1 Kings 13: 1-34
1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
9 For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
17 For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back:
21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,
22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.
27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.
28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
What is a great church? Some like a big church, some a small church. [you have to wonder about the ones who want to stay small, not reaching out!] Some like a country church, some a city church…I’ve been in both. I’m glad we have all types around here and all are welcome!
You might be in a country church if:
The Call to Worship is ,"Y’all come on in!"
The Preacher says, "I’d like to ask Bubba to pray for the
offering" - and five guys stand up.
Opening day of deer hunting season is recognized as an
official church holiday.
A member requests to be buried in his truck
because, "I ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get me out of".
Never in its entire 100-year history has one of its pastors had
to buy any meat or vegetables.
A singing group is known as "The O.K. Chorale."
The church directory doesn’t have last names.
The only time people lock their cars in the parking lot is during the
summer and only so no one leaves them another bag of tomatoes!
Baptism is referred to as "branding."
There is a special fund-raiser for a new septic tank.
Finding and returning lost sheep is not just a parable.
High notes on the organ set dogs in the parking lot to howling.
People wonder when Jesus fed the 5,000 whether the two
fish were bass or catfish.
In the 70’s a popular saying was "If it feels good, do it." Today we hear that same mentality expressed in sentiments like: "What’s truth for you may not be truth for me." The saying has so thoroughly saturated our culture that our top value as a nation is tolerance. Tolerance today does not merely mean that you accept another person for who they are. No indeed! Today the term “tolerance” means you must affirm and endorse people’s values and behaviors as well, if not you are a bigot or some other malicious creature.
If Jesus’ teachings would be judged by today’s standards He would be one of the most intolerant, politically incorrect, fundamentalist extremists who ever walked the face of the earth. He was dogmatic and subscribed to the idea that there are absolute standards of right and wrong.
The Apostolic church is often criticized as being inflexible and out of step with the times. This perception is false, but quite common. The problem is that we are in step with TRUTH and we cannot move from it!
In a world that regards all values, beliefs, lifestyles, and truth claims as equally valid - there can be only one universal virtue: tolerance. And, if tolerance is the cardinal virtue, the sole absolute, then there can be only one evil: intolerance. And that is exactly the attitude we see among the proponents of the new tolerance. This is a fascinating and horrific side of tolerance. The enemy becomes people who hold strong values and convictions. Strong faith is fanaticism. What used to be viewed as virtues are now condemned as vices.
Once there are no absolutes then our feelings become our guide and our god. Feelings are great followers, but poor leaders. If we’re led by our feelings we’ll never do anything that is painful or requires sacrifice. Feelings become more than your guide, they eventually become our god. Rather than uphold God’s standards, which are clearly spelled out in the Bible, we opt for going on intuition and feeling. We have to internalize God’s absolute truths to do what’s right.
We are raising a generation of kids in our churches that rebel against authority; they do not know how to be faithful to one church in their 1.Attendance, 2.In their giving’s of their Tithes and offerings, 3.In their praying,
We are raising them to put other gods in their lives then we wonder what is wrong with the next generation, why aren’t they praying and shouting and dancing, and speaking in tongues like the elders.
The reason is they do not know what they believe in. They see the Pastor preach one thing and momma and daddy do something different.
They see the Pastor preach and teach on being loyal and yet they see a bunch of back stabbing in the homes. They see me preach against gossip and momma and daddy is running everyone down in the church. You parents would be shocked if you only knew what these kids tell that they have heard behind closed doors. Every parent would be shocked.
It will cost you something to believe this doctrine, it will cost you something to live holy, it will cost you something to proclaim TAKE THIS WHOLE WORLD BUT GIVE ME JESUS
One of the difficulties that us Pastor faces is trying to teach people to deny themselves, we live in a world that if you want it, you get it no matter the cost and yet we put a strain on the church we attend for not doing as the scriptures has said.
It will cost you of your time, money and of yourself. We have to deny ourselves of things that we want and what we want to accomplish and realize if this church is going to blossom and be filled it’s going to come from hard working people that has a mind to work, that will put their hands to the plow and not look back.
Throughout Scripture and until our present day, many people have a problem with TRUTH. In fact, it is not politically correct today to say that there is even such a thing as absolute truth!
Stanley Grenz, a well-known spokesman for this new tolerance, says that “truth is relative to the community in which a person participates. And since there are many human communities, there are necessarily many different truths.”
Thomas Helmbock states that “every individual’s beliefs, values, lifestyle, and perception of truth claims are equal … There is no hierarchy of truth. Your beliefs and my beliefs are equal, and all truth is relative.”
This view is reflected in such oft-heard statements as:
“No one has the right to tell me what’s right or wrong.”
“It’s wrong to impose your beliefs or morals on someone else.”
“I have the right to do whatever I want if I’m not hurting anyone.”
“You have to do what you think is right.”
“You have your value system and I have mine.”
“I don’t feel the same way.”
“Look … that’s YOUR opinion.”
Such views are not the exception today, even among Christians. An extensive study revealed that 57% of Christian youth already believe that “what is wrong for one person is not necessarily wrong for someone else.” Nearly 80% of 18 to 34 year-olds believe there is “no unchanging ethical standard of right and wrong.”
It is not enough today to “live and let live.” It is not enough to assert another person’s right to believe or say what he thinks is right. In order to be truly tolerant, you must now give your approval, endorsement and sincere support to their beliefs AND BEHAVIORS!
United Nations Declaration of Principles On Tolerance – “Tolerance … involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism.” (Isn’t it ironic that the proponents of the new tolerance are so dogmatic about dogmatism and so absolute in their opposition to absolutism?)
In other words, any system that believes in ABSOLUTE TRUTH is by definition guilty of intolerance! You don’t even have to say anything. If you even THINK there is an absolute truth, then you are intolerant!
To the modernist, nonagreement is phobia, nonconformity is hate, and conviction is fanaticism. This is why the proponents of toleration have no problem being intolerant towards Christians, because we believe in Biblical truth, one God, man’s sinfulness, and the evangelism of other faiths.
Traditional tolerance asserts that everyone has an equal right to believe or say what he THINKS is right, but the new tolerance says that what every individual believes or says IS equally right. All values are equal. All lifestyles are equal. All truth claims are equal. BUT …
You see we cannot go on our feelings alone, we have to go with what is right and what is truth. I understand some folks would say that our teaching and preaching here at the church is old fashioned, a little dated, or a little antique if you please, but I still believe the message of One Lord, One Faith, and One baptism. I still believe, in holiness and the Power of God.
It took Winston Churchill three years to get through the eighth grade because he had trouble learning English. In kind of an ironic twist, years later in the midst of World War II Oxford University asked then Prime Minister Churchill to address its commencement exercises. Dressed in his finest suit, he arrived at the auditorium where the service was to be held with his usual props, a cigar, a cane and a top hat. As Churchill approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause. Standing there looking very dignified, he settled the crowd down and asked them to be seated.
Standing confidently before this crowd of great admirers, he removed his cigar and placed his top hat on the podium. Then Churchill gazed at his waiting audience that included some of the most noted scholars in the world. With an authoritative tone in his voice he began with three words: “Never give up!” Several seconds passed without him saying another word. Finally he repeated those same three words again, “Never give up!” There was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane and left the platform.
Jeroboam was the first King of the divided kingdom of Israel. He was a wicked king who erected two golden figures as worship. One at Dan and the other at Bethel. He also instituted a non-Levitical priesthood. It did not matter to Jeroboam, if you wanted to be a priest, he made you a priest. Can I stop right there, and put this in, everybody can’t be the chief! I know that’s not popular, but it is correct. It is at the dedicating of the altar at Bethel that the events in our scripture take place. Tonight I want us to look at the events focusing mainly upon the young prophet who came from Judah to confront Jeroboam.
I. The Lord Directed Him.
Little is known of this young prophet. His name is not even given. Many people are seem to work hard all their life seeking to make a name for themselves, and have it to appear upon some marquee, they are wanting attention, and acolytes for their service in the kingdom yet the only thing that really matters is that the Lord knows our name, and that we are faithfully in what he gives us to do.
a. He directed him for a purpose.
Like this young unnamed prophet out of Judah all of us have a purpose. He has called all those that are saved, and has gifted us for a purpose.
b. He directed him to a place
He came out of Judah. He was directed by the Lord to Bethel. He being from Judah would cause his very presence in Bethel to be a dangerous thing. This young prophet shows remarkable courage by going to the place designated by the Lord. Some people sing the old song I’ll Go Where You Want Me To Go" but they change the words to something like the following:
I’LL GO WHERE YOU WANT ME TO GO
I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Real service is what I desire,
I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord, But don’t ask me to sing in the choir.
I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord, I like to see things come to pass,
But don’t ask me to teach anywhere, dear Lord, I’d much rather stay in my class.
I’ll give what you want me to give, dear Lord, I yearn for the kingdom to thrive,
I’ll give you some pennies or nickels, dear Lord, But please don’t ask me to tithe.
I’ll read what you want me to read, dear Lord, as long as the Bible isn’t required,
I’d much prefer some novel over it, even though I know it’s inspired.
I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, I’ll serve you with all of my might. But dont’ ask me to go out and witness, for I’m much too busy tonight !
What kind of limits are we putting on the Lord as far as where we’ll go or where we’ll serve! If we’re really not willing to go anywhere, I’m not sure if he’ll use us anywhere!
c. He directed him to prophesy.
God didn’t send this young man down to Bethel to "win friends and influence people" The task before him was to be a difficult one, and his message would not be a popular one ! The message of the word of God is becoming more and more unpopular in our society. We should not go out of our way to make people angry or to create hostility, but often times the message will not gain us favor with the people ! This young prophet was sent by God to confront King Jeroboam with his sin. He is sent to deliver a timely message to a King who is leading the people of Israel to sin against the Lord.
d. He directed him to proceed.
The young prophet was further advised by the Lord that he was not to tarry in Bethel. He was not to eat any bread nor drink any water, but he was to proceed from that place as soon as the message was delivered. Why was he not to tarry ? The Lord knew the temptations that this young man would be confronted with, and wants him out of town as quickly as possible lest he be corrupted. We have a message that the world desperately needs to hear, and that we are commanded to share. Yet, we must be careful that we not be corrupted by the world in our sharing up it !
II. The Leader Disliked Him.
The leader King Jeroboam disliked him because of the message he delivered ! It flew in his face, and confronted him with the error of his ways. The King didn’t like the truth! If there is ever a time where people are falling out of love with the message of truth, how can someone who knows this doctrine and this holiness message turn and go back to a false doctrine belief is beyond my comprehension, and say, God told me too. We better grasp this message and not let go! Where better tie it upon our door post of our hearts and wrestle with it until we get it deep in our spirits.
a. He Tried To Detain Him.
1. The King’s Attempt.
When the King heard the words that were spoken concerning the altar that he had erected, he stretched out his hand against the prophet, and ordered him to be seized!
2. The King’s Arm.
His attempt to detain the Lord’s anointed were met by the power of God. The arm that he stretched out was withered to the point that he could not draw it back to his own body! You better be careful with putting your hand against a Man of God, or your mouth or your money or your influence, because I promise you one thing, you will reap what you sowed.
3. The King’s Altar.
At the same instance that his arm withered, the altar was wrecked just as the prophet of God had spoken and the ashes were wasted upon the ground. The King was seeing the prophecy of God just moments before spoken fulfilled before his eyes! What an awesome display of the word of God, and his power!
4. The King’s Appeal. V. 6
Sad was the King’s condition to begin with, but even sadder still is the evidence that his relationship is so far removed from God that he has to appeal to the prophet to pray for him! How wonderful is the grace of God! How mightily God uses his servant! The prophet prays to the Lord for Jeroboam and the strength in his hand is restored!
A lot of folks want God to bless them even in their sins, but we do not find here where the King had repented.
b. He Tried To Distract Him.
1. He offered him rest.
2. He offered him refreshment.
3. He offered him riches.
It is hard to believe that the King’s motives are pure. There is no evidence of repentance on his part! No remorse over the sin he has led the people of Israel to engage in. Since the King had been unable to stop the prophet by force, he seeks now to win him by friendliness, and fortune. If Satan can’t beat us, he’ll try and buy us! The young prophet demonstrates amazing restraint! Though weary from his journey, thirsty and hungry, he refuses the King’s offer! He will not enter his house, eat of his bread, nor drink of his water, even if the King were to give him half of all that he had ! Remember this was part of the command of God to this young man! V. 10 tell us that he departed and returned a different way from he came.
III. The Liar Deceived Him. V. 11-19
a. The Source of The Deception. V 11
Satan would here use an "old prophet" to deceive the young prophet. There is a great lesson to be learned from this event. Temptation and deception often comes to us from unusual sources. Here is a man, who had once heard from the Lord, and had once himself delivered the message of God, but now he is a messenger in the hand of another. How had this old prophet gotten to this point? I believe that the sin of the old prophet is quite evident though no detail is really given. He was a prophet who lived in Bethel. He lived in the realm of rebellion. He knew personally of the King’s ways. He saw the golden image he had made to worship, and had seen the altar erected, and though he is not there as the King dedicates the altar to observe it. Neither is he there to oppose it. This old prophet’s sin is negligence. His sin is the sin of doing nothing! It is the sin of tolerance! It is the sin of neutrality! God had to get a man from Judah to do the job that he could not count on the old prophet in Bethel to do!
c. The Scheme Of The Deceiver. Vs. 12-18
He was not present at the dedication of the altar, but his sons were! Having heard of the message of the young prophet, and the works that occurred, the old prophet searches for the young prophet who had departed!
1. He followed him. V.13
2. He found him. V.14
3. He fooled him. V. 15-18
The sons of the old prophet had seen the way which the young prophet left. The old prophet now follows after him, and finds him sitting under an oak tree. The old prophet invites him to return with him to his home and receive nourishment. The young man repeated the command that he had received from the Lord as before. He cannot return with him because God had commanded him earlier not to drink water, eat bread or seek shelter in the place of Bethany. Having been unable to convince him to come, the old prophet now lies to the young man of God. "I am a prophet also as thou art..." Perhaps this was true at one time, but this aged man is only a shadow of what he once was....for if he had been a prophet as the young man was....one that God could count on to deliver the message, then there would have been no cause to send one out of Judah to Bethel. "An angel spoke unto me by the word of the Lord...." This is an out and out lie! It should have been obvious to the young prophet. He had been strong in his early temptation by the King. Yet, now in a moment of weakness, being tired, thirsty, and hungry.........and surely he can listen to an older prophet, he returns with him and eats bread and drinks water in his house!
God will never change his word to fit your current condition!
You better be careful who you listen to and what people tell you. I promise you the God that I serve doesn’t send a different word to you that go against his word or the word from your Pastor. God will not use a saint to come by your house and say thus saith the Lord.
The Lion Destroyed Him.
The Lion killed the young prophet, but he didn’t eat him, he didn’t even touch the ass. We find that when the old prophet heard about it, when he got there, the lion was there and the ass and the young prophet were dead.
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if you stop on your way home and your destroyed by the lion, there will always be an ass that’s standing there looking at your dead spiritual body because he was the one that helped you get to your destruction.
The Fatal Mistake.
With our human emotions, we might look at this and claim "this is not fair". The young man came from Judah, showed remarkable courage in delivering his message to the King, and had refused the King’s offer. Yet, partial obedience is not enough, and in this case it proved fatal to the young man of God. God has a purpose for his call, and his commands, and it is best to completely follow them!
The Final Message.
I believe that the old prophet is just as surprised as the young prophet as he hears the word of God come from his mouth. I believe that the message that flows from the mouth of the old prophet is a wake-up call to him, and a message of judgment on the young prophet ! He had deceived the young man of God, and now God prophesies through him the young man’s doom. I see in the events that happened afterwards no gloating on the part of the old prophet.
