A place higher than high places - Bro Jesse Howell 9-24-2023

Oh, certainly appreciate the Lord tonight his spirit that we felt. I want

to say, I appreciate my pastor and everything he's done for me. I

feel inadequate standing behind his pulpit. I really do. Such a mighty man

of God and a prophet. Indeed, I look up to him. He's

he's been a he's been a great, a great uh pastor and a father.

I appreciate it. Right, you can be turned into the Book of

First Kings, chapter twelve. I wanna wanna tell y'all, if y'all looking

for a free meal, just get behind Brother Wood and the Papaye's drive through.

Now. I appreciate it. It was very good. Thank you,

Thank you. Wasn't expected it, wrote us. He said, Oh,

think God in front of you took care of you ill, So thank you

very much. I appreciate you, First Kings. The twelfth chapter will be

looked. Will be starting and reading verse twenty five. I feel like the

Lord has has has laid a burden on my heart and uh, I hope

I can U help someone here tonight. I hadn't been able to get away

from it. I've tried. I really have start reading in verse number twenty

five, the twelfth chapter of the Book of First Kings. Then Gerald Bull

and Bill check them in Mount Ephraim, and twelfth they're end and went out

from Thence and Bil then built Penuel, and gerald Bull, I'm setting his

heart. Now shall the kingdom returned to the house of David. If this

people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem,

then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto

Rahabull I'm king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again unto

Rahab, king of Jeudah. Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves

of gold, and said, unto them, it is too much for you

to go to Jerusalem. Behold thy gods o Israel, which brought thee up

out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel,

and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin for

the house, for the people went to worship before the one, even unto

Dan. And he made an house of high places and made priests of the

lowest of the people, which were not the sons of Lebi. And with

the Lord's help tonight I want to preach a place higher than high places.

A place higher than high places is where and that's where I want to get

to tonight. Could we lift our hands as the building now ask the Lord

to have his way. God, we thank you for your spirit that we

have felt. God. We thank you for your power that you felt that

you have showed us. God, we ask that you would have your perfect

will and way in the service. God. Let these people see you and

not be Let them hear you and not the horey. Let him see your

love and your mercy. Let him feel grace. God, have your perfect

will. Let me say what you would have me to say, nothing more,

nothing less. We will give you glory and honor and praise. We'll

thank you for in return. Thanks in Jesus Holy Name. We pray Amen

Neva the ten to the ten tribes of Israel. Have we has rebelled against

the Rajabo King Solomon's son, and this caused the infamous division of Israel and

Judah. So King Rahabald Solomon's son is leading Judah, and this man that

we read about in our text, Jaryd Baham, is leading the revolt.

We read in verse number twenty five that he goes to Mount Efraim and builds

Chekim to twelve liam. He goes from Scheckham and built Canul, and everything

seems to be going going well, and they even making king over Israel.

But somewhere along the way during that time period, Jaryd Baham gets fearful that

if the people go to Jerusalem to the House of the Lord to sacrifice,

that they would kill him return to King ray Habald and reunite the tribes under

his leadership. So Jerib Boham takes counsel and devises a plan to distract him,

and we read about that. We read in our text that he pulls

a play out of Aaron brothers playbook. Out of Aaron's playbook Mosus, his

brother Aaron put a play out of his playbook, and he makes two golden

cows, and he tells the people that it was too much of a hassle

to go to Jerusalem. It was too much of a hassle to go all

the way over to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice in the House of the Lord.

And he tells him that these golden cows that he just formed were the gods

that brought him out of Israel. The automaker just came out of the closet

with these two cows that he said, now, these are the gods that

brought you out. But I just heard the claiming of the hammer, and

these are the gods that brought me out. Of his shirt of Egypt,

he puts up. He puts one of him in Bethel, and he put

he puts the other cat then, and he tells the people that they can

and should worship them instead of going to Jerusalem to the House of God.

And the Bible tells us that this became a sin for Israel. And I

want to preach for just a little while here tonight. Out of that thirty

first verse that we read, it says, and he made a house of

high places. As I read throughout my Bible, as I read it throughout

my Bible, I find that these high places are mentioned a lot in the

Old Testament. In Bible times, these high places were simply places of worship

on elevated prec pieces of ground. Sometimes they were natural formations, and sometimes

they were man made. They would bring stones, rocks, and dirts dirt,

and they would construct these high places. They would build a little healing,

They would build a little mound, and historically they were dedicated to idol

worship. They were dedicated to sacrifice to idols by the Heathens and the Pagans.

They were simply put centers of idolatry. Pastor has talked a lot today

about idols and about offering up things to the gods of this world and stuff

in there. And I've had this burden for a while. Now we can

flip over, no sorry, so that the Second Kings, I just have

this one written down. You can flip over if you're like Second Kings seventeen

and eleven says, and there they burnt incense in all the high places,

as did the Heathens. So in this scripture you can see that it's that

it's a practice of the Heathens. High places are a practice of the Heathens.

It was a pagan practice through denomy. The twelfth chapter, verse one

and two, God tells the children of visual what to do about these pagan

high places of idol worship. First number one reads, there are these are

the statutes and judgments which ye shall observe to do in the land, which

the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it all the days that

you live upon the earth. First number two, ye shall utterly destroy all

the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess serve their gods, upon the

high mountains and upon the high heels, and under every golden tree, under

every green tree that sounds very similar to high places to me, all the

places on the mountains and on the hills. You shall destroy it. And

I don't, I don't. I don't want you to get lost in the

sauce here tonight. I'm going somewhere. I'm just giving you a foundation,

and we're gonna get to where we need to be. But very plainly,

God tells them to utterly destroy the places upon the mountains and hills. But

instead of obeying the command of God, Jeryd Boham adducts the practices of the

pagans, and he constructs his own high places. He puts one at down

and one at Bethel for the people to worship. Jeryd Boham is the king

that notorious ly d Israel to see him. Many others followed suit in like

manner. While Jaryd Boham is causing Israel to sin, just next door,

Rehabam is building high places for Judah. You can flip two chapters over to

the fourteenth chapter of the Book of First Kings in first number twenty one,

and rehabal and the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Remember this is the

king that Jereboam just split the nation. This is the king of the remaining

tribe of Israel. This is the king of Judah. Jerborn calls Israel a

sin and just next tour Judah. Rejabald, the son of Solomon, reigned

in Judah. Rehaborhm was forty and one years old when he began to reign,

and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city of the Lord.

The city of the Lord, did choose out of all the tribes of Israel

to put his name there, and his mother's name was Naya, mother Emma

Nitis. And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they

provoked him to jealousy with their sins, which they had committed above all that

they're fathers had done. For they also built them high places, and the

images and grooves on every high heel and under every green tree. And there

were also sodomites in the land. And they did according to all the abominations

of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. These

high places were adopted from the Canaanites, and and and people of that sort

that they that God threw out from that He pursed that land and gave it

to the Julyzes, and then they become adoptive of the practices. These high

places were in direct contradiction to God's word and plan, as we read in

Deuteronomy. God had told them to utterly destroy them, not to embrace them,

and most backslidden teams and nations in the Bible time, they built these

high places varietal worship. And I want to talk to us just for a

little while here tonight about high places in our lives. And I don't I

don't want to be outside of the will of God here tonight, but I

do have a burden for I feel like one or two people in our beautiful

church family. It ain't for the whole church, or if the shoot don't

fit, don't wear it. But if it does, I pray to God

that you slip it right on and find a place in the altars and dedicate

your life back to it. If you're a week or so back, I

felt this strongly, and I ain't even been able to shake it. But

I feel like someone in this place tonight has a high place constructed in your

life, and there's something that you're allowed to come between you and your savior.

You am the Savior. I can't be because if you have something constructed

between you, he's not your savior. He is the Savior, but he's

not your savior. And I said, I don't want to be mean tonight.

I don't health of whose eye on anybody's back here tonight. I feel

like the Lord gave me this for someone here tonight, though. And these

high places can be likened to things that we exalt or prioritize higher than the

things are drawing closer to God, creating and maintaining a relationship with a careen

the Creator, and even reading and praying or studying the scriptures the Bible.

The Bible says study to show myself or proved under God. And I said,

studying the scriptures here because many times that scripture gets pawned off on the

preachers. I know because I used to do it well. They're talking about

the preachers need to study so that they know how to how to preach to

show themselves to prove. No, it don't say anything in there about the

preacher's studying yourself study to show that slf to prove gonna God. It says

plainly, studying to show thyself approved of to God. A high place in

your life could be many things. I have a few that I'm gonna put

a name on too tonight that I feel like God has laid on my heart.

But it's ultimately up to you to come through the realization that you have

allowed something to come into your life and something to be exalted and raised up

in your life that has taken priority over your Christian walk. If I don't

name it tonight, just because I didn't name it, don't throw it away.

But if there's anything that comes between I felt like the Lord gave me

this. If there's anything that comes between you and the Savior, it will,

without a doubt, come between you and Heaven. If there's anything that

comes between you and the Man that gave us life or cowering, it will

come between you and Heaven. If there's anything at all small or great that

you have trouble lean down for the sake of Christ. That is a high

place in your life. If you have any kind of addition, a hard

pastor talk about it this morning. If you have any time of addiction,

that it a high place in your life. It can be a conteen,

it can be android, it could be apple. If it's any kind of

addiction, any time period, it is a hard place in your life.

And you're letting again come between you and you save your If you can't control

your temper and your attitude and you just fly off the handle and give somebody

a pizza your little mind, that's a hard place in your life that must

come down. If you struggle with sactified living and talking right, that is

a hard place in your life. If you're a cousin, you don't need

the Holy does you didn't get born again. There ain't nonna tie God that

needs to be asked, but a holy goes. You can't be a cousin,

can't get us all your time, You can't control your tingue and you

love it costant save to your brother and your sister. That's a high place

that must come down. If you struggle with dressing modestly, that alive place

that must come down. If you don't have a proper prayer life and don't

read and study your Bible. That is a high place that needs to be

destroyed. It's your job, coming before your church attendance, that he's a

high place in your life. These high places, they seem to be temperate,

temporal satisfaction. But you will never convince me that the things that you're

exhaughty higher than the things of God, are truly satisfying your thirsty soul.

Because when you're walking down from your high place, when you gave in a

temptation and you went up to that high place and you bought at the God

of your addition, when you've been to knee after God of your addition,

and you come down from offering yourself to the walks and the cares of this

life, you know good and wellness, you feel empty and to feel you

know there ain't no shout of God that has high places in their life.

My mind goes back to the first commanded redings on stone by the finger of

God. Almighty God says very plainly, and it's in his twenty and first

over three, thou shalt have no other gods before me. From the beginning

of time. It has been made clear by God and understood by their kind,

that we are to be holy and completely concentrated unto God and his plan

for our life. Ezekul the fourteenth chapter. This is Ezekiel speaking first.

Number one of them came certain of the elders of Israel unto me and sat

before me. Ezekiel says, and the world of the Lord came unto me,

saying, son of Man, these men had set up idols in their

heart, and he booked the stubborning like, because they're aliquity before their face,

should I be inquired of it all by them? These elders have adels

in their hearts, and they have changed in their lives that they knew they

shouldn't be there. They came to Ezekiel, to the preacher that had like

every name was Okay and Dodge. But God tells Ezekul should be inquired of

it all of them, because it seems so disgusted that they wouldn't even ask

for him to speak in of their life when they had idols in their hearts.

That's what these high places were for. I've already told you they were

for idol worship. These men had idols in their hearts. They had set

up and every one of us could find ourselves in that place. If we

allow ourselves to set up idols in our lives, in our hearts and in

our lives, you could be worship when you had the high place on Saturday

night, throughout the week, devoting your time to your idol, that thing

that you've exalted. And then you come into the House of God on Sunday

morning, and the only thing that God had to say to you is who

do you think you are? To God? Ask them me a blessing?

Who do you think you are? Asked me to forgive you for what you've

done. Whenever you've got that all we would swalk up to the hide leaf.

Are you a time for dinner the week when the idol that's he erected

in my place? That's exactly what happened to these people. They thought e

Seku of the Prophet was gonna act like everything was okay. But God had

different plans, and he was not pleased at all. Verse number six.

Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, the saith the Lord God,

repent and turn ourselves from your idols, and turn away your faces from you

all your abominations. At any time the land of Israel would repent and turn

back to Jehovah. He would give them revival throughout the land. And if

you were destroy the idols in your high places in your life, God will

take you to new heights. The Bible says King Josiah burned the high place.

The general him hand me and break down the order and safted the powder.

And what we need tonight and need this church change. There's some people

are young Josiah to get sick and part of high places in their lives.

The story every head there standing their way of hiding a relationship with God himself

completely to his will. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign.

In his twelfth year, he began to purchase the land of the high

places. He was twenty years old, a twenty year old king each other

enough and enough, I'm gonna destroy the hot places. I'll break down the

older state of the powder. You can read in a Caesures Chapter one,

Paul said, bless me the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us with our fitual melescing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

The Pesures two in verse farty six even when we were dead, and

six have faking us together with Christ my grace are you saying? And I've

raised us up together and have made us sit together in highly places for its

Christ Jesus. And I'm thinking to night on the place higher than hot places.

You can have your hot places if you want, But Lord, give

me the heavenly places. I'll trade any high place in the world for one

heaven of a place in Christ Jesus. Whatever I need to do to get

there, whatever I need you do to get to that place in God where

he'll put out a blessing. I'm holding nothing back. I offer complete surrender,

not between my soul of the savil. God can raise you above the

high places if the heavenly places like you can't imagine. The Lord would take

you to a place higher than our places if you let him. The Vibenes

says, I have not seen nor he heard, neither having y to the

heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him.

We can't even begin to come him the heavenly places that God wants to take

us to. But if you're contented with the high places, if you're content

with the idols in your life. If you're content with with letting something be

more more priority to you than the things of God, you'll never, never,

never see the high places that the heavenly places that God has for you.

You must destroy the high places to reach heavenly places. You will never

reach heavenly places when you had high places erected in your life. Never,

It'll never happen. Somebody getting me a song. I don't think you're ready

to get rid of the high places. You better be careful. Yeah,

you let them high places stand long enough, your children will be will be

bowing at him. Your sons and your daughters will be offering themselves. You'll

be offering your children up to them. I wonder if there's anyone here tonight

that would say, I want to experience heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I

wonder if there's a Josire Hezekiah in the house that would say, Lord,

whatever it takes, I want these high places to fall in my life.

God. I'm done saying wicked things before mine eyes. God, I give

you a total surrender. I surrendered my heart and my life to you.

Take my life and my thoughts. My actions are sanctified, wholly and acceptable

to your plan for my life Psalms one thirty eight. I will praise THEE

with my whole heart. Before the gods. Will I seek praise under THEE.

David is saying, in the middle of all this idolatry that's going on

in the world, I will be true to you. In the middle of

the world and its idolatry. We can be true for the weapons of our

warfare and our corn of a mighty through God. To the pulling down of

strongholds, casting down imagination in every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge

of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Pull down the strongholds. Tonight. God has a heavenly place for you.

He wants to lift you up above the shadows. He wants to give your

eagles wings. But you must destroy the high places to reach heavenly places.

Between my soul man the savor of this world, to see dream. I

have renounced on seeing Jesus the same, so that his bacious face nothing preventing

the stuff his favorite came away clear. Then my thing true, nothing between

like worldly pleasure, habits of life, the war stay seen, but it's

not my heart from him manver severs my there's nothing beatween, nothing between my

slow stay. More so that is blessed saying face, maybe you seen nothing

grieving stuff his favor away, then nothing twe nothing between like bride who are

stationed sell for friend, shall not interveing the make cause me my tremulation.

I every off there's nothing ever between, nothing between my phone and the same.

So that is less face maybe seen the thing preventing stap be favor the

way clear nothing nothing between my phone and the same or so that is pressure

is says nothing grieveny starve his favor away, nothing nothing between and many heart

trial though the world begins me can mean and watching with prayer and snow denial.

I'm trying on father, nothing between my phone and the same you are

that is pasship play be saying nothing brivening pay stove his favor sam away and

nothing don't between my phone laugh the same shone laugh his places may be stree

nothing every mayta his favor away. Nothing nothing between life worldly pleasure, how

it a life? Stay seems not my heart from saver my ll there between

nothing between my the same. So dipress, face made be seen, something

preventing please his favor seems away. The nothing nothing doing say sobs out this

blouse pace, nothing when you were saying, nothing preventing face up, his

favor away for her, let