Jump Start # 690

1 Kings 22:8 “And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.’ But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Let not the king say so”

The king of Israel was in alliance with the king of Judah. Together they were going to fight Syria. Combined they were powerful. The king of Judah insisted on seeking a prophet who would inquire of the Lord. He would not wage war without the Lord’s permission and approval.  About four hundred of the king’s prophets were in favor of going to war. These spineless false teachers would say anything that the king wanted to hear. They did not know God let alone represent Him. They had no idea what the Lord thought about all this. The king of Judah was not satisfied. He wanted a prophet of God to give approval. This is where our verse comes in.

Micaiah is the lone prophet of God. The king of Israel had a history with him. It wasn’t pleasant. The prophet didn’t say what the king wanted to hear. The prophet had spoken what the Lord truthfully had said. The king viewed it as nothing more than the prophet speaking evil of him. He hated that prophet.

That same spirit lives today. If someone doesn’t speak pleasing words to the ears of others, he is rejected and hated. They did this to John the Baptist. He was imprisoned and eventually executed because his words of truth were not received well. Jesus experienced this. The crowds twisted and changed what He said. Their envious hearts led them to crucify Jesus. When the crowd listening to Stephen heard things that they did not like, they covered their ears and rushed the pulpit. Stephen was executed. Paul experienced this. Some in his audience sneered at his preaching.

Hating the messenger because of the message—that ‘s what this is all about. Today, folks do not pick up rocks and throw them. Instead they leave and do not return. The organize a group of like mind and they rally enough voices to fire the preacher. Mostly, what people do is look for a church that will present a message that they like. Ear tickling preaching is what some are looking for and somehow they seem to find it.

Stopping the messenger does not change the message. Stephen was killed with rocks. John was beheaded. Paul was imprisoned. Jesus was crucified. Each being opposed by the audience that heard them.

It takes a heart of conviction to speak the truth when the audience doesn’t want to hear that. Biblically, that is considered boldness. Boldness has nothing to do with volume. It is not blasting a false idea on the other side of the planet. It is speaking the truth to the audience gathered. It is speaking with the intention of helping, changing, and moving them to the Lord. We need to encourage our preachers, young and old, to do just that. Our reaction to the sermons we hear can cause some to shake in their boots. Some start thinking about the possibility of being fired, of having to move, of how they will pay for mortgages and braces and how much their kids like the school that they attend. Those thoughts enter the mind of the preacher. It causes those with weak convictions or great fear to soften down the message, to speak in generalities that will allow offenders to slip by, and to save their careers and keep their jobs. This is not a call to be rude, offensive or stupid. It is the call to speak the truth. Speak the truth about sin. Speak the truth about marriage. Speak the truth about Jesus. Speak the truth about salvation.

Some won’t like that message. Some may even hate you for that. So be it. My thoughts about all that is, tell those who don’t want to hear the truth to stand in line with the rest of them who aren’t interested in doing what the Lord says. Peter was told not to preach Jesus. He preached Jesus. Paul was dragged out of a city and left for dead. He got up and entered back into that city.

Soft preaching builds soft churches and soft faith. Let’s not be concerned about being safe, let’s do what is right.

God bless the Micaiahs’ who tell the truth. God bless that spirit that doesn’t fear the king. God bless the heart that is more interested in God than a paycheck, a sure job and a pleasing crowd. God bless them because they are speaking God’s saving message to a lost world. God bless them because the truth they teach, even though it may cut, heals and restores a lost soul to God.

Are you one to encourage the Micaiah’s out there? Or, like the King of Israel, do you trample his spirits and stand in the way of the good that he is trying to do? Most young preachers quit because of discouragement more than any other reason. Some day, those discouragers will have to account for that. Help those that hang in there and keep plowing God’s field. Be one that they can count upon. Be a friend to truth.

Roger

Jump Start # 689

1 Kings 21:25 “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.”

There’s hardly a more wicked couple in all the Bible than Ahab and Jezebel. They were a continual thorn in the flesh to Elijah. They promoted the worship of Baal, killed the prophets of God and promoted wrong and evil with every step that they took. Jezebel ran the nation. She killed so her husband could get some land that he wanted. She signed his names to papers. She had no respect for God or His ways. In time, they both died violent deaths.

There are people just like this couple today. It’s not that they don’t care for religion, they are obsessed with making life hard on anyone who does. They love to mock, ridicule, make fun of, and put believers in very uncomfortable situations. It is like a sport to some. They can be nasty and mean at the same time. When they get in positions of management, they spew their hatred of religion upon all who are under them. They have an agenda to force all believers to quit and they will stop at nothing until they accomplish that. It’s always a dark day when Jezebel is around. Some of you know exactly what I mean. You suffer greatly because of this. You try to be kind, but they are hostile. You go out of your way and they slam you. They take credit for the good you do and pass the blame on to you for the wrong that they do. It’s hard to be civil. Busting them in the chops comes to your mind more than once. You don’t and you feel bad about thinking that way, but life would be so better off if they moved to Iceland.

Ahab sold himself to do evil. What a sad commentary. What price did he have to pay to accomplish that evil? The price everyone must pay…with his soul. What follows is BECAUSE. He sold himself BECAUSE Jezebel incited him. She talked him into it. She pressured him. She led him into wrong. He is responsible. He is the king. He is the husband. He should have set her out with the trash, instead he became trash as she was. Can you tell that I don’t like Jezebel? Her kind abounds in college campuses where under the title of professor, she ridicules all believers in the Bible. She is elected into political office where she sets forth a social agenda that aborts babies, legalizes homosexual marriages, allows the use of drugs and would close all churches if she could get away with it. The spirit of Jezebel lives on. She hates Jesus. She has no use for Jesus. She is profane in her talk, loose in her morals and ungodly in her attitude. Jezebel—she is Satan’s daughter, even though she was created by God in His image.

What does a person do when they encounter Jezebel? You can’t punch her, even though that sounds good. She may be your professor, your boss, your congressman, your president, your neighbor, or worse, your sister-in-law or, daughter-in-law. You can’t always ignore them. You can’t always avoid them. You can’t always exclude them. Situations force your paths to cross. You and Jezebel. It’s enough for a major headache. It unnerves you, upsets you, steals your sleep, your appetite and your health. You and Jezebel.

First, pray. Do this often. Pray for something to happen. Pray for peace from her. Pray for her to change her heart. Pray for understanding. Pray for patience. Pray for you to remember that you are salt and light in this world, even her world.

Second, consider and reflect upon Scripture. You are not the first to deal with Jezebel. Actually, Elijah was. See what he did. Learn from him. David had his King Saul, who acted like a Jezebel, at times. See what David did. Jesus had the Pharisees. See what the Lord did. These lessons will help you. You will notice good and bad.

Third, be yourself. Don’t change because Jezebel wants you to. Don’t be a coward nor silent simply because she likes that. Be yourself. Remember, if she hates you, it’s the Lord she really hates. Remember Peter’s words to the suffering Christians, “rejoice.”

Fourth, overcome. That is the key word in Revelation, the book written to Christians who lived under the thumb of Rome. Overcome through faith. Overcome through righteousness. Overcome through hope.

One of three things will happen: either Jezebel will die, or, you will die, or the Lord will come. Anyway you look at it, the situation will change. It will not carry over into eternity.

Finally, one thing we often forget to do, pray for Jezebel’s soul. She’s not living right. Her life would be so much better if she walked with Christ. Pray for her. That’s hard. That’s praying for  your enemies, but that is exactly what the Lord wants. Invite her to church services. She might explode, but invite her anyway.

There are Jezebels. We must remember that we are Christians. That never changes.

Roger