1. Seeking Truth
II Thessalonians 2:1-12

2. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
- John 18:37-38

3. Conflicting Messages Ignored
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Conflicting Messages Ignored
Zedekiah
Jews had undergone 2 deportations (605 & 597 BC) and were about to undergo a 3rd (586 BC)
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, & Azariah left in the first deportation, Ezekiel in the second
Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem
Nebuzaradan (captain of the guard) gave Jeremiah freedom to go wherever he wanted. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Randy Bowles

4. Conflicting Messages Ignored
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Conflicting Messages Ignored
Zedekiah
… Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye …
- Jeremiah 32:4
And I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. And I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there.
- Ezekiel 12:13
How could Zedekiah see the king face-to-face, go to Babylon, but not see it? Answer – II Kings 25:1-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Randy Bowles

5. Conflicting Messages Ignored
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Conflicting Messages Ignored
Zedekiah
… Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.
- II Kings 25:6-7
Zedekiah chose to do what HE wanted to do, not what God had told him he needed to do. 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Randy Bowles

6. Conflicting Messages Ignored
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Conflicting Messages Ignored
Zedekiah
Ahab
… and you shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.’” - I Kings 21:19
… and the Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?”
Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you. - I Kings 22:20, 23 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Randy Bowles

7. Conflicting Messages Ignored
Zedekiah
Ahab
But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate … So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood …
- I Kings 22:34, 37-38
In spite of having disguised himself, Ahab was hit by an arrow shot ‘at random’ and bled to death in his chariot. They washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria I Kings 22:38. 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

8. Conflicting Messages Ignored
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Conflicting Messages Ignored
Zedekiah
Ahab
The Scribes and the Pharisees
God with us
(Immanuel)
Son of God
Man of Sorrows
Wonderful
Son of Man
The Holy One
Prince of Peace
The Good Shepherd
Counselor
The Anointed Son
The Suffering Servant
The King of Glory 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Randy Bowles

10. Abraham Through Isaac he would be the father of many nations
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Abraham
Through Isaac he would be the father of many nations
I will bless her [Sarah], and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.
… No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.
- Genesis 17:16, 19 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Randy Bowles

11. Abraham Through Isaac he would be the father of many nations
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Abraham
Through Isaac he would be the father of many nations
Commanded to sacrifice (kill) Isaac
He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
- Genesis 22:2 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
Randy Bowles

12. Example of Abraham
Through Isaac he would be the father of many nations
Commanded to sacrifice (kill) Isaac
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
- Genesis 22:1 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

13. Example of Abraham
Through Isaac he would be the father of many nations
Commanded to sacrifice (kill) Isaac
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
- Hebrews 11:17-19 13 13 13 13 13 13 13

14. Both! Which was true? “Go to the mountain and sacrifice your
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“Go to the mountain and sacrifice your
son Isaac.”
Genesis 22:2
Which was true?
“Your seed, through
Isaac, shall be as numberless as the
stars.”
Genesis 15:5, 17:16, 19
Both!
Randy Bowles

15. Both! Which is true? “You see that a person is justified by
works and not by faith alone.”
James 2:24
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Which is true?
“By grace you are saved through faith.”
Ephesians 2:8
We are, indeed, saved by grace. Keeping the commands of God is earning one’s way to Heaven. It is the response of faith by one that truly believes.
Both!
Randy Bowles

16. Both! Which is true? “Baptism now saves you” I Peter 3:21
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Which is true?
“For the wages of sin is death, but the
free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
Both!
Randy Bowles

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Conclusions
God sometimes appears to “mask” Truth with seeming contradictions
Usually, the “cost of Truth” is high (Proverbs 23:23)
To ‘buy the truth’ sometimes costs us swallowing our pride or admitting that someone we respect is in error or yielding our will to God’s, sometimes it takes diligence to find it. To sell it would be to compromise or not stand for truth. Because it is truth (all of it), we can rely on it.
We serve an awesome God whose Word is Truth (John 17:17) 17 17 17 17 17 17 17
Randy Bowles