The Pity of God

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:27-29

It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.”

Insights:  In our final verses this week we see the pity of God.  After the judgment had been place on Ahab, notice how he responded.  Now, I don’t believe he repented, but I believe his actions reveal he did confess of his sins.  In my sermon I titled this sub point Guilt moves us to Confession and I explained to the church the difference between guilt and conviction.  I explained these two words are often used interchangeably, but they ought not.  I explained this because I was using the word guilt in the wrong way because of my issues with alliterations.  Briefly, guilt pushes us away from God and is a tool of satan.  Conviction draws us into God and is a tool of the Holy Spirit.  They do, however, feel similarly and that is why people confuse them so often.  Ahab, I believe, was upset about the judgment, not of the sin, in my opinion.  But he shows contrition which is why God responds with grace.  Grace moves God to have compassion on Ahab.  I am so grateful for God’s amazing grace.  If He withheld His grace, in what state would the universe, world, humanity, my state, my church, my family or even I be?  It would be horrific.  He constantly is bestowing grace in some form or fashion because He is God.  Yet the ultimate form of His grace was in the sending of His Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross for your sins and mine as well.  Beloved, display true repentance to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and then enjoy His amazing grace.  You will not be sorry you did.

Questions:

1.  In what area of your life are you experiencing God’s conviction regarding sin?

2.  In what ways are you able to testify to God’s amazing grace?

Prayer: Father, thank You that You display amazing grace to me.  I don’t deserve it, but am grateful to receive it.  Continue to make me sensitive to Your Spirit’s promptings in my life regarding sin and continue to grant me the courage to turn from sin and turn to You. Amen.

The Perception of God, Part 2

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:17-26

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it.  “You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”’”  Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord.  “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin.  “Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’  “The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.”  Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him.  He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel.

Insights:  Today we continue to look at the perception of God.  I am going to give you the fourth one first because it is a little shorter and it is very similar to the second one that dealt with motives.  The fourth perception is God sees internally.  Notice the last couple of verses tell us there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil.  Ahab’s internal thoughts were always on evil.  The third perception of God is the future.  He explicitly tells Elijah how Ahab and Jezebel are going to die as well as the male children of that line.  This history obviously displays God’s knowledge of horrific events, but I shared with FBCBG that God also knows the good things that are to come as well.  I took this as an opportunity to invite the church to attend our upcoming Vision Workshop on November 15 from 3-7 pm.  Let me encourage you to attend and see the direction the Strategic Planning Team senses the Lord is guiding us to here at FBCBG.

Questions:

1.  Are you grateful God does see the future?

2.  Do you understand God sees internally to our thoughts?

Prayer: Father, You hold my future in Your hands.  Guide me to walk obediently by Your side.  Amen.

The Perceptions of God, Part 1

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:17-26

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it.  “You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”’”  Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord.  “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin.  “Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’  “The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.”  Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him.  He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel.

Insights:  The past two days we have observed the path of greed.  Today and tomorrow we are going to look at the perceptions of God.  The first thing I want you to notice in our verses today is God sees geographically.  He knew exactly where Ahab was.  He was able to give Elijah the exact location in which he would find this evil king to confront him with his sin.  The second thing I want you to know is God sees our motives.  Notice Elijah charges him with the murder of Naboth for the explicit purpose of obtaining his land.  This indictment goes to the very motive of Ahab’s heart.  God, therefore, not only sees geographically, but He sees our motives as well.  Beloved, let us be certain we are asking the Lord to check our motives and to have them remain pure before Him.  Let our motives honor the Lord.

Questions:

1.  Are you aware God sees everywhere?

2.  Do you understand God sees even the motivations of your heart?

Prayer: Father, there is nothing that escapes Your attention.  Help me to not think I can fool You with my evil intentions because I know You know all.  Amen.

The Path of Greed, Part 2

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:11-16

So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them.  They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people.  Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.  Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”  When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”  When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

Insights:  Today is the second of two parts dealing with greed.  In today’s verses we see greed led to a murder in order to acquire what did not belong to Ahab.  In today’s story, the plot led to a lie.  The lie led to an actual murder.  You may be saying, “Scott, I am not going to murder anyone,” but the Scripture tell us that when we have hatred in our heart toward a person, it is as if we were killing them.  This thought process is the same as if we have lustful thoughts toward another, it is as if we were committing adultery in our hearts with that person.  God knows our inner thoughts.  So, even though we may not actually carry out the murder in the physical sense like Jezebel did, we are in our hearts and often times this murder is driven by our selfish greed.  The last thing we see about this path of greed is it led to a theft.  Ahab went and stole the field he desired after he found out Naboth was dead.  In many ways, this last step is the culmination of the preceding three.  In other words, the theft would not have occurred if there had not been a plot, a lie, and a murder.  It was, however, the real desire from the beginning and greed for that which did not belong to him created this very evil path we have observed these past two days.  May God protect us from our sinful, selfish desires of greed.  May we put them under subjection of the Lord’s authority.

Questions:

1.  Have you committed murder in your heart because of your hatred?

2.  Have you stolen to acquire what did not belong to you?

Prayer: Father, protect me from myself as I am prone to murder others in my heart and to steal from them for my own self-gratification and satisfaction.  Amen.

The Path of Greed, Part 1

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:11-16

So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them.  They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people.  Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.  Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”  When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”  When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

Insights:  Today is the first of two parts dealing with greed.  In today’s verses we see that greed led to plots in order to acquire what one desires.  Notice that Jezebel hired two men to testify against Naboth in order for Ahab to be able to take possession of his land.  I fear that we do the same kind of thing for what we believe is our betterment.  Beloved, let me tell you, if we ever have to create a story or set up a plan based on falsehood, then it is NOT for our betterment.  This sentence leads to the second part of greed.  When we are driven by greed, we will lie to get what we want.  On Sunday I used the illustration of when Barney Fife purchased a car from a “sweet elderly lady” who happened to be the leader of a car theft ring.  She told Barney all kinds of lies about the car and after he purchased it the car began to fall apart.  She was greedy and full of lies in order to get a quick dollar.  Beloved, all of us lie from time to time, when we do, we must immediately apologize to the individual with whom we lied and then go to the Father and ask for forgiveness and for His strength to not lie again.  Plotting and lying are paths driven by greed and we must be on our guard against this vile monster.  Tomorrow, we will continue looking at greed and see two more elements surrounding greed.

Questions:

1.  Have you schemed and plotted to advance yourself?

2.  Have you lied to acquire what you knew did not belong to you?

Prayer: Father, protect me from myself as I am prone to plot and lie for my own self-gratification and satisfaction.  Amen.

God Knows What We Need

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:5b-8

and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.”  Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.  The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”  So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Insights:  We end this week with the good news surrounding this history.  We learned on Monday we all face fears from time to time and for some of us those fears lead to depression.  This depression presses us to isolation, despair and fatigue.  When we look at today’s verses, however, we see God is in complete control.  There are four things we see God knew Elijah needed and four ways in which He provided for him.  The first was God knew Elijah needed food for energy.  We already referenced how in depression we get fatigued.  God knew Elijah needed food to give him energy in the midst of his depression.  Notice God also provided for him that supernatural rest I mentioned yesterday that the Lord would eventually grant you as you seek Him out in Bible reading and intentional getting up and going to bed at appropriate hours.  The third thing God did was give Elijah supernatural power to travel the duration of the journey.  Jesus promises to never leave us nor forsake us.  He will empower us to finish the race and run the course well.  The only way we can succeed in this journey is by God’s provision for this duration.  The final thing is really a preview to next week.  Now I am not preaching that sermon as I am presently in Ecuador, and therefore, I will not be blogging next week.  If you are in the Bowling Green area, let me encourage you to come hear how God fulfilled this last point of provision as He encountered Elijah at mount Horeb, the mountain of God.  What an amazing adventure Elijah had with the Father.  Every aspect of this journey was to bring Elijah to this specific encounter we will learn about next week.  Beloved, let God be your provider of all your needs.  You will never regret that decision.

Questions:

1.  Are you grateful God knows your needs?

2.  In what ways are you demonstrating your trust in the Father for His provision and care in your life?

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your amazing grace and provision in my life.  I am so grateful for Your immense love.  Amen.

Fear Presses Us To Fatigue

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:5a

He lay down and slept under a juniper tree;

Insights:  There is a third thing Elijah experienced in his state of depression and that was absolute fatigue.  I don’t think this verse is in the passage to tell us Elijah went for his nightly rest.  I think this is telling us more about his situation in which he is totally exhausted and as a result he is not resting well.  This fatigue is just the natural result of a spiritual battle.  In other words, when we are depressed we don’t sleep well.  We don’t get as many hours as we actually need of sleep.  Because of this physiological aspect of depression we go through life overwhelmed and tired.  We are always tired.  This kind of fatigue is not natural and it leads us to make poor decisions.  Let me encourage you to force yourself up in the morning and to read the Bible.  Then lay down at a reasonable hour at night and even if you can’t sleep, stay there in bed and read the Bible until you fall asleep.  If you will keep this pattern going long enough, the Lord  will renew your strength.  He will bring you back to health and wholeness.  Your energy will be restored in the Lord.

Questions:

1.  Are you feeling exhausted all the time?

2.  What lie is Satan telling you that is driving you to restlessness and fatigue?

Prayer: Father, depression has a way of making us not rest well.  When we don’t rest well we are fatigued and we make poor decisions.  Lord, strengthen me in Your grace and help me to truly rest.  Amen.

Fear Presses Us To Despair

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:4

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”

Insights:  The next way in which Satan attacks us is in the area of disparity.  He tries to convince us there is absolutely no reason we ought to continue the fight of faith in Jesus.  Elijah got to such a point.  He is asking the Lord to take his life.  Often times when we have isolated ourselves from other believers, we are then attacked to such an extent we feel the world would better off without us.  These kind of thoughts are a lie Satan feeds us and we must resist this kind of influence in our lives.  There is never a good enough reason to give up.  The Bible tells us to not grow wearing in doing good.  Following after Jesus can be a wearisome pursuit, because of the intense spiritual battle.  We, however, must not give into this attitude or this despair.  How can we avoid such feelings or at least not fall pray to the lies of the enemy?  The answer is to not take the first step we spoke about yesterday.  We need not isolate ourselves from the body of Christ.  The more connected we are with the body, the more we are protected from such feelings of abandonment and despair.  Beloved, let Jesus be your all in all and let Him help you through the feelings of disparity.

Questions:

1.  Are you feeling like giving up in despair?

2.  What lie is Satan telling you that is driving you to this disparity?

Prayer: Father, at times I feel as if there is no hope left.  I pray Your Spirit encourages my heart and helps me to understand there is always hope in Jesus.  Amen.

Fear Presses Us To Isolation

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:3d

and left his servant there.

Insights:  Yesterday we learned that Elijah was scared.  Over these next few days we are going to see some of the results fear has on our lives.  The first way Satan attacks us in our fear is through isolation.  Notice in this verse that Elijah leaves his servant behind.  This is a servant who has helped him along the way and has been his friend and confidant.  Now, however, his fear drives him to leave the servant behind.  So often in the body of Christ we face some kind of fear and instead of running to the Lord and the body of Christ, we run away from Him and them.  When we get away from the body, we face all kinds of obstacles.  Beloved, let me encourage you to not forsake the assembly of the brethren as some are in the habit of doing when you are being told lies by the enemy.  Always remember that he hates you.  He wants you isolated so that he can beat you up even more.  He wants to make things even harder on you and he know he can have an upper hand if he can get you to leave the body of Christ.  I want you to also realize the body of Christ is imperfect.  There are times in which we know you are going through difficult circumstances and we don’t actually know what to say to you.  Don’t let Satan use this human frailty to keep you away from the body.  Some times, we are only capable of listening and sometimes we are not even good at that, but please know we are praying for you in your times of difficulty.  Run to the Christ and let the Body help heal you.

Questions:

1.  Are you isolating yourself from the body of Christ?

2.  What lie is Satan telling you that is driving you to this isolation?

Prayer: Father, help me to understand just how important the body of Christ is for my health and vitality in You.  Help me to grow in love with them and as a result be strengthened in You.  Amen.

Adventures are Scary

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-3c

Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and ^ahow he had killed all the prophets with the sword.  Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”  And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah,

Insights:  I thought when I got back from Costa Rica with my daughters I would be able to jump right back into my daily blog.  I will tell you the adjustment into parental life has been more time consuming than I ever imagined.  It is good mind you, but more difficult than I thought.  As a result, I am not going to try and go back and get caught up on the blogs I missed from the past three months.  Rather, I am just going to continue from this week and give you a very brief recap of what we missed.  We have been investigating different components of REAL Worship at FBCBG.  The first part of the year we learned worship was relevant in all aspects of our lives.  In the second part, which is what I failed to blog about in detail was that worship is also exciting.  We have been presently learning about how worship is also an adventure.  In today’s verses we see that adventures can at times be scary.  I will not go into detail, but Jezebel was scared and we know that Elijah was afraid because the passage tells us he was.  There are all kinds of things that can make us afraid.  Let me list just a few.  Many people are afraid because they have received bad health news.  Some are afraid because they are facing financial crisis.  Others are afraid because of relational issues.  For me, I fear disobedience.  So many times, I have sensed the Lord’s promptings and failed to walk in obedience.  We at FBCBG have an opportunity coming up to attend a Vision Workshop.  Our Strategic Planning Team has been working for almost two years seeking the Lord and asking Him for a vision for our church.  We as a team truly believe God has given us one for our future.  My fear is that after we have heard our findings and presented them to the church that we will fail to walk in obedience.  Beloved, let me encourage you to attend the workshop on November 15 and to prayerfully ask the Lord to give our church a vision that will lead us into a walk of obedience with Him.  May He be brought glory and may we not be afraid!

Questions:

1.  What are you presently facing that is causing you to fear?

2.  Is your fear preventing you from walking in obedience with the Lord?

Prayer: Father, let my fears not cripple me into disobedience, but rather let me trust you though those fears and to see You brought glory because of my obedience.  Amen.