When God says, "That's Enough!"

Doug

Elijah; A Humble Hero • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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At some point, the patience of God runs out. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Romans 14:12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Pray to start

Series Recap

we have seen God care for Elijah in miraculous ways

we have seen God perform miracles through Elijah

we left Elijah at Mt. Horeb after God had spoken to him while Elijah was in a deep depression and wanted death

Today - When God says, “That’s enough!”

while we have been focusing in our Elijah and what God has said and done through him

today we will see more the judgment that is coming from a word given through Elijah to King Ahab

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 21

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Get up and go to meet King Ahab of Israel, who is in Samaria. He’s in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Have you murdered and also taken possession?’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood!’ ”

20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So, my enemy, you’ve found me, have you?”

He replied, “I have found you because you devoted yourself to do what is evil in the LORD’s sight. 21 This is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you and will eradicate your descendants:

I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males,

both slave and free, in Israel;

22 I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have angered me and caused Israel to sin.’ 23 The LORD also speaks of Jezebel: ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel:

24 Anyone who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat,

and anyone who dies in the field, the birds will eat.’ ”

25 Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the LORD’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.

Why is Ahab in Naboth’s field claiming it as his own?

tell the story of Naboth’s field

be brief

After all of this evil, we see a judgment come from God, through Elijah to Ahab and his family

God sees every action and motive; no one hides it

I think that this is one thing that we forget about God

we actually believe that there are things in our life that God does not see

that he doesn’t know

If I do not admit to it, pretend that it never happened, nobody will ever know

OT Name for God - El Roi

we see this introduced in the book of Genesis with Abraham’s concubine, Hagar

Hagar had been running from her master, Sarah, Abraham’s wife, because she was being mistreated after conceiving a child with Abraham when Sarah could not.

Genesis 16:13 CSB

13 So she named the Lord who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?”

El-Roi = the God who Sees

Ahab had forgotten this, if he ever really knew it

but that did not stop the judgment from coming his way

1 Kings 21:17–19 CSB

17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Get up and go to meet King Ahab of Israel, who is in Samaria. He’s in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered and also taken possession?’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood!’ ”

Whose sin was the killing of Naboth

Jezebel had him killed for a whiny king, a grown man pouting like a toddler

The leaders of the city went along with the plan

they had two men stand and testify that Naboth had cursed God and the King

and told the queen when it was all done and Naboth had been killed

maybe we want to put the blame on the two men who testified

was God really putting it on King Ahab, was this the reason that he had to die

when we are sitting and trying to figure out who is to blame when it comes to sin, we are all guilty

The declaration of the guilt of Ahab was not due to this one sin alone

but at what he was leading Israel to do

God was not blind to all that had happened before

Ahab was not getting away with leading the people to worship Baal

though idol worship of the people of God is a big part of the evil that Ahab and Jezebel had lead the nation of Israel into

the story of how the death of Naboth had died gives witness to the evil that was prevalent within the people

We see all kinds of evil in our nation today

God is not blind and one day our leaders and all who did not stand for the truth will have to stand and give an account

that includes us who claim to know God

this is way bigger than a political isle or slant, bigger than any laws that people may want to come up with to live a godlier way

God sees the heart of us all

if laws could make people holy, why did Jesus have to come

but it is not just the actions, but the heart is sinful

1 Samuel 16:7 CSB

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

Jeremiah 17:9–10 CSB

9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? 10 I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.

It does not matter who through the stone that killed Naboth, who gave the order to have it done, who came up with the plan for all to execute or even who benefitted from his death

all have a deceitful dirty heart

all are guilty standing before God

and God sees it all… and he sees yours too

There is an end to God’s patience; no one knows it

We have established that the heart of man is wicked and evil

because of this, we believe that if something doesn’t happen right now, the other party does not care for us

as if we are the center of the universe

Heather and I, in reference to our kids needing something, call this being on our hooks

when you kid needs to to bring something they forgot to school, if you are not able to drop all plans that you had for the day and do for them, you must not care

If God allows evil to persist, he must not care

or he simply isn’t the God that he claims to be

a God that is sovereign over all things

a God is just and holy

so the evil heart believes that it has gotten away with it and does more and more evil

Ecclesiastes 8:11 CSB

11 Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil.

God is sending Elijah in to notify Ahab that he will tolerate his evil no more

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 21

20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So, my enemy, you’ve found me, have you?”

I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males,

both slave and free, in Israel;

24 Anyone who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat,

and anyone who dies in the field, the birds will eat.’ ”

Here is Ahab celebrating in his new garden, a gift delivered by his evil wife

suddenly, when he has the desire of his heart he hears the news that God’s patience has come to an end

side note - later in the chapter we see Ahab humble himself before the Lord

this buys time, but does not allow him to escape the evil that he has done

he and his family die as God tells him that he will

When God’s patience is through, it is done

we have seen this with Sodom and Gomorrah, evil cities given over to the desires of the flesh and destroyed by God by raining down fire on them

do not mistake the reason for the patience

He is not building a case

the punishment for sin is death, eternal separation from God

it is not that punishment for certain sins, it is not that punishment for the ones that we deem worse than others

When God’s patience is done with the United States, His judgment will come

I have loved the freedoms that we have in our country

but we are fooling ourselves if we believe that somehow we are going to escape the wrath of God because we are Americans,

that God will not somehow judge us guilty because of who the president was, is or will be

Do not mistake his patience… he is waiting for every soul that will repent to do so!

2 Peter 3:9 CSB

9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

God keeps His word; no one stops it

Hell is a real place, created for the angels, now demons, who rebelled against God

a real place where the wicked will spend eternity

God as the creator gets to define what is wicked and what is not

a real place where those whose name is not written in the Lamb’s book of life will spend eternity

we are not the creators of the world, we are not the creators of the Law, as such, we are not the judges of it

yet, somehow we act like we are

God as the creator, will judge all

even those who have not bowed a knee to the Lord in this life will one day bow their knee and declare that he is Lord!

you and I need to work out our own salvation

Romans 14:10–12 CSB

10 But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God. 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

we will each give an account of our own actions and deeds

our motives and evil desires and judgment had come to Ahab and Jezebel

1 Kings 21:25 CSB

25 Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.

Ahab did not escape the wrath of God that was due him because of his sin

we see this, read this and celebrate that justice was served

I think that we celebrate wrongly

I find comfort in the judgment of Ahab because if he kept his word, if no one can stop it, then the promise of grace and mercy cannot be stopped as well

We are all like Ahab

whiny sinners who pout when we do not get our way, who left to our own would chase after the sinful desires of our flesh

Ephesians 2:3–5 CSB

3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

If God keeps his word, then salvation is available for all who confess and believe in Jesus Christ

for all who know him as Lord

That is what communion represents…

the Lord Jesus going to the cross his flesh being torn for our sins, our wickedness

his blood being spilt with his death on the cross where he took the full wrath of God that was due you and me, upon himself

but we cannot take communion lightly

it is better not to take than to take in an unworthy way

meaning - if there is sin that you have not confessed and repented of, do not come and take communion, if there is a relationship that is not right, a brother or sister that you have wronged or that has wronged you, fix that first, then come and take

we are bringing a curse upon ourselves if we take communion in an unworthy way

I would rather see a 1/3 of the church take communion and 2/3 fixing what is broken then see and entire church take communion lightly

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