The Unequal Yoke

Turn please to 2nd Chronicles again this morning in chapter 25. 2nd Chronicles chapter 25, we'll begin at verse number 5. Similar theme as our brother Scott had this morning, we're going to look at another king, Amaziah, and we're going to look at how he conducted his business in warfare. 2nd Chronicles 25 verse 5, Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and made them captains over thousands and captains over hundreds according to the houses of their fathers throughout all Judah and Benjamin and he numbered them from 20 years old and above and found them 300,000 choice men able to go forth to war that could handle spear and shield.

He hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valor out of Israel for a hundred talents of silver but there came a man of God to him saying, O king let not the army of Israel go with thee for the Lord is not with Israel to wit or to know with all the children of Ephraim but if thou wilt go do it be strong for the battle God shall make thee fall before the enemy for God hath power to help and to cast down and Amaziah said to the man of God but what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel and the man of God answered the Lord is able to give thee much more than this then Amaziah separated them to wit the army that was come to him out of Ephraim to go home again wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah and they returned home in great anger and Amaziah strengthened himself and led forth his people and went to the valley of salt and smote the children of seer ten thousand now to the book of 2nd Corinthians please chapter 6 verse number 14 2nd Corinthians 6 verse 14 be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols for ye are the temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people wherefore come out from among them and be separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will be a father unto you and he shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty Lord bless to us the reading of his precious word when we come to this man Amaziah he is really a picture to us of of what we've read in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 of an unequal yoke what this man is entering into here is he is considering this battle is he is joining affinity with with the the nation of Israel the tribes the other tribes God was not with those people what Concord has one with the other God was with Judah God was not with Israel and what Amaziah is doing here is he's taking upon himself an unequal yoke and I'd like to look at four four truths about an unequal yoke this morning I would like to look at the logic behind it why is it that these kings that Scott has mentioned why is it that we today I think we need to enter into a union a yoke with someone that God is not with whether it be financial and business or whether it be marital or with a saved and unsaved person why do we think we need to do this a logic behind it and we're going to look at the Lord ship that is betrayed when someone enters into an unequal yoke they're really betraying the Lordship of Christ and what we're going to look at their at their look at that there is what we're really saying is God can't provide God isn't enough and so instead of really looking at the nation's it that these men were affiliated with I would like to look at our notions the logic behind it the Lordship that is betrayed the lessons to be learned from it what are we going to learn from this King why he did what he did what were the results that happened and finally the loss because of an unequal yoke there's always going to be lost with an unequal yoke always there has to be because God will not share his glory with someone else and God will not allow his people to give something or someone else the glory that is his by his great providence by his great care by his great compassion toward his people so for you younger ones here this morning keep this in your mind for the rest of your life we read of old Kings that entered into these things older ones today watch out for the unequal yoke it is real it is real for young and it is real for old something that we look to to meet our need something that we give credit to for meeting our need is against God against God so this man and his logic behind it this man is going to war when you go to war you count the cost you weigh it up are you going to have enough army are you going to have enough resources to defeat your enemy that's what this man is doing so he numbers his soldiers and he's got 300,000 choice men men of valor men of war and he's thinking to himself logically you know a hundred thousand more would be kind of handy just a safeguard we might be we might not be able to need them or maybe he was thinking maybe we'll send them in first and let them die first I don't know doesn't tell us but the point was this his logic is this is something that I need this is something that will make my life easier this is something that will relieve my burden in a little way that is his logic and when it comes to an unequal yoke for you and I it's always this this is what I need this is what I need you know I'm going to stress probably primarily this morning is our young people in an unequal yoke you're looking for a life's partner that's wonderful you've got your eyes on someone maybe it's a friend at school maybe she's the cutest thing you've ever seen and not only that she's sweet and she's caring but she's not saved what runs through your mind young men and some of you are listening you're smiling this is a person a young person that I need this young person would fit me just right this young man this young woman as she would make me complete absolutely everything I've been looking for except for a course she's not saved I'm going to be very blunt this morning dating to be an evangelist doesn't work doesn't work I'm gonna date so-and-so so I can bring him to meeting I'm gonna spend time with so-and-so so that I can get him under the sound of the gospel that is a good intention but it usually doesn't work beware of those thoughts the logic behind it this is what I need this is what I need I don't want to give you a number I can't give you an exact number of of peers that when I was a teenager are now gone from God's assembly because of an unequal yoke you see them as I thought you know this is exactly what I need this is exactly the perfect fit for my situation this is exactly what will take pressure off of me this was exactly what I need and when you come older ones to business watch out in business for an equal yoke the partnerships that the world will seek to get you into will be costly we're gonna learn that in a moment and so this man's the logic behind it was this is what I need and so the lordship that is betrayed lordship is something that is very misunderstood and most young people growing up I was one of them I would think look at lordship and I would think of being a bond slave to Christ and as a Christian I am and so are you but we're looking at it through the wrong lens through the law from the wrong viewpoint lordship means that he is responsible for me enjoy that believer that God is responsible for me the Lord Jesus Christ is responsible for me and for my well-being it is not a bondage it is not a terrible thing it is not a great restriction to acknowledge Christ is Lord in everyday life of the conflict of the strife comes in when we have a carnal mind and there's things that we want to do because we want to do them and we're not allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us and Christ to be our Lord always remember this God has the best in mind for you and whatever whatever age in life you are God has the best in mind for you what is the devil gonna tell you and what is the flesh gonna tell you no no you need to take care of this now you need to work on this your own self you need to come about the answer by yourself and that fits right into our attitude when we're younger doesn't it's interesting to watch little kids grow up I can do it myself what can they do their self well they finally can brush their teeth their self powerful development in childhood and after that it is tie your shoe wonderful and you've all had been around kids if you do not have kids and they're all I want to do it myself what is that well that is our little independent spirit that is starting to grow and it is good in growth to see kids mature and to do things on their own how many times do they put the shoe on the wrong foot how many times do they drop the toothbrush on the floor it's all part of growth but when it comes to our spiritual growth we're all going to make mistakes and we all need to learn the hard way but watch out for the unequal yoke because what we are displaying is the very same thing Amaziah was displaying that I'm going to win this battle by myself I'm going to fight this by myself you notice he never even inquired of the Lord he never even considered what the Lord wanted him to do it was a logical thing more soldiers means quicker victory more soldiers means more power more soldiers means easier for us but he was wrong and so you've got the lordship that is betrayed this is a heartbreaking aspect of an equal yoke the Lord says be not unequal yoke together with unbelievers and to set him aside and in disobedience go forward into something that might be a lifelong commitment is a tragedy it's a tragedy the lordship that is betrayed I'm going to do this myself God in his grace sends a man of God to him he sends a messenger to this man and the messenger has a very very simple message from God did you catch that he says this let not the army of Israel go with you because the Lord is not with Israel not even the children of Ephraim that's the first part of his message he says don't go it is a warning directly from God he's saying no don't go God is not with them can I tell you this you would be far better absolutely alone with God than with a million soldiers look at Gideon and his armor-bearer and they go alone and there with God and God routes ring brings the victory doesn't he the battle is the Lord's by the way why would you go to battle with someone who's not the Lord's that the Lord is not with they can't work together God cannot bless the man of God says don't go and then he gives him not only the warning but he tells him exactly what's going to happen he says yes but if you go if you don't heed the warning if you go what does he say you go with all your might why does he say that why does he tell Amaziah if you go you do it you'll be strong for the battle what does he say God shall make the fall before the enemy God shall make the fall why for God has power to help and to cast down and a message what would you do what would you do if God gave you a very specific warning not to do something I thought the second part of this would get him to think if you're gonna go you know what I what I see here this man actually had a fear of God it says that he did was right but not we should read it may be the first part of the chapter but not with a perfect heart there was something in this man that responded to the warning of God something in him that heard the message is something that caused a stir in his soul a response in his heart when you get a warning from God when I get a warning from God is there something in there that causes us to stop causes us to think or do we just go headlong the way we want to go and all of our self will and all of our own desires do we have the spirit of God so quench that we don't even understand we don't even recognize when something's from God and there was enough in this man that number one he stopped to think about what was going on and he listened to the warning that God was giving him now notice what he says he says yes what shall we do for the hundred talents which we have spent now he's in a predicament he has an investment into this yoke already doesn't he he's invested this is a lot of money what am I going to do for this money they're not going to give it back it must be it must be a common sense thing to pay the soldier before he goes because if he dies and you won't have to pay him at all he had to pay up front and dear young person you're gonna pay up front when you start to and when you invest in an unequal yoke you say how am I ever going to pay up front this is how it works I'm going to go into the courtship realm when you start dabbling in an unequal yoke you know what's going to happen you're going to invest your heart your heart that's way more than a hundred talents of silver you're going to invest your heart and then what's going to happen God in his grace is going to be faithful to you and he's going to tell you not to be in an unequal yoke and you know what you're gonna say that you might say I hope you don't say I can't I'm in too deep I'm in too deep I'm in too deep to break this off I'm in too deep I've got too much invested and from time to time we see this they continue on for a lifelong heartache better to have the heartache now than to have a lifelong heartache his investment the lesson to be learned multiple really first one is simple obey the Lord obey the Lord the second one is this honor the Lord give him his rightful place as Lord and he will meet your every need it's often been said God will not give you second best and that is true if you leave it with him what's this lesson the man of God says this the Lord is able to give you much more than this the Lord is able to give you much more than this he's worried about is a hundred talents of silver and the man says this the one who was in charge can give you far more than this far more take the loss now if you're in an equal yoke I don't worry about the investment God is able to give you more than this God is able to give you more than you ever imagined more than you have ever dreamed if you leave the choice with him if you leave the battle with him he says this God is able is God able he's able no doubt about it no question to it he is able to give you much more than this what happened then that's what Amaziah needed to hear Amaziah separates himself from those soldiers did he do the right thing he did do the right thing did he suffer loss he did notice this not only did he lose his hundred thousand or his hundred talents of silver but there were others that suffered loss because of what he attempted to do outside the will of God you see these soldiers were men of war they were intent on fighting they delighted to fight and now Amaziah says no you can't go maybe he had to explain himself well that would have been a hard one wouldn't it why can't we go Amaziah you've already paid us we're men of war look at us we'll get the job done Amaziah can't just cop out Kenny and I just don't want you to go anymore no no that isn't gonna cut it these men are gonna want to know why Amaziah is gonna have to be truthful with him he's gonna have to say this you can't go because the Lord is not with you oh that hurts doesn't it why are you breaking up with me tough question so you're just gonna dump me like that oh that would hurt wouldn't it that would pull at the heart strings your brother dear sister be honest with him the mistake is mine it's my fault but the Lord is not with you and I can't you see these soldiers their anger was greatly kindled you can expect no less when you have to break off in an equal yoke oh yes there's going to be hard feelings yes there's gonna be hurt yes there's gonna be anger from those but notice they returned home in great anger and we didn't read it but verse 13 says but the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back that they should not go with him to battle fell upon the cities of Judah from Samaria even to Beth Horan and smote 3,000 of them and took much spoil the loss because of an unequal yoke everybody loses everybody loses in an unequal yoke the logic behind it this is what I need the Lordship betrayed God isn't able God can't provide the lesson to be learned God is able God will always provide the very best for his people and but the loss of an equal yoke everybody loses be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers