1 Kings 13 (Part 2) Bible Study (The Prophet's Disobedience) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

You know, I was sitting out in the parking lot, not outside,

but in my car. Came a little bit early.

And I was. Sitting there, I don't know if

it was the instrumental I was listening to the worship

instrumental or what, but in that moment I just was

transported back to 2020, no, 2012 and it was January.

I don't remember the exact date, but it was the time where I got

saved and it was so real and I just reflected on the moments

leading up to it right before the service.

But in particular, I remember the day after I got saved.

I know everybody's testimony is different and I'm fully aware

that not everybody can remember the moment they got saved.

I can't even tell you the day exactly.

I just remember it was a long weekend.

It was in the month of January, and it was a few days leading up

to that where the Lord's presence was so real and his

gospel was coming alive in my heart.

And I'm sitting there and I'm thinking about the next morning.

It was a winter morning. That was my basement apartment,

and I remember the feeling of waking up and getting out of my

bed. And the only word that can

describe it is this freedom. Freedom.

And I was impressed to share this part.

I usually don't do this, you know this if you come every

week, but maybe somebody needs to hear this.

I was shackled in sin. I was deep in bondage.

And the only way I can describe what it's like to come into

contact with this gospel and for it to be received by faith is I

felt those chains fall off saying what do you mean That

sounds so poetic? And that sounds so ethereal.

What do you mean you were free? I didn't want to sin anymore.

That's what I mean by being free.

It's like there's a new appetite.

And the thing that you once were so allured by and enticed by and

drawn to now became repulsive. It had a stink to it and you

wanted to remove it from your life.

And you not just wanted to remove it, but you felt this

incredible empowerment to do it. And the feeling I had that next

day after a night of weeping and surrendering was I wanted my

life to be as clean as possible from anything that would offend

the God that saved me the night before.

It wasn't out of drudgery. It wasn't out of wanting to

please him so that he can accept me.

It was because now I belong to him.

And I just began this personal campaign of looking at things

that I know I shouldn't be doing.

Nobody had to tell me anybody, anything about anybody or

anything that I was doing. I just began to clean my

computer, clean my phone, clean my relationships, clean up my

priorities. I want to tell you something.

If you're a person who claims to be a Christian but you don't

know what I'm talking about, don't cheapen the experience

that God wants you to have. He wants to save you.

And when he saves you, you'll know it.

You'll know it. And if you haven't experienced

that freedom, tonight can be the night.

This is a Bible study. I know we're going to be in the

Old Testament, but maybe tonight the Lord wants to save you and

that you would leave here with that sensation of this burden

rolling off your back and you see the world differently.

Differently. Can I tell you how differently I

saw the world? Everything was different.

Snow look different. My material possessions look

different. My studies look different, my

dreams look different, Everything looked different and

there was such a hunger to be where God was to be in the place

of God. Nobody again had to tell me

anything. I remember one, one day, after a

few weeks into my salvation, it was AI mean Toronto winters are

like Chicago winters and they weren't like what has been the

past few years. Like real brutal blizzards would

come and I remember there would be just services in the middle

of the week. And I didn't have a car.

I I I didn't like taking public transport much.

So I remember making hot chocolate and putting it into

one of those plastic bottles of water.

I drank the water and I'm like, maybe this will keep my hands

warm and I would sit for. I know it's safe to do it with a

plastic bottle water, but I did it anyway.

And I just put my jacket on, put pajamas underneath my underneath

my jeans. And I just walked to church

underneath underpasses and all these different things just to

get to the place where I knew God would meet with his people.

If you're not safe tonight, why? Why?

What are you holding on to? What sin are you so enjoying

that you're willing to deny Christ for?

So I want to tell you tonight that the Lord Jesus wants to

save you, and we're going to get into our Bible study.

Don't worry, this isn't going to turn into an evangelistic

meeting. But we have to be sensitive to

promptings, do we not? So if you don't know Christ at

any point in this meeting, you can talk to him and say, Lord, I

want to give my life to you. I believe you died on the cross

for my sins. I believe that I'm a Sinner.

I believe that you will one day come and return.

And I want to make sure that I'm in right standing with you.

And I believe with all my heart that if I confess my sins, if I

confess that your Lord, if I confess and believe in my heart

that God raised the Son of God from the dead, that my verdict

will be sealed, I will be a child of God, and I will have

redemption forever. You can do that anytime in this

meeting. And I believe with all my heart

that if you do it from a place of true repentance, you'll leave

here a different person. First Kings, Chapter 13.

1 Kings 13 · chapter mention

And please meet me in verse 11. We have some visitors today.

We're so glad that you can join us, and I pray and hope that

though we are in the middle of a Bible study in the Old Testament

that you'll be able to follow with us at this particular.

Moment. But I want to open up this study

by asking a few questions. Is it possible for a true man of

God, a true man of God, in a moment of weakness, in a moment

of unpreparedness, to be deceived?

Is it possible for a true man of God to come to a point where he

makes such a significant failure to commit such a serious sin,

though his life has been generally marked by

faithfulness? Is it possible for a true man of

God to come to a place where he has so?

Grieved God that he would be cut off from this life as a result

of an act of divine discipline. And what the study will tell us

and teach us tonight is that the answer to those uncomfortable

questions is yes, it is possible for a true man of God who once

inspired us to disappoint us. And that might be strange coming

to this chapter to complete it, because last week we were

refreshed by witnessing a man of God from Judah, who traveled to

the northern Kingdom to confront King Jeroboam, who led the

people of Israel into severe and gross idolatry and with great

boldness rebuked him with a word from the Lord.

And this man's obedience was not just recognized by his singular

prophetic protest. This man's obedience was even

demonstrated in that he sought to obey God in every single way

that God revealed to him. So let us be reminded of how the

scene of our last study delightfully concluded.

So you're there in First Kings 13.

I told you to meet me in verse 11, but scroll back there to

verse 9 and read with me. We see here in First Kings 13,

1 Kings 13:9

verse 9, the man saying to Jeroboam.

For so was it commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying,

you shall neither eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the

way that you came. So he went another way and did

not return by the way that he came to Bethel.

Oh, how I wish that this is where this man's testimony

ended. Wouldn't have been wonderful

that in the blackness of apostasy, this man who just came

like a firework on the scene would have entered into Bethel

obedient and would have exited and left Bethel in obedience.

But unfortunately, this is not where the curtain falls, because

the Spirit of God sees it necessary that we follow this

man of God from Judah, who now leaves from the northern part of

Israel and heads back home to see what happens on his way.

Because something happens on the way with this man of God, and it

is a massive mistake. It is a huge blunder, one that

will actually cost his life. So let's read the first several

verses of First Kings 1311 down to verse 17.

Now an old prophet lived in Bethel, and his sons came and

told them all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel.

They also told to their father the words that he had spoken to

the king. And their father said to them,

which way did he go? And his son showed him the way

that the man of God who came from Judah had gone.

And he said to his sons, saddle the donkey for me.

So they saddle the donkey for him, and he mounted it.

And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under

an oak. And he said to him, Are you the

man of God who came from Judah? And he said, I am.

Then he said to him, come home with me and eat bread.

And he said, I may not return with you, or go in with you,

neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this

place. For it was said to me by the

word of the Lord, you shall neither eat bread nor drink

water there, nor return by the way that you came.

The Spirit of God introduces us to a new character in this

story, and we don't know his name, We don't know much about

him. All we are told in the

introduction of this character, that is that he was an old

prophet and the information surrounding him, the activity

connected to him gladly gives us enough information to indicate

his character to indicate the soundness of his spirituality.

So there are a few things to consider just from verse 11 that

will give us hints to what kind of prophet we are dealing with

here. Is he a safe prophet?

Is he a legitimate prophet? Is he a prophet who is walking

with the Lord? Is he a false prophet?

Let's consider a few things first.

We are told that he were lived in what Bethel, now an old

prophet lived in Bethel. Why is that noteworthy?

Any idea what is a prophet of God doing living in Bethel?

We learned something a couple of weeks ago, did we not?

There was this great exodus that took place from the northern

parts of Israel down to where who went down to Judah after

Jeroboam implemented his own religion, the Levites #1.

The true priesthood of God made their way down trickle down to

the South, and not just the Levites, but all whose hearts

sought. The Lord also packed their bags

and move their families down to where God was truly honored and

worshipped. What's the natural question

then? What is this prophet doing in

Bethel? Why is he here?

Why did he not migrate? Why did he not move?

Why is he and his family still in the same neighborhood where

idolatry is practiced and imposed?

Maybe he just got comfortable. Worse than being comfortable.

Maybe he became compliant. Here's the second thing about

this man. It's not with the man directly

by his sons. It was the sons of this prophet

who approached their father and gave them the update of what

took place between this man from Judah and the King.

How do they know what happened between the man of Judah and the

King? Any idea?

They witnessed it, meaning they were present when that face off

took place. Now that is true.

But where were they exactly? What was the occasion?

Yes, scroll back to verse one at first.

Kings 13 and behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the

word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the

altar to make offerings. This man from Judah didn't enter

into his palace, didn't enter into his headquarters.

He entered and interrupted a religious ceremony where

Jeroboam, as king, was also functioning as a priest.

And evidently he was not alone. Remember when he lifted up that

Bony finger and tried to get this man arrested?

He said seize him while he was telling other people to do it.

Obviously. And more than that, based on

what we see here in verse 11, the sons of this old prophet

were also in attendance. In attendance.

We're at a worship service for false deities.

Were they mere observers? Or worse, were they actually

participants? Here's an old prophet who knows

that his children are with Jeroboam, with a false

priesthood, a false God, a false altar.

What's going on here? Last observation, where did this

man of God come from when he came to give the pronouncement

of judgment to Jeroboam and his dynasty?

He came from where? Judah?

Why did God have to call a man from Judah to rebuke King

Jeroboam when there was a prophet in Bethel?

Is that a good question? Why didn't God call the man who

was just down the street to go and rebuke the king?

Why did he have to fetch for somebody miles and miles away to

do the job? Maybe this old prophet wasn't in

the right spiritual place to do anything about it.

So already just in verse 11 we have these concerns, warranted

concerns, flags about the legitimacy of this man.

Not that he would be a false prophet necessarily, but a

compromise one. And as we continue to read,

we'll discover something about him.

We see here that the kids come, the sons come, and their father

in verse 12 said to them, which way did he go?

And his son showed him the way that the man of God who came

from Judah had gone. And he said to his son, saddle

the donkey for me. So they saddle the donkey for

him, and he mounted it. And we read earlier that when he

finds the man of God, he attempts to persuade him to do

what? Come to my house for dinner?

Is this man curious? Is this man stirred and he wants

to know something more about this prophet, this man of God

who came from the South? What's his motive here and being

so ambitious to fetch for this man of God?

Well, we can speculate and we can debate what it was.

But I have a hunch, based on what we see in the text, that

he's not up to any good. Why go back to verse 11?

Now an old prophet lived in Bethel and his sons came and

told them listen to this, read your Bible slowly and told them

all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel.

They also told their father the words that he had spoken to the

king. So they recorded everything that

he had done, the miracles that took place, and everything that

this man from Judah had said, which includes what what we open

this Bible study with in verse 9.

This man of God made known I cannot eat or drink anything at

all in this place. So if it says here that the the

son said all the words that the man of Judah said, it includes

that the prohibition to remain in that area to eat or drink.

So the father, the old prophet, learned this, and yet still he

sought the man to invite him to do just that.

Why would you extend an invitation to something that has

been divinely decreed to not take place?

This man, obviously. Has a disregard for the word of

the Lord. This man obviously does not care

about this man's integrity in his own obedience.

And so we read. On and what do we see Verse 14.

And he went. After the man of God and found

him sitting under an oak. And he said to.

Him. Are you the man of God who came

from Judah? And he said I am.

So. He catches up to this man.

And no. Wonder because when they now

come into contact, the man from Judah is doing what?

Is he walking urgently back home?

He's sitting underneath an oak tree.

Was he? Fatigued Was he fatigued from a

day of fasting? From day of not drinking any

water perhaps. But I'm.

More persuaded that he is delaying unnecessarily his.

Journey. I mean, think about.

It God didn't tell this man from Judah you can't eat or drink

anything today. Is that what the Lord said?

No, He says you can't eat or drink anything at all.

What in this place? It's the geographical location.

Look, if I was told. By the Lord, you can't eat or

drink as long as you're in Norridge.

Guess what I want to get out of? Norwich as soon as possible.

Because I hadn't had breakfast, I had it on lunch and I'm not

willing to miss dinner. I'm getting out of Norwich.

I'm going to have to where I am at and I want to enjoy a nice,

warm, hot meal. What are you doing, man of

Judah? By sitting.

Underneath an oak. And the lesson here is very

important. It teaches us here of the

dangers that we open ourselves up to when we linger in a place

that we are not supposed to be lingering at.

Because you know what's so? Fascinating.

While this man is traversing back to his hometown, we read

that this father, this old prophet is told about this man

and he is preparing something. He has a scheme.

He has a plan that this man of God does not see coming.

And that's a picture. About how temptation works.

This is supposed to equip you and I about how to do spiritual

warfare. In the first 10 verses of this

chapter, this man of Judah, this man of God, overcame temptation.

Jeroboam told them. Hey listen, why don't you come

over to my place, I'll refresh you and I'll each actually

reward you. And he says no way, man.

God told me to go back, not the way I came in, and to not eat

anything while I'm in this place that is overcoming seduction.

And we applaud. Him for that, and we rejoice in

that. But do you?

Realize that just because you and I have overcome the

temptations of yesterday, it doesn't mean that there will be

no new temptations today or tomorrow.

In fact, even with a particular sin that you saw victory in, be

prepared. Be on guard that similar sins

are ready to surprise you with an invitation to indulge in it

once again. So we see.

That this man here overcame temptation, but new temptations

are preparing to pursue him while he's on the path of

obedience. Be mindful of that.

What you conquered yesterday does not mean.

That that will be. Automatic victory for today or

tomorrow. Watch and pray, lest you fall

into temptation. I can't rely on the strength

that I got from the Lord last week.

I need fresh. Strength today.

And this man. Unfortunately, is going to find

himself in a dangerous, vulnerable position, and partly

because he parked himself along the path.

And I wonder. If he could have dodged this old

man all together, if he had just made his way back home with

urgency. Beware of your environment.

Beware of entertaining and delaying the crowd.

Or the circumstances that you're in that are making provision for

the flesh, whether. You realize it or not?

I'm reminded of another man in the Old Testament who found

himself slipping into an area, slipping into a way of life,

without even realizing how one step very early on, would lead

to the next step and the next leap.

Into a. Very compromise and dangerous

place, one that would actually cost him his whole life and even

the life of his wife. His name is Lot.

Lot is not an unsaved man. If you just had the Genesis

account, you would conclude Lot ain't saved.

But then you come. To Peter's epistles.

And we're told about Lot 3 times that he was a righteous man.

Oh, come on, I was Lot a righteous man.

Well, he's a picture of a worldly Christian.

Do you know? How lot became worldly?

It was in steps. It was by.

Him choosing to linger somewhere to entertain something and that

leading him to accept something else and then to linger and and

stay there and that opening up another thing in another level

and it's so seamless, it's so unsuspecting and.

I want to show it to. You, with your own eyes and your

Bibles, go to Genesis 13. Come with me.

Come with me. To Genesis. 13 This Is Where It

All began for Lot. Lot.

And his uncle Abraham had a problem because both of them

were prospering and it didn't seem like there was enough

property to take care of their flock and their servants were

fighting. And so they had to make a

decision to split ways, and Lot had the choice.

And he gladly chose a location according to Genesis 13 verse

Genesis 13:11

11. So lot.

Chose for himself all the Jordan Valley and Lot journeyed.

E Thus they separated from each other.

Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among

the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

And here. Is why this is concerning.

Verse 13. Now the men of Sodom were wicked

great sinners against the Lord. So here's the first step for

Lot. He split ways with his uncle,

and he makes his way to the Jordan Valley because it looks

so luscious and it looks so prosperous.

And to to the human eye it seemed like this was the way to

go. And so he sets up his tent not

in Sodom, but as far as Sodom. He was just outside the city of

Sodom. He was with these other people

in these other cities in the valley.

So far safe. Be careful.

Where that you pitch your tent. Be careful where you comfortably

place your life, your schedule, your fellowship, your thoughts,

your entertainment, what you allow here and here.

Be careful where you comfortably park that because notice what

happens in the next chapter. In Genesis. 14 A war breaks up

between these Pagan kings, and Sodom gets caught up.

In the losing. Side and notice what happens in

Genesis 1412. They also took Lot, the son of

Abraham's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom.

And his. Possessions and.

Went their. Way well, in Chapter 13, he

wasn't in Sodom. He went as far as Sodom, but he

was in the valley. He was in the cities just

outside of the city of Sodom. And then you read chapter 14 and

you learn that Lot is kidnapped. Why?

Because he's now living in the city of Sodom.

And you learn. Later on that, he went from

having a tent outside the city to having a house in the city.

Hold on, it doesn't even end there though.

Go to Genesis 19. And see.

Where Lot ends up before judgment comes against Sodom.

Genesis 19 One the two angels came to Sodom in the evening and

Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.

When lot? Saw them.

He rose to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the

earth. A gate.

In ancient times was a place where civil matters were dealt

with, where councils and judicial decisions were made.

You know what it. Means for Lot to be standing at

the gate, he. Became.

A leader in the city of Sodom. He became a.

Judge in the city of Sodom, what do you have in common with the

people of Sodom? Righteous lot for them to elect

you as one of their leaders. Where did this all?

Start for lot making a choice to dwell just outside of the city

of Sodom and then the. Next.

Chapter He finds himself dwelling in Sodom.

And not only. That he's kidnapped.

He's ransacked. He loses his possess

possessions. Uncle 8 now comes in and rescues

him and he goes back to Sodom and not only does he go back, he

becomes a leader in it. It's always in small steps.

It's it. Just happens without you even

realizing it, where you find yourself being translated into a

way of life, decisions, patterns of thinking.

That you never thought was. Possible, and I'll tell you how

it happens. Trace back to where it began.

Where did you linger? Where you were not supposed to

linger, Who were you with that you were not supposed to be with

what? Were you doing?

That you know you were not supposed to be doing.

Here you find. This man of God from Judah,

sitting underneath an oak. I argue that he was supposed to

make his way back as soon as he could.

And so we come back. To our main texts and 1st kings.

Verse 13. Excuse Me, Chapter 13, verse 15.

Then he said. To him come home with me and eat

bread. This is so.

Amazing. Verse 16.

And he said, I may not return with you, or go in with you.

Neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this

place. For it was said to me by the

word of the Lord, you shall neither eat bread nor drink

water there, nor return by the way that you came.

This is almost word for word what this man have got from

Judah said to King Jeroboam. And so look, he does delay,

right? But he's able to, in his initial

answer, have resolve and actually reject this offer as

well. And what's so?

Impressive about this is that the invitation from this old

prophet is less appealing than what King Jeroboam offered.

Remember King Jeroboam said come home with me that you may be

refreshed and I will give you a reward.

This old prophet doesn't promise him any reward.

Look what he says back in verse 15.

Then he said to him, come home with me and eat bread.

That's less. Enticing in my opinion.

Hey, if I had a choice between King Jeroboam's offer and this

man's offer, I'm going to go with King Jeroboam's.

At least there's a reward in this thing.

Just come home and eat bread with me so he's able to resist

here. But notice there's no reward

mentioned. But what this old prophet did

have was a persistence and a packaging that this man of God

was not prepared for. Satan is very clever.

In finding. Out what you were able to

resist, and then to repackage that sin so that it seems less

harmful and more acceptable. He's doing it in many ways.

One of the most common ways I love to remind people of is how

we're living in a day where the vocabulary for sin has

drastically changed, has drastically changed.

And I believe. Even that alone is a strategy

for us to not feel the sting of sin.

God gave us. A book.

Words are important to God. And so we're.

Living in a culture now where we're trying to cloud and cause

things to seem more innocent and more friendly and more honorable

so that we do not see how filthy it really is.

We do not. See how great of an offense it

really is? And what we're about to read

here. Is that the same sin is offered

to this man of God, but now it is encased differently to disarm

this man of. God from Judah and there are

three. Things that stand out from this

man's successful seduction, that are crucial to highlight and be

aware for ourselves. Notice how we didn't read this

yet? How things are going to take an

ugly turn. Verse 18 And he said to.

Him. I also am a prophet, as you are,

and an Angel. Spoke to me by the word of the

Lord saying Bring him back with you.

Into your house that he may eat bread and drink water, but he

lied to him, but he lied to him. There are three.

Things that stand out here. That genuine men and women of

God have to be so careful of. The first.

Thing that we observe is that this man seeks to identify

common ground. With this man of God from Judah.

Notice that he says I too am a prophet.

Did he stop there? I too am a prophet like you.

Hey, we're from the same camp. Hey, we serve in the same kind

of ministry. You can broaden.

That though it's not implied in the text, but you can broaden

the application. We have the same convictions.

We have the same statement of faith.

We're from the same denomination.

We grew up in the. Same church perhaps?

You know when it comes. To Jeroboam, offering this

temptation, it was very easy for the man of Judah to reject it.

But when it came from a fellow prophet, there was a greater

appeal. I too am a.

Prophet like you. You know, I've noticed.

Something about believers over the years who have turned their

back on the Lord who have gone to who.

Have gone off. The rails in their faithfulness

the Lord and have. Dove.

Into worldliness in serious. Serious.

Ways. Ways that scar them for life.

Your experience might be different from mine, but let me

tell you from my observation that most Christians don't

backslide because of worldly people persuading, though it

happens. In my.

Experience. I've seen most Christians

backslide through other compromising Christians.

I to him A. Prophet like you.

It seems. Safer when there's somebody who

claims the name of Christ, inviting you to sin with them,

for them alongside them. And so right here.

Already, this man seems to be more comfortable with the idea

of this invitation because he seems like he's on the same

team. Be.

Careful of people within the Church, within Christendom, who.

Attempt. To pull you away from God, I

don't care how long you've known them for.

I don't care how. Well, their lives seem to be

going. You know what's more?

Important than your friendships. You know what's more important

even than your family? God.

And his word, you know when you said?

Yes to Jesus Christ. You know what?

You said yes to. I'm going to follow you no

matter what and. Lord, you're more.

Important to me than my brother, my sister, my mother, my father,

anything else. That doesn't mean you neglect

your family. That doesn't mean that you

become a Christian jerk That. Doesn't mean become rude and

insensitive. Self-righteous and hypocritical?

No. That means that.

When it comes to a decision between following the Lord or

following those who are closest to you, the Lord wins your

devotion every time. I too.

Am a prophet like you. This man perks up.

I wonder if he stood up from sitting underneath that oak.

And his antennas. Now are up.

Secondly, the older prophet not only says and finds common

ground, he leverages his position to make himself more

trustworthy. He didn't say I'm.

A worshipper like you, he. Didn't say I.

Follow true living God like you, he says.

I too am a prophet. Like you, how often do people?

Abuse their titles, their authority, their platforms to

take advantage of others far too common.

Far. Too.

Common and not only does a position, even a spiritual

position, have a potency to intoxicate the one who possesses

it, but has an ability to overwhelm others who are around

it. And those.

Who have public gifts and those who have leadership positions

and those who have authority have to be especially careful

and have to really fear the Lord.

Because. By virtue of that position, you

win the respect and trust of those.

Who are? Benefiting from your service.

That. Authority comes with so much

responsibility, and sometimes that authority can can be as

simple as being older. This man was an older prophet,

more experienced supposedly, and so also be careful of those who

may have titles, who may have pedigrees, who may have.

Names with letters beside it who may have.

Great views on YouTube and may have great followings.

And they seem to. Impress you or win your trust,

and you respect them so much if you're not careful to always

keep Christ before you, no matter what a man or a woman of

God has done for you. You are in.

Danger of falling into deception.

Christ. Matters more than any leader in

the church. Christ matters.

More than any person in your life that's spoken into your

life. Men of God.

Older men of God. Older women of God are prone to

mess up and fail. Be very careful to not put your

trust in man. And be wary that there are some.

People who are older, older in the faith, older in years that

have no problem praying on younger believers who are more

naive. And willing to believe.

Those who have. More experience.

Trust the word of God. The third thing.

That this old prophet does to win this younger prophets trust

is to justify his request by an ecstatic experience.

So not only does. He say I also am a prophet, as

you are, he goes on to say, and an Angel spoke to me by the word

of the Lord. Saying.

Bring him back with you into your house.

That he may eat bread and drink water.

This is new. Jeroboam didn't have the

audacity to do that. He was an idolatry.

But this man attempts to put authority behind his message by

claiming a supernatural divine approval with it.

I have met poor souls, lovely Christians, genuine hearted,

innocent believers who have received direction in life from

those. Who have come?

With the claim of a personalized revelation on their behalf.

And that. Guidance, unfortunately, has

caused more confusion than anything.

And these. People who are recipients of

such messages are so thrown into a loop that they live many years

crippled in fear, thinking if I don't obey what this person told

me, not what God told me, not what the word of God told me,

what this person told me on behalf of God, then maybe I will

disobey God. You and I should.

Always be open, always, to receiving exhortation, counsel,

instruction from those who use the Word of God to speak into

our lives. But you and I should.

Be very cautious from those who feel comfortable giving you

personalized direction in your life from the place of

personalized experience on your behalf.

There are. People who are tormented because

of this kind of ministry genuinely terrified that if they

don't do what's been told to them, they are going to be in

greater danger. The Bible is your authority.

The Word of God. Is your authority.

You know, all it takes is for all it takes is from any.

Most people, not anybody, but most people in this day of age,

to have somebody who has a charismatic gift and ability to

communicate with these elaborate stories of what God has done in

him and through him, and they're hooked.

And even if such a person, I know this sounds outlanded, but

it's true. Even if that person begins to

have some connection to the word of God.

But now introduce strange teachings or call people do the

things that the Bible doesn't call them to do.

Or lace things with the gospel that the gospel is not, people

will give in to it. All it takes.

Is for people to hear somebody having experience going here,

experiencing that miracles flowing through them, and that's

all it takes for people to give their hearts and their wallets

and their wills to such ministers and ministries, an

Angel told me. Oh, is that all it takes?

An Angel told me. You know what, John?

Told believers in First John 41. It's a very common passage.

He says Beloved do not believe every spirit.

Why would he say that? Maybe because Christians are

prone to believe things they shouldn't.

Beloved do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to

see whether they are from God. So I'm not called to listen to

this. I know me shocking.

I'm not called to just gobble up anything that comes my way

because the name of Jesus has slapped on it.

I'm not even. Called to believe everything

that comes my way just because verses are quoted.

Satan quoted verses to Jesus. He came to Jesus as isn't it

written and he quotes scripture. You know what?

Jesus has to deflect it and overcome it.

It is also written. You know what that?

Tells me Satan will quote verses out of context, and if you do

not know the Bible in its context, you're also prone to

deception. The way to defeat Satan is not

just know what is written, but what is all written.

So when Satan? Says it is written.

You can say yeah, but you took that out of contest because look

what it says. Here it is also written.

And so. People have to understand here,

according to first John four one that we have every right.

It is our duty to test. To be careful.

To be calculated not to be cynical, Not to.

Be ugly. But to be cautious, why John for

many that word? Sprung up to me today.

Not some many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Many. Can I tell you what?

You can learn based out of First Kings 13 and many other

examples. There are people within our

camps. There are people who will

leverage their position, their authority, their gifting, their

status. There are people who will appeal

to supernatural revelatory experiences.

Listen to this to intentionally lie to you.

Intentionally lied to you. Some are so.

Convinced of themselves that they, they themselves are

deceived about what they believe.

But there are others who will intentionally manipulate you.

You know, there's much debate about why this man of God went

out of his way to invoke the name of the Lord and lie to this

man of God about what happened to him so they can have him over

to his house. I mean, why go to that great

lengths to actually blasphemy God to have dinner with this

man? We're.

Not told. But you know what that tells me?

That there are some people in this life who are so wanting

something from you that they're willing to lie to you to have

it. I I get it this sounds.

Scary you. You have no right to be scared

because you have he who is greater in you.

Than he was in the world. I'm not trying to.

Scare you? I'm trying to prepare you.

That's why the stories in the Bible.

Know the. Word be prayerful.

Don't be gullible. And you'll be more.

Than safe, you'll be prosperous spiritually.

So, John? Says test.

Now why would I need to test something unless it's

immediately recognizable and obviously false?

Obviously I'm called to test something because it seems

right. And there are.

Ministers and there are messages that seem convincing and of

Christ, when in fact they're not.

And all it takes is a little bit of probing, an investigation for

it to fall apart and realize it's a facade.

But it requires. Tests.

Well, how do you test things? You.

Have to 1st. Determine in your Christian walk

that the word of God is my supreme authority.

The word of. God is my supreme authority.

It's not an authority with other authorities.

It's an authority even more than miracles.

You're going to have. Masses deceived in the last

days. You know why?

Because the false Antichrist will perform miracles.

That's all it's going to take for people to give their

devotion to Him more than miracles.

More than. History more than church.

History more than anything you have to determine to be shielded

from any kind of deception. This word is my determiner of

truth. All this man had to do was an

Angel. Told you that.

But I got this from the word of the Lord.

So we have a problem here. But he didn't.

You know what's so sad? Tell me about.

The king that this man confronted, what was his name?

Jeroboam. Who was the king from the South

sounds like Jeroboam Rehoboam. What was the downfall of

Rehoboam? Ultimately?

He took counsel from the wrong people.

What was the downfall? Of Jeroboam.

Same thing. When he was scared about the

allegiance of the northern tribes going back to the

southern Kingdom, he came up with this false religion.

But he didn't come up come up with it on his own, it says.

He took counsel. Rehoboam.

To counsel, it led to his downfall, Jeroboam.

To counsel, it led to his downfall, this man.

To counsel and he's following in their steps.

If you haven't learned yet from Rehoboam, if you haven't learned

yet from Jeroboam, please, please.

Learn from this man. Now be careful.

Of the voices that are speaking into your life.

You have 3. People in a row.

Who messed? Up because of that one failure,

taking in things that did not come from the Lord.

Let's read on. Shall we?

Verse 20. Verse 19 tells us that he went

back with him, ate bread in his house and drank water.

Now just imagine the site. Here you have this man of God

from Judah sitting at the table with this old prophet.

Having dinner together and this. Nice quiet evening.

All of a sudden now is interrupted by what we read in

verse 20. And as they.

Sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who

had brought him back, and he cried to the man of God, who

came from Judah. Thus says the Lord, because you

have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and you have not kept the

command that the Lord your God commanded you, but have come

back and have eaten bread and drunk water.

In the place of which he said to you, Eat no bread and drink no

water, Your body shall not come to the tomb of your Father's.

That's. Shocking.

And I. Wonder if this man had a heart

sinking experience in that moment while bread was still

between his teeth. Can you imagine that?

Here you are thinking all is well.

Oh, thankful that this. Angel came to this old prophet

and tell me you know what? I changed my mind.

Come on over for dinner. You can eat in this place.

And then this man. Of God drops his fork, looks up,

and it says he cried. I mean, I would have.

That's startling. And he gets a.

True Word from the Lord. You've disobeyed.

God. How do we explain this?

How do we have this old prophet who is so compromised being a

mouthpiece for for God? It's very easy.

God can speak through whom He wills when He wills to perform

His will. You have.

Balaam, where God took the curses out of Balaam's heart and

transformed them through his lips to be blessings over

Israel. You had Balaam who was rebuked

when God spoke through his donkey.

And you have this man whom God use as a.

Mouthpiece to get the attention of his servant from Judah and

the judgment. Is very clear, is it not?

You're a dead man, and you will not.

Receive the honor of being buried with your father's.

You look at that and you. Think to yourself.

This seems a little severe, seems a little bit intense, and

maybe this judgment might tempt you and I to think and to

reconsider. The validity of this man from

Judah's faith and his walk with the Lord.

How can God call for the cessation of this man's life if

he was truly a child of God? But let me remind.

You that both in the New and in the Old Testament, God though

sealing your faith through the blood of his Son.

Jesus Christ will in his love and his wisdom implement

discipline even to the degree of taking someone home early.

And there are a few examples of this and one comes to mind.

The one that comes to mind is in First Corinthians 11 verse 30,

1 Corinthians 11:30

where Paul gives instructions about the Lord's table and the

Corinthians. Were really, really, really

messing up how they approach the Lord's Table and Paul.

Gave commentary to why some of the believers in the church were

experiencing certain things, and this is what he says in First

1 Corinthians 11:30

Corinthians 11 verse 30. That is why many of you are

weak. And ill and some have died.

Some have. He's.

Not talking about the world, He's talking about people in the

church. And here we read of different

levels of discipline. You have some who are weak, you

have some who are ill, and you have some who have even reached

the point where. They went home.

Earlier than planned and hoped. But you know.

This may seem. Startling to us Paul, it's so

amazing in the same passage just two verses later.

Assures the believer, though. Though you may.

Experience the heavy hand of the Lord because of your persistent

disobedience and unrepentance. That doesn't mean.

That you lose your salvation. Look at verse 32, First

Corinthians 11. But when we are judged by the

Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along

with the world. Isn't that wonderful?

Even in a text like this that seems so severe and so final and

seems to to spell out the displeasure of the Lord, we're

confident realizing that even if a believer experiences some

unusual activity in his life, moments and events in his life

as a result of God as a Father moving in to correct them.

That doesn't. Change their standing before the

Lord because. Of the blood of Jesus Christ,

that's how. Secure we are.

Why would God do this, though? It still begs the question, why

would the Lord ever see it necessary to even bring one of

His children into glory before their time?

At least they're hoped and designed time.

We will never know the full reasons behind his decrees, but

it could be that in some cases one has so tarnished their

testimony. Listen very carefully to this.

It could be that one has so tarnished their testimony.

That the best? Thing to do after that.

Is to say, OK, I have to take you your your testimony here,

the saltiness is so drained, it's so gone that the best thing

to do out of this place is to say son, daughter, you're coming

home with me. And it also could be that

through. This.

Fatherly chastisement for disobedience.

There would also be the sanctifying effect that would

take place in those who are still alive.

And that's exactly what we see in this story.

You might be wondering why did this man of God?

Have to die and notice we didn't get a date of when it was going

to happen, but it happens the same day.

Verse 23 And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the

donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back and.

As he. Went away, A lion met him on the

road and killed him. And his body.

Was thrown in the road. And the donkey stood beside it.

The lion also stood beside the body.

And So what this man didn't realize was this dinner that he

wasn't supposed to have was in fact, his last dinner.

He has. A vehicle to be able to head

back and on his way back a lion appears out of.

Nowhere slays the man kills him. But then we're.

Told that he was thrown into the road and the donkey stood beside

it and the lion also stood beside it.

OK, let's pause here and let's collect everything that we

learned from last week to this week to make sense of this

moment, right? This man, when he comes from

Judah, approaches King Jeroboam. He denounces him, tells him that

the altar is going to be desecrated.

Your dynasty is done. He signs off by saying I cannot

eat or drink in this place. God told me not to, and he makes

his way back. On that journey.

This old prophet comes, invites him to eat and drink.

He disobeyed. And word.

Gets around very quickly as we're about to find out.

How the man? Had lived.

Even if he didn't. Live.

Had king. Jeroboam and the people in that

moment heard that the man of God who rebuked them and told them

that he himself, as an example of obedience, would not disobey

the Lord. Would that have?

Hurt his message to Jeroboam. Would have hurt.

His testimony. If after telling him what God

told him to do, you do the exact opposite, it wouldn't have

helped the message. It could have possibly discredit

it all together. And that's what this.

Man did he now tarnished his testimony and his message, And

now the Lord in his wisdom has to find a new way to send a.

Message to Jeroboam in what way? By killing his unfaithful

servant, saying Why? To communicate.

That at this critical point in Israel's history that there is

no one who is above the word of God to communicate to King

Jeroboam that disobedience will be met with judgment.

So imagine if this news, which it does, reaches Jeroboam.

How would that translate? This is how it translate

Jeroboam if I'm willing to do this with my own prophet.

What do you think? I'm willing to do with you for

rebelling against me. That's what's that's what's

being projected here through this tragedy.

And if you think that's. A stretch.

Look at the end of this chapter and notice what happens in verse

33. After.

This thing after all that we're about to read here, this thing

including the lion killing the man of God.

After this thing, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but

made priests for the high places again from all among all the

people. Any who would he ordained to be

priests of of the high places. So after this thing took place,

you would hope that something would happen to Jeroboam's

heart. I mean, we see.

God here swiftly disciplining his his own servant.

But we also see the incredible patience of God, do we not?

Jeroboam. Comes and rebukes him, gives him

a denouncement, gives him a prophecy.

The altar breaks open. The ashes spill out.

He stretches out his hand. It freezes.

He prays. The hand comes back.

And even. After the man of God is slayed.

He still. Wasn't getting it.

No matter. What God tried to do to get this

man to repent his heart only got harder and harder and harder.

And the Lord. Even did this in a in a way in

which it would be undeniable that it was an act of God.

How is it normal for a lion to slay a man and to just sit

there? Is it normal for a donkey to sit

beside a lion? No.

Naturally speaking, you would think that the lion would devour

the man, devour the donkey, or the donkey would get away from

there as soon as possible. But the sight that was seen by

the travelers who made their way through this road was that there

was a slain man, a lion standing there, a donkey standing there.

This is weird. There's something here that's

deep. This is not a freak accident.

This is not some. Unfortunate attack.

This is divinely orchestrated. Go back to verse 25 to see

exactly what I'm saying and behold.

In other words, pay attention. Look at this and behold, men

passed by and saw the body thrown in the road, and the lion

standing by the body. And they came and told it in the

city where the old prophet lived.

It became headline news. And so, Jeroboam.

Was not the only one who heard about this.

Now the old prophet learns about it.

And this is where. Things get really interesting.

We're almost done. Look at verse 26.

And when the Prophet. Who had brought him back from

the way heard of it? He said It is the man of God who

disobeyed the word of the Lord. Therefore the Lord has given him

to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the

word that the Lord spoke to him. And he said to.

His sons saddle the donkey for me and they.

Saddled it, and he went and found his body thrown in the

road, and the donkey and the lion standing beside the body.

The lion had not eaten the body or torn the donkey.

And how many times? We have to hear about this lion

and donkey. So the man hears the news.

He gets in his own car. Makes his way to the place, and

sure enough, there is the slain man, and there's the lion, and

there's the donkey. And the Holy Spirit highlights

specifically the lion, the last part of.

Verse 20. The lion had not eaten the body

or torn the donkey. You know what that's

emphasizing. Self-control.

This lion had self-control. It it was.

Not natural, obviously. It was empowered by God.

And I think. That the reason why this is

brought to our attention is to highlight just how dark it was

in the days of Israel at this time.

You couldn't find evidence. Of obedience with the kings,

whether from the South or from the North.

And now we just learned you couldn't even find obedience

with a prophet. But you know where you find

obedience an. Animal not with the.

Kings. Not with the prophets.

A beast. You have a beast that's

submitting to the will of God. And it's almost like this

strange sights, right? This rebuke almost looks

contrast. Can't find it in.

The people of God, But you can find it here.

With this animal, you're supposed.

To feel grieved as you read that.

Here's this. Lion who's not willing to have a

meal for himself. In the same context of a man of

God who was told not to eat a meal, and he did anyway.

Verse 20. 9 And the prophet took up the body of the man of God,

and laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to the city, to

mourn and to bury him. And he laid the body in his own

grave. And they mourned over him,

saying, Alas, my brother. And after he had buried him, he

said to his sons, When I die, bury me in the grave in which

the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.

For the saying. That he called out by the word

of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the

houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaritan,

shall surely come to pass. I'm confused by this guy.

Are you not sitting in my desk? Like, who is this person?

In one. Reading, you see him comfortably

blaspheming God, lying on behalf of God, dishonouring and

disregarding the word of God. And in the next.

Reading, you find this man. Revering.

The Word of God, acknowledging the word of the Lord even being

broken over the loss of this man of God.

How do you make? Sense of this?

Well, some would be. Satisfied to say that this is

just the perfect picture of those who have confusing

convictions and conducts. One day they seem right with the

Lord, the next day you don't know if they're a Christian.

Another day, they seem kind of Christian.

Or or. Or what just happened with this

man awakened this old prophet, his conscience came alive again.

And now he. Himself is disturbed about

himself saying really perhaps. Notice again his request in

verse 31. When I die, he says, bury me in

the grave in which the man of God is buried.

That's. That's.

Strange for somebody you just met.

Being buried. In an honorable place, in the

place of your father's was. Was something.

Sought after by the patriarchs, even they wanted to make sure

that they were buried with their fathers.

And yet this man felt this incredible need to be buried

with this unnamed man of God from Judah and noticed his

language very carefully. He says.

Lay my bones beside his bones. You know why that's significant?

Go back to verse two of First Kings 13.

And remember what the man of God said to Jeroboam.

Look at the last. Part of verse 2.

He says. Josiah by name, and he shall

sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make

offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.

So one of the. Greatest acts of desecration

would be that the bones of these false priests and messengers

would be placed on these false altars and disrespected by being

burned on the altars. And I'm.

Persuaded that this man of God in knowing that prophecy and.

Even. Knowing in the compromise

condition that he was in living in Bethel, having his kids,

going to false worship services, lying on behalf of the name of

God. Did not.

Want the same fate as these false priests?

He did not. Want his bones to be burned on

these altars. He wanted to, as we just read,

perhaps died the death of the righteous.

I don't want to end the way I've been.

I want to change. And more than.

That he publicly acknowledges the prophecy that the man of God

made about Jeroboam. And we saw how the reaction of

Jeroboam shows that to make such a declaration with to put

yourself in danger. Notice when he says in verse 32

for the saying that he called out by the word of the Lord

against the altar in Bethel and against all the House of the

high places that are in the cities of Samaritan shall surely

come to pass. It's going to happen.

I believe that prophecy. Perhaps this?

Man now is willing to acknowledge the truth and to

not. Just keep it here.

But to say it, it's going to happen, I'm not afraid to say

it's going to happen. And when it does.

Happen. Listen, I want to be buried with

that man. I don't want to be buried with

these other people that are going to be judged when Josiah

comes on the scene. And perhaps.

The greatest piece of evidence that this man's conscience was

awakened for the good is when Josiah actually does come on the

scene. And Josiah.

Does fulfill this prophecy where he takes the bones of these

false priests and burns them? But notice something in our last

text for tonight and 2nd Kings 23.

So you're in First Kings go to the Neighboring book and 2nd

Kings 23. We're near. 300 years after this

prophecy was declared, Josiah appears.

And he brings. Judgment as it was foretold.

But in second. Kings 2317 we read then, he

said. What is that monument?

That I see. And the men of the.

City told them it is the tomb of the man of God who came from

Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the

altar at Bethel. And he said.

Let him be Let no man move his bones, so they let his bones

alone with the bones of the Prophet who came out of Samaria.

Don't touch. The man of God's bones from

Judah and don't touch the prophet that was buried with

him. If this.

Indeed is true. Then even.

With us going deeper and deeper Into Darkness, not only are

kings disobeying you have prophets and the.

The ray of. Light in this whole story is a

lion. Not eating the guy and not

killing the donkey. You have fresh air blow into

your reading through this old prophet, perhaps showing some

sign, some little sign of repentance, realizing that God's

Word is true. I told you a couple weeks ago

that these passages were going to be a challenge and there's

going to be more ahead. But here's what.

You and I are going to end this Bible study by doing asking.

The Lord. To give us.

The grace and the strength, so that we can worship and live for

him. And not give that joy and honor

to mere creation. That we would.

Be able to. Worship him and not give that

duty to rocks. And we would go and do what he

calls us to do when he tells us to do it and be a shining light

in The Dark World. So with all that was said, very

heavy Bible study, but so good for us, let's thank the Lord

together. Lord, we thank you from our

hearts that you have given us everything we need to not only

be fruitful, but, according to first Peter, be so equipped and

furnished. And.

Invested. Invested.

In the disciplines and the truths of your word, where Peter

says that we may never fall. And Lord even.

If we do fall, John tells us that we have an advocate, one

who is our propitiation, who will freely and gladly forgive

us of our sins when we confess them.

Lord, if we have failed you consciously, Lord, we ask that

you would forgive us. Lord, we pray.

That you would cleanse us. And make us strong again so that

we can serve you. And, Lord, for the journey

ahead, though we might have overcome temptation in the past,

your word says, Let he who stands take heed lest he falls.

We do not. Presume, nor do we boast in our

strength. We through these.

Bible studies are constantly reminded that we need your daily

strength, your daily wisdom, your daily grace.

Thank you That we. Never have to fear losing our

salvation, but oh Lord, we're beyond that.

We don't want to. Miss out on being used by you in

this life. We don't want to.

Miss out having a testimony before a Pagan world?

Pagan rulers, compromised prophets.

We want to be. Strong in our testimony.

So, Lord. We pray that we would not be

lingering where we're not supposed to be lingering.

Show us the places and the things that we went entertaining

that are hurting us and draining our life from us instead of

giving us the strength and the grace to be exactly we've called

us to be. Help us, Lord, Guide us, Lord,

We thank you for this Bible. Say we thank you for how rich it

is. We thank you.

That in your love you warned. That's why you've given us this

history of what happened with your people in the past.

We embrace it. We we hold it tight to our

bosoms, and we ask that Lord it would become real in our lives.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Amen, brothers, sisters. To stand and worship the Lord

and say thank you, Lord, for this word.

Thank you, Lord, for how rich your word is.

Let's give him glory tonight, Amen, and love him and adore him

that we are. Secure in his hand, Not only

secure in his hand. You know you have many.

People who are also fearful in another way.

What if I miss? Out on God's plan for my life.

What if I'm not? Holy enough.

What if I'm not? Strong enough?

What if I'm not knowledgeable enough?

What if I'm not? Pure enough.

Do you realize? That in having those concerns.

You are in the. Greatest place that you can be

in in your spirituality. Do you know who?

Doesn't care about those things. People who don't want to be used

by God, people that want to be used by God think that way and

pray that way. And they say, Lord, I am far

from perfect. I'm not worthy.

And Lord. If there's any healthy fear that

I want in my life, it's to veer off from your will for my life.

When you have that holy concern, you are dead center in the will

of God. So don't be.

Afraid. God wants to use you more than

you want to be used? Don't be concerned.

God has the resources to make you who you need to be.

He will not let. Go of you.

He will not let go of you. Let's sing, shall we?