MURDER, SHE WROTE
1 Kgs. 21:1-15
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A four-year-old boy accompanied his expectant mother to the doctor’s office. When the mother heaved a sigh and clutched her stomach, her son looked alarmed. "Mommy, what is it?" He asked.
2. "The baby brother you're going to have is kicking," his mother explained. "He's probably getting bored," the youngster decided. "Why don't you swallow a toy?"
3. JOKE # 2. A mother had just brought her newborn triplets home from the hospital. Her older boy, a four-year-old, took his first doubtful look at the new babies and said, "We probably better go out front of Wal-Mart right away. They're going to be harder to get rid of than kittens!”
4. BRIDGE TO THE TEXT
a. “Murder, She Wrote” [was] an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 with close to 23 million viewers in its prime.” (Wikipedia Article)
b. But the title “Murder, She Wrote” could have been the title of the story of Ahab and Jezebel; when she wrote a letter to have Naboth’s killed. Let’s read about it.
B. TEXT
1 There was…a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite….close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden….In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.” 3 But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4 So Ahab went home, sullen and angry….He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. 5 His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?” 6 He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” 7 Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. 9 In those letters she wrote: “Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 10 But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 So the elders and nobles…did as Jezebel directed….15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” 1 Kgs. 21:1-15.
C. THESIS
1. Ahab is a type of the devil; Naboth is a type of the Christian. John 10:10 says, "The thief is come but for to kill, to steal, and to destroy." Jesus called the devil "a thief." A thief takes what doesn't belong to him. An heir possesses what DOES belong to him. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ!
2. We're going to see this morning how we're supposed to hold on to what is ours in Christ and not let the enemy take it from us.
3. The title of this morning's message is "Murder, She Wrote."
I. THE GREED OF AHAB
A. NEVER SATISFIED
1. Ahab was a King and immensely wealthy. His palace and grounds were very extensive.
2. This palace was not even his main palace at Samaria, the capital city. This palace was part of a fortress in northern Israel overlooking the valley of Jezreel.
3. Yet Ahab wasn’t content; he coveted Naboth’s property, desiring to add his small plot to the King's vast holdings or else be sick to death.
B. GREED – ROOT OF ALL EVIL
1. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” 1 Tim. 6:10.
2. 10th Commandment; "Thou shalt not covet..."
3. IMPORTANCE OF CONTENTMENT. “6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” 1 Tim. 6:6-10.
4. Beware! Many offer their children or their wife on the altar of materialism. But wealth won't satisfy – you always have to have more.
5. Happiness doesn't come through material possessions; most rich people are miserable and never satisfied. The Lord Jesus said, “Life does not consist of the abundance of possessions” Lk. 12:15.
6. ILLUSTRATION
a. An employee in the company cafeteria said, "If only I had $1000, I'd be totally satisfied."
b. The owner of the company came over. "I overheard what you said and I'm going to write you a check for $1,000 because I want to see someone totally satisfied." The owner wrote out a check and handed it to him.
c. "Thank you, sir" said the employee. But the employee was hardly out of earshot, and had just rounded the corner outside the cafeteria when he said, "Why didn't I say $2,000?"
d. (If I could just get "one more" car, a bigger house, more money, etc. -- I'd be happy." NO! How much is enough?
II. NABOTH’S DEATH GRIP
Undoubtedly Naboth would've been glad to oblige the King, but there were two things which stood in his way:
A. GOD’S COMMAND
1. Ahab, not being a believer, was wanting to buy the land permanently.
2. God's law said in Leviticus 25:23, "The land shall not be sold forever." It could be sold for 50 years, but then in the year of Jubilee it would revert to its ancestral owners, so that the land might never pass out of the family.
3. Naboth COULD have consented; he could’ve rationalized the sale as others, who sold their lands to the king. He could've gotten
equal value.
4. You may feel that since others do things, that you can do them too. No! We’ve been given a sacred trust. Just because others sell their souls to the devil doesn't mean you should.
B. DUTY TO ANSCESTORS & DESCENDENTS
1. Over 500 years before, Joshua/God had divided the land to the people of Israel. Naboth's ancestors had received that plot of ground.
2. For generations that vineyard had been in his family. It had been transmitted through a long line to him. (Just like our faith has to us!) This land was, very much, a "spiritual" inheritance from God.
3. It was his duty to transmit it to those who came after him. You and I, too, have the duty to pass this Gospel -- in all its Pentecostal power -- to the next generation.
4. We're only one generation from extinction! Others were faithful to the trust; we must be too!
III. HOLD FAST YOUR INHERITANCE
A. INHERITANCE IS A BIRTHRIGHT
1. Not everyone is an heir. You must be "born" into the family of God. The faith of Abraham has been passed down to us!
2. Our inheritance is not a plot of ground. It’s much more: it’s Eternal life, the "powers of the world to come," the Word of God, our personal revelation and experience with Jesus, and the great organization of the Church and its mission to reach the world for Christ.
3. Birthright = possession one enters by virtue of sonship, not because of a price paid or a task accomplished.
4. Simon (Acts 8:18-21) thought he could buy the gift of God -- you can't! It's priceless! It only comes by being "born" by the Spirit of God.
5. NO TASK CAN EARN IT: not joining a church, not baptism, not sacrifices, not works.
6. Listen to Ahab's misunderstanding; “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”
7. Imagine if the devil were bartering you for your soul. Your reply should be, “NOT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR COMPROMISE: MY BIRTHRIGHT!”
8. What does the devil have that’s equal to what God gave me? Can the world give you a “better” inheritance?
9. He asks you to "sell" the incredible gift from God. He asks you to "compromise." He wants to take the vineyard of God which gives you the new wine of the Spirit, and substitute a vegetable garden!
B. WHAT’S THE DEVIL OFFERING YOU?
1. The devil is bargaining with some of you. He's trying to talk you out of one part or another of your inheritance.
2. Just like the wily settlers who bought Manhattan island from the Indians for a hat full of glass beads, Satan offers you worthless trinkets for God’s priceless treasures!
3. WHAT IS THE DEVIL TRYING TO GET YOU TO SURRENDER?
a. Your Consecration to the Lord; to surrender your morals and Jesus’ Lordship over your life. He never stops trying this!
b. Your belief in a Supernatural God -- a God who heals, delivers, intervenes. He tries to tell you, "God doesn't do that anymore" or "He won't do it for you." "Don't bother to lay hands on the sick or to expect a miracle."
c. Give up your confidence in heaven or your expectation of the Rapture at any moment; then you won't care how you live.
d. To Compromise the truth about the Holy Spirit; the baptism in the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is the sacred trust passed down to us; that's where the fire is!
C. JESUS’ COMMAND? HOLD FAST!
1. Hebrews 3:6; "hold fast the confidence."
4:14; "let us hold fast our profession."
10:23; "let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering."
2. Rev. 2:25, “Only hold on to what you have until I come”;
Rev. 3:3, “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you,”
Rev. 3:11, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
3. Jesus told the persecuted church "Holds Fast!" Guard it! Be vigilant against all who would try to remove it from you.
4. Naboth means "fruit" or "produce." If we would bear fruit, we must be faithful to pass on what God has entrusted to us.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. On a commuter flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston, Henry Dempsey, the pilot, heard an unusual noise near the rear of the small aircraft. He turned the controls over to his copilot and went back to check it out.
2. As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket and Dempsey was tossed against the rear door. He quickly discovered the source of the mysterious noise. The rear door had not been properly latched prior to takeoff, and it flew open, he was instantly sucked out of the jet.
3. The copilot, seeing the red light that indicated an open door, radioed the nearest airport, requesting permission to make an emergency landing. He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane, and requested a helicopter search of that area of the ocean.
4. After the plane landed, they found Henry Dempsey -- holding onto the outdoor ladder of the aircraft.
5. Somehow he had caught the ladder and held onto it for 10 minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4000 feet, and then, at landing, kept his head from hitting the runway, which was a mere 12 inches away(he was hanging upside down).
6. It took airport personnel several minutes to pry Dempsey's fingers from the ladder.
B. THE CALL
1. The Gold Rush of 1849 had people from all over the world heading to California with dollar signs in their eyes. Each person came with visions of finding a fortune and many miners did indeed strike it rich.
2. This phenomenon was all started by James Marshall who discovered gold at Sutter's Creek. You would think the man responsible for starting all that gold craze would have died knee-deep in wealth.
3. Ironically, Marshall died in the late 1880s as a penniless itinerant miner just a few hours from the place he first struck gold.
His fortune was never realized because he failed to stake his own claim.
4. An individual can know all about God and the abundant life he has to offer, but if you don't stake your claim by a life-long commitment to Christ, you’ll never experience the riches of eternal life. Unless you sign on the dotted line, it won’t be yours!
5. Maybe some of you here don't yet have an inheritance because you haven't been "born again." Jesus tells us what He expects;
6. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” Matt. 16:24.“Every one who sees the Son, and believes on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” John 6:40. If you want to surrender your life to Jesus and become part of God's family, raise hand.
7. To the rest I challenge:
a. First, get all the inheritance you have coming to you: Pentecostal Power, Eternal Life, a Supernatural God, the Promises of God, a vibrant Christian Experience, and a Victorious Church.
b. Second, Hold onto them with the tenacity of a bull dog. Stand your ground. Commit yourselves to defend the faith and pass it on to the next generation.
8. Altar Service and prayer.
