This sermon was preached at Evergreen Church on Sunday morning October 27, 2002 by Pastor Scotty L Killingsworth
S102702 The Lord keeps His promises 2 Corinthians 9:6-11/1 Kings
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.
From California comes one of the strangest of railroad stories. A train actually runs over treetops. In the building of the rail road a huge ravine was encountered. The sides and bottom of the ravine were heavily wooded. Towering over all other growth were two giant redwood monarchs. They stood in the way of the railroad. The big redwoods were sawed off seventy-five feet from the ground, the exact height from the level of the ravine. So the trains roll over the living trees.
God’s promises upon which the Christian rests are not dead stumps, but living trees that are vital with the life of God.
When we stand on God’s promises we are not standing on dusty or dead things that may get lost in some archive in heaven. They are living promises and they will never be forgotten.
If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. If you sow bountifully you will reap a bountiful harvest. That is a God-promise.
I want you to meet a man who learned that God never forgets his promises
1 Kings 19:19
My name is Elisha. I came from a family of big-thinking and progressive farmers. When I took my crew out to plough we put 12 ox teams to work at the same time.
We cut an impressive swath through the field each time we passed.
One day the dust was blowing and the sweet smell of newly ploughed dirt filled our noses with the smell of promise. In a few months this dirt would yield a bountiful crop and bless our family and everyone around us. Farming was hard work but rewarding.
After a while on a repetitive job your mind wanders and mine was in a time long ago and a galaxy far, far away, when a man came up behind me and threw a garment of hair on me. I jumped and cried out to the oxen to stop. I turned and saw a man there named Elijah. He invited me to become his associate prophet, and the idea of it so intrigued me I just walked off from the farming project leaving my hired hands and my oxen without leadership.
Elijah realized I needed to go back and get some things in order before I left so he sent me back. But, I was so committed to learning about the Lord and following Elijah I went back and slaughtered my ox team and burned my farming equipment and roasted the meat on the fire. We had a huge party and I left to help Elijah.
*Preaching point- Sometimes we leave the farming equipment in the shed in case we want to go back. The most successful in the spiritual journey of faith cook their cows and follow Jesus.
I had a lot to learn about the craft of being a prophet. Elijah started teaching me about God and prophecy from his past.
Elijah told me about the times God had been faithful to him and kept his word.
#1.He told me about being kept alive by crows after he preached against the horrible Ahab king of Israel who participated in child sacrifice and pagan religion among God’s covenant people. 1 Kings 16:30-34
#2.Later God sent him to Zarephath where he suffered the extreme humiliation of being cared for by a widow woman. But God kept His word and repaid the widow with enough resources to get her and her son through a terrible famine. (He also blessed the woman by restoring her son back to life when he died prematurely 17:17
#3.On Mt Carmel God kept his promise and sent fire from heaven 1 Kings 18:16
#4.God kept Elijah safe from Queen Jezebel after her prophets were killed 1 Kings 19:1-2
#5.God saved him from depression and suicide 1 Kings 19:3-4
#6.Elijah ate the angel cake and drank angel water and walked 40 days on its strength
#7.God was faithful another time in the cave on Horeb. He taught Elijah how to hear God. God wants to speak to His children in a still-small voice, instead of having to get our attention through life-shaking events.
There were other lessons, but we will deal with them at a later time.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that Elijah had made powerful enemies by his preaching. He trusted the promises of God to be with him and help him with his prophetic ministry. He didn’t always understand, but he was learning to trust.
1 Kings 21
Another man lived at that time that trusted God too. His name was Naboth. He had a great family vineyard near Carmel in Jezreel. Jezreel is the Kansas and San Joaquin Valley of Israel. It produced the best grains, vegetables, and wine in all of Palestine. Naboth’s vineyard had been in his family since Joshua divided up the land. It was a family jewel and it’s wine the pride of generations.
Ahab (King of Israel, husband to Jezebel) was looking through the realtors catalog for land to buy and put a vegetable garden upon to feed the royal household. He could not find a thing to his liking so he began to look for other solutions. He discovered Naboth’s vineyard and really liked it. It was near enough to the palace of the king. It was productive. It was perfect.
He made Naboth an offer and Naboth turned it down. He was offered another vineyard or whatever money he thought it was worth. No deal. Naboth was not going to sell his family treasure to anyone for any price. Some things are worth more than money!
1 Kings 21:4 Ahab went home. He went straight to his room. Ahab jumped on his bed and sulked. He would not eat.
Vs. 5 She said, “I’ll get you that vineyard”. No peasant is going to refuse the request of a king. I will stop at nothing to get you the vineyard.
21:13
She proclaimed a feast day for everyone in Naboth’s city. She instructed the feast chairmen to seat Naboth at a prominent table with men across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. It went just as she had schemed. One man jumped up from the meal and said, “Naboth just cursed God and King Ahab.”
These scoundrels dragged Naboth outside the city walls and killed him with stones. No trial. No due process. No representation. Sentence carried out immediately. An innocent man killed because a king was a wimp and a queen was vicious and godless.
Ahab took possession of the vineyard and cut down the ancient vines and planted his vegetable garden.
vs. 17
God directed him to Naboth’s vineyard because Ahab had gone there to start cutting down the ancient vineyard and replacing it with his vegetable garden.
God told Elijah to say to him, “Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?”
Promise #1.Where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, they will lick yours to.
Promise #2.You will have no descendants left to carry on your name
Promise #3. Your wife, queen Jezebel, will be eaten by dogs by the wall of Jezreel
Because Ahab repented God said he would delay bringing the disasters on his family until after he was gone.
There were three years of peace in the area following the death of Naboth in Chapter 22.
The three city states of Damascus in the far north, Samaria (Israel) in the middle and Judah (in the south-Jerusalem) were constantly struggling for territory and power. But for now things were quiet.
The king of Samaria/Israel (Ahab) wanted to take the land called Ramoth Gilead back from the King of Damascus. He invited Jehoshaphat (King of Judah in Jerusalem in the south) to join him against the king of the north. Ahab called 400 prophets of the Lord together to a meeting to advise him about going to war with Damascus over Ramoth Gilead. All 400 of them said, “Go. God is with you.”
Jehoshaphat was suspicious and wanted another opinion. They found another prophet that Ahab had not invited to the convention because he always prophesied against whatever Ahab wanted to do. His name was Michiah.
Michiah uttered a long and detailed prophecy about the horrible defeat they would suffer if they attacked Ramoth Gilead. He said that after the battle Israel would have no leader. In other words Ahab would be killed. Michiah took a stab at the prophets and said that their prophecy was cooked up in eternity by the enemy to entice Ahab into the battle. One of the prophets slapped him. He was sent to jail with bread and water.
Ahab, without his kingly garments was in disguise. He remembered Michiah’s prophecy and he was not going to make it easy to kill him. The king of Aram (Damascus) vs. 31
Ordered 32 chariot commanders to ignore everyone else and assassinate Ahab. They entered the battle and saw a king and took off after him only to find out it was Jehoshaphat so they stopped.
Vs. 34 but someone drew his bow at random and hit Ahab between the seams of his armor. His chariot driver took him out of the battle, dressed his wound, tied him in the chariot and finished the day invisibly wounded. His blood seeped out all day and covered the floor of his chariot. That night he died and they washed his chariot at a pool in Samaria and dogs licked his blood—Just as God had said. God kept his promise.
Ahab’s son Ahaziah succeeded him as king of Israel. He was just like his father. Maybe he was even worse. One time he was injured and he sent messengers to inquire of Baal if he would live or die. An angel came to Elijah and sent him to see Ahaziah. He was to ask him why he was praying to Baal. So Elijah said he would save him some time waiting for the word from Baal. He said you’re going to die.
2 Kings 1
Ahaziah sends 50 men to find Elijah to bring him back. Fire falls from heaven and kills them all. Another 50 were sent to bring Elijah back. Fire falls from heaven and kills the second 50 men. A third 50 men were sent to bring Elijah back, but this time the leader was a little smarter than the second leader of 50. He begged Elijah to not kill them and to spare them by coming back with them. This time Elijah follows them back to see the king, but the same prophecy was uttered and the Ahaziah died.
Elijah is taken away and Elisha becomes Prophet 2 Kings 2
He performs several miracles:
2 Kings 2:19 Healing of spring of water
vs. 23 It is not safe to make fun of a bald headed preacher. Bears came out of the woods and killed some young people who jeered him.
Water was miraculously supplied during an ill-fated battle against the Moabites
A widow was given a miraculous supply of oil in chapter 4
A Shunammite’s son was given back life 4:8
A poisonous meal was made eatable 4:38
A hundred people were filled by 20 small loaves of barley bread 4:42
In chapter 5 Naaman was healed of leprosy after dipping in the Jordan 7 times
In chapter 6 an iron axhead fell into the water and Elisha made it float to the top
In 6:8 God tells Elisha the king of Damascus’ plans so he can tell the King of Israel. Every time the King of Damascus makes a move Israel is ready for him.
The Damascus king sent a hit team to kill Elisha. They found him at Dothan. Elisha’s servant went out one morning and saw that they were surrounded. He ran back into the tent with the news. Elisha said, there are more for us than against us. He asked God to open the eyes of my servant. It was then that the servant saw the army of God camped all around them.
In the siege of Samaria things were as bad as they get when God told Elisha to say that at this tomorrow the price of grain would be cheap and plentiful. Leper’s too sick to care anymore decided to leave the besieged city and take their chances with the Damascus army. When they came into the camp it had been abandoned in such haste that all their food supplies were left intact. They ate and hid, ate and hid until their consciences took over and they reported the events to the people in the besieged city.
At day break the people came out of the city and discovered the Damascan’s had run away scattering their weapons all along the way. God had caused them to hear the sound of an army approaching when there was no human army approaching. The people feasted on the spoils and there was so much left over that grain prices were what would have been normal. GOD KEPT HIS WORD!
Time passed and things changed. Has God forgotten his promises? NO!
2 Kings 9 Jehu is anointed king of Israel
A wild young man named Jehu was selected by God to be the king in Israel. Jehu sets out to eliminate all heirs to Ahab so that his dynasty would last. He mounts his chariot and rides like a mad man to Jezreel.
Let’s all read 2 Kings 9:21-24 The promises begins to come true. He kills the heir to the throne of Israel and the king of Judah.
21“Hitch up my chariot,” Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. 22When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”23Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”24Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot.
Read 2 Kings 9:30 Jezebel is killed and dogs eat her body by the wall in Jezreel
30Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 31As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?” 32He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 33“Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.34Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of that cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands. 36They went back and told Jehu, who said, “This is the word of the LORD that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 37Jezebel’s body will be like refuse on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”
2 Kings 10:11 Ahabs 70 sons are killed
11So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.
As God remembered his promise concerning Jezebel, so will he remember his promise to you.
I want you to stand on God’s promises, sow bountifully and reap a mighty harvest
