Jesus entered into the world even in more uncertain and chaotic times. Mark records His message about good news in one verse, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) The scripture tells us that Jesus came into the world at just the right time in history. When Jesus preached, “The time is fulfilled,” it was a very loaded statement. Not only was it the right time according to God’s grand salvation plan for the world. It was also perfectly right in that it fulfilled many prophecies and catapulted the world into a whole new era as Jesus and the Holy Spirit launched the Church. And now the Church that is to represent Jesus and His Kingdom on earth is to exist in the midst of worldly governments and rulers. This has taken on many different forms and many different conflicts through the ages. So, in our current confusion, chaos and conflict how can we be a stable and powerful force in the culture, to be the “city on the hill,” and “salt and light,” in obedience to our Lord’s commands?

(1) Clarify the Gospel in our Heart

First, I believe we need to clarify the Gospel in our heart. The Church’s understanding of and teaching of the Gospel needs to be renewed and strengthened. Three major aspects that for years have been missing are that the Gospel at its core is first about King Jesus and His coming Kingdom not primarily about our individual experience of salvation. And that at Jesus’ first coming He inaugurated the reign of His kingdom on earth now and has tasked the Church to carry out His mission until He returns with the fullness of His kingdom. And finally, we have to recover in the Gospel that heaven is not ultimately up in the sky, but Jesus is coming back to reign here over all nations and that the Father will bring at the right time the fullness of heaven to earth. All of these have huge ramifications for the Gospel’s work in our heart and soul.

(2) Beware of the Crowd

Second, I believe we need to learn from the Gospel writers how they described the crowd and its influence over people, culture and politics. This needs to be deeply thought through in the Church today. Jesus never catered to the crowd. He called people out of the crowd to follow Him intimately as a disciple. Jesus preached the crowd down, whereas for years we have preached to maintain the crowd. We have believed that if there is a crowd there is fruit and health, but Jesus focused on individual deliverance and transformation and leadership health of a few. The Gospels and Jesus’ teaching make clear that there is danger in the crowd, for the crowd is fickle and can easily become a mob. Today, the power of the crowd has media and technology to fuel its dangers even more ubiquitously. So, beware of the crowd, pursue intimate Christian fellowship over being entertained and be a follower rather than just a Jesus admirer. Jesus doesn’t want admirers, He wants followers.

(3) Let the Gospel and Understanding about the Crowd Inform our Politics

Third, I believe we can take a renewed understanding of the Gospel and insight into the power of the crowd to inform our view and involvement in politics. Christians who have grown up in America most likely have been more deeply discipled into a political party and ideology than they have into the glorious Gospel. So, the first critical step is to become aware of this and take intentional action to change this. Most would say that the scriptures and faith primarily dictate their politics, but this is not very evident. Another task that we all can start immediately is to pray. Genuinely pray for both candidates and leaders on all sides. Let our speech always be respectful and genuinely desiring to understand others perspectives – this is truth and love. Take time to test everything we stand for and promote with the scriptures. Let God speak to us before we speak to others. And if we start to do these things and encourage each other we will be better prepared to get actively involved and vote. And we should be involved and we should vote. It is a God given blessing and stewardship – may we all be faithful.

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“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

(1 Corinthians 15:58)

I recently read, Jesus and the Powers, Christian Political Witness In An Age Of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, by N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird. I highly recommend this book as a wonderful tool to help equip the Church for these times. In the rest of this blog I will give some of the highlights of the book and action points for us moving forward.

***

“Jesus and the Powers has one objective: to say that, in an age of ascending autocracies, in a time of fear and fragmentation, amid carnage and crisis, Jesus is King, and Jesus’ kingdom remains the object of the Church’s witness and work…Such a conviction means that the Church needs to understand how it relates to empires biblical and burgeoning, how to build for the kingdom in our cities and suburbs; to understand the time for obedience to the State and the time for disobedience to the State. We need to grasp where the Church sits between presidents and principalities. We must think deeply as disciples, without partisan prejudice…” (p. xiii-xiv)

Tragically, a highly individualized and therapeutic gospel has taken center stage in much of the church. We need to restore the centrality of Jesus is first and foremost King and has a kingdom that has been inaugurated and coming in its fullness. Any personal application of the gospel and its awesome promises should be secondary to Jesus’ true and full identity and the repentance and submission in response to that truth. So, we need to fully evaluate the Gospel we proclaim and disciple others into. Are we living under the reality that Jesus is King in our life, our church and in the world?

***

“The urgency is not about the next election, the latest scandal or hot political issue; what is up for grabs is the place of Christians in the State and the type of state that Christians should support.” (p.175)

The Church has always had to deal with differing empires. The Gospel first came into the world in the midst of the Roman Empire where “Jesus is King” came into direct conflict with “Caesar is King.” This led to great persecution, but starting in the 4th century Christianity became the dominant religion and so began this complex mix of Church and State. So, we need to wrestle today with what is the place of the Church in the State and what kind of State can we support and help develop?

***

“…Christianity has always had a public witness, and our conception of the kingdom shapes how we relate to the political and social challenges of the day…to build for the kingdom means building something on earth that anticipates the new creation. Such witness and work does cross over into the political realm.” (p.176)

A critical issue is understanding the difference between “building for the Kingdom” and building the Kingdom. Only God can build the Kingdom and only God knows when it is coming in its fullness. So, how are we “building for the Kingdom in our witness and work? And how are we keeping the Great Commission as the priority over political action? And how can these actually work together?

***

“Christians must seek to serve, not dominate. That is because cross and kingdom go together…We discovered in the New Testament that there is an oscillating perspective of submission to state authorities and at other times subversively resisting them…The case was made that texts such as Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 do not give carte blanche to government authorities. Disobedience to unjust government is possible…” (p.177)

To follow Jesus is to honor Him as King. This allegiance and faith sometimes requires the Church and believers to act in civil disobedience when asked to do things against the Word of God. And it requires great wisdom and Spirit led action to know how to speak truth to the government powers. So, how are we cultivating right language and civil service to address the issues of the day as servants not hungry for power but desirous of good for all?

***

“In the quest for a good and just state we have set forth the case for liberal democracy and an ethos of confident pluralism. We do not regard liberal democracy as uniquely Christian; neither is it perfect, infallible or beyond criticism. But liberal democracy and confident pluralism constitute a form of government and political philosophy that gives us the best opportunity to love God and to love our neighbor.” (p.178)

We are in critical times today where there are primarily two forces working against our ability to maintain a healthy liberal democracy where everyone can flourish and worship freely. One is the idea of Christian Nationalism which in its unhealthy form seeks a dangerous blend of Church over State. But more critical and dangerous today is the Progressive Democracy Religion, which has taken over the education system and social media. It is systematically trying to cancel any voice that opposes its values or agenda rather than engage is heathy dialogue as a liberal democracy. So, how can the Church better equip followers of Jesus to lovingly, boldly and appropriately engage the culture in healthy productive dialogue?

Finally, one of the practical things that was mentioned in the book was to encourage every believer to pray about finding at least one main area in their local church to commit to serve within and help advance its vision and impact. And to also, pray about one area in the community to commit to serve and advance its health for the flourishing of all.

Let’s abound in the work of the Lord!

The post The Gospel and Government appeared first on Stephen Woodrow.

I met Howard today who came here in the 60s. He loves this town, but is worried it has lost its soul. I heard about someone spending 4200.00 dollars a night for a small little box hotel room in town. I heard about all the big names coming to the big concert tonight where they are constantly having to expand the VIP area and make it even more exclusive. I have seen big changes in the last 24 years. Aspen is an amazing place. It has a very unique history, but there is one piece of history I hope and pray will change.

Aspen has never had a move of God here – a revival. What does that mean? It means a special outpouring of God’s presence and grace in conjunction with the prayers of God’s people. It is where heaven opens and the curtain is pulled back on all the lies and false promises of Vanity Fair. I know, I bet your response is similar to mine, “In Aspen, really, is that possible?”

In Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul is overcome with the possibilities of what God would do through a church that takes serious God’s desire to bring His glory through the fullness of Christ to a church. When a local church gets consumed with the glory of God and experiencing the fullness of Christ it will truly be salt and light in its community and beyond. It will get heaven’s attention to bring kingdom of God realities into the church and city so that people’s heart are supernaturally opened up to God. Where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is clear and piercing deep into hearts bringing conviction and love of God.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” -Ephesians 3:20-21

I recently read about a famous revival (The Hebrides Revival) that came to a very small village in Scotland called Arnol, which is located on the Isle of Lewis. In the small village of only about 400 people there were two sisters in their eighties who would pray faithfully into the wee hours of the night. They petitioned their pastor to rally the troops in prayer, trusting that God was going to move. Faithful prayer and cries to God went on for years. Then, it happened. As many eyewitnesses have given testimony, one night the presence of God swept through the village so powerfully that it is said every household was shaken by God. In the years from about 1949-1952 God met people powerfully in this small little village in a remote part of Scotland. It is said that people came under the conviction of the Spirit as they walked through the streets of the village and then found their way to a church meeting and the freedom of the Gospel.

Can what happened in Arnol happen in Aspen? Will you pray with me?

Lord, I know that our town for many reasons is the least likely to see revival. In its long history You have not moved across this city. But, we are crying out to You. Hear our prayers and come Lord Jesus. Father, would You do something here that is beyond anything we could even ask or imagine. Awaken Your Church, awaken this city. O Lord, let this city be a place people come to encounter You and be sent out by You. Stir up the heavenlies and stir up people’s hearts to want more than Vanity Fair. Make us hunger for Jesus and the eternal Celestial City. In Jesus name Amen.

“The Kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.”

– Matthew 11:12

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The underlying feeling today is never to be dependent on anyone. This is at the root of the American story and dream and western independence. However, Jesus says just the opposite – deny yourself and completely depend on Him.

Why is it important to feel dependent on God? What does it mean to “feel” dependent on God? We don’t like feeling dependent on anyone. our mind and will should be submitted to the Spirit and dependent upon His leading, but our feelings about that can be very tricky and lead our minds and will away from seeking God’s leading.

No one likes being dependent on others

Overall one of the main lessons of the Kings, is learning to feel dependent upon God and to not feel powerful.

This is a general lesson all through the story of the kings and whole bible. It was critical for the king to humble himself before God and the people

LESSON 28 the Final Lesson

Verses: 2 Chronicles 34-35; 2 Kings 22-23

We are not to feel comfortable, in control, or powerful, but dependent on God, for in Christ, we are more than conquerors and will reign with Him forever.

Why are we not to feel comfortable? explain that we will get apathetic in the fight of faith and our ultimate purpose and focus more on the things of this world than the kingdom to come.

Why are we not to feel in control? explain that we will miss the Lordship of Christ operating in our life and the leading of the Spirit of God.

Why are we not to feel powerful? explain that we will miss the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in your life, not by power not my might but by My Spirit says the Lord

Let’s learn from King Josiah how to become dependent on God:

2 Chronicles 34:14-21

Josiah’s dependence on the Lord through dependence on His Word to obey it. When we get away from the Word of God we drift quickly. When we forsake the house of the Lord, we drift quickly – Josiah restored dependence on the Word of the Lord and the centrality of worship in the house of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 34:27

Josiah humbled himself before the Lord, made himself feel dependent on the Lord

What does it mean to tear one’s clothes? What is the connection between humility and fasting? This is all about making ourselves dependent on God.

The verb “humble” (kānaʿ) expresses an important theological concept (2 Chr 7:14; 12:6–7, 12; 28:19; 30:11; 33:12, 19; 34:27). It appears twice in v. 27. Josiah’s attitude was an example for all wrongdoers to follow. The promised reward was that God would spare Josiah from witnessing the disaster he would bring on Jerusalem and its people, and Josiah would be buried in peace. Huldah’s prophecy is reminiscent of Jer 18:1–11 where the prophetic promise, whether hope or judgment, is contingent upon human response by either repentance to God or the forsaking of God. Although Josiah’s reign was one marked by religious reform based on the law of Moses, he disobeyed God when he fought Neco of Egypt (2 Chr 35:20–24). Huldah’s prophecy was fulfilled, since Judah did not suffer judgment from God, i.e., exile, until after the death of Josiah.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 378). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

2 Chronicles 35:18

Josiah kept Passover, like no others since the time of Samuel, why is Passover so important? dependence upon God for salvation – connect here with communion and the remembrance of all we have is from Him.

What do we do since Jesus has fulfilled the law, ceremonies and civil law, to show our dependence upon Him?

2 Chronicles 35:20-24

Josiah sadly become self sufficient, powerful and went out to fight Neco king of Egypt without dependence on the Lord or even inquiring of the Lord and was killed in battle

John 15:5

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Do we believe this? Everything around us is influencing us to depend on other things, especially ourself.

We have to be honest, what are the things I am dependent upon rather than on God – for the kings is the same for us, power, political influence, riches, comforts and security of the city and nation

It is important here to understand that Jesus never advocated laziness, or a poor work ethic or not to care for your body – we are to do hard things, we are to discipline ourselves, but we are to make sure that the general countenance of our soul is one that is growing into a constant state of feeling dependent on God, regardless of our life experiences.

John 4:31-34, 5:19

Jesus’ dependence upon the Father to do His will

Feeling dependent on God is the key to our overall health.

I am starting to learn this deep truth in my own life and my health.

[Give illustration of Sally Livingstone tell of my question to her and her answer and faithfulness]

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

“For when I am weak, then I am strong”

Give example of Paul’s thorn in weakness he was strong, His power is perfected in weakness

Here is the role of trials, sickness, persecutions etc, to make us dependent on Him, 2 Cor 12

1 Timothy 4:7-8

“…Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life, and also for the life to come.”

Is what we are doing making us feel strong in ourself or in Him?

The danger of doing hard things and workout culture today or even the spiritual disciplines movement is that our actions make us feel strong in our own deeds rather than foster greater dependence upon Him

Discipline is good, doing hard things is good as long as it strengthens our dependence upon Him and not in ourselves. In the midst of the hard things are we abiding in Him, depending on Him?

Culture is screaming, be strong, you are strong, live strong, etc life in the Spirit and to have His power manifest requires just the opposite

When someone says you are so strong, we should say, no I am not, but He is! We should ask them, where does your strength come from? Tell me about how you are depending on the Lord and His strength?

If we are relying on our own strength, sooner or later, we will come to the end of ourself and be tempting to strengthen ourselves with things that are unhealthy and unholy!

Are you aware of the new trend in the tech industry and startup industry: using psychedelics to stimulate creativity! This is nothing new, the ancients did this too.

Physical training versus training for godliness, who is willing to enter the toughest training

Ephesians 3:20-21

He is more than able, it is not our power, but the power within

close here back to the main lesson:

Tie back to main lesson, but in Christ we are more than conquerors and will reign with Him forever. Tie into our new series in Ephesians 1:3, 2:6

Mark 10:15

Answer the question, what does it feel like to be dependent upon God? It is to feel like childlike dependence upon your heavenly Father.

Matthew 16:24

Jesus calls us to deny self – this includes are right to feel like we want to

We don’t like it, we like to feel in control, comfortable, secure knowing what is to come. Independence to dependence is the spiritual journey of following Jesus.

Galatians 5:22

It is the fruit of the Spirit not our striving.

The key to truly experiencing feeling-experiencing the fruit of the Spirit, humility and dependence.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

“And I when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that you faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” – this should be the goal of every preacher!

Give Paul’s example of coming to the Corinthians with complete reliance upon the Gospel and not wise human words.

Matthew 5:3, 5:5

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

Sermon on mt, blessed are the poor in spirit there’s is the kingdom of God

Acts 3:12

“Men of Israel why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?”

Beware of any strong victory language emotionalism, that is not exalting Jesus with great dependence like Peter and John at the temple after the beggar was healed

The post Are We Feeling Dependent on God? appeared first on Stephen Woodrow.

Are we in spiritual and political uncertain times today?

When there is spiritual syncretism (a blending of false spirituality with God’s commands)  there is political unrest.

We can learn from Hezekiah many lessons on how to respond in political and uncertain times.

Background (2 Kings 17)

History of Samaria, Israel taken captive to Assyria and the king of Assyria brought people from conquered nations to dwell in Samaria and this is why the Jews see them as half breeds – maybe tie to Jesus at Sychar.

How do we respond in times of 2 Kings 17:41, “so these nations feared the Lord and also served their carved images” Seems like before God moves in for judgment and a major upheaval there is a great syncretism. So how do we respond in spiritually confusing and compromising times? Hezekiah shows us the way.

Discuss the idea of connecting to the NT and a key sign of end times is an apostate church – bring in all the NT warnings. Just like Hezekiahs added years, we need to press in for renewal and strengthening now.

What is key to understand about these verses and what will happen toward the end is a corruption within the Church just like what happened in Israel and Judah. When they were faithful, God blessed them, when they syncretized with the surrounding nations, at some point God judged them and brought radical upheaval and sent them both Israel and Judah into exile.

1 Timothy 4:1-2, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…”

2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

2 Timothy 4:1-4, “I Charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

So how are we, the church today to respond in light of the spiritual and political uncertainty we are facing – and it is happening at a rate quicker than any of us realize. As the scriptures warn, we are not to be taken by surprise by these things.

Lets look to King Hezekiah for some spiritual wisdom.

Sanctify – Unify – Gospel-fy

LESSON 25

Verses: 2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chronicles 29-31; James 4:7-10

In times of spiritual and political uncertainty we are to simplify and sanctify our hearts and our lives so that the Church can faithfully represent the kingdom of God.

Sanctify

2 Kings 18

Hezekiah was one a a few kings the were compared favorably with David, Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Josiah. Unlike the others who tried to move the high places, he was the first to even remove the ones dedicated to the worship of the Lord. (1 ki 3:2, 15:14, 2 Kings 12:3, 14:4, 15:4, 35; 17:9; 1 Ki 22:43) and 2 Ki 18:22 even Sennacherib refers to it.

Tie in the idea of simplify into what Hezekiah did in bringing unity around worship in Jerusalem. Simplify to Sanctify, there is a connection between these words.

Get the junk out, cleanse God’s house, simplify and sanctify the house for the Lord. Rid it of any distractions from what is commanded.

For we have been called to be conformed to the image of Christ – Romans 8:28-30

2 Chronicles 29-31

29:5, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place.”

James 4:7-10, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.”

Share about what elders have been hearing from the Lord: simplify for the sake of sanctify, unify and gospel-fy.

Sanctify – pursue spiritual formation

Two main emphasis’ – open groups leading to closed groups and discipleship groups leading to discipleship that make disciples

Simplify and not adopt any programs outside these imperatives but utilize many tools to accomplish spiritual growth.

LESSON 26

Verses: 2 Kings 18:13-37; Ephesians 4:1-3

In times of spiritual and political uncertainty it is critical that the church unifies around the biblical imperatives of God’s Word so it can stand in the midst of attacks from within and from without.

Unify

When the king of Assyria sent his envoy to heckle and mock Judah and king Hezekiah, it was the unity that came from the unifying work of sanctifying the temple so they could stand against the onslaught of the enemy and not be fragmented by the taunts of the Tartan, the Rab-saris and the Rabshakeh.

Interesting that the Assyrian envoy didn’t want to just speak to Hezekiah’s envoy but wanted to speak to all the people to try to disunity them, split people from their leaders.

Ephesians 4:1-3, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Interesting that in 2 Kings 18:31-32,  the Assyrian envoy uses a vision of prosperity that was used to define the times under Solomon and that are used to define God’s kingdom in the end and interestingly this same verse was used by many of our founders of America as the vision for the American Dream.

“Make your peace with me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern.”

Discuss how we are going to move toward unity in our church:

Ephesians study on Sunday morning, women’s and mens study

LESSON 27

Verses: 2 Kings 19:15-19, 20:1-21; 2 Chronicles 32:31

In times of spiritual and political uncertainty the church body must regain its faith and trust in the power of the Gospel of the Kingdom to save, heal and transform and make sure it is not compromised with worldly options and opinions.

Gospel-fy

2 Kings 19:15, 19

Hezekiahs faith and intercession. in verse 19 He calls upon God to “save” – tie this to the NT idea of salvation that saves anyone from any nation. And just what is salvation?

The Gospel of the kingdom, is not just what it does for our heart, but what it does for the world and eternity. It is so much larger and glorious than we know.

2 Kings 20:7, Isaiah gave Hezekiah a prophetic word that he was going to die, then a few minutes later, because of Hezekiah’s petition God sent Isaiah back to get the word that God would add 15 years to his life. And Isaiah commanded a cake of figs to apply to the boil. So God does use known medical remedies to heal. So the fig stuff it says healed Hezekiah, 20:7, but Hezekiah wanted confirmation from God that he would indeed be healed for 15 years. Or the cake of figs could just be part of Isaiah’s prophecy of healing.

Connect back to 2 Timothy 3:1-5, are we today more subtly moving toward a gospel that has an appearance of godliness but denies its power? Is the church embracing the power of the Holy Spirit primarily for life change or embracing syncretizing with the methods of the world?

2 Kings 20:12-19; 2 Chronicles 32:31

The Chronicler’s assertion that God “left Hezekiah” in order to “test” him has significant theological implications. God wants genuine character and faithfulness in his people, and he will expose them to trials in order to train and shape them. The path of sanctification is not an easy one (cf. Gen 22:1).

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 366). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

When God wants to know everything that was in his heart, this does not mean that God is ignorant, for he knows every heart (1 Chr. 29:17; 2 Chr. 6:30; Ps. 94:11). Rather, he wishes to ‘make [something] known’ (cf. Gen. 18:21; Deut. 8:2), that is, to provide an opportunity for people to show heartfelt repentance. God tests in order to refine, to stimulate repentance and to deepen faith (cf. Gen. 22:1; Exod. 20:20; Deut. 8:16).

Selman, M. J. (1994). 2 Chronicles: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 11, p. 537). InterVarsity Press.

So according to 2 Chronicles 32:31, the envoy from Babylon was coming to Hezekiah because they had heard of the amazing miracle of his healing. Instead of giving God all the credit he got prideful and showed off all his wealth.

Connect the healthy church idea of simplify – unify – gospelfy, gospel of the kingdom, in the fullness of what salvation means and the inheritance that is ours by faith, nothing heals like the Gospel, in bringing healing to first our spirit, then our soul then our body, until heaven we

This made up word, gospel-fy, I am using to communicate the idea that we as the Church need to recover the fullness of the Gospel of the kingdom and trust in its power to save, heal, deliver, transform and conform us to the image of Jesus! We have to evaluate today where we as the Church have leaned into other things rather than trusting in the power of the Gospel to do what God promises.

The post How Do We Respond in Times of Spiritual and Political Uncertainty? appeared first on Stephen Woodrow.

Read Matthew 6:25-33, oh how we have raised the standard of living thinking that that will satisfy, but when our attention is on our standard of living and not the Kingdom of God anxiety and worry increase.

Are we ready for the kingdom to break into our church, into the service this morning? Do we even know what that would look like, are we preparing, do we expect it and are we ready to minister alongside the Spirit in His work?

Can we honestly say we are advancing in our understanding and obedience to Matthew 6:33? Do we believe this amazing promise? Are we anxious and worried that we are not doing that versus anxious and worried about the things of the world?

Has anyone taught you how to seek first the kingdom of God?

What is the lens that you look through to make sense of the world around you and bring hope?

Do you know what the kingdom of God is? It is the primary thing that Jesus taught His disciples and that the apostles taught. In summary it is the glorious reign and rule of God through the hearts of His people and the Church until Jesus comes and unites forever all things in heaven and earth and brings the fullness of God’s kingdom to a renewed earth.

Who is reigning and ruling your heart? The kingdom comes into our life when we begin to allow Jesus to reign and rule through the Holy Spirit in our heart.

LESSON 22

Verses: 2 Chronicles 17; Matthew 6:10,33, 16:18-19, 18:18-20, 25:1-13; Hebrews 12:28

The Kingdom of God was revealed in the OT through faithful prophets, kings and the nation Israel. In the NT the Kingdom of God is revealed through faithful followers of Jesus and the Church who seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

The uniqueness of Jehoshaphats heart for the Lord and the consequences

The Jehoshaphat 2 Chronicles account is twice as long as the Kings account, where Elijah and Ahab are dealt with in detail. 1 Kings 22:1-46

Jehoshaphat is revealed as one who experienced the favor of God and God’s kingdom being built around through him:

The Lord was with him

he walked in the earlier ways of David

Did not seek the baals

Sought God and walked in his commandments

not according to the practices of Israel  -the world

Therefore the Lord established his kingdom

His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord -took down the high places

He sent officials, Levites and priests to teach the book of the Law of the Lord in all the cities

Fear of God fell on surrounding kingdoms – spiritual warfare victory

He had many mighty men of valor

What does all this mean for the promise of having the keys of the Kingdom which Jesus promised?

Matthew 13:11, the secrets of the kingdom being made known

Matthew 16:18-19, keys of the Kingdom

Matthew 18:18-20, binding and loosing, where two are more are gathering in His name

Matthew 6:10, Your kingdom come your will be done

Matthew 6:33, Seek first the Kingdom of God, His reign and rule, His ways

Matthew 25:1-13, dependence upon the Lord, to know Him

Hebrews 12:28, we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? His reign and rule in our life, His church and the world

What does it mean to possess the keys of the Kingdom? To walk in His authority in binding and loosing.

What does it mean to grow in a Kingdom of God mindset? To learn to live dependent upon the Spirit and ready for His return

LESSON 23

Verses: 2 Chronicles 18; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Thess. 2:1-12

Beware of alliances with the Kingdom of this world and especially any spiritual alliances for they will distract you from the will of God and bring confusion in hearing the voice of God.

The Chronicler wished to stress that Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, for he repeated 17:5b. Yet he at once mentioned Jehoshaphat’s marriage alliance with Ahab. Mixed marriages were always frowned on and were a continuing cause for concern (Ezra 10:2–5; Neh 13:23–27). The problems of mixed marriages with “those who hate the Lord” (19:2) continued on beyond the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. The

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, pp. 283–284). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Ahab induced him

Jeho asks Ahab too inquire of the Lord, why didn’t he inquire of the Lord

These are the 400 hundred prophets defeated at Carmel by Isaiah the whole other side story going on from 1 Kings

The verb “urge” (hiphil of sût) in the NIV conveys a sense of “entice” or “induce.” The same verb is used at times to mean “to entice into sin or apostasy” (Deut 13:6; 1 Chr 21:1). The Chronicler thus indicates strong condemnation of Jehoshaphat’s action.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 284). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Importance of hearing from the Lord, discernment; like then today there are true prophets and false

Ahab’s response was to call four hundred of his prophets, not one of whom was an acceptable prophet of Yahweh. One of the marks of a true prophet was that he often stood alone against the opinion of others who made prophetic claims (36:16; 2 Kgs 17:13–15; Neh 9:26; Jer 25:4; 26:4–5; 28; 29:24–32; cf. Matt 23:33–37). For Jehoshaphat the fact that all those prophets agreed was sufficient evidence they were in collusion.

The third from Micaiah is recorded in the passive, “They will be given into your hand.” This was an ironic reply, but the Lord’s name was thus divorced from this false utterance from the mouth of a true prophet. A slight alteration was made in the text in light of the Chronicler’s theological concern to protect the integrity of the Lord.

18:15–16 Ahab recognized the sarcasm in Micaiah’s tone and demanded that he speak plainly. Micaiah, using the familiar imagery of sheep without a shepherd (Num 27:16–17; Isa 13:14; Zech 10:2; 13:7), gave a grim forecast of Israel scattered and leaderless.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 285). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

18:7–8 Ahab admitted that there was one man whom he hated because he was always criticizing him. Jehoshaphat’s rebuke of Ahab demonstrates his genuine fear of the Lord. Ahab ordered the recalcitrant prophet to be brought to him.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 285). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Here we are granted a glimpse into the heavenly council, which played an important role in Israel’s understanding of warfare. It was normally involved in the mustering of the heavenly army to fight on Israel’s behalf. Sometimes it aroused even the forces of the cosmos to join the Divine Warrior in a united campaign against the enemies of God (2 Kgs 6:15–19; 7:6; Isa 13:1–13; Joel 3:9–12). In the present instance the heavenly council devises the death of Ahab and the defeat of Israel’s (the north’s) armies. The lying prophets were not just deceitful men but men inspired by demons. Yet everything was under the control of the Lord.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, pp. 285–286). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Tie in 2 Chronicles 19:1-2, The Lord makes clear that Israel was to be unequally yoked and the consequences of confusing words from the Lord when this happens and God wrath and discipline.

Romans 12:1-2

“I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

2 Thess. 2:1-12

The lawless one will come with by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders and with great deception. v9-12, He will try to get believers to make an alliance with him, 666 and trust him through political and spiritual deception.

LESSON 24

Verses: 2 Chronicles 19-20; Jeremiah 17:4; Hebrew 2:1-4; Matthew 11:11-12; Romans 7:6

The “High Places” in the OT represent the deep places of spiritual warfare in people’s hearts. Jesus has made a way through the Gospel of the Kingdom to seal our hearts with the Holy Spirit so we can live in victory over the flesh, the world and the devil.

2 Chron 19-20

The Lord brings His wrath against Jeho, but he turns to the Lord and the people turn to the Lord – apply 2 Chron 7:14 and a great deliverance happens, the battle is the Lord’s

However, even with all this Jeho at the end again gets unequally yoked with evil and suffers the loss of his shipbuilding endeavor.

The application of the promises of God move from external and Israel and the nations in OT to internal and the church in the NT.

2 Chron 20:33, “The high places however were not taken away, the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.” Refer to 17:6 where Jehoshaphat got rid of them, but they keep coming back.

He like his father Asa, tried to remove the high places, but they kept coming back. 14:5, 15:17, 20:33, 1Ki 22:43

Show how the high places represent the tendency of hearts in the OT to revert back to pagan ways.  Show how the power of the Gospel to awaken the spirit with the Holy Spirit and start to take the ground of the soul, mind, emotion and will and body until the final glorification.

The Spirit was unable to rest permanently upon someones heart in the OT because the final sacrifice was not done through Christ yet.

Show from scripture how the heart is wicked and how can know it – leading to the glory of the gospel and what God has done through Jesus for our inner being.

Jeremiah 17:4

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind.”

Hebrews 2:1-4

Matthew 11:11-12

Romans 7:6

The way of salvation in the OT was the same as NT -by faith in God. But in the OT they had to commune with God through a priesthood and law and sacrifice – where we today have Jesus who paid they perfect sacrifice, fulfilling the law for us and pouring out the promised Spirit upon all believers, whereby we are to learn to walk in a whole new way.

So, how do we know we are seeking first the Kingdom of God? Are we learning to embrace this great salvation in our hearts and have our mind, emotion, will and body led by the Spirit of God in victory as an overcomer over the power of the flesh, the world and the devil?

The post How Do We Seek First the Kingdom of God? appeared first on Stephen Woodrow.

If we are not fighting for faith we are drifting and drifting leads to numbness and eventual hardening.

We have adopted a very mushing view of faith, and have adopted psychological views of it rather than seen it for what it is a gift from God to be nurtured and fought to keep and grow.

Faith is proven and matures as it is tested, tried and applied to doing hard things.

Some of Paul’s final words, he exhorts Timothy,

1 Timothy 6:12

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called”

2 Timothy 4:7

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

Look at King Asa, and how faith weakens and the importance of faith as a fight, it has to be nurtured like muscles or it will atrophy.

LESSON NINETEEN

Verses: 1 Kings 15:9-24; 2 Chronicles 14:1-8; Genesis 2-3; Ephesians 5:25, 6:4; 1 Corinthians 16:13

As the king goes, so the nation goes. As the character of men go so the culture and nation go. To seek the Lord and work too please the Lord brings personal and national peace.

Read 2 Chronicles 14:1-8

2 Chron 14:1-8

God favors the person and even nation that is serious about honoring Him and will bring internal and external peace so that the nation can build and develop in a healthy way. To seek the Lord brings inner peace and even national peace. It also requires men being men, men of valor who know what it means to be men.

There may be no greater need of our time than the fight of faith for godly mighty men of valor in our churches, homes and nation.

Simply back to the Garden, Adam got passive in upholding the commands of God and protecting Eve and the rest is history.

Ephesians 5:25

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Ephesians 6:4

“Fathers, do not provoke you children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”   We must remember it is the father that has that powerful identity stamp upon his children  -oh what a responsibility.

1 Corinthians 16:13

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

(slide)

“No culture will ever rise above the character of its men: fathers…The only hope for stability and the only hope for sanity, the only hope for peace in a society is masculine, virtuous men…Oh, there are lots of men at the gym, pretty buff, have some muscles, but they’re doing virtually nothing to stop the tide of evil in the world…Weak, immoral men abuse women, and they produce more weak, immoral sons…We are in some serious trouble because the current crop of men are infecting the children…Weak men produce the death of society…Something has to break the cycle?” (Pointman, Steve Farrar)

(slide) this is a prophetic statement and we are living in it today

“Our young are the first people of whom the following can be said: if they are males, they and their fathers and their brothers and sons and all the males they know are overwhelmingly likely to have been reared under the direct domination and supervision of females from birth to maturity…After all, this has never held true of any substantial proportion of any population for even one generation in the history of the world before the last fifty years…But most of those living today will live to see what this will be like!” (1966, Dr. Marion Levy, Modernization: Latecomers and Survivors)

Call men into discipleship, learning how to follow Jesus in the way forward to learn how to truly be a man, a man of valor, a mighty man, who knows how to sacrificially love his wife and lead his children and fight evil in the world.

This is very personal to me now, with 4 daughters, praying for a godly man and now my involvement with sons in law, it takes intentionality and i can’t speak into them if I haven’t spoken into my son what it means to be a man, a mighty man of valor.

Ladies, this in no way minimizes womanhood, it creates the environment in a marriage, home and culture for women to truly thrive. The lie of the world is that it has to tear down masculinity to raise femininity – this only leads to a culture that will further objectify and abuse women and leave them vulnerable and not safe in a lawless, chaotic culture.

If this strikes you wrong, please search the scripture and we would love to discuss with you.

LESSON 20

Verses: 1 Kings 15:9-24; 2 Chronicles 14:9-15:19; 1 Corinthians 10:12-13; Romans 1:16-17

Peace will never last in this world until Jesus returns and unites all things in heaven and earth together. Until then we need to be watchful and ready for the testing of our faith, the strengthening of our faith and the outworking of our faith to bring the lasting peace of the Gospel to human hearts.

Asa, was comfortable, blessed, able to be a nation builder, but suddenly the enemy arrives and not any normal enemy, but an army of 1M! The test of faith we must always be ready for in this life. Asa and his mighty men of valor don’t budge! Asa leads them in seeking the Lord’s aid, calls upon the Lord.

He will not tempt us beyond what we can handle, the test is never too much if we rely on Him, even a million man army.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed least he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with  the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.”

Romans 1:16-17

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith.”

The phrase “the Spirit of God came upon …” was common in the Old Testament for an activity of the Spirit particularly in reference to prophetic inspiration. The Chronicler used it several times (20:14; 24:20; cf. 1 Chr 12:18; 28:12).

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 269). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

The verse seems to have in focus the troubled period of the judges, when they ignored their God and his law. It is not that the Torah did not exist at this time, any more than that God did not exist (cf. Jer 10:10), but that it was not taught.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, pp. 269–270). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

2 Chron 14, mighty miracles of God, again they do not instill lasting faith in and of themselves, relate to john 14, where Jesus says to believe on the miracles themselves

LESSON 21

Verses: 1 Kings 15:9-24; 2 Chronicles 16, 16:9; James 5:13-18

Be watchful for drifting faith which leads to rebellion rather than repentance and a hard heart rather than a pure, whole heart, trusting in the promises of God.

Oh the danger of drifting faith, where once Asa relied upon the Lord and sought the Lord, he here somehow got to the place of just relying on politics and man’s wisdom, which from a pure political standpoint seemed savvy. But the Lord was not sought, so the Lord turned Asa over to his will, what he wanted.

16:7

The important role of the prophet going straight to the king. What about today? Where are the true prophet voices who are not swayed by money, power or privilege but are zealous for the will of God in our churches and nation?

Nothing is known about Hanani apart from this entry in Chronicles, although his son, Jehu, is given a brief mention elsewhere (19:2; 20:34). This insertion of Asa into the story served to underline the consequences of falling away from the Lord. The verb “rely on” (šaʿan) that occurs in 14:11 is used again as an expression for trust, except this time Asa’s trust was not in the Lord. Asa’s sin was to rely on the king of Damascus-Aram rather than on the Lord. The incident is reminiscent of Isaiah’s condemnation of Ahaz when faced with a threat from the north (Isa 7). Had Asa remained faithful, he would have conquered Baasha as well as Aram. As it was, Syria (Aram) escaped from Asa’s hand and remained a threat to both Judah and Israel in costly wars later on.16:8 The two periods of Asa’s life are here contrasted. Early in his reign when he relied on the Lord, a great army (Cushites and Libyans) with many chariots and horsemen were delivered into his hand (14:9–15). Now in the latter period of his reign, despite appearances, he was a defeated man. He had done a foolish thing, and henceforth war would plague him (cf. 1 Sam 13:13).

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 275). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Highlight 2 Chronicles 16:7-10, especially 16:9 as a promise from God

Oh the danger of drifting faith which leads to rebellion rather than repentance. And a hard heart, even on his deathbed he didn’t seek the Lord for repentance and healing. Refer here to James 5, much healing comes from repentance and reliance upon God.

2 Chronicles 16:9 – Do we believe this today? Getting God’s attention

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless (whole) toward him.”

Possibly tie to the readiness and reliance of the 5 virgins of Jesus’s parable, are we being watchful, or like Asa getting comfortable since the bridegroom is delaying? No one can give faith to another, each us has to fight for faith and are responsible before God.

Like Asa, we can see the level of our reliance upon the Lord is how we deal with physical health, the church today is very little different than the world and we rely more on the word of the medical profession than getting a word from the Lord. Oh, we give lip service to God, what ask him to use the doctors to heal us, great but what about the faith process before – do we labor with God first, should we are should we not take the drug, should we are should we not get that operation, etc.

2 Chronicles 16:9 – What a promise!

“For the eye of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.”

Provide some quick biblical steps: what does reliance upon God look like for mental and physical health:

1.) First, is this mental or physical ailment a result of God’s discipline? if so, repent and trust for healing, James 5:13-18

2.) If not, ask the Lord for healing, if He tells you like he did Paul with his thorn that it is for your good, then stop praying for healing and press on in faith trusting that your strength is made perfect in your weakness. My grace is sufficient.

3.) If God, doesn’t tell you He isn’t going to heal you, then press in for healing and wait upon the Lord and fight for faith.

4.) Ask the Lord if you are free to get medial advice, if so pursue medical help, but bring their advice to the Lord for an answer before proceeding.

5.) We must learn to fight for our healing by faith, to build our faith, to build the church’s faith, to hear the Lord’s voice, to attain healing, to keep our healing. God is our Healer, the Great Physician.

1 Timothy 6:12

“Fight the good fight of faith”

2 Timothy 4:7

“I have fought the good fight. Have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

So what we can see from Asa is that faith can be forfeited, otherwise why would Paul say he has kept the faith at the end of his race?

The post Are We Fighting for Faith? appeared first on Stephen Woodrow.

The importance of nurturing and maintaining a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ”

Is there another Jesus being proclaimed today?

Are people receiving a different spirit today?

Are people accepting a different Gospel today?

What we need restored is a sincere and pure devotion to Jesus!

Read 1 Kings 13

There is something prophetic about 1 Kings 13 as far as the big picture as well, the importance of obeying God wholeheartedly not compromising as what both Israel and Judah eventually did. But how does this look today and in the NT.

Does God overlook compromise or half hearted devotion today because of the cross and resurrection?

The result is the same it will eventually lead to a corrupt Christianity which is false and bring about judgment and discipline upon future generations.

The great commandment is still the same as the OT to love the Lord with all heart, soul, mind, and strength.

So we know the battle is going to be against the pursuit of wholeheartedness.

Basically, 1 Kings 13 continues the book’s emphases on proper worship, the prophetic word, and the slow demise of the covenant people. It also begins to analyze the difference between true and false prophecy.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, pp. 187–188). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

If you see a lion, donkey standing next to a dead body – that is going to get your attention – something supernatural spiritual and prophetic is going on here.

LESSON SIXTEEN

Verses:1 Kings 13; 2 Kings 23; Amos 3:7; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

God is gracious and just, judging and disciplining the compromising faith of His children and confounding the wisdom and power of the world, while fulfilling His grand plan of salvation through the words of His prophets.

What this tells us about God – The lion represents God’s ways, he is dangerous but good, just and loving, will discipline those He loves, lion of the tribe of Judah. The sovereign plans and prophecies of God are true and have and will be fulfilled.

As westerners we are uncomfortable with prophetic ministry and being spiritually aware and that God may give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Amos 3:7

“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”

Like the man of God, 2 centuries later Amos went from the southern kingdom to the northern kingdom in Bethel to pronounce judgment on Jeroboam II. Amos 7:10-17

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

¹⁸ For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” ²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. ²² For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Wisdom does not itself lead to the Lord. It is the Lord who gives wisdom through His Spirit. Wisdom without the Lord just fortifies the self.

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God,

LESSON SEVENTEEN

Verses: 1 Kings 13; 2 Kings 23; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 22:36-40

Be wholehearted in devotion to the Lord, listen and obey the Word of God, for to compromise will eventually usher in a corrupt Christianity, which will bring the discipline  and judgment of the Lord repeating the cycle of the Kings.

Main message – Be wholehearted in devotion to the Lord, listen and obey the Word of the Lord, to compromise will usher in false Christianity and sure judgement – wow what a message to the church today – our response should be reform like Josiah –

So what does serving the Lord with a whole heart like Josiah look like? 2 Kings 23:25, Deut 6, Matt 22 – and what can we learn from the man of God i 1 Kings 13 about serving wholeheartedly?

Revelation 2-3, those He loves He reproves, and disciplines, so we should be zealous and repent for He stands at the door and knocks.

What this tells us about ourselves – The Donkey, represents our response to God’s ways, whether wholehearted or compromising. The donkey is the vehicle or path of following God without compromise or compromising, donkey brought the prophet with a no compromising message, it left with the same prophet suffering consequences of compromising God’s Word. Jeroboam is an example of compromising, Josiah is an example of wholeheartedness.

We have responsibility to guide the donkey in the right our wrong direction, this can be our life, our family, our church our nation. The lion does not tear up the donkey – he allows us to choose.

What we can learn from Jeroboam:

Jeroboam wants to manipulate the prophet for his own political means,  wants to be seen as true and in unity with true prophets by pulling together the true into the false whereby corrupting the true –

Jeroboam is a blend of king and false priest taking the role of priest, what about today when gov steps into places that only priests should be? Do we have responsibility to speak to church and the nation? Only if called, and we can see in the end there will be increase in prophetic ministry – during different times the prophetic word of the Lord is more active then others:

Jeroboam tried through power and bribe to bring the prophet and his power under his influence for political reasons;

Jeroboam did not turn to the Lord, but pressed in further into false religion.

Jeroboam attempts to stop the prophet and thus also to obliterate the word of God. But Jeroboam finds that he cannot withstand God’s prophet. As Keil notes, “Thus Jeroboam experienced in the limbs of his own body the severity of the threatened judgment of God.”

Now Jeroboam changes tactics. He first begs the man of God to intercede for his withered hand, which the prophet does, and the hand is restored. This second miracle reaffirms the prophet’s authenticity and demonstrates God’s grace. Next, the king attempts to win the prophet’s favor by offering him food and a gift. His offer is refused because God has told him not to eat in Bethel or return the way he came. Prophets must not be for sale, nor should they tread the path everyone else walks. U. Simon demonstrates that “not to return by the way you came” is a fairly common Old Testament way of saying “be different” or “avoid past mistakes.”

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, pp. 188–189). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Not even a string of miracles deters Jeroboam from his path to idolatry. He still sanctions high places, non-Levitical priests, and non-Mosaic-inspired sacrifices. The narrator explains Jeroboam’s downfall according to Ahijah’s warning in 11:38 and the judgment following in chap. 14 (esp. vv. 11–12). Jeroboam’s religious heterodoxy leads to his dynasty’s destruction.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 189). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Don’t fall to the lie, that if you saw miracles and supernatural stuff that you would then be wholehearted in your devotion to the Lord.

What we can learn from the Bethel prophet:

Lessons from old prophet in Bethel, he grew old in Bethel, where worship was corrupted what was his motive? did he genuinely desire long for God’s voice/power,I think so but he tried to get it from manipulation rather than seeking the Lord and renewal

The old Bethel prophet sees God’s power and revelation, which he had not seen, maybe ever and wants to align with it, knowing the prophecy will come true, it was an act of faith to buy the man of God in his tomb.

an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord—This circuitous mode of speaking, instead of simply saying, “the Lord spake to me,” was adopted to hide an equivocation, to conceal a double meaning—an inferior sense given to the word “angel”—to offer a seemingly superior authority to persuade the prophet, while really the authority was secretly known to the speaker to be inferior. The “angel,” that is, “messenger,” was his own sons, who were worshippers, perhaps priests, at Beth-el. As this man was governed by self-interest, and wished to curry favor with the king (whose purpose to adhere to his religious polity, he feared, might be shaken by the portents that had occurred), his hastening after the prophet of Judah, the deception he practised, and the urgent invitation by which, on the ground of a falsehood, he prevailed on the too facile man of God to accompany him back to his house in Beth-el, were to create an impression in the king’s mind that he was an impostor, who acted in opposition to his own statement.

Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 222). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Increased prophetic activity is attested at special times of tension among God’s people (e.g. Elijah Elisha, the birth of Christ, the early days of the church, etc.). It aims to heighten awareness of God’s word and the inevitable consequences of rejecting it. An unrepentant Jeroboam (cf. 13:33–34) hears from a man of God from Judah (13:1–10), a prophet from Bethel (13:11–32) and Ahijah the prophet, who reiterates a former warning (14:1–18). These episodes are commonly interpreted as a clash between the true prophet (‘man of God’) from Judah and the false prophet (and cult) at Bethel. Others see here ‘the first extensive case of Midrash in the historical books’ (Montgomery), that is, a homiletic commentary on Scripture using allegory and legendary illustrations. Yet it cannot be denied that we have here a unified story from which spiritual lessons may be learned in every generation. It shows that despite an unjustified claim to have the word of God, even a false prophet can be used (vv. 18–19; cf. Balaam, Num. 22–23) to pronounce punishment on an evil and upon a disobedient man of God (vv. 20–32). Others find here a prophetic conflict in which the voice of Judah is unheeded by the north and the faithful oppose a disobedient prophet. Since the only Judean witness to these events was killed (v. 24), the story may have been preserved at Bethel.

Wiseman, D. J. (1993). 1 and 2 Kings: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 9, p. 156). InterVarsity Press.

What we can learn from the man of God:

It appears the man of God was commanded to fast during this whole mission even from water, so he was weak and let his guard down: man of God resting under the oak, hungry thirsty and vulnerable to false spiritual attack, the man of God is a picture of partial obedience which Israel had been flirting with:

Lessons from the man of God, The greater the revelation the greater the responsibility and we could add judgment, James 3:1, importance of being wholehearted and obeying the whole Word of God, God has his people, He is always raising up His prophets, Amos 3:7, the confounds the wisdom of the wise and this is worked out in the ways of the Spirit.

Lions were attested in Palestine until at least the thirteenth century ad. It would be taken as a sign of the man of God’s status that the lion neither further mauled his body nor touched the donkey.

30. The family tomb at Bethel was still recognized three hundred years later (2 Kgs 23:17). The Bethel prophet may have wished for kudos in being associated with an attested man of God, or wanted to mark the unity of the prophets of Israel and Judah (Jones, Wurthwein). For the existence of Samaria as a known location before the city was named after it, see 1 Kings 16:24.

Wiseman, D. J. (1993). 1 and 2 Kings: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 9, pp. 158–159). InterVarsity Press.

If the man of God were to make an agreement or show fellowship (‘eat bread’, vv. 7, 18) with the king, that would have been tantamount to a withdrawal of judgment. The king’s motive could have been ‘to link himself in fellowship with him as a form of insurance’ (Robinson, p. 161; cf. Noth, p. 298), and so to seek for the prophet’s endorsement of his new royal position. The ban on the return route might serve to avoid further contact with a cursed place and people.

Wiseman, D. J. (1993). 1 and 2 Kings: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 9, p. 158). InterVarsity Press.

The prophet presents a message with three implications. First, he cries out “against the altar,” presumably because it has no legitimacy in God’s eyes. Second, he predicts a descendant of David named Josiah will someday defile the altar. This declaration suggests the eventual demise of Jeroboam’s dynasty and the Northern Kingdom’s loss of sovereignty. Third, he offers a sign to authenticate his message: the altar “will be split apart, and the ashes on it will be poured out.” All of these implications are told without introduction and with stunning swiftness. God has denounced Jeroboam’s brand of religion and announced Jeroboam’s failure to receive the promises God had made him in 11:38. In doing so he predicts by name the rise of a king who is born almost three centuries after this account occurs. This feat is paralleled in the Old Testament only by Isaiah’s eighth-century b.c. prediction of the career of the sixth-century b.c. Persian ruler Cyrus (Isa 44:28; 45:1, 13).

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 188). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

What we can learn from Josiah:

Make a note, this records a prophecy that does not come to pass for 300 years, we don’t even think like that today with a big view resting in God’s timing once day is as a thousand

2 Kings 23:15-

In the midst of the Bethel cleansing, Josiah removes bones from priestly graves (2 Chr 34:5) and burns them on the altar to defile it. This desecration fulfills the prophecy made by the unnamed prophet of 1 Kings 13 (cf. 1 Kgs 13:1–13) who lived during Jeroboam I’s reign (ca. 930–909 b.c.). Three centuries have passed, but God’s word comes true because it cannot fail. This episode is but the latest example of the author’s emphasis on the truthfulness of the prophetic utterances.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 389). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Sadly, Josiah acts as Judah’s last righteous king, and his death must have come as a great shock to his followers. The Lord’s decision to judge Judah does not change. Huldah’s words will come true. Any questions about the justness of this eventuality are answered by the future. The people revert to the worst parts of their past rather than continue in Josiah’s ways. National suicide has been averted for a time by the sheer determination of the king and prophets, but the people go back to their old habits as soon as Josiah dies.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 391). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Behold, a child shall be born … Josiah by name—This is one of the most remarkable prophecies recorded in the Scriptures; and, in its clearness, circumstantial minuteness, and exact prediction of an event that took place three hundred sixty years later, it stands in striking contrast to the obscure and ambiguous oracles of the heathen. Being publicly uttered, it must have been well known to the people; and every Jew who lived at the accomplishment of the event must have been convinced of the truth of a religion connected with such a prophecy as this. A present sign was given of the remote event predicted, in a visible fissure being miraculously made on the altar. Incensed at the man’s license of speech, Jeroboam stretched out his hand and ordered his attendants to seize the bold intruder. That moment the king’s arm became stiff and motionless, and the altar split asunder, so that the fire and ashes fell on the floor. Overawed by the effects of his impiety, Jeroboam besought the prophet’s prayer. His request was acceded to, and the hand was restored to its healthy state. Jeroboam was artful, and invited the prophet to the royal table, not to do him honor or show his gratitude for the restoration of his hand, but to win, by his courtesy and liberal hospitality, a person whom he could not crush by his power. But the prophet informed him of a divine injunction expressly prohibiting him from all social intercourse with any in the place, as well as from returning the same way. The prohibition not to eat or drink in Beth-el was because all the people had become apostates from the true religion, and the reason he was not allowed to return the same way was lest he should be recognized by any whom he had seen in going.

Matthew 22:36-40 (Deut. 6:4)

“³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

LESSON EIGHTEEN

Verses: 1 Kings 13; 2 Kings 23; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 22:36-40; Ephesians 1:7

The cycle of the Kings from wholehearted devotion to compromise will not end until Jesus returns, but until then, God has made provision through the Gospel of Jesus Christ for people of all nations to break the cycle of the Kings in their hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit so they can live as agents of renewal and hope.

What this tells us about the Good News of the Gospel – The dead body represents the consequences of a lack of wholeheartedness among God’s people, but with it the prophetic hope of a Josiah, a messiah, a Savior that will renew hearts.  The results, Jeroboam even after direct supernatural encounter did not turn. The man of God suffered discipline of the Lord. And Josiah reigned in a renewal, but his son went right back to old evil ways. God is true to His word, His promises and will raise up a type of Josiah – Jesus who will fulfill and restore wholehearted worship of God not in Bethel or Jerusalem, but in people’s hearts through the Gospel.

When will the cycle of the Kings end? At the coming of Jesus and not until then.

2 kings 23:17, Josiah reform, Josiah a type of Jesus gospel reform- is the Lord in the process of reforming His church today? We still pray for healing and restoration for wayward people and churches, spiritual sensitivity and prophetic awareness,

For a body to lie unburied was a curse, hence the emphasis on detail of the place of burial. It was a disgrace to be buried away from the family among strangers (cf. 1:21).

Wiseman, D. J. (1993). 1 and 2 Kings: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 9, p. 158). InterVarsity Press.

Who are the priests and who are the prophets today  – we are? Why are we struggling so today to embrace that responsibility?

Several important themes emerge from this text. First, God opposes idolatry, semi-idolatry, or any form of non-Mosaic religion. Religious pluralism for pluralism’s sake does not impress God. Second, the Lord shares his word with the prophets, who are then responsible for preaching it and keeping it. Third, it is important to discern whether a so-called word from the Lord is true or false prophecy. T. Dozeman thinks a prophecy may be tested by whether it is fulfilled (cf. Deut 18:22; 1 Kgs 13:5, 23–24), confirmed by other words or by signs (cf. 1 Kgs 13:20–22), or lived out with integrity by the prophet. D. W. Van Winkle agrees but adds the criterion of “obedience to the command of Yahweh.” By this he means that God changes circumstances when people repent, a principle the Lord announces from the outset of every promise (cf. 1 Kgs 8; 11:39), but that God is never “portrayed as instructing his prophets to encourage disobedience to his commandments.” The true prophet preaches fidelity to God’s word based on God’s merciful character. False prophets claim new, contradictory revelation and may even claim angelic guidance for doing so.

Fourth, God’s word will come true no matter what the circumstances. Jeroboam, the old prophet, and the man of God all learn this lesson in rather hard ways. In about three hundred years Josiah will be born and fulfill the prophet’s prediction. As Simon concludes, God’s word will come true “in its due time, having transcended the weakness of its bearer and converted its violators into confirmants.” Fifth, God’s word must be obeyed, whether or not it is attended by miracles. Jeroboam failed to believe when he saw wonders. On the other hand, the man of God failed to believe when he trusted the unusual over his personal convictions. It is the Lord’s instructions themselves that matter most. All else may be important yet remains peripheral to the main issue—God’s word. Sixth, Israel continues to march toward disaster. Jeroboam leads them astray, but they follow. By the time the promised Josiah arises, it will be too late for the north to follow his leadership.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, pp. 189–190). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Ephesians 1:17

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.”

Restoring a sincere and pure devotion to Jesus is the answer to everything! It is the answer!

The post A Lion, a Donkey and a Dead Body appeared first on Stephen Woodrow.

Anyone ever make a bad decision? And wished you would have processed better before making the decision?

Anyone ever make a decision that you thought was a really good decision because you processed well, but were perplexed by the outcome of that decision?

Who taught you how to make good decisions?

How are decisions made around here? This should be a question we ask of about anything we are a part of – especially marriage and church – a church should have qualified elders and people should know how they make decisions.

Anyone have a big decision coming up? Lets pray that the Holy Spirit would bring great insight to that this morning.

For most of us, the main reason for the bad circumstances in our lives is a result of our bad decisions – it is not what our culture is pushing heavily that we are the victim and it is someone else’s fault. The sooner we admit this, the sooner we are on the way to transformation by the Spirit of God. It is not the circumstances or the trauma that happens to us that is the primary issue, it is how we respond, the decisions we make in respond to what happens.

There is one decision that is more important than any other in life for it has eternal consequences. Are we going to continue to align with the reality of the world or are we going to align with Jesus and His great promises for this life and eternal life. We would love to engage with you about this after service or over coffee.

LESSON THIRTEEN

Verses: 1 Kings 12; 1 Kings 11:26-43; 2 Chronicles 10, Matthew 20:25-28;

Good decision making begins with seeking the Lord’s counsel and other wise counselors and valuing age in the midst of our youth driven culture.

Power, Money and Sex all got to Solomon, we can see in 1 Ki 12:4, “Your father put a heavy yoke on us” contrasted with 4:20, the enjoyment of peace for the nation.

2 Chron 10 – revolt against Rehobaum, vs 19, he did not listen to old men who had stood with solomon, but listened to his peers, not leveraging age and wisdom and experience

Rehoboam did not seek the Lord as his grandfather David and his dad Solomon did – he only sought the counsel of his peers

Rehoboam’s greatest fault was that he didn’t seek the Lord’s counsel and confirm it with wise godly counsel

But Rehoboam rejects the elders’ advice and consults with the counselors his own age. Like Rehoboam, they are young, ambitious, proud, and insecure. They tell him to intimidate the crowd by declaring that he is tougher than Solomon. Their theory is that servant leadership will not work. Only a bully can handle a diverse kingdom. As Nelson observes, “Rehoboam chooses slogans over wisdom, machismo over servanthood.”

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 182). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Today, we have the tendency to value innovation over wisdom and achievements over people.

The text has already introduced what will occur. God will continue to honor the covenant with David, so Solomon’s son will have a two-tribe kingdom (1 Kgs 11:32–36). Because of Solomon’s idolatry, however, Jeroboam will rule the other ten tribes (1 Kgs 11:26–31). The Lord has sent these infallible promises through Ahijah the prophet, so the predictions must come true. What remains to be seen is how they will come to pass.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 177). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

We can find ourselves working against God – 1 Kings 11, because of solomons lack of devotion, God raised up adversaries against him and Israel. We must remember Gd is opposed to the proud but gracious to the humble.

Four issues need special consideration. First, the division of the nation into two parts has a tremendous impact on Israel’s history. The separate entities never regain the prestige David and Solomon had established. They are also less able to repel foreign invaders. Of course, 1 Kgs 11:1–40 discusses the religious roots of the breakup. This text also notes that Jeroboam, a northerner, was already a likely candidate to take Solomon’s place. His position as supervisor over a forced labor project (11:27–28) underscores why northern Israelites were tired of Solomon’s policies. They were drafted to work in the south, their tax burden was heavier than Judah’s, and their love for the Davidic dynasty was always tenuous at best. As H. Tadmor observes, the very fact that Rehoboam felt compelled to go to Shechem to speak to the northern tribes “is evidence of deep unrest and ferment among the people.”² Only spiritual commitments could keep the nation united, and those commitments had already been weakened by Solomon.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 178). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Third, Jeroboam’s new religion made covenant keeping even more difficult than it had been. Jeroboam was clever enough to realize that if his subjects traveled to Jerusalem for religious observances their loyalty might revert to the house of David (cf. 1 Kgs 12:26–27). Therefore, he set up shrines in Dan on his extreme northern border and a more significant one at Bethel on his southern boundary (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24–28; Amos 7:10–13). Jerusalem’s uniqueness in God’s sight was ignored. Jeroboam also set up golden calves to represent God’s presence in the new sanctuaries.⁷ These images quickly became used as idols (1 Kgs 12:28–30), thus shattering the first two of the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:3–6). New priests were appointed who were not Levites (1 Kgs 12:31), and a new festival was instituted (1 Kgs 12:33). Jeroboam’s innovations were a compromise between Canaanite idolatry and traditional Yahwism. Such syncretism led to loyalty for neither tradition. Ultimately, this religion sapped Israel’s spiritual fiber to the extent that they did not have enough character to endure as a nation.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 179). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

It is easy to decontruct faith/church , it is much harder to build healthy faith/church.

Without hesitation the people reject Rehoboam’s authority over them. They deny any responsibility to David’s dynasty and leave Rehoboam to rule Judah. One incredibly poor decision tears down in a few days what David and Solomon labored eighty years to build. DeVries notes, “Possibly this passage’s most important lesson is how much easier it is to break up what belongs together than it is to restore what is broken.”

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 182). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Refer to Strength to Strength for quote about leadership needing older voices to balance younger voices

How are we valuing age and wisdom in our youth driven culture?Answer this for business and more importantly Church!

“The teaching gift of crystallized intelligence was on my mind a couple of years ago when I gave a speech to the employees of a prominent Silicon Valley tech firm…I took the opportunity to ask whether anyone in his youth-dominated business ever thought about age diversity. “Do you have enough old people working here? I asked. His response was instructive: “You mean people over thirty?” Punk.  The point is not to find jobs for the elderly; it is to glean the wisdom and experience from people who have seen a lot, have already made every stupid mistake in the book, and can teach the younger folks before they make avoidable errors. Over the last few years ,the youth-dominated firms in the tech sector have been battered by scandals and plummeting public admiration. Where once they were venerated as the future of capitalism, today people often see their products as harmful and their leaders as selfish and childish. Older executives in other industries just shake their heads at the seemingly obvious mistakes the young tech entrepreneurs are making…So what do the young hotshots need? Old people on product teams, old people in marketing, and old people in the C-suite. They need not just whiz-bang ideas but actual wisdom that only comes with years in the school of hard knocks.” (From Strength to Strength, Arther Brooks)

Th same can be said for all the young pastors and leadership structures that model business practices rather than elder church practices.

Matthew 20:25-28

²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Rehoboam as his father Solomon were not concerned with servant leadership, a shepherds heart like David, but got caught up in building and innovation at the expense of the people.

LESSON FOURTEEN

Verses: 1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10; Matthew 24:11; Acts 2:17-21; 1 Thess. 5:20-21; 1 Cor. 14:31-32; Revelation 10:7, 11:10, 11:18, 16:6, 18:20, 18:24.

The role of the prophet and the gift of prophecy in Church and society will increase toward the end times and should be embraced as a key element in guidance and revealing God’s plan.

Fourth, the prophetic movement began to have more importance in both kingdoms. Ahijah, the prophet who declared Jeroboam’s rise to power in chap. 11, returns in 1 Kgs 14:1–18 to denounce Jeroboam and predict the end of the king’s dynasty. Unnamed prophets reaffirm God’s sovereignty over kings and governments in chap. 13. Given the tension that already exists between monarchs and prophets, greater conflicts in the future appear to be inevitable.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 179). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

1 Kings 13, the importance of obeying the voice of God even over prophetic voices, so the importance of listening and confirming when we receive a word from someone – we are not to despise prophecies 1 Thess 5:20, we are to earnestly desire spiritual gifts especially prophecy 1 Cor. 14:1, but we are to test everything 1 Thess 5:21, and be convinced it is from the Lord.

Prophecy in the end times: it will increase, Matt 24:11, “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:17-21, Revelation 10:7, 11:10, 11:18, 16:6, 18:20, 18:24

At different times God has sovereignly poured out His Spirit upon His people in greater measures and it will increase in the end. However, with Pentecost we are no longer to just wait for the next great outpouring but to seek and earnestly desire to prophecy

The church that does not obey the commands of God related to prophesy will be vulnerable as more false prophets and Christ’s arise in society.

Where are the prophets today? Who are the prophets today? You! Find a church that embraces a healthy pursuit of the gifts of the Spirit.

LESSON FIFTEEN

Verses: 1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10, Proverbs 16:1, 9

Good decision making and processing of consequences requires holding the tension between God’s sovereignty and our responsibility.

When the three days are over, Rehoboam delivers the harsh message. The author explains why “the king did not listen to the people.” This lack of judgment and its results, this “turn of events,” “was from the Lord” so that God’s word through Ahijah could come true. Nothing occurs here because of “chance.” There is no “chance.” God is sovereign. Still, Rehoboam’s decision is his own. The text maintains the tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility that pervades all of Scripture.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 182). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

At home Rehoboam gathers a massive force, intent on invading the north. At this point, however, another prophetic voice surfaces. Shemaiah, simply designated as “the man of God,” a title that takes on growing significance in the story (see below), warns the king to stay home. Why? Because God says, “This is my doing.” Rehoboam obeys God in this matter. Israel has been irreparably split into northern (ten tribes) and southern (two tribes) segments. The year is ca. 930 b.c.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, pp. 182–183). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Proverbs 16:1, 9: “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

What is God saying to you about decisions you have made, about to make, and need to make?

Apply the Gospel to this questions, and ask if they know how, we would love to walk with you through this.

The post How Are We Making Decisions and Processing the Consequences? appeared first on Stephen Woodrow.

How are we defining our standard of living and who is defining it for us?

Is the world or the Lord defining your standard of living? This is not just socio-economic issues, but more important the standard for life, how shall we live.

Do we trust the Lord with our standard of living? Oh we need to radical raise our standard of living, but not the way of the world. The world’s lie is that money, power and prestige defines your standard of living and that it is satisfying for the soul and good for the world.

Probably no one had more power, fame and possessions and peace and comfort than Solomon, he had all the world could offer, so we can learn a lot from him.

We today are the most affluent people to walk on the earth, but are we the most joyful and fulfilled?

“In 2006 at an international conference i Central Asia, a Korean leader commented that, with increasing economic standards, church growth in South Korea and in the cities of China had slowed as Christians were drawn into the quest for more security and a higher standard of living…Others commented on a similar phenomenon in their own countries.”

“There is strong evidence that lifestyle changes were a key factor in the expansion of the church in the Roman empire, it was Christ-lke lifestyle that attracted the nations…’In an age of bondage, of increasing disorder, of a deepening gulf between privileged people and poor people, of life-disfiguring addictions and compulsions, the church was growing because it and its members had a freedom and fullness of life in Christ that could not be hid…This newness in the practices of its corporate life and the behavior of its members towards non-members was intriguing, inviting, question-posing.” (Kings, John Olley, BST, A. Kreider)

LESSON TEN

Verses: 1 Kings 2:1-4; 3:1-28; 4: 1-34; Proverbs 3:9-10, 11:4, 22:1; Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:2; 12:13-14; Matthew 6:19-24

Wealth and comfort work against dependence upon God and deep faith development.

First of all, we are all wealthy and relatively comfortable in comparison to the majority of the world.

Secondly, wealth is not bad, what is bad is the love of wealth and the attachments we can develop to it.

What is the lesson about comfort in our lives and faith development? Wealth and comfort work against heart dependence upon God and deep faith development.

1 Kings 2:1-4, David’s shares with Solomon, his rich faith inheritance which was sadly squandered.

What can we learn from David’s spiritual formation at a young age versus Solomons?

David was living in obscurity and Solomon grew up in the palace.

David grew up with a sling in the field, Solomon grew up with servants and splendor

David had to fight off lions and bears and learn to be a warrior, Solomon grew up in comfort, intellect and peace time.

David had to learn to trust the Lord early on, Solomon had God visit him in dreams

David got God’s attention early on without favor from dad and family, Solomon reaped the favor of God because of his father’s faithfulness.

Wealth isolates, so extra work has to be done to not let it naturally take over

“…studies show that people who have chased power and achievement in their professional lives tend to be unhappier after retirement than people who did not.” (From Strength to Strength, Arthur Brooks)

Matthew 6:19-24,

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³ but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

So clearly my stuff is trying to be my treasure. Which is consuming our thoughts and affection?

Also, are we clear about what it means to lay treasure up in heaven? We would love to discuss that with you further. One big key, is Jesus’ emphasis on the eye being the lamp of the body – what are our eyes focusing on – here is insight into the consumer materialism of the west and media.

Jesus couldn’t be any clearer, our treasure controls our heart! What would people say Steve is most excited about – that’s probably my treasure.

Is Jesus our treasure, the King of our heart? Are we regularly wrestling with that questions even?

So are we pursuing a higher standard of living, the highest where Jesus is our treasure? Call people to Him. Oh the glorious riches of the Gospel.

LESSON ELEVEN

Verses: 1 Kings 3:1-28; Ecclesiastes 5:1, 1:18, 12:13-14; Proverbs 1:7; Matthew 16:26

Wisdom and knowledge, even of God, leads to vexation and purposelessness without the spiritual formation of the fear and joy of the Lord.

1 Kings 3:1-28 Solomon asks for wisdom

1 Kings 3:1-4, the people were still offering sacrifices at the high places since there was no temple, and Solomon loved the Lord and followed David’s statues except that he offered sacrifices and burned incenses on the high places, Gibeon, the most important high place; it was the place of the tabernacle and the ancient bronze altar, 1 Chron 21:29, 2 Ch 1:2-6) They must have been salvaged after the Philistines destroyed shiloh 1 Sam 7:1

Eccl – Solomon, vanity, loss of purpose in the midst of comfort and a lot of different “loves”, Ohh how we have lots of “loves” today, we throw that word around, I love skiing, etc Maybe this is how Solomon used the word love for God too!

1 Kings 3:3, an unusual choice of the word for love; (ahab) while this love appears here it reappears in ch 11 in relation to Solomons other great loves, foreign women, so how fragile this love of God was. – what does it mean to love God, since we use the word love to express feelings for trivial things as well. The main issue at heart is – is our love a result of the Spirit and love of God expressing itself as a fruit of the Spirit or just a product of our flesh?

Eccle 5:1, “Guard your steps when you go into the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifices of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.”

Below the surface, the lesson of Solomon, there is something more important than wisdom and wealth and even building wonderful worship facilities. leading to the NT teaching of Matthew 16:26

2 Chron 1:3, God’s tent of meeting at Gibeon

2 C 1:4 David brought up the ark to Jerusalem

2 C 1:5, bronze alter left in Gibeon

Read through Ecclesiastes:

Solomon had the knowledge and wisdom of God without the fear and joy of the Lord

Ecclesiastes 1:9, 14, 18; 3:11, 5:8-20, 10, 6:1-2, 11:5, 12:13-14

Solomon’s great learning, caused great vexation – state of being annoyed, frustrated, worried, so he could not enjoy in the end all the blessings, but lost the fear and joy of the Lord as he examined life under the Sun and saw there was only vanity – he was able to do what few worldly intellects are able to do and this is be honest with their soul.

Reading Ecclesiastes one does not get the impression that the writer was experiencing the joy of the Lord or even the fear of the Lord, but raw honest life under the sun consequences.

Ecclesiastes 1:18

“For in much wisdom is much vexation and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

Proverbs 1:7

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Eccle 12:13-14

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

We are either caught up in a curated self or being captivated by Jesus.

Matthew 16:26

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

We have to believe Jesus was thinking about Solomon here not just for his great material wealth but for his great wisdom and knowledge.

As part of our pursuit of a higher standard of living are we pursuing the development of our soul beyond just gaining head knowledge to relational reverence and joy with the Lord?

LESSON TWELVE

Verses: 1 Kings 11:1-11; Genesis 2-3, 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 1 Cor. 7:39; Song of Solomon 8:4, 6;

Stepping outside God’s sacred and created order for marriage and sex numbs hearts to God, fractures families and nations and leads to all kinds of abominations.

Sacred roles and authority structure:

Genesis 2-3

There is the connection with Solomon all the way back to Adam who also failed at leading and protecting Eve into the goodness of God in the midst of deception. Solomon was given directly from God twice instructions on how remain in His favor, but   just Adam, Solomon let not just one wife, but 700 and 300 concubines lead his heart away from God to the high places.

Shocking in 1 Kings how far off Solomon got and what he helped his wives facilitate.

1 Kings 11:2, Solomon clung to his wives in love, a selfish, possessive and lustful love rather than honor the Lord’s command. They felt like one in a thousand, rather than cherished, so their dedication to their gods rather than Solomon and his God.

The result of Solomon’s disregarding God’s command was a torn kingdom and generations of devastation and abominations that oppressed the people.

Solomon broke God’s command to marry only in the Lord, in the covenant

2 Corinthians 6:14- 7:1

Marry only in the Lord, don’t be unequally yoked. Surely as Paul is writing these things he is thinking of King Solomon and his foreign wives.

1 Corinthians 7:39

remarry only in the Lord

Learn from Solomon the results of awakening love before the time:

Song of Solomon 8:4, 6

“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases…Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.”

Even with all of Solomon’s wives and concubines his heart knew it was created for a union of love with only one women, but when love gets awakened, when consummation occurs before covenant or physical intimacy occurs before sacred union love is corrupted and is captive to the lusts of the world rather than the favor of the Lord.

In our pursuit of a higher standard of living are we obeying God’s clear laws related to sex and marriage or are we like Solomon letting the world set our standard and lead our love of the Lord away?

1195 I. בָּמָה (bā·mā(h)): n.fem.; ≡ Str 1116, 1181; TWOT 253—1. LN 1.46–1.50 hill, height, i.e., an elevated place (Dt 32:13; 2Sa 1:19, 25; 22:34; Ps 18:34[EB 33]; Isa 58:14; Hab 3:19), note: in some contexts there are associative meanings of safety or nobility; 2. LN 53.16–53.27 high place, worship center, i.e., a place usually in an elevated land formation, usually associated as a pagan worship center with an altar for presenting gifts and sacrifices (Lev 26:30; Nu 33:52; 1Sa 9:12); 3. LN 6.96–6.101 shrine, i.e., a pagan worship site, suggesting a small sacred mound at the gate area (2Ki 23:8), note: see WBC 13:330 for other explanations; 4. LN 14.17–14.35 wave crest, i.e., top part of a wave or open-water swell (Job 9:8); 5. LN 87.19–87.57 unit: עַל בָּמָה עָב (ʿǎl bā·mā(h)

Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

With no central worship site, the people “were still sacrificing at the high places.” These shrines were located at slight elevations throughout the land, were quite often fairly elaborate in design and construction, and were roundly denounced by the author of 1, 2 Kings after the temple was built. For now this practice is excusable, but Solomon’s long-term commitment to the high places is contrary to God’s law and David’s example.

3:4–5 Solomon demonstrates his love for the Lord by journeying approximately seven miles northeastward to Gibeon and offering burnt offerings there. This text does not say why Gibeon was the most important high place, but 2 Chr 1:5–6 explains that while David had brought the ark to Jerusalem, the Mosaic tabernacle and “the bronze altar that Bezalel … had made” were still in Gibeon. The very necessity of going more than one place to use the traditional implements of worship underscores the need for a central sanctuary. God seems pleased at Solomon’s piety, for the Lord appears in a dream and tells the king to ask for whatever he wants.

This offer amounts to a reaffirmation of the Davidic Covenant. Solomon has obeyed God, as David commanded in 2:2–4. Now the Lord decides to bless David’s son. This verse also indicates that God approves of Solomon’s rise to power, the issue left unresolved after chap. 2.

House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 109). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

High places (Heb. bāmāh, usually plural bāmôt); not necessarily connected with Ugar. bmt, cf. Akkad. bamtu, ‘open country’. These were local cult or sacred places, often in the form of a flat rock-hewn platform with an altar or place of sacrifice. Sometimes they were located on a height (cf. Num. 22:41; 1 Sam. 9:13), as those found at Megiddo and Arad, while others were on low ground within towns (2 Kgs 17:29, Jerusalem, Hazor, Dan) or even in a valley (Jer. 7:31). The term appears to have been used for different types of local shrines used for various purposes. While some may have originally been Canaanite shrines taken over after the Israelite conquest and used as places for sacrifice and festivals (1 Sam. 9; 10:5), others seem to have been used for the worship of Yahweh (2 Chr. 33:17). The tabernacle and true altar were located at first at the ‘Great High Place’ at Gibeon (1 Kgs 3; 2 Chr. 1).

Most high places were primarily rustic or small ‘gate’-shrines (Tirzah and Dan) furnished with idols (2 Chr. 33:19), Asherah-poles, standing stones, or altars dedicated to pagan deities (11:7). Some may have held ‘tent’ shrines in the old patriarchal tradition (2 Kgs 21:3), or been furnished with small buildings or houses (sometimes interpreted as ‘temples’) for keeping sacred vessels, thus serving a more public function. Any association with a ritual which might include human sacrifice is not well attested (but cf. Jer. 19:5; 32:35).

These places posed a threat to the pure worship of Yahweh, and after the building of the central temple in Jerusalem most references to them are pejorative, for they represented conflicting loyalty and competing allegiance. Israelites were expressly forbidden to use such places in their worship of God (Deut. 7:5; 12:3), who might, however, sanction the erection and use of special altars there (Exod. 20:24; Deut. 12:6–14). Beginning with Solomon’s reign, the toleration of high places led to syncretistic worship and apostasy. So the ‘high place’ became synonymous with an abomination, and its use or abuse is noted by the historian and marked out as condemning a sinful king (e.g. 2 Kgs 17:7–18; 23:4–25). High places were set up by other kings: e.g. Mesha‘ of Moab ‘built a high place for the God Chemosh in Qarḥoh’ (Moabite stone, line 3).⁵

Wiseman, D. J. (1993). 1 and 2 Kings: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 9, pp. 90–91). InterVarsity Press.

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