How Serious is This?
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Welcome/prayer
How serious is our call to holiness?
How hard, or how strict should we maintain the line of obedience?
Do certain situations demand obedience more than other situations?
Do we think there are instances or moments when we can relax a bit and allow our sinful nature to do as it pleases?
Do we believe as long as we’re not as evil as people like King Jeroboam… then we have “leeway”?
Well, our passage, 1 Kings 12:33-13:34… is going to remind us how serious God takes obedience to His Word...
Let’s begin by looking at God’s response to Jeroboam’s act of open rebellion… 1 Kings 12:33-13:10 ..
(Explain context) Jeroboam’s innovative religious practices leads him into hot water
Man of God (from Judah) (during Jeroboam’s self-appointed feast)
Via the Word of Yahweh - speaks judgment against the altar v. 2
Thus speaks judgment against Jeroboam (fulfilled 1 Kings 23)
Gives a sign - v.3
Jeroboam reacts - (sign is fulfilled, makes altar unclean)
Seeks favor with the man of God
Invites him to eat at his place (why)
Man of God refuses…
B/c of the Word of God
Now, let’s read on… and read about the act of rebellion made by the man of God… 1 Kings 13:11-34..
An old prophet in Bethel hears of the incident with Jeroboam and seeks the man of God out...
Finds him and deceives him - why?
To test him? To see if God actually spoke through him?
Either in his faithfulness to the Word… or in God’s judgment against the man in his disobedience
Does this deception clear the man of God from Judah? Clearly not… he is killed after all
He was too easily deceived...
“I too am a prophet”
Provides conflicting revelation
Cites an angel… Gal 1:8…
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
No sign given...
Perhaps reasoned it was a small thing… a trivial matter
Perhaps he was hungry… lacked self-control
He’s judged… killed by a lion
Donkey untouched, not startled..
Body killed… but not eaten
The old prophet has a changed of heart
Perhaps out of guilt… or new found faith… the man was sent of God
The man’s death wasn’t just an act of judgment against his disobedience… but another sign for Jeroboam...
Notice the connection in v. 33… after this… after all this happened Jeroboam continued in sin..
If this man of God… suffered such a fate, for such a thing… how much more so Jeroboam?
So, if God honors obedience to His Word with such seriousness… what are we to do? What can we do...
First… pray & repent...
Second… guard ourselves
And third, pray some more...
Pray for..
Wisdom… James 1:5...
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Deliverance from temptation… Mt 6:13 (don’t read)...
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Strength to stand… Heb 10:19-23...
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Repent of your foolishness/ignorance
of your presumptions...
Guard yourself
Study the Word to know and to remain in Christ - Col 2:6-8… (just as you were taught)
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Know that He doesn’t change - Numbers 23:19, James 1:17...
19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Know that His Word is sufficient Psalm 19:7-14,
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Or Peter, in 1 Peter 1:19-21
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Test all things - 1 Thess 5:21, 1 John 4:1...
21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Be wary of people saying God has called me… without sharing explicitly how God has done so…
Pray some more...
How can any person bear up under such things?
It’s an act of grace by God to shows us the gravity of our sin… and the sin of this world...
It’s also by the grace of God that our sin is covered by the blood of Christ...
To include the ones made ignorantly or presumptuously
For we cannot, apart from Him, be holy as He is holy… we cannot be perfect as He is perfect… for apart from Him, we are dead… we are useless… we have no way to obtain everlasting life on our own…
We need new life in us, we need His Spirit in us…