LIES THAT SURPRISE
A STUDY OVER THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: PART XVII (TOPIC: SHOCKED BY LIES)
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 5:33-37
5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 5:34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all – not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 5:35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 5:36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 5:37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one. (evil one could also mean evildoer).
Transition:
The Background: Jeroboam was the first King of the divided kingdom of Israel. He was a wicked king who erected two golden figures as worship. One at Dan and the other at Bethel. He also instituted a non-Levitical priesthood. It is at the dedicating of the altar at Bethel that the events in our scripture take place. Tonight I want us to look at the events focusing mainly upon the young prophet who came from Judah to confront Jeroboam.
I. THE ACTION
BIBLE VERSE: I Kings 13:1-5
1 By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. 2 He cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord: "O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ’A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’ " 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign: "This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out." 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign: "This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”
4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, "Seize him!" But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. 5 Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord.
A. Not Worshipping God is a Lie For Those That Believe In Him: NOT worshipping God is lying. For we are to proclaim that God is the savior of the world, which is true. But NOT proclaiming Christ is the savior of the world—is a lie. Especially to those who claim to believe that there is a God.
“I believe in God, but I am not going to go to church or worship him.” It sounds nice, sounds noble. But there is absolutely no excuse for such behavior. To know and believe that there is a God and to NOT follow him is absolutely crazy—and sinful.
We talked on Wednesday night, if I said I love my wife but won’t spend any time with her, I am acting ridiculous.
B. Bad Consequences For Leading Others Astray: And for a leader, a leader of Godly people, to not proclaim God’s greatness—but instead proclaim something else as a deity—down right awful.
C. Examples About Some Who Led Others Astray:
Holy Land overwhelmed with ’Messiahs’
Dec. 24, 1999 - As many as 40,000 cases of "Jerusalem Syndrome" are expected in Israel during the holidays this year. This is usually a short-lived condition which convinces thousands of tourists they are Jesus or another biblical figure.
Some people, like Ernest Moch from California continue to play their roles and even attract followers. Moch believes he is Elijah the Prophet
Source: BBC
And the punishment in this particular case of lying in such a way, is a shriveled arm. But on request of the king, God restores the man’s hand. Then, look what happens…
II. THE RESPONSE
BIBLE VERSE: 1 Kings 13:7-10
7 The king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift."
8 But the man of God answered the king, "Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. 9 For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ’You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’ " 10So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
The Lying King: Notice, once a liar gets caught, he tries to “make it up to the person” OR “give them lavish gifts and such.” It is harder to speak ill will against someone who has given you gifts. And if you do, the king could respond, “Wow, all I did was give him a great meal, some riches, and this is the thanks I get.”
A. The Prophet: He was directed for a PURPOSE, directed to a PLACE, was directed to PROPHECY, and directed him to PROCEED.
PURPOSE: To do God’s will.
PLACE: To travel from Judah to Bethel.
PROPHECY: That there is going to be a sign, and that sign is the altar will be split.
PROCEED: After stating the message, the young prophet is suppose to go home.
Example of Hasan: "In a city in North Africa, a powerful emir--a Muslin political and religious leader--watched as officials executed his 15-year-old son--at his express orders!
Hasan was only 15 years old when he died a martyr’s death for publicly professing his faith in Jesus Christ. He died as his father watched--and his mother sobbed uncontrollable, pleading for his life. Yet Hasan had counted the cost of following Christ, and was ready to be martyred for his faith.
According to Islam’s law of apostasy, anyone who leaves the faith must be killed. In fact, Muslims are taught that if you kill such a person, you yourself are assured of entering paradise--and your victim as well.
Hasan knew all this. Yet one day Hasan heard about the Man named Jesus Christ, and his life was changed forever. A Christian worker passing out Gospel booklets in the city had witnessed to Hasan, and the Holy Spirit had touched the young boy’s heart. Hasan knew he faced certain death, all the more so because of his father’s position. As the son of a Muslim emir, he was expected to be a model citizen and devout Muslim.
Nevertheless, with the truth of the Gospel burning deep within him, he courageously announced to his entire family that he had asked Jesus into his heart and had become a follower of Christ. Hasan’s father was enraged. He commanded his son to renounce Jesus, under penalty of death. Hasan was brought before a council of elders and a crowd of witnesses to give his reply. To everyone’s shock, Hasan once again confirmed his belief in Christ and stood ready to die for his faith.
A Christian worker reported: ’Hasan was brought out before the crowd, members of the emirate council and his father, and slaughtered like a sheep. He was beheaded in the presence of all those in the emir’s palace.’ Now Hasan is in the presence of the Lord, destined to receive a martyr’s crown. The Christian worker who led Hasan to Christ is now on the ’most wanted list’ and will be killed if found.
Hasan’s story is heart breaking. Yet it illustrates the sacrifice that all Christian workers and new Believers face not only in the Muslim world. - - (from The 10/40 Window Reporter, Spring 1998)
TEXAS - WEDGEWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH MASSACRE
Teen-age victims killed at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, were there for a follow-up to the national prayer event "See You at the Pole." About 200 youths from churches in the Dallas-Forth Worth-Arlington area were attending a concert by the Christian group 40 Days when a lone gunman entered the Texas church Sept. 15 and fired into the crowd, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Larry Gene Ashbrook, 47, fired several bullets from the parking lot at the church’s windows. He then burst into the sanctuary cursing and mocking God, and began shooting people with a 9-mm handgun.
Ashbrook detonated a pipe bomb inside the church. Seven people died in the assault, as did Ashbrook, who shot himself in the head at the back of the church. Shawn C. Brown, 23, Susan Kimberly Jones, 23, Cassandra Griffin, 14, Joseph D. Ennis, 14, Justin M. Ray, 17, Sydney R. Browning, 36, and Kristi Beckel, 14 are confirmed dead. Seven others were injured. (Background information for this is from Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and Religion Today, September 17, 1999)
B. The Offer: He had offered REST, REFRESHMENT, and RICHES.
REST: Come to the palace.
REFRESHMENT: I will give you something to eat.
RICHES: I will give you a gift (by the way, if the intentions are to really discover the true prophecy from God, a gift would not be necessary to be received, this is definitely a bribe).
Example of a Bribe (Junius Kellogg): In 1951, this college basketball player was offered $1000 to either throw a game or fix the margin of victory so close that gamblers betting on the game could collect a handsome amount. He let the authorities know about the offer and was told by the cops to play along with it. When Kellogg went to collect, police arrested the gamblers and brought down over 30 college basketball players from NY, including the team that had just won the 1950 NCAA & NIT National Championships.
C. The King: The King’s attempt, his arm, the altar, and his appeal.
The King’s ATTEMPT was to have the boy seized.
The King’s ARM was stretched out and withered.
The King’s ALTAR was wrecked just as the prophet spoke and the ashes were wasted on the ground.
The King’s APPEAL was to have the prophet pray for him—he was so far removed from God, that he had to ask another person to go to God for him (off the record, this common, someone feels they are so far from God that they do not believe they even have the right to speak with their creator—that’s pretty far).
But the Rest of the Story is as Odd as it Gets…
III. THE DECEIT.
BIBLE VERSE: 1 Kings 13:11-24 (Read aloud, it’s unbelievable!)
KEY POINTS OF EXPLANATION:
Old Prophet: There really is no such thing as an Old Prophet. You are either a prophet or you are not. This guy had obviously been used by God for such a time in the past, but is no longer being used by God (off the record, lean forward here, people no longer used by God are susceptible to being used by Satan, as in this case here).
The Young Prophet: The young prophet would not have been necessary if the old prophet was still following God. The Lord could have simply told the Old Prophet to approach the king, but NO. So, the Lord had to use someone else who was more willing (the lesson here is, are you willing? Many are not!). Remember, the old prophet lived in the same town with the king, saw the graven images, saw the statues, saw all the evil worship, saw it all! He may not have even needed to see the evil to speak out against the king (by the way, it is okay to speak out against an evil leader, we should have spoke out against Hitler).
Sin of Omission: The Old Prophet committed the sin of omission, the sin of failing to do something that one should do. Remember, that is a tough sin.
Why the Lie? I have no idea. Honestly, I don’t understand why people lie. And I especially do not understand this one.
Example: There is the story I heard about a once-great pastor who had grown old and bitter. In the same town a new young pastor was bringing many to the Lord, which actually upset the older pastor, making him more angry and more bitter. The old pastor actually went out of his way to put down the young pastor, seeing him as competition rather than see his kingdom work.
In this case, I do not think that the older prophet wanted the younger one to die, just to discredit him because of the same type of bitterness, usually based on territory.
Why the Lion? This doesn’t seem fair at all. After all, this person traveled from far out of town, all the way from Bethel to stand up to the king and did a good job. On his way home, he was lied to, outright lied to by another supposedly God-fearing man. And he listens, maybe out of respect for the age and years of service. And he winds up dead? It doesn’t seem fair at all, does it?
The Reason: God asks us to obey his commands—ALL HIS COMMANDS! The prophet, a holy man called upon by God, watched as he disobeyed. And he paid a price. Friends, God is serious about his commands being followed, so I suggest we follow them, even if we are deceived by liars.
BIBLE VERSE: 1 John 2:4 The one who says “I have come to know God” 1 and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person.
Sources:
Anselmi, Jeffrey. Integrity. First Christian Church: Arizona, June 2009.
Axelrod, Mark. Sowing Your Wild Oaths. Peace Evangelical & Reformed Church: Wisconsin, January 2007.
Guptill, Dean. 24.9 The Truth About Lying. Cornerstone Wesleyan Church: August 2007.
Hey! Wanna See Some Sin? Geocities.com: Why Do We Lie?
Modern Martyrdom or Persecution Stories-Part 1 rodgersbaptist.net.
Richards, Jeffrey. A Lying Tongue. Sermon Series: Seven Sins to Avoid. First Baptist Church of Potosi, Missouri: July 2001.
Sullivan, Bill. Lies, Lying, and Liars. Tulsa Christian Fellowship: October 2004.
LIES THAT SURPRISE
A STUDY OVER THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: PART XVII (TOPIC: SHOCKED BY LIES)
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 5:33-37
5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 5:34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all – not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 5:35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 5:36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 5:37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one.
I. THE ____________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: I Kings 13:1-5
A. Not Worshipping God is a Lie For Those That Believe In Him
B. ______________________ Consequences For Leading Others Astray
C. Examples: _________________________________________________________
II. THE ____________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: 1 Kings 13:7-10
The Prophet:
A. ___________________________________________________
B. ___________________________________________________
C. ___________________________________________________
D. ___________________________________________________
The Example:
The Offer:
A. ____________________________________________________
B. ____________________________________________________
C. ____________________________________________________
The Example:
The King:
A. ____________________________________________________
B. ____________________________________________________
C. ____________________________________________________
D. ________________________________________________
II. THE ____________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: 1 Kings 13:11-24
Why? _______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________