You Need To Hear From God Yourself

YOU NEED TO HEAR FROM GOD YOURSELF

1 Kings 13:1-32

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. Why was the blonde staring at the orange juice container? Because it said, "concentrate."

2. How do you keep a blonde in suspense? (I'll tell you tomorrow.)

3. A blonde approached a pop machine and put in a dollar. Out came a cola. She put in another dollar. Out came a root beer. She kept doing this, becoming more and more excited with every can she purchased. Finally, a man came up behind her and asked if she would mind letting him buy a drink. The blonde responded, "Are you crazy? I'm not leaving this machine while I'm still winning!”

B. TEXT

1 By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel. 2 He cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” 4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried...he stretched out his hand...and said, “Seize him!” But the hand...shriveled up. 6 Then the king said to the man of God...“Pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded...and the king’s hand was restored.... 7 The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift.” 8 But the man of God answered the king...9 “I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’” 11 Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel [who heard of the prophecy]. 14 [He] rode after the man of God. 15 “Come home with me and eat.” 16 The man of God said, “I cannot....17 I have been told by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water...’” 18 The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet...and an angel said to me... ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) 19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house. 20 The word of the Lord came to the old prophet...21 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you.... 22 Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.’” 24 As he went on his way, a lion...killed him...29 The [old] prophet picked up the body of the man of God...and buried him 30...in his own tomb. 31 He said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the message he declared by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel...will certainly come true.” [abridged]

C. THESIS

1. The story of the prophet of Judah & the old lying prophet is one of the weirdest passages in Scripture, but it is filled with miracles and lessons for God’s people.

2. So we’re going to look at 4 amazing things in this story, see the main lesson “You need to hear from God yourself,” and look at the hidden symbolism that points us to Christ.

3. The title of this message is, “You Need to Hear From God Yourself!”

I. 4 AMAZING ASPECTS OF THIS STORY

A. AN AMAZING PROPHECY

1. The fact that the Living God knows the future and often declares it ahead of time is a proof that the Bible is really the authentic Book from God.

2. The prophecy in 1 Kings 13:2-3 was spoken in 920 B.C. It predicts events to occur nearly 300 years later and gives the name of the king to be born, Josiah, who will do them in 631 B.C. (2 Chron. 34:5).

3. This is not unheard of, the Prophet Isaiah prophesied in 700 B.C. that a king would come and conquer Babylon, releasing captive Israel. This occurred 160 years later in 539 B.C. The Persian King Cyrus is called by name in Isaiah 41:25; 44:28; 45:1-3.

B. SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTIONS BY GOD

1. There were at least two miracles that took place at the time the prophet of Judah was prophesying. One was the splitting apart of the altar to the golden calf at Bethel.

2. Evidently it was a large sheet or block of rock and after the prophet finished, God shattered it by His power, as a testimony that the prophet’s words were true and that Jeroboam’s sacrifice was unacceptable.