliverance from the devil, our deliverance from our own wickedness, is not just a deliverance for today or for tomorrow. It is a deliverance that lasts forever. How long did the deliverance from war in the Great War, or was the World War I, was that the war they said was the war to end all wars? Is that right? How long did that last? Two decades? Sorry? Yeah, not very long. The peace didn't last, did it? The deliverance did not last long at all. World War II came fairly soon. But our deliverance is not for two decades. Our deliverance is not for a generation. Our deliverance is not for a hundred years, a thousand years. Our deliverance is forever. Does the hymn writer not say, when I've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, I've no less days to sing God's praise than when I first begun to pray. Have you realised what that verse is saying? When I've been there for 10,000 years, I have the same amount of days in front of me and an infinite amount more to sing God's praise. Children, consider how old you are. Consider your ages. Well, you're not very old, any of you, are you? That's not a criticism. It's not a bad thing to be young. One can't help one's age. Many older people would like to be younger. How long do you think it would take to get to the age of 40? 40 years old? Can you imagine that? Can you imagine it? That would be a long time, wouldn't it? The grand old age of 40, goodness me. Even the oldest of you, we'd have to times your lifespan at the moment by at least four and a half. Perhaps five times more. But think about how long it would take to get to 100. That's a long time, isn't it? 100 years old. Or how about 192 years? Do you know the oldest tortoise in the world is 192 years old? Jonathan is his name. 192 years old. How long he's been around? Goodness me. What is it now? 2025. 192. Let's say it's rounded up to 200. It's around in 1925, 1825. It's around about 1830, isn't it? That's around about when he was born. That's a long time. Think of all the things that have happened in that time. What about a thousand years? A thousand years. or 10,000 years, or 1,000,000 years. These figures, they don't mean anything to us anymore, isn't it? It's like when they give the budget at the, whatever it is in Parliament, and they're talking about how many billion we're in debt. It's like, past a few hundred thousand, I can't conceive of that amount. One billion, a hundred billion, it just all seems the same. But that's because it's so far, it's so big. 1,000,000 years, a billion years. Eternity goes on forever, forever. After 100,000 years in heaven, the people of heaven shall still not die. How can that be? It is because the Lord Jesus Christ has delivered them once for all, once for all. On the cross, when he died, Hebrews 10 verse 10, once for all his sacrifice was made. He didn't need another one, that was it. If you're a Christian, or if you want to be a Christian, you repent and believe that sacrifice will be once for all. All eternity. He defeated the devil once for all. He took away your sins once for all. And the promised land of heaven shall never pass away. God desires to give good gifts to his children and you so receive, if you're a Christian, that generosity for all eternity. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is enough. Christian, your sins, nailed to that cross, you bear them no more. They have been removed from you as far as the east is from the west. Though you were red like scarlet, you are white as snow. So have hope. And in that hope, we've been just considering these incredible, transcendent, remarkable truths, greater gifts than we could ever possibly imagine. Now let's get to the nitty gritty of what we should do in response to that. Well, let me give you one thing. Use everything God has given you now for God. Use everything you have for God. Give, give, give. And I'm not saying give all your money away. I'm talking about a life. Well, obviously our money is a part of that and we are to steward that well. But we are to give in every way that we can to the Lord. If we have eternity waiting for us, why would we scrap around thinking, no, I need this here now, I need that here now. If God has given it to us, let us give it back to him and use it as he would have us use it. Is there anything too much to give back to God? I know I quote it all the time, but it's a fantastic line. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small, love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. You never have to feel, Christian. You never have to feel. I'm missing out on this, or I'm missing out on that. And there's nothing wrong with life goals, looking ahead and planning is good. But for our own sake, in terms of selfish, kind of, I want this or I want that, we should never have to say, well, I must have this before I die, or I must have that before I die. That's acting like the world who think when they die, that's it. We know when we die, we shall go to be with God and all our greatest desires, all our greatest plans, they should be fulfilled. for all eternity. So never think, I'm not gonna do that for the Lord, because I want to spend my time doing this instead, because I need to do this, because I don't wanna miss out on this life. We have the next life. We have eternity coming. Our third point. And this is a more sober, well they were all very sober points before, but a more solemn point. The extent and permanence of the judgment of God's enemies. The extent and permanence of the judgment of God's enemies. We have considered these Moabites as representing a number of things, God's judgment, the devil, the enemies of God, but we shall consider them here in this final point in their primary and most obvious state, the enemies of God and of God's people. The flip side of the deliverance that we have been considering is that those who don't have this deliverance will face the full force of the consequences of their sinful actions. In verse 24, the Moabites come to the camp of Israel and the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites till they fled before them and they went forward striking the Moabites as they went. This is a terrifying scene. They are to cover the ground of the Moabite nation in stones and cut down the trees Miserable destruction will come upon the Moabites. It is futile to fight against the people of God. Do not fight against the people of God. Do not oppose them. All who do this shall be destroyed. Not that the people of God will take up sword against you here and now, except perhaps in self-defense. But God is on the side of the people of God. And God is an enemy that you cannot face and win. Are you rebelling against God? Are you resisting his will? If so, your destruction is imminent. That means, children, it's around the corner. Any time, it could drop. In verse 26, we see the king of Moab, the battle's going against him, and he takes with him 700 swordsmen to break through opposite the king of Edom. Now, why did he pick the king of Edom? Well, perhaps the king of Edom's army was the weakest. Perhaps he thought, because the king of Edom wasn't, he was just a vassal king of King Jehoshaphat, maybe they thought he wouldn't be faithful. He must have thought this was the best chance he had of getting through, of where the King of Edom is. So he takes 700 strong swordsmen and tries to break through. I used to play rugby at school, and that is exactly the strategy often in rugby, is you get your biggest guy, give the ball to him, and try to get him to run against their weakest guy. Because the whole point is, if you're on the field and there are two teams, you're trying to get through their line and score on the other side. So if you take your biggest guy and get him to run through their weakest guy, he's got the best chance. The king of Moab takes his strong 700 men and goes against the weakest point, thinks maybe I can get through and I can escape destruction. But look what happens in verse 26. But they could not. He can't get through. And there's a lesson here for us. even the weakest in God's army shall conquer and the strongest amongst the wicked shall be defeated. Psalm 8 verse 2 says, out of the mouth of babes and infants you have established strength because of your foes to still the enemy and the avenger. The only reason why the Moabites in our passage, verse 27, are not utterly destroyed, the only reason why their final strongest city isn't brought down, is because the king of Moab offers up his son on the wall, presumably as an offering to the gods. He offers it on the wall so that the Israelites can see and perhaps so that his own people can see and be angered against the Israelites. and we see that there was great wrath against Israel and Israel withdrew from him and returned to their own land. Maybe the Israelites became afraid at the wrath that was against them, or perhaps they had mercy. They saw this man offer his own son on the wall and had mercy on the Moabites. Well, either way, there is a day coming when those who are outside of Christ shall have no mercy. No mercy. Revelation 6, and I'll read four or five verses from verse 12. This is a picture, it's apocalyptic, so it's figurative, but nevertheless speaks truth to us. When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? Without deliverance, without Christ, this devastation shall be for you. The Moabites' defeat was not comparable. It was nothing compared to the day of the second coming. That is coming. World War II is not comparable in any sense. All suffering, all horror that this world has seen up to the present moment, except the crucifixion, does not have a patch on what is coming. So are you ready? The Lord Jesus Christ offers deliverance that is comparably wonderful. God can lavish upon you grace upon grace, and where sinners abounded, grace will abound all the more. But there must be faith. Can you imagine this? God's wrath poured out upon sinners, not in Christ. And this for all eternity. Or will you not be delivered? Will you not humble yourself and be delivered? End your rebellion against God. It will only end in misery. May God give us all a living, saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we conclude, the deliverance of God is wide and broad. It abounds. It goes on. and on and on in its wonder and grace. Its extent is massive. Its blessings are immeasurable. And God's abundance shall be lavished on the believer here. May not one of the people here hold on to their rebellion and be damned. Your sins shall be like a millstone around your neck. Throw them off. cling to the cross, recognise your need to be delivered, and join the rejoicing ranks of the victorious children of God, so wonderfully delivered, who in heaven shall be ever happy, ever blessed.