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2 Sam 14:25-34

• What is a Barley field
• Simply put- a distraction. Something that is becoming your focus and keeping you from hearing the voice of the Lord.
• A barley field is anything that you value above hearing and responding to the voice of the Lord
• Calling you to anything- When God calls- we answer-
• Abasalom had every right to call on Joab, but Joab refused t o listen so Abasalom burned his field to get his attention
• Jeremiah dealt with this in Jer 25:3-11
• Not Listening- 3 “From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.
• Jeremiah 6:10  To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, And they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.
• Jeremiah 13:10  This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow[a] the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing.
• The First commandment was “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me”
• We read this stuff and we think of golden calves and asheroth poles. Serving a false savior or God
• But People serve many false Gods- A false God is anything that you 1. Love more than God 2. Trust more than God 3. Worship more than God 4. Give more attention than God 5. Desire more than God 6. Give allegiance more to than God Look at the idols of America:

1.Americanism- the identity and protection of our national identity. Not bad to be proud of your country- its bad to love your country more than Jesus and have your loyalty to it than HIM

2.Materialism- The amassing of stuff- needless trinkets and consumer purchases- Nothing wrong with having or liking nice stuff, but to what end? An expense that you don’t need?

Think about this- what new clothes have you bought specifically during this time to be able to show someone at work, school, or church if you’ve been on lockdown?

3.Money and wealth- The innate focus on how much you do or don’t have, worry about future purchases. Trust in the stock market, gas prices, real estate market, business trends etc- what about our national economy? What will we do?

Who do you trust? God can make deserts in the wilderness?

4.Family- The love of and protection of family or the love and support at the expense of the truth of the Gospel- deep desire for intimate love relationships

5.Sports. Professional and kids sports. The idea that a person who is good at a sport has some inherent spiritual value higher than a person in your life. Deep desire for kids to excel

6.Education- Learning is key- more knowledge- more influence- more power- more money

7.Fantasy- being stuck in a fantasy world in your mind fueled by social media and TV

8. Careers- What is my job, identity, to get materialism, money, family, education, and fantasies!

• Those are just a few- I could go on and on- Those are IDOLS- Things that people LOVE above the LORD
• All of them are barley fields- Something that needs to be burned down to get our attention
• God will do it. He’ll burn down anything he needs to get our attention-
• 31 Then Joab arose and came to Absalom’s house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
• Some people are saying that right now? Why Has God set my field on fire? What did I do wrong?

Why Does God burn barley fields?

• He desires complete allegiance and demands submission- he wants our whole hearts and devotion in every area of our life. As we have submitted to him, we are submitted to his power, sovereignty and influence.
• Hebrews 12:5-6 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”
• I have not had, nor do I have the constant influence of a father in my life. I relish the opportunity for God to father me, correct me and guide me.  I need it and desire it.
• Whatever he needs to do in my life, I am open to him doing it. I welcome it.
• I love my kids. Its why I raised them on discipline. I cared more about who they were going to become more than I cared if they liked me or not. We didn’t tolerated disobedience
• Pro 19:18 Chasten your son while there is hope, And do not set your heart on his destruction.
• I didn’t want to destroy my children- I wanted to produce righteousness in them-
• Its like parents that complain about what their kids wear? Who bought it? You have the power!
• He can’t stand half way- Why do we talk about this? I so desperately want to honor God in every area of my life. I want to honor him with all my life but there are still dark corners of my heart I haven’t submitted yet. Places that need the light of the Gospel shined on them!
• Lets to Back to the Jerimiah 25:5-7 verse- we can see some of the indications
• No repentance v5 “Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings”
• Disobedience “dwell in the land the lord has given you”
• Idolatry “do go after other Gods and serve them and worship them”
• Disregard of God’s holiness ‘Do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands”
• Deaf ears “You  have not listened to me”
• And that’s the heart! A heart that Doesn’t even care that we’ve wronged God and turned our backs on him and his hold demands- We sin and don’t even give it any mind whatsoever
• We walk in disobedience expecting blessings, worship false Gods with no regard, treat God as a common thing, AND NOT LISTEN
• We’re a drunk Drug addicted porn watching populace in America. We’ve turned our backs on G
• Taxes on Gambling, Alcohol and cigarettes generate about 85 billion a year
• Porn? 97 billion net worth. Porn makes more money than MLB, NFL and NBA combined
• Someone is feeding all that- It may not be the Christians- but we live in this nation
• Since 1970 over 46 million abortions in America- Over 600k last year.
• God’s hope is simple- TURN TO ME- COME TO ME- I’VE BURNED YOUR BARLEY FIELD TO GET YOU- God is not the Author of Covid- but he sure can use it and our situation to burn some field

• What does he do?
• Destroys-He has every right to do this by whatever means he deems necessary- with our without our agreement however he wants
• I hear people say I don’t want to serve a God that kills people in hurricanes. Will you give money to someone dumb enough to build a house in the path of one? None in North Dakota
• You want to worship sports? Closed. Jobs? Laid off Family? Sick Money? Market Tanked
• jer 25:12 ‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord; ‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation.
• Ezekiel 13:14  So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
• The destruction of God is hard to understand- Its clear in the Bible that he will destroy from Genesis to revelation.  It may not be very PC to say that God uses calamity to purge, but lets remember Noah’s ark, the Passover and the plagues. God has the ability to destroy.
• Hebrews 12:11  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it

• What Should the burning of a field produce?
• Obedience- 33 So Joab went to the king and told him.
• Barley field may not have had to be burned had he been obedient. Absalom would have left it
• But Joab didn’t but when it did- it got his attention and turned into obedience
• Psalm 118:18  The Lord has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death.
• Going through with the Holy Ghost typically doesn’t produce death- just pain
• And for many people the pain is too much, but I’m imploring you today to submit to and embrace the pain of whatever chastisement or discipline that the lord brings into your life
• Romans 5:3-5 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
• Going through whatever you’re going through can and will produce a deep abiding character in you if you embrace it
• These are rough times! Money is low, social isolation, future unclear and unsure
• But I’m good with it! I’ve already seen a greater sense of love and community in my neighborhood. People are nicer. Calmer. More patient. More engaging. It’s a benefit
• That’s big picture- but specifically for YOUR barley field- whats your distraction?
• What Does God need to burn to get your attention and when he does will it produce obedience
• 2 Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
• My recommendation is to listen closely to the Lord- live in obedience. Don’t let there be a barley field that needs to be burned to get your attention- Live in his grace and favor
• And IF he does- recognize it- Drop to your knees in submission and repent-
• We serve a loving gracious God who desires to give you bread and not stones- he will use whatever means necessary to get your attention- but sometimes, he burns a barley field, and if and when he does its for your good. Its never the first step. It’s the last. Embrace it
• Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
• You may suffer- but on the other side its going to produce something in you

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