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Meet me in First Kings chapter 
20 in your Bibles, please. 

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I know Brother Brian prayed so 
beautifully. 

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I I would like for us to pray 
again because I'm aware of my 

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neediness at this time and I 
want to be of service to you by 

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the help of the Holy Spirit. 
Father, I, I genuinely posture 

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my heart with my brothers and 
sisters before you and ask that 

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you would be gracious to us by 
using this time for us to know 

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Christ at a greater level 
through the empowering work of 

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the Holy Spirit. 
So Lord, please, may we have a 

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real, genuine, unforgettable 
moment with you through your 

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word. 
Imprint these things so deeply 

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in our hearts and may we leave 
here genuinely transformed by 

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the things that you've prepared 
in this chapter, the moment you 

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authored them. 
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 

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I believe it is appropriate to 
give a brief recap since there 

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was a small pause last week as 
Pastor Mark spoke through and 

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from the book of Jonah. 
God Almighty at this point in 

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Israel's history sanctioned a 
three-year drought. 

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And it was during those three 
years that God was seeking to 

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get the attention of an apostate
nation. 

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And after three years, God would
do so by using Elijah the 

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prophet as his main instrument 
to absolutely humiliate the 

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prophets of Baal and Baal ISM. 
By positioning the nation to 

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witness a man who prayed to the 
true and living God to send fire

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down from heaven to consume a 
sacrifice, prove that he is the 

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true God. 
And more than that, to follow 

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that act of judgement, though 
not directly towards the people,

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with an act of absolute grace 
and mercy in providing rain from

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the same heavens, the nation of 
Israel confessed that the Lord 

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is God. 
Ahab and Jezebel remained 

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unrepentant, and Elijah shortly 
after, with a withering faith, 

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ran into the wilderness at the 
threat of Jezebel. 

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And God, in the chapter that we 
studied prior to this, gently 

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restored him and brought him to 
a new work. 

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And so that is where we ended in
our study of First Kings. 

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And we are ready now to open 
this up, realizing that Elijah 

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is now rejuvenated, Ahab and 
Jezebel are still unrepentant, 

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and the nation as a whole is 
recovering from a crippling 3 

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year drought. 
Here's what's going to be 

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interesting about First Kings 
chapter 20. 

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You're not going to find Elijah 
or Jezebel mentioned once. 

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It's just going to be Ahab. 
Now to some, that may give them 

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the impression that this chapter
may not be as significant as the

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neighboring ones. 
And that would be a great 

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mistake. 
When you come to this chapter, 

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you have to have the same ex 
expectation as the one 

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surrounding that is jam packed 
with action and obvious truths 

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that were in those chapters. 
It is no different with this 

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one. 
Some may dismiss it because they

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feel as though doesn't have 
relevance to the whole story, 

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doesn't seem to connect with the
overall theme. 

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But you and I are going to 
conclude otherwise as we study 

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this chapter, that it very much 
is place where it is for good 

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reason and it does seamlessly 
flow with what we have been 

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doing together on a weekly 
basis. 

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And so we're ready to read this.
We're not going to treat it 

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lightly. 
And one way we're not going to 

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treat it lightly is there is no 
way we're going to cover all of 

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this in one session. 
So here we are on a Friday 

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night. 
Hopefully we'll cover the 1st 21

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verses together. 
But I want us to just read verse

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one with the recap brought to 
our minds and pause right from 

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verse one to ask some questions.
Ben Haddad, the king of Syria, 

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gathered all his army together, 
32 kings were with them and 

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horses and Chariots, and he went
up and closed in on Samaria and 

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fought against it right there. 
I want us to stop because my 

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question is in light of what we 
studied in the previous weeks, 

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what do we make of this? 
And you have to consider what 

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we've gathered so far. 
And the main thing that we must 

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gather as Ahab is the focus of 
this chapter is Ahab is still 

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unchanged. 
Though God showed his discipline

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with that famine unchanged, 
though God showed his great 

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mercy through providing rain 
unchanged, He's still the same 

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Ahab. 
Despite all that the Lord has 

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done, He is remaining in a place
of what? 

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Deadening his conscience. 
And what we read here seems to 

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be random, but it's not. 
It's a divinely orchestrated 

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attempt for God to awaken this 
man's heart. 

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It's another plan orchestrated 
by Providence for Ahab to 

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realize something of his 
neediness of God, of how God is 

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the true God, of how he needs to
return to him. 

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So when you read this, you might
get the impression, OK, here it 

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is everything that God has done.
Have you still stiffen your 

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neck? 
Judgement has arrived at your 

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front door. 
But that's not the case. 

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Judgement isn't coming by means 
of foreign forces. 

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No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 
What the Lord has prepared to do

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is He is setting the stage to 
provide Ahab deliverance. 

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Deliverance instead of defeat, 
mercy instead of destruction. 

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And this might seem strange to 
us, maybe hard to believe, but 

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let me let me squash any doubt 
without any delay. 

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When you go down to verse 13, 
you'll see what I mean. 

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Look at First Kings 20 verse 13,
and behold, a prophet came near 

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to Ahab, king of Israel, and 
said, Thus says the Lord, have 

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you seen all this great 
multitude? 

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Behold, I will give it into your
hand this day. 

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And you shall know that I am the
Lord. 

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So a prophet will enter into the
scene in in a few verses, and 

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he's here to give Ahab God's 
mind behind this whole 

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circumstance. 
God is ready to bring victory to

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you, Ahab, and he wants you to 
see further evidence that he is 

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a true God. 
You might have difficulty 

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accepting that, but no matter 
how much challenge you are 

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experiencing and grasping the 
grace of God, it will never the 

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it'll never erase the reality of
it. 

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That's exactly what you see 
here. 

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You see yet another example of 
God giving to the most 

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undeserving of himself. 
And it is exemplified by His 

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promise to actually save Ahab 
and not destroy Ahab. 

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And you think this is a familiar
truth. 

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And it is a familiar truth. 
And notice how it is beautifully

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bridged with what you and I 
studied about Elijah. 

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What was chapter 19 all about? 
Mainly a dejected, 

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disillusioned, confused prophet 
who doubted God's goodness, 

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doubted God's wisdom, doubted 
God's power. 

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And what did the Lord do? 
He personally attended to him 

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and patiently restored him to 
where he needed to be. 

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And as heart moving as it was to
see the Lord coming as the Angel

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of the Lord and being somewhat 
of a personal Butler, we see 

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God's compassion extending even 
further. 

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Because now in chapter 20, he, 
he's not now tending to a 

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servant who's just wounded and 
broken, not a prophet, not a man

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of God, no one who has 
consistently resisted and 

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despised the Lord Almighty. 
That's what the Lord is doing 

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here. 
So your breath was taken away by

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seeing Elijah being taken care 
of by God. 

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Now try to catch your breath 
again as you see the Lord doing 

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it with the most unlikely Ahab. 
It seems scandalous and that's 

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perhaps the reason why Behold 
chose up in verse 13. 

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You read it with me, right? 
Twice it says, and behold, in 

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the beginning of the verse, and 
then later, Behold, I will give 

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into your hand this day. 
It appears twice as though the 

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prophet's gracious appearance 
and this unthinkable promise is 

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meant to amaze you. 
It is meant amazing. 

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God's grace is meant to do that 
to you. 

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And we're going to explore this 
further in a moment, but I want 

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us to see what happens in verse 
two. 

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So Ahab is surrounded by not 
just one king, a coalition of 

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kings, 33 in total. 
And verse two we read and he 

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sent messengers into the city of
Ahab, king of Israel, and said 

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to him, thus has been Haddad, 
your silver and your gold are 

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mine, your best wives and 
children are also mine, also are

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mine. 
Verse four. 

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And the king of Israel answered,
as you say, my Lord, O king, I 

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am yours and all that I have. 
So Ben Haddad is very bold here 

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because he realizes that he has 
a clear military advantage. 

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Not only does he have the 
partnership of these neighboring

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kings, he understands that Ahab 
and his people have just crossed

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and are just trying to gather 
themselves from a a three-year 

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disabilitating kind of 
experience economically in a 

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military standpoint. 
They're they're trying to 

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recover from a drought. 
So this is the right time to 

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come and to siege these people. 
And he comes with this claim 

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that everything that Ahab owns, 
at least most of it is now his. 

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So I'm just letting you know, 
I'm not asking you. 

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I'm telling you what you own. 
Even your family belongs to me. 

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And you know what Ahab does? 
He rolls over. 

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No objection, no question, no 
defense. 

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He just says it's yours. 
Take it now. 

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If Ahab had the eyes of faith, 
then he would realize that his 

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victory and his ability to 
overcome this would not, would 

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not depend on any of his 
resources, no matter how great 

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or small. 
But he doesn't have the eyes of 

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faith. 
He doesn't know the true and 

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living God. 
And so this is not surprising. 

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He's yielding. 
He gives into this and this 

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heartless request of the Syrian 
king is easily surrendered to. 

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And when you meditate on Ahab's 
response, you get even more 

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insight about about some 
principles that apply to you. 

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And I look at verse four again. 
He says, as you say, my Lord, O 

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King, I am yours and all that I 
have. 

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What comes to mind when you read
his response to the orders of 

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this menacing ruler? 
Can I tell you what comes to 

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mind? 
I was absolutely infuriated that

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Ahab was so willing to quickly 
surrender to this king, but not 

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God. 
Listen to the words again. 

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All that I am, I am yours, and 
all that I have. 

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Why? 
Why wouldn't you give yourself 

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in that way to the Lord? 
Why give yourself slavishly to 

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this man? 
Why so easily surrender to a 

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cruel king? 
And yet you have hesitated to 

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give yourself to the merciful 
King. 

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And you read this, and you might
be moved with disgust, but can I

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tell you that millions today 
imitate the condemnable kind of 

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surrender that Ahab presents 
here? 

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Is it a strange thing that there
are so many in life and 

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throughout human history that 
have given themselves over, 

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whether through fear or faulty 
persuasions to inferior masters?

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You might be a person here today
who's dedicated to something 

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more than God, and I'm afraid 
that Ahab's attitude here is 

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replicated in different ways, 
sure. 

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Different kind of master, sure, 
but in the same truth, in that 

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what belongs to God is often 
given to something or someone 

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else. 
And this is something that moves

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me. 
But again, there's still more to

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learn about Ahab through this. 
Consider his self centeredness. 

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What did the king ask of him? 
I understand the first part. 

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It says here in verse two. 
Thus says Bennett had verse 

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three. 
Your silver and your gold are 

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mine. 
All right, you want to take my 

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money. 
If this is about money, take the

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money. 
But he doesn't say that. 

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He says your best wives and your
children are also mine. 

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Any good father, any reasonable 
husband, would absolutely reject

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such a disgusting claim because 
you're wired to defend and give 

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your life if you have to, to 
those whom have been entrusted 

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to you, namely your spouse and 
your children. 

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And yet this guy just gives it 
over like it's nothing. 

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Now, jokingly, maybe one reason 
why he was willing to do is 

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because who's this guy's wife? 
We're taking your best wife. 

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Take her. 
I don't want her. 

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She's caused me a lot of 
trouble, but I don't want to see

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it that way. 
What you see instead is a man 

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here is so self absorbed to the 
degree that even when the 

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closest people to him were 
threatened, as long as he wasn't

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touched, he didn't mind. 
If you have difficulty believing

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that this is Ahab's mindset, 
Scroll down to verse five and 

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six because this is not the only
request that Ben and Dad will 

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make. 
When he realizes that there was 

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no resistance from Ahab, he goes
even further and notice this in 

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verse five and six, the 
messengers came again and said, 

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Thus says Ben Haddad, I sent to 
you saying, delivered to me your

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silver and your gold, your wives
and your children. 

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Nevertheless, I will send my 
servants to you tomorrow about 

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this time, and they shall search
your house and the houses of 

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your servants and lay hands on 
whatever pleases you and take it

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00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,640
away. 
So notice the king of Syria. 

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He highlights that he is now 
coming to seize what pleases 

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Ahab. under score that. 
And it wasn't until that nerve 

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was touched does Ahab get off 
his throne, stand to his feet, 

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and is willing not to defend 
himself. 

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The money, the wives, the 
children, shore. 

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But coming in to place your 
fingertips on what pleases me. 

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00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,000
No, no, no, no. 
You got another thing coming. 

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This is messed up. 
This is ugly. 

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Yes, it's a unique situation, 
but the principle lives on. 

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Selfishness is hideous. 
It's despicable. 

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And not only is it ugly, it is 
relationally deadly. 

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Relationally deadly In this 
case, Ahab's self focused way of

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life cost them. 
Would cost them his relationship

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00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:59,160
with his spouse and the 
well-being of his children. 

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00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,080
You know you have a lot of 
people who want to get married. 

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00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,280
That's wonderful. 
Let me tell you something heads 

244
00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,680
up. 
If you're a selfish person, stay

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00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:09,280
away from marriage. 
Stay away from having a family. 

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00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:11,760
You have no idea what you're 
signing up for. 

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00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:16,400
Because with all the joys of 
companionship and 

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00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:22,280
responsibility, even there is a 
high call of dying to self in a 

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00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,080
way that you never knew when 
you're walking this world alone.

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00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:29,560
And if you are a person who 
hasn't already disciplined 

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themselves in the context that 
you find yourself in or in this 

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00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:37,760
time of life to to say, Lord 
help me, have I set on others 

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00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:41,640
more than myself, then you are 
in for a great surprise. 

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00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,800
Ahab's a sad example to remind 
you and I that when you try to 

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00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:52,680
when you make your life about 
protecting what you want in your

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00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:56,640
little world, it will always 
cost you more. 

257
00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:00,080
That pursuit will always cause 
you to give up more than 

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00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:01,400
whatever you think you're 
gaining. 

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00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,119
What are the Apostle Paul saying
quoting Jesus? 

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00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:07,680
Interestingly in Acts 20, will 
you never find these words in 

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00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:11,119
the gospel where Paul tells the 
elders in the Church of Ephesus 

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00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,000
that it is more blessed to give 
than it is to receive? 

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00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,319
And there's a whole reason why I
think Paul quoted Jesus, though 

264
00:17:18,319 --> 00:17:20,880
you can't find it in the four 
Gospels. 

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00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,400
It's the way Christ lived. 
It's it was the motto of his 

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00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:28,160
earthly existence, giving, 
giving, giving. 

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00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:29,960
And there's greater blessing in 
that. 

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00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,320
And there's a similar truth that
we can identify in this story 

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00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,840
from an unlikely vantage point, 
not from Ahab, but when you 

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00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:39,680
actually look at it from Ben 
Haddad's perspective. 

271
00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:41,760
So again, look back at verse 
five and six. 

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00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:48,720
Benedad sent messengers, they 
came again and said, Thus says 

273
00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:52,080
Benedette, I sent to you saying,
delivered me your silver and 

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00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:53,280
your gold, your wives and your 
children. 

275
00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,600
Nevertheless I will send my 
service to you tomorrow about 

276
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,160
this time, and they shall search
your house and the houses of 

277
00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:01,480
your servants and lay hands on 
whatever pleases you and take it

278
00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,920
away. 
So when the the king of Syria 

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00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:10,160
realized that was easy, all we 
had to do is ask the guy. 

280
00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:13,920
And he said, here you go, I'm 
coming for more. 

281
00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:19,520
And so Ahab, heads up, I'm 
actually going to take more than

282
00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,000
I had originally planned. 
Whatever I want previously, I'm 

283
00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:26,400
coming to to acquire more than I
had planned. 

284
00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,280
And what's so interesting here 
is that, yeah, he's taking 

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00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,160
advantage of a weak minded 
individual. 

286
00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,640
But let's be clear here. 
The the request of the king of 

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00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:37,520
Syria is reprehensible. 
It's evil. 

288
00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:41,360
But I want you to see again the 
principal truth here. 

289
00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:47,120
He had already gained in his 
first request something, but as 

290
00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:50,280
he asked for more, that's 
actually going to lead to his 

291
00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:54,120
downfall. 
In other words, if Ben Haddad 

292
00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:59,520
had just been content with what 
he had originally won, he he 

293
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,240
probably would have escaped this
whole situation, but because he 

294
00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:07,880
reached out, it would actually 
lead to his demise. 

295
00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:10,440
You know what you read here? 
You read something about 

296
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,920
covetousness. 
What is covetousness? 

297
00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:17,000
Very Simply put, it's desiring 
something or someone that 

298
00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,920
doesn't belong to you. 
You know, I heard somebody speak

299
00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:25,200
about a priest who throughout 
decades of hearing people 

300
00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:29,000
confess in, you know, one of 
those booths, and he has heard 

301
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:36,320
so many people confess a large 
and wide spectrum of sins, 

302
00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,840
horrific sins, secret sins, 
unthinkable sins. 

303
00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:44,400
But somebody interviewed him and
asking about his experience as a

304
00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,040
priest hearing these things, and
the priest said something quite 

305
00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:49,600
insightful. 
He said, out of all the things 

306
00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:51,640
that I've heard over the 
decades, I've never heard one 

307
00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:54,440
person confess the sin of 
coveting. 

308
00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:00,840
It's not a sin that we consider 
to be sin. 

309
00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:05,240
It's what some would deem as a 
respectable sin, and it doesn't 

310
00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:08,120
necessarily materialize. 
Maybe that's why we don't see it

311
00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:11,480
as heinous as it is. 
It can just live in the heart, 

312
00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:14,680
it can manifest an action, but 
ultimately it's there. 

313
00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:18,120
It's something that's 
unchallenged and harbors you 

314
00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:21,520
wanting and craving something 
that God has not prescribed for 

315
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,240
your life. 
And this is a wonderful 

316
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:28,800
illustration of a man who went 
beyond the means. 

317
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:32,800
And that would actually be his 
death sentence. 

318
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,800
Yeah, selfishness is 
relationally lethal, no doubt. 

319
00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:41,400
And equally dangerous are the 
crushing effects of 

320
00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:44,000
covetousness. 
Know this, when you allow your 

321
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:49,640
heart to pump a covetous thought
or patterns of thoughts and 

322
00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:55,880
meditations and fantasies, it 
will murder joy, it will 

323
00:20:55,880 --> 00:21:04,400
slaughter peace, it will kidnap 
personal gratitude unto God and 

324
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:07,600
let it live there long enough. 
And I promise you it will birth 

325
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:13,080
ugly children. 
Their names are envy, jealousy, 

326
00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:19,000
slander, and even strife. 
I can tell you this for certain.

327
00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:23,880
To harbor harbor a covetous 
heart heart is to entertain 

328
00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:31,040
spiritual suicide. 
You will you will know a a death

329
00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,960
in the inner man and listen, it 
can even reach a point where you

330
00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,200
will cause physical harm, 
various degrees of it. 

331
00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,160
Paul said something so 
fascinating about this subject. 

332
00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:44,240
I would encourage you to turn 
that in our study. 

333
00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,160
It's in Philippians, not chapter
one like how we open the 

334
00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:50,440
service, but in chapter four, he
said something that I think will

335
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:57,800
help us, encourage us and it 
will sober us in the Philippians

336
00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:04,320
four. 
Look at verse 11, he says, not 

337
00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:08,560
that I am Speaking of being in 
need, for I have learned in 

338
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,280
whatever situation I am to be 
content. 

339
00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:16,440
Notice those few words there in 
verse 11, For I have learned. 

340
00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:19,360
What does that imply? 
Somebody tell me what that 

341
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:24,080
implies for Paul the apostle, 
the mighty spiritual giant, to 

342
00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:26,240
say, I have learned to be 
content. 

343
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,400
What does that imply about human
nature? 

344
00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:34,520
Is it your disposition and mine 
to be content? 

345
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:38,680
It's not your disposition. 
It's actually your disposition 

346
00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,840
and mine to be discontent in 
every situation you're in. 

347
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:46,320
That's your wiring, you son and 
daughter of Adam. 

348
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:51,600
That's your wiring and mine, to 
be discontent, to be 

349
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:56,040
complaining, to be void of 
worship in every situation you 

350
00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:57,520
find yourself, no matter how 
good it is. 

351
00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:03,440
And yet Paul can say I have 
learned to be content, which 

352
00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:06,760
also tells me that it might take
a few classes in the class of 

353
00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:11,520
contentment to finally get it. 
I have learned. 

354
00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:15,000
And then he goes on with this 
language in verse 12. 

355
00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,760
I know how to be brought low and
I know how to abound in any and 

356
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,400
every circumstance. 
I have again, I have learned. 

357
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:27,960
I have learned the secret. 
Oh, OK, So that's what that's 

358
00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,200
what Paul learned. 
There's a secret to contentment.

359
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,560
So it's not this drawn out 
curriculum necessarily. 

360
00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,760
It's just you being convinced of
one simple thing. 

361
00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:40,640
And notice the way Paul 
describes his experience with 

362
00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:42,080
contentment. 
It's not theoretical. 

363
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,600
It's not theological merely. 
It's experiential. 

364
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,040
He's saying, look, I know. 
I know what it's like to be 

365
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:49,720
brought low. 
I know what it's like to abound.

366
00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:52,440
And then he goes on to cover all
bases and saying in every 

367
00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:57,280
circumstance, no matter what you
name, I have learned the secret.

368
00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:01,840
So there's a secret that you 
have to unlock if you can even 

369
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:06,800
know the ABC's of contentment. 
And here's the secret. 

370
00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,080
I have learned the secret of 
facing plenty and hunger, 

371
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:10,760
abundance and need. 
You know what the secret is 

372
00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:15,200
verse 13, one of the most taken 
out of context verses in modern 

373
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:19,160
Christianity. 
I can do all things through Him 

374
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:24,640
who strengthens me. 
I can do all things. 

375
00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:30,240
This is why honoring the context
makes singular truths or verses 

376
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:32,240
more impactful. 
What is he speaking about in 

377
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,760
context? 
He's not speaking about bench 

378
00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:38,240
pressing. 
He's not speaking about beating 

379
00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,360
a world record for a track meet.
He's not speaking about that. 

380
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,000
He's speaking about being 
content in all ways and in all 

381
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,200
things. 
What's the secret of being 

382
00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:52,920
content with your lot in life, 
with the season of life, Christ 

383
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:59,280
strengthening you, so you can't 
know this perpetual, 

384
00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:03,280
uninterrupted contentment apart 
from Christ. 

385
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,320
And if if Paul's experience of 
contentment was experiential, 

386
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,640
may I say this? 
So should and must your 

387
00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,800
experience of Christ. 
If Christ is just a mere 

388
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:18,320
theological point in your 
thinking, you're never going to 

389
00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:21,720
know real contentment. 
You're just going to be stirred 

390
00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,320
for the time that the preacher 
talks about, and it'll dissipate

391
00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:25,880
before you get to your driver's 
seat. 

392
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,360
But until you know what it's 
like to actually have Christ do 

393
00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,880
a work in your soul where you 
know him to the degree where 

394
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:38,120
it's like I'm the richest person
on this planet, it's just going 

395
00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:41,280
to be an idea. 
And I feel bad for so many 

396
00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,640
professing Christians because 
they are wandering in a 

397
00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,760
proverbial wilderness looking 
for something. 

398
00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:50,960
They can't settle. 
They can't settle. 

399
00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:55,480
The thought of remaining in one 
place without change is haunting

400
00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:59,120
to them. 
And I'm trying to tell you, you 

401
00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:03,240
can know a stabilizing grace 
from heaven if you tap into your

402
00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:07,480
realization that only Christ in 
me, His strength through my 

403
00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:09,720
relationship with him is the 
secret for me. 

404
00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:12,880
Knowing contentment. 
No Christ, no contentment. 

405
00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,400
You have Christ, you don't need 
anything else to be content. 

406
00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:22,040
Too good to be true, One of the 
greatest treasures of the 

407
00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:27,600
gospel. 
So if you park yourself in any 

408
00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:31,040
corner of the earth with a 
palace on the beach, whatever 

409
00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:35,240
your ideal is, if you don't have
Christ, you'll be a miserable 

410
00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:38,880
creature. 
Stick me in an igloo with Christ

411
00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:44,840
and I'll be the happiest. 
This is Paul either exaggerating

412
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:49,640
or being poetic, or it is an 
invitation to a life which Jesus

413
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:53,560
called an abundant life. 
So here we have Benedad 

414
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:58,120
reaching, and when he reaches, 
he's actually going to be 

415
00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:02,200
signing his own death sentence. 
So his aggressive military 

416
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:07,600
strategy has more to teach us, 
believe it or not, primarily 

417
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:09,240
about spiritual warfare. 
So we're back here. 

418
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:10,680
We're still in verse five and 
six. 

419
00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:16,600
I want to, I want to talk to you
about two things concerning 

420
00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:19,600
spiritual warfare in this real 
scenario of war. 

421
00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:22,840
One is personal, one is for the 
corporate church. 

422
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:27,320
Benedad is a wonderful, 
wonderful illustration of how 

423
00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:33,960
sin operates in our lives. 
Sin doesn't want just some of 

424
00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:41,880
you, it wants to dominate you. 
Sin is not happy with robbing a 

425
00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,280
part of your life. 
It wants to destroy your life, 

426
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:51,000
and I need you to please you and
I together to remember that we 

427
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:55,360
can never negotiate with 
temptation, never. 

428
00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:00,240
When an opportunity arises for 
you to entertain something that 

429
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:05,320
is contrary to the will of God 
to try to make a deal with. 

430
00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,440
That is a dangerous game to 
play. 

431
00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:11,280
It never works out in the end 
because sin is deceptively 

432
00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:15,520
merciless and it will never 
settle for affecting only part 

433
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:19,360
of your existence. 
You have to realize always that 

434
00:28:19,360 --> 00:28:23,280
temptation is like that bait 
dangling before your face. 

435
00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,800
But the mature, the spiritually 
mature, will realize there's a 

436
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:30,560
hook behind that thing that 
seems to be so tasty and 

437
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:34,080
beneficial at this time. 
And even if I nibble on it, it 

438
00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:38,600
has the potential of hooking to 
my jaw and pulling me in a 

439
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:42,680
direction with a level of pain 
that I did not expect. 

440
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:51,440
So again, if you want to know a 
life where you don't experience 

441
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:55,920
scars from sin, I believe this 
is one of the things that you 

442
00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:58,200
need to do. 
You need to be mindful of the 

443
00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:01,680
fact that I can't, I can't try 
to make a deal with this. 

444
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:05,080
I'm cutting it off completely. 
I'm going to give it no oxygen. 

445
00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:08,720
It's not going to have a chance 
to even breathe one breath in my

446
00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,760
presence. 
See, that sounds a little 

447
00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,480
intense. 
Yeah, that's war. 

448
00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:20,880
That's war. 
And you wonder why so many are 

449
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,160
stumbling and fumbling. 
I'll tell you one reason why. 

450
00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:26,360
Because they don't realize how 
deadly this thing is. 

451
00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:29,800
So Benedette says, I want to 
take your gold, your silver. 

452
00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:31,080
I want to take your wives and 
your children. 

453
00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:31,880
Yeah, sure. 
Take it. 

454
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:34,440
I'm actually here to collect 
more. 

455
00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:40,000
Sin will do the same. 
Sin will do the same, but let's 

456
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:41,760
talk about it from a corporate 
perspective. 

457
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,160
Ben Haddad's conquering scheme 
here is a wonderful example of 

458
00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:47,920
how Satan operates within the 
church. 

459
00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:50,480
Yes, in many ways, but in the 
way I'm thinking is particularly

460
00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:54,840
with doctrine. 
You and I are hearing the 

461
00:29:54,840 --> 00:30:00,960
buzzing and are seeing the 
constant reels of new and 

462
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,920
strengthening agendas that fly 
in the face of what you and I 

463
00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:06,720
believe in this book. 
And I'll tell you one of the 

464
00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,920
strategies of the evil one in 
the world that he rules, that he

465
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:13,680
is constantly through these 
different masks, knocking on the

466
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:17,200
front door of the church and 
saying, why don't you just 

467
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:20,600
budget here? 
Why don't you just tolerate 

468
00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:23,200
this? 
Why don't you just accept this? 

469
00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,760
It's not necessarily tied to the
gospel. 

470
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,400
You can still be a Christian and
believe here. 

471
00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,920
You can let loose here and still
be called evangelical, whatever 

472
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:34,960
you want to call it. 
And many have already given into

473
00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,360
that, not realizing that the way
the world works is when you give

474
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:41,360
it some, it's not going to be 
happy with some. 

475
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,520
It wants to conquer all, 
everything. 

476
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:51,560
So yeah, it might be one truth. 
And I'm not talking about Gray 

477
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:53,320
matter. 
I'm talking about black and 

478
00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:54,400
white. 
It's obvious. 

479
00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:57,600
And you given in that place. 
I'll tell you something. 

480
00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,520
Whenever a church or 
denomination gives over 1 clear 

481
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,920
truth in the word of God, it's 
the beginning of many other 

482
00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:05,520
compromises. 
Guaranteed. 

483
00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:09,800
Guaranteed. 
So it's the duty of the church 

484
00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,320
to be able to say we're not 
giving you any space in what we 

485
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:15,520
believe. 
We're not compromising in any 

486
00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:18,440
area. 
Because the way this thing works

487
00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:22,120
is it starts with one, then it's
two, and then you become 

488
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:29,200
unrecognizable. 
So guard everything and make no 

489
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:34,840
room for negotiation. 
Unfortunately, Ahab was too 

490
00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,120
late. 
The movements of our time echo 

491
00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:41,680
what Benedad does here. 
And sometimes it's delivered in 

492
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,320
the package of a threat or 
reward, and in this case it was 

493
00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:46,000
a threat. 
Let's read on a verse 7. 

494
00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:50,680
Then the king of Israel called 
all the elders of the land and 

495
00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:54,000
said, Mark now and see how this 
man is seeking trouble. 

496
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,440
For he sent to me for my wives 
and my children and for my 

497
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,080
silver and my gold, and I did 
not refuse him. 

498
00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,080
And all the elders and all the 
people said to him, do not 

499
00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:09,400
listen or consent. 
So he said to the messengers of 

500
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:12,920
Benedad, Tell my Lord the king 
all that you first demanded of 

501
00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:15,320
your servant I will do, but this
thing I cannot do. 

502
00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:19,200
And the messengers departed and 
brought him word again. 

503
00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:24,360
So Benedad is being reckless. 
This is arrogance on full 

504
00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:27,680
display. 
Ahab calls for the elders around

505
00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:31,520
him, and he seeks their wisdom 
in the plurality of of men in 

506
00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:33,400
his life. 
And surprisingly, listen, their 

507
00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:37,120
words are actually noble. 
They're they're commendable. 

508
00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:39,840
This is this is the right thing.
He's like, don't listen, don't 

509
00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:42,200
consent. 
Stand your ground. 

510
00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,120
And you can applaud Ahab for 
this. 

511
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,600
But there's something that makes
you wonder if it's from the 

512
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:53,360
place of complete humility. 
I don't know if it is. 

513
00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:55,960
I think what we're seeing here 
is what desperation can do to 

514
00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:57,760
men. 
Desperation has a way of bending

515
00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,160
us. 
And so Ahab really doesn't have 

516
00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:04,400
a choice. 
And though he seeks the counsel 

517
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:06,480
of these men, there is an 
omission. 

518
00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:08,800
There's something that he 
doesn't do that you should be 

519
00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:13,400
well aware of and familiar with 
as a people who know how and who

520
00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:16,840
to ask of in times of need. 
Who did he fail to ask? 

521
00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:22,960
I'm not surprised he doesn't go 
to Bail because just two 

522
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,760
chapters ago, Bail bailed on 
him. 

523
00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:29,120
See what happened there? 
Building a deliver. 

524
00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:33,760
So at least at this point he 
doesn't call out to his false 

525
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:35,280
God. 
But what about the true God? 

526
00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,400
Where is him humbling himself 
before the Lord Almighty and 

527
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:42,800
say, Oh God, please, I seen you 
bring fire down from heaven. 

528
00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:46,880
I've seen you defeat your 
enemies, come to my aid, come to

529
00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:49,080
the rescue of your people. 
No sign of that. 

530
00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:53,600
So there's no hint of him coming
before the Lord, the one who 

531
00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:55,400
answered by fire and provided 
rain. 

532
00:33:55,920 --> 00:34:00,600
And the reason why I'm bringing 
this up is because when you read

533
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:05,240
on, you realize that despite the
lack of faith on Haab's part, 

534
00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:07,240
God does something in response 
to it. 

535
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:12,040
Ahab, following this, never, 
never takes a step towards the 

536
00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:14,000
Lord. 
What does the Lord do instead? 

537
00:34:14,199 --> 00:34:16,760
Look at verse 13. 
Once again, he sends a prophet 

538
00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:22,159
to him. 
Ahab doesn't go to a prophet. 

539
00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:24,679
Ahab doesn't go anywhere near 
God. 

540
00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:28,120
And you know what God does? 
He comes and meets Ahab. 

541
00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:32,520
So we read and behold, the 
prophet came near to Ahab. 

542
00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:39,600
Look at that wonderful language,
came near to Ahab and said, so 

543
00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:43,199
listen very carefully. 
There are times where there are 

544
00:34:43,199 --> 00:34:47,920
men like Cornelius in Acts 
chapter 10, who, though they do 

545
00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,000
not have a complete or even 
accurate understanding of God 

546
00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,000
with what revelation they've 
been given, will seek the Lord, 

547
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,440
and God will honor that man and 
manifest himself to him. 

548
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,720
And then there are other times 
when the Lord makes himself 

549
00:35:02,720 --> 00:35:06,840
known in a special way to those 
who aren't estimation, don't 

550
00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:11,200
deserve it because they showed 
no interest in him to begin 

551
00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,960
with, and they show it through 
their rebellious lives, and yet 

552
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:17,880
the Lord still will make himself
known to them. 

553
00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,960
To which some might say that 
sounds unfair. 

554
00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:25,120
Have you ever wondered that? 
Have you ever heard testimonies 

555
00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:28,440
and thought to yourself, why did
the Lord show himself in such 

556
00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:31,680
power and might to that 
individual and not his neighbor?

557
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,680
Why that celebrity and not that 
celebrity? 

558
00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,560
Why that politician, not that 
politician? 

559
00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,920
Why that Muslim group and not 
this other Muslim group? 

560
00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:47,080
Have you ever wondered that? 
And perhaps you wrestle with to 

561
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:51,360
the point you thought, Lord, can
you give us a little bit of an 

562
00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:53,000
insight into the way you think 
here? 

563
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:57,040
Can you show yourself evenly to 
everybody and give them all the 

564
00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:00,280
same chance? 
And I believe there are many 

565
00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:02,000
answers to this. 
I know it can get very 

566
00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:04,480
philosophical, but it's it's not
too philosophical. 

567
00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:06,760
It's it's actually you have 
evidence in the word of God. 

568
00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:09,760
And I believe one of the 
strongest cases to answer that 

569
00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:12,280
question is found in the Apostle
Paul's own testimony. 

570
00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:16,200
I want you to see this with your
own eyes in First Timothy 116. 

571
00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:19,120
Notice what he says as he's 
encouraging Timothy, who's very 

572
00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:24,320
timid and doubtful of his call 
as a pastor of one of the 

573
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:27,760
largest churches of their time. 
And Paul says something in first

574
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:35,720
Timothy 116. 
He says, But I received mercy 

575
00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:43,200
for this reason, that in me as 
the foremost Jesus Christ might 

576
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:49,160
display his perfect patience as 
an example to those who were to 

577
00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:55,320
believe in him for eternal life.
Do you realize how profound this

578
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,920
is? 
Paul is saying, and it was 

579
00:36:57,920 --> 00:36:59,600
revealed to him surely by 
Christ. 

580
00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,520
Timothy, I want to let you know 
the reason why me, a terrorist, 

581
00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:07,640
a murderer, one who vehemently 
attacked the Christian faith, 

582
00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:11,040
the reason why the Lord appeared
to me, though, yes, He loved me 

583
00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:13,600
and gave himself for me. 
He says that in Galatians was 

584
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:19,600
not only for me. 
This was not purely 

585
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:23,160
individualistic. 
The Lord made himself known to 

586
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:29,320
me on that road to Damascus. 
Open my eyes so that others can 

587
00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:35,640
see who God is and what He's 
like, so that in saving me and 

588
00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:40,160
providing the world a radical 
testimony of grace, those whom 

589
00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:43,440
the Lord might not have shown 
himself in such a way would now 

590
00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:47,760
begin to pursue the same. 
God that I experienced. 

591
00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:52,560
So sometimes the Lord will do a 
work in one person's life and 

592
00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:55,200
what he has in mind, yes, is 
that individual because he loves

593
00:37:55,200 --> 00:38:00,120
us individually, but he also has
a grander plan that through this

594
00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:03,680
one-on-one exchange, there are 
others who will witness it, 

595
00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:06,880
understand the character of God,
and then make their way towards 

596
00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:10,600
him. 
So even when you read about 

597
00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:14,920
Ahab, you're like, come on, out 
of all people, you're 

598
00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:21,760
persistently pursuing this king.
And I hear Paul's words even in 

599
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:26,720
this, for you and I to realize 
what kind of God is this and to 

600
00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:30,440
understand that this God, though
he is uniquely maneuvering in 

601
00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,840
this man's life, his heart is 
the same for me. 

602
00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:37,840
And so I will gladly surrender 
myself to him. 

603
00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,840
I hope that makes sense. 
The Lord chooses sometimes to do

604
00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:47,160
spectacular work and one 
person's life, but not just for 

605
00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:50,840
that one person. 
It's for others to learn the 

606
00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:54,040
character of him and to 
encourage them to approach them 

607
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:59,280
for themselves. 
So a prophet comes, but let's go

608
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:00,600
back. 
Let's not get ahead of ourselves

609
00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:03,920
here. 
The messengers were sent back to

610
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:07,560
Ben had dad where Ahab says look
I'll I'll agree to the first 

611
00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:10,680
contract, not the second one and
notice what happens at 1st 10. 

612
00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:14,400
Ben had dad sent to him, and 
said, The gods do so to me, and 

613
00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:18,800
more also if the dust of Samaria
shall suffice for handfuls, for 

614
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:22,160
all the people who follow me. 
And the king of Israel answered,

615
00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:26,640
tell him, let him who straps on 
his armor boast himself as he 

616
00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:30,600
who takes it off. 
When Ben Haddad heard this 

617
00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:33,640
message as he was drinking with 
the kings in the boots, he said 

618
00:39:33,640 --> 00:39:37,320
to his men, Take your positions.
And they took the positions 

619
00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:41,040
against the city. 
So Benedad could not fathom the 

620
00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:45,000
thought that somebody would 
reject his request, no matter 

621
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,880
how Atlantic it is. 
This is this is pride at its 

622
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:53,800
fullest. 
So he says, listen, I'm going to

623
00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:59,000
crush you to such fine powder 
that we're going to carry you 

624
00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:04,720
like sand back to our own place.
And this is crazy. 

625
00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:06,600
This seems so out of character 
of Ahab. 

626
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,480
Like Ahab. 
Ahab was king, but he wasn't 

627
00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:10,720
really the king, it was his 
wife. 

628
00:40:10,720 --> 00:40:12,920
And he always cowers and he's 
always afraid. 

629
00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:15,240
But notice what he says here in 
verse 11. 

630
00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:18,640
He says, tell him, let not him 
who straps on his armor boasts 

631
00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:21,600
himself as he who takes it off. 
In other words, here's a 

632
00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:24,800
translation. 
I encourage you, Ben Haddad, not

633
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:28,200
to boast as though you have the 
victory before you've achieved 

634
00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:34,680
it. 
I'm surprised that we're 

635
00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:41,040
actually going to say this, but.
I like what Ahab said, and it 

636
00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:43,720
would do us good as Christians 
to learn what he is saying. 

637
00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:47,760
You're in principle because even
Christians can face the 

638
00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:52,040
temptation of boasting, of 
boasting in many things, even in

639
00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:53,920
things that have not yet taken 
place. 

640
00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:57,480
James highlights that right. 
James tells us in terms of our 

641
00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:00,440
business relationships, in our 
business endeavors, he goes, 

642
00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:03,400
don't get ahead of yourself and 
say we will. 

643
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:07,120
James is so specific, he's not 
against you and I planning and 

644
00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:09,800
being strategic. 
He's saying don't develop the 

645
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:14,080
mindset where you can make these
definite declarations about your

646
00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:18,320
tomorrow's. 
So he says instead of saying we 

647
00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:21,520
will you tell me what does James
encourage us to do by the Spirit

648
00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:27,120
if the Lord wills, we will do 
this and we will do that. 

649
00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:32,760
James 4:15 If the Lord wills, 
that's not license for you and I

650
00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:35,880
to tag everything that we say 
with if God wills. 

651
00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:40,560
This is not empty. 
You know, sayings that James is 

652
00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:42,680
promoting. 
What he's saying is as a 

653
00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:46,360
believer, if you want to enhance
in your worship to the Lord as a

654
00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:48,040
living sacrifice, you're going 
to do this. 

655
00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:52,200
You are going to constantly in 
your planning, in your dreaming,

656
00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:58,320
in your desires, acknowledge the
sovereignty of God and gladly 

657
00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:02,480
proclaim to yourself and to 
others your dependency on Him. 

658
00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:08,160
And then he follows that by 
saying because all such boasting

659
00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:10,880
it's actually evil. 
What does he mean by that? 

660
00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:13,320
He's not saying that you being 
confident in certain things is 

661
00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:16,200
wrong necessarily. 
What he's saying is to be absent

662
00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:21,120
minded of God's permission in 
your life, God's power and His 

663
00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:24,000
leading in your life. 
That kind of way of thinking and

664
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:27,120
talking is abhorrent before the 
Lord. 

665
00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:32,160
So me on the altar of a as a 
living sacrifice, one of the 

666
00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:35,400
things that will be fragrance 
unto him is to be caught and to 

667
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:38,520
train yourself to think. 
No matter what I plan, even if 

668
00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:42,600
it's 24 hours from now, it can 
only happen by God's grace and 

669
00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:45,200
permission. 
And even if I get there, I can't

670
00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:46,880
do it successfully unless he 
helps me. 

671
00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:51,360
That's how Christian things. 
And that's what Ahab is 

672
00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:52,720
essentially telling to Ben 
Haddad. 

673
00:42:52,720 --> 00:42:55,760
He's like, look, you're putting 
the armor off, but you're 

674
00:42:55,760 --> 00:42:58,400
boasting as though you're taking
it off in terms of being 

675
00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:00,880
victorious. 
Don't boast until you take it 

676
00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:06,560
off. 
So what is Ben had that do in 

677
00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:09,160
movie like fashion? 
You can imagine the scene the 

678
00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:11,960
news comes from in verse 12. 
He takes a sip of his drink, 

679
00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:15,000
puts it on his table and he says
to your man, his men take your 

680
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:17,720
positions and they're about to 
go to war. 

681
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:20,040
Hang tight. 
We're going to go through these 

682
00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:24,560
verses quite quickly. 
Verse 13, We touched on this a 

683
00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:26,320
couple times already, but can I 
tell you something? 

684
00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:28,920
Even in this one verse, there's 
still nectar for you to suck 

685
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,280
from. 
There's amazing sweetness even 

686
00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:33,280
in this one verse. 
And behold, the prophet came 

687
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:36,960
near to a king of Israel and 
said, Thus says the Lord, have 

688
00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:38,440
you seen all this great 
multitude? 

689
00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:42,200
Behold, I will give it into your
hand this day, and you shall 

690
00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:44,760
know that I am the Lord. 
In other words, you've seen 

691
00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:47,400
Mount Carmel, you've seen the 
rain, and you're still not 

692
00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:48,880
persuaded. 
God's going to give you more 

693
00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:53,160
evidence. 
Ahab. 

694
00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:56,200
Is it just me that's stirred by 
this? 

695
00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:59,760
Ahab Yes. 
I'm going to do something for 

696
00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:02,360
you to see even more that I am 
the Lord. 

697
00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:05,840
Who? 
Who's saying this? 

698
00:44:06,360 --> 00:44:07,000
The Lord? 
Yes. 

699
00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:13,160
But who's the prophet you have? 
Some people are making the case 

700
00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:16,720
that this is Elijah. 
And if not Elijah, it's Elijah. 

701
00:44:17,240 --> 00:44:19,800
One of them are in disguise 
because he's anonymous. 

702
00:44:20,240 --> 00:44:23,600
I just want to take it at face 
value and believe it's neither. 

703
00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,200
This is not Elijah nor is it his
successor. 

704
00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:30,040
So who can he be? 
Tell me who can it be? 

705
00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:32,680
Any idea what the previous 
studies? 

706
00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:40,680
I'm not looking for a specific 
name by the way, or an identity,

707
00:44:42,320 --> 00:44:44,480
but what stock is this guy 
coming from? 

708
00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:50,000
Thank you. 
So you have the Lord telling 

709
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,760
Elijah there's a remnant of 7000
who have not bowed their knee or

710
00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:56,240
kissed bail. 
And earlier before that, you had

711
00:44:56,240 --> 00:44:59,960
Obadiah informing us that there 
are at least 100 prophets 

712
00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:03,760
stuffed into two caves that were
being protected under his 

713
00:45:03,760 --> 00:45:06,760
supervision. 
So I'm under the impression this

714
00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:11,120
is one of the prophets from the 
remnant, though unnamed. 

715
00:45:11,320 --> 00:45:14,520
This is one of the guys that God
commissioned to fulfill this 

716
00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:16,520
task and that blesses me 
tremendously. 

717
00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:21,600
Let me tell you why, Because you
have one person here doing a 

718
00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:25,040
very wonderful work and he's 
unknown. 

719
00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:29,480
You would think that this kind 
of job would be somebody for 

720
00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:33,520
somebody like Elijah, but the 
Lord commissions this man out of

721
00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:36,520
obscurity. 
And what it's supposed to inform

722
00:45:36,520 --> 00:45:40,720
you and I is whether you are 
known or not known, God has a 

723
00:45:40,720 --> 00:45:44,400
work for you. 
God has a ministry for you. 

724
00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:49,280
God has a job for you. 
Elijah and Elijah are not in the

725
00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:52,280
scene. 
You have this unnamed man coming

726
00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:55,360
before us. 
And what moves me here is that 

727
00:45:55,360 --> 00:45:59,360
the Lord surely called him and 
directed him to stand before the

728
00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:03,200
king to speak this message. 
What's your responsibility? 

729
00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:07,200
That because God can raise any 
one of us up in a moment's time,

730
00:46:07,720 --> 00:46:11,400
it's to be like this prophet in 
this way, to be yielded. 

731
00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:15,640
To him and ready at all times, 
he is one of those who have not 

732
00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:17,560
bound his knee to bail or kissed
him. 

733
00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:20,920
And because of his 
steadfastness, though, perhaps 

734
00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:24,680
he was one of those that were 
hiding in a hole at the right 

735
00:46:24,680 --> 00:46:25,880
time. 
The Lord says I need you. 

736
00:46:26,360 --> 00:46:31,640
Come. 
You want to know one motivation 

737
00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:33,520
to be consecrated. 
My ultimate motivation is to 

738
00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:36,240
please the heart of my master, 
whether he uses me or not. 

739
00:46:36,800 --> 00:46:39,840
My ultimate desire is because 
here's the whole thing. 

740
00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:41,960
I'm going to stand before him 
and have a conversation with him

741
00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:47,000
about my life and so will you. 
So my ultimate ambition is to 

742
00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:54,160
please my savior. 
But if there's any sub reason to

743
00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:59,040
be motivated in holiness, it's 
that holiness positions you to 

744
00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:01,560
be used as the master at any at 
any time. 

745
00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:08,360
So I'm not, I'm not looking for 
how I can tread that line 

746
00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:12,400
between sin and being right. 
I don't want to play that game. 

747
00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:16,080
I'm not interested in playing 
that game because second Timothy

748
00:47:16,080 --> 00:47:19,120
tells us and he motivates 
Timothy by saying that the Lord 

749
00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:23,320
wants clean vessels ready for 
the masters use. 

750
00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:26,760
So if you want to be worldly, go
ahead, be worldly. 

751
00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:28,760
You might just be missing on a 
call. 

752
00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:31,520
I'm not looking. 
I'm not even the thought of that

753
00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:35,280
is just daunting. 
I want to be used of God and if 

754
00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:38,280
he's at any time ready to call 
somebody, I want to be at least 

755
00:47:38,280 --> 00:47:42,760
considered on that roster. 
This prophet arrives on the 

756
00:47:42,760 --> 00:47:45,200
scene and he speaks this 
message. 

757
00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:52,400
I love this for another reason. 
Can I tell you why You don't 

758
00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:56,880
have a choice? 
I'll tell you why because Ahab 

759
00:47:56,880 --> 00:47:59,480
looks for counsel from these 
elders and they gave good 

760
00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:03,320
advice. 
They said don't consent, but 

761
00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:07,720
that's all they can offer him. 
It wasn't until a prophet 

762
00:48:07,720 --> 00:48:10,480
arrived with a word from the 
Lord where Ahab would find what 

763
00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:12,160
he needed to know. 
True deliverance. 

764
00:48:15,720 --> 00:48:19,760
No matter what kind of wisdom 
you acquire from brilliant men, 

765
00:48:19,920 --> 00:48:26,000
successful men, prestigious men,
if what they have to say doesn't

766
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:29,040
ultimately come from the Word of
God, it will always be limited 

767
00:48:29,040 --> 00:48:31,600
in its promises and its 
effectiveness. 

768
00:48:34,240 --> 00:48:36,560
That's why when I look for 
counsel, I look for people who 

769
00:48:36,560 --> 00:48:38,240
are. 
Drenched in the Bible 

770
00:48:38,600 --> 00:48:41,880
personally, but not just people 
who know the Bible, people who 

771
00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:44,520
live the Bible and can testify 
that the Bible works because of 

772
00:48:44,520 --> 00:48:46,480
their own obedience. 
I know a lot of people who stuff

773
00:48:46,480 --> 00:48:50,960
the Bible in their heads. 
And I would be very careful 

774
00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:53,400
asking for their advice because 
by the way they're living, I 

775
00:48:53,400 --> 00:48:56,400
don't think they're taking their
own advice, whatever knowledge 

776
00:48:56,400 --> 00:48:59,240
that they're gaining. 
But people who have their lives 

777
00:48:59,240 --> 00:49:02,520
ordained by the scriptures and 
know the the scriptures richly, 

778
00:49:03,800 --> 00:49:07,680
I want to hear from them because
I know what well they're going 

779
00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:11,440
to draw from. 
I know what kind of thing I'm 

780
00:49:11,440 --> 00:49:16,160
going to be sipping on in my 
thirst for answers, for 

781
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:21,120
predicaments in my own life. 
So what those men had to say 

782
00:49:21,120 --> 00:49:24,680
took Ahab one step closer to 
where he needed to be. 

783
00:49:24,680 --> 00:49:27,960
But when this prophet came, it 
swung open the door to true 

784
00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:34,640
freedom and true deliverance. 
Verse 14. 

785
00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:39,160
And Ahab said, ready to be 
surprised further. 

786
00:49:40,240 --> 00:49:45,760
And Ahab said, By whom he said, 
Thus says the Lord, by the 

787
00:49:45,760 --> 00:49:48,280
servants of the governors of the
districts. 

788
00:49:48,560 --> 00:49:51,600
Then he said, Who shall begin 
the battle? 

789
00:49:51,960 --> 00:49:56,360
He answered you. 
Then he mustered the servants of

790
00:49:56,360 --> 00:50:00,560
the governors of the districts, 
and they were 232 And after them

791
00:50:00,560 --> 00:50:07,800
he mustered all the people of 
Israel. 7000 Summarize what 

792
00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:10,280
Ahab's doing here in response to
the word of the Lord. 

793
00:50:11,920 --> 00:50:16,360
Anybody. 
What is what is Ahab doing here?

794
00:50:16,360 --> 00:50:19,040
Well, let me ask you this way, 
is it good or is it bad? 

795
00:50:20,200 --> 00:50:21,160
Bad. 
Why is it bad? 

796
00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:26,400
How is it bad? 
The prophet said you're going to

797
00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:27,880
do this, you're going to do 
this. 

798
00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:30,280
He seeks clarification and what 
does he do? 

799
00:50:31,120 --> 00:50:33,360
He does it. 
It's very simple. 

800
00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:36,080
Maybe because it's so shocking, 
because it's Ahab. 

801
00:50:37,040 --> 00:50:42,040
Ahab obeys. 
Ahab listens to the prophet. 

802
00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:47,800
I know it's striking, but people
have their moments. 

803
00:50:49,040 --> 00:50:54,320
So not only does he obey, he 
obeys when the instructions seem

804
00:50:54,320 --> 00:50:56,200
to be very strange. 
What do I mean by that? 

805
00:50:56,560 --> 00:51:00,320
So he says, who's going to 
actually engage in this war? 

806
00:51:00,320 --> 00:51:02,120
Because we don't really have 
much going on here. 

807
00:51:02,520 --> 00:51:04,760
And what does the prophet say? 
He says by the servants of the 

808
00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:08,360
governors of the districts. 
I take that to mean that he's 

809
00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:11,840
saying the actual ones who 
assist these governors in these 

810
00:51:11,840 --> 00:51:15,440
different regions in Israel. 
In other words, inexperienced 

811
00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:17,440
men. 
Some transistors would say, the 

812
00:51:17,440 --> 00:51:20,680
young men, those are the guys 
that you're going to put on the 

813
00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:23,960
front line. 
And he gathers 232 of them. 

814
00:51:25,600 --> 00:51:28,800
So in the way that you and I 
know God, we have yet another 

815
00:51:28,800 --> 00:51:31,440
testimony of the Lord 
intentionally stacking all the 

816
00:51:31,440 --> 00:51:35,080
odds against himself. 
See, I want you to actually make

817
00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:36,840
this more difficult than what it
needs to be. 

818
00:51:37,440 --> 00:51:42,880
I'm not asking you to find war. 
War like men or experienced 

819
00:51:42,880 --> 00:51:45,280
fighters. 
Get the get the servants of the 

820
00:51:45,280 --> 00:51:51,520
governors to lead the charge. 
And Ahab doesn't peep with a 

821
00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:55,520
hesitation, a denial. 
He doesn't. 

822
00:51:55,520 --> 00:51:58,720
He goes, all right, let's do it.
I'm willing to do it. 

823
00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:04,680
And if you find that Providence 
makes a trial or a challenge 

824
00:52:04,680 --> 00:52:08,120
more difficult than it needs to 
be, consider this aspect of 

825
00:52:08,120 --> 00:52:10,600
God's character. 
Why does God do this again back 

826
00:52:10,600 --> 00:52:13,360
at verse 13? 
So that he would know that the 

827
00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:16,640
Lord is God. 
I'm going to do this again in 

828
00:52:16,640 --> 00:52:18,400
such a manner. 
How did he do it on Mount 

829
00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:20,280
Carmel? 
He asked Elijah to drench his 

830
00:52:20,280 --> 00:52:24,760
sacrifice and water over and 
over again so that no fabricated

831
00:52:24,760 --> 00:52:27,920
flame can be excused. 
It would have to be an act of 

832
00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:30,200
God and hear the Lord in chapter
20 is doing it in a different 

833
00:52:30,200 --> 00:52:32,280
way. 
Put those kind of men on the 

834
00:52:32,280 --> 00:52:34,400
front lines. 
Really yes. 

835
00:52:34,520 --> 00:52:38,400
Why back to verse 13 because I 
want you to be absolutely 

836
00:52:38,400 --> 00:52:40,600
persuaded that this is an act of
God. 

837
00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:45,400
And if I find myself there where
it's like no matter how much I'm

838
00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:47,880
praying about it, no matter how 
much I'm doing what I need to do

839
00:52:47,880 --> 00:52:51,360
in God's way for it to be done 
with God like results, and it 

840
00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:55,000
seems to only be getting darker 
and closing in and more 

841
00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:57,360
impossible. 
Here's what the Lord is trying 

842
00:52:57,360 --> 00:52:59,600
to do. 
He wants to make it more 

843
00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:02,560
difficult so that the praise and
the glory would be stronger on 

844
00:53:02,560 --> 00:53:08,040
the other side. 
That's why I get excited when 

845
00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:12,800
things try to suffocate the 
situation even more, because the

846
00:53:12,800 --> 00:53:15,080
Lord just wants to maximize the 
opportunity. 

847
00:53:17,920 --> 00:53:21,880
So he asks what do I need to do?
He tells them exactly what to do

848
00:53:22,440 --> 00:53:25,400
and. 
If you think this is where the 

849
00:53:25,400 --> 00:53:28,880
story ends, it doesn't. 
And if it did, you might be 

850
00:53:28,880 --> 00:53:32,080
convinced Ahab's changed. 
This is a different guy. 

851
00:53:33,720 --> 00:53:37,120
He's asking the Prophet, and the
Prophet gives him more 

852
00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:38,640
instruction. 
He actually submits. 

853
00:53:38,680 --> 00:53:43,200
It wow, all it took is a little 
time for Ahab to change and I 

854
00:53:43,200 --> 00:53:46,160
would say not so fast. 
Realize that there's still more 

855
00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:48,440
to this chapter and there's a 
chapter 21. 

856
00:53:50,560 --> 00:53:53,440
And so I just want to let you 
know in advance that this is 

857
00:53:53,440 --> 00:53:57,080
going to be short lived. 
And why is it short lived? 

858
00:53:57,080 --> 00:54:00,080
Because it models what men do 
today. 

859
00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:03,200
They tend to find obedience to 
divine ordinances more 

860
00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:07,200
attractive when their troubles 
seem more inescapable. 

861
00:54:10,560 --> 00:54:14,960
I think it's one of the greatest
stains on humanity's testimony 

862
00:54:16,800 --> 00:54:19,640
in their disobedience to the 
Lord and their unwillingness to 

863
00:54:19,640 --> 00:54:21,720
surrender. 
I think it's one of the greatest

864
00:54:21,720 --> 00:54:26,160
things this cycle that only in 
dire circumstances does God get 

865
00:54:26,160 --> 00:54:32,520
the best of us. 
If you're going to be a true 

866
00:54:32,520 --> 00:54:34,120
worshiper, can I encourage you 
to do something? 

867
00:54:34,680 --> 00:54:38,560
Sing with the strength and the 
vigor and the devotion. 

868
00:54:38,560 --> 00:54:42,440
Serve with that same intensity 
when all things are well. 

869
00:54:45,520 --> 00:54:48,440
I don't want my Pearl life to 
look better when I need 

870
00:54:48,440 --> 00:54:54,200
something from the Lord. 
I don't want my devotion and my 

871
00:54:54,600 --> 00:54:59,480
consecration to shine brighter 
when this body is afflicted with

872
00:54:59,480 --> 00:55:08,160
a disease or when I need money. 
But Ahab, unfortunately, reminds

873
00:55:08,160 --> 00:55:11,520
us that men tend to fall in that
trap far too often. 

874
00:55:15,120 --> 00:55:18,600
What is Ahab going to learn when
he obeys the prophet? 

875
00:55:18,840 --> 00:55:20,840
Let's read the last five verses 
together. 

876
00:55:22,440 --> 00:55:26,280
And they went out at noon while 
Ben Haddad was drinking himself 

877
00:55:26,280 --> 00:55:30,160
drunk in the booths. 
He and the 32 kings who helped 

878
00:55:30,160 --> 00:55:31,800
them pause. 
This is the second time we're 

879
00:55:31,800 --> 00:55:36,480
told of Ben Haddad's drinking. 
That's not by accident. 

880
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:40,000
It's meant for you to connect 
that his pattern, his personal 

881
00:55:40,000 --> 00:55:44,760
patterns and shortcomings will 
produce the consequences that 

882
00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:46,360
you see here. 
And we already saw it. 

883
00:55:46,360 --> 00:55:49,160
He was drinking earlier, and he 
makes these questionable 

884
00:55:49,160 --> 00:55:53,080
judgments and requests, and now 
you see him drinking yet again, 

885
00:55:53,880 --> 00:55:55,320
and it's going to lead to his 
downfall. 

886
00:55:55,320 --> 00:55:58,560
So I hope I don't have to spend 
too much time in a Bible study 

887
00:55:58,560 --> 00:56:01,160
to remind you that our God 
champions sobriety. 

888
00:56:03,520 --> 00:56:05,640
And I think in some Bible 
studies that needs to be 

889
00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:08,600
emphasized because you have a 
lot of Christians who want to 

890
00:56:08,600 --> 00:56:11,320
justify intoxication of 
different kinds. 

891
00:56:14,080 --> 00:56:17,440
God understands how your 
faculties work, how your mind 

892
00:56:17,440 --> 00:56:20,400
works. 
And he calls us to be people who

893
00:56:20,400 --> 00:56:24,880
take care of our our discernment
and our judgement so that we can

894
00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:30,840
reflect his glory the better. 
Ben Haddad is going to show us 

895
00:56:30,840 --> 00:56:33,880
that alcohol is going to be a 
contributor to his destruction 

896
00:56:35,640 --> 00:56:42,360
and alcohol in many cases has 
done and created havoc and so 

897
00:56:42,360 --> 00:56:48,160
many spheres of society when it 
is not taken in moderation at 

898
00:56:48,160 --> 00:56:52,680
least. 
So 17 the servants of the 

899
00:56:52,680 --> 00:56:56,160
governors of the districts went 
out first, and Ben Haddad sent 

900
00:56:56,160 --> 00:56:59,480
out scouts and they reported to 
him men are coming out from 

901
00:56:59,480 --> 00:57:03,000
Samaria. 
Verse 18 and it you're going to 

902
00:57:03,000 --> 00:57:07,400
read this and it makes you think
if this is the alcohol talking 

903
00:57:08,320 --> 00:57:12,000
or Ben Haddad talking, see if 
you see what I I'm saying. 

904
00:57:12,320 --> 00:57:15,840
He said if they have come out 
for peace, take them alive or if

905
00:57:15,840 --> 00:57:17,040
they. 
Have come out for war. 

906
00:57:17,080 --> 00:57:21,520
Take them alive. 
Brilliant. 

907
00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:29,640
I don't know what kind of 
general this is, but I wonder if

908
00:57:29,640 --> 00:57:31,840
verse 16 sheds light on verse 
18. 

909
00:57:31,840 --> 00:57:36,440
I'm just saying. 
So these went out of the city, 

910
00:57:36,440 --> 00:57:39,040
the servants of the governors of
the districts and the army that 

911
00:57:39,040 --> 00:57:41,560
followed them, and each struck 
down his man. 

912
00:57:41,880 --> 00:57:45,000
The Syrians fled, and Israel 
pursue them. 

913
00:57:45,160 --> 00:57:48,720
But Ben Haddad, king of Syria, 
escaped on a horse with 

914
00:57:48,720 --> 00:57:52,640
horsemen, and the king of Israel
went out and struck the horses 

915
00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:55,560
and Chariots, and struck the 
Syrians with. 

916
00:57:55,760 --> 00:57:59,240
A great blow. 
Or would you know it, Ahab? 

917
00:57:59,240 --> 00:58:01,600
When you obeyed, there was 
victory. 

918
00:58:04,640 --> 00:58:06,880
When you trusted, there was 
blessing. 

919
00:58:07,600 --> 00:58:11,040
When you submitted, there was 
reward. 

920
00:58:13,480 --> 00:58:19,120
And too bad that Ahab would only
ride that wave for such a short 

921
00:58:19,120 --> 00:58:20,800
period of time. 
Because for the rest of this 

922
00:58:20,800 --> 00:58:25,160
chapter, you're going to see him
go back to the Ahab that we were

923
00:58:25,160 --> 00:58:30,200
accustomed to and what we have 
for the rest of this chapter, or

924
00:58:30,200 --> 00:58:33,920
other threads of gold awaiting 
to be woven on our hearts. 

925
00:58:33,920 --> 00:58:37,080
But until then, let's pray and 
thank God for this banquet 

926
00:58:37,080 --> 00:58:51,230
tonight. 
We thank you, God Almighty, that

927
00:58:51,230 --> 00:58:54,790
on this Friday night we are 
confident to be in the company 

928
00:58:54,790 --> 00:58:59,710
of those who have burning hearts
when they hear the Scriptures. 

929
00:59:00,840 --> 00:59:05,160
And we pray, O God, that we 
would be good Bereans, noble men

930
00:59:05,560 --> 00:59:08,120
who know how to test everything 
with the Word of God as our 

931
00:59:08,120 --> 00:59:12,280
ultimate authority and standard.
We ask, Lord, that even this 

932
00:59:12,280 --> 00:59:17,960
portion of Sacred Scripture 
would play a role in influencing

933
00:59:17,960 --> 00:59:22,280
something of our lives. 
If there's a sin that's been 

934
00:59:22,280 --> 00:59:26,840
flirting with us these past few 
days or weeks and our guard has 

935
00:59:26,920 --> 00:59:30,760
been down, and we think to 
ourselves that we can tolerate 

936
00:59:30,760 --> 00:59:33,800
it, entertain it, or enjoy it 
without consequence. 

937
00:59:34,320 --> 00:59:39,240
Lord, may this be a sharp 
reminder that sin is to be put 

938
00:59:39,240 --> 00:59:41,520
to death. 
That is the only response of the

939
00:59:41,520 --> 00:59:47,360
Christian. 
Lord, if we have trouble 

940
00:59:47,360 --> 00:59:51,600
understanding your grace for 
ourselves or for others, help 

941
00:59:51,600 --> 00:59:54,840
us. 
Remember Ahab story at this 

942
00:59:54,840 --> 01:00:02,200
point that you are relentless, 
that you give so many chances 

943
01:00:02,200 --> 01:00:08,760
before you judge. 
And we thank you, O Lord, that 

944
01:00:08,760 --> 01:00:11,800
if you're willing to treat the 
wicked in such a way, how much 

945
01:00:11,800 --> 01:00:15,160
more your children. 
So I pray for the believer who 

946
01:00:15,160 --> 01:00:19,240
struggles with the understanding
that you actually forgive them. 

947
01:00:20,040 --> 01:00:23,920
Lord, may they be washed over by
the truth of your love tonight. 

948
01:00:26,920 --> 01:00:31,880
And Lord, as we consider in the 
Hebrew Scriptures, your constant

949
01:00:31,880 --> 01:00:37,040
attempts to get man's attention,
to repent and turn to you, help 

950
01:00:37,040 --> 01:00:40,920
us never forget your ultimate 
attempt, your ultimate mission, 

951
01:00:40,920 --> 01:00:45,000
your ultimate expression of love
in the person of Jesus Christ. 

952
01:00:46,640 --> 01:00:52,120
Lord, in Ahab's case, you sent 
the prophet, but at one point, 

953
01:00:52,120 --> 01:00:54,040
at the perfect time, you sent 
your son. 

954
01:00:55,240 --> 01:00:57,160
And we are the benefactors of 
it. 

955
01:01:00,960 --> 01:01:03,880
Lord, we choose to worship you 
and to pray to you and to hear 

956
01:01:03,880 --> 01:01:07,840
you and to obey you, not because
we need something from you, but 

957
01:01:07,840 --> 01:01:10,080
because you've already given us 
everything in Christ. 

958
01:01:10,960 --> 01:01:14,680
So teach us contentment, 
practical, real, raw, 

959
01:01:14,680 --> 01:01:18,280
experiential, testimonial, 
contentment. 

960
01:01:19,280 --> 01:01:22,920
Help us learn that. 
Help us experience that. 

961
01:01:23,720 --> 01:01:31,960
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 
Let's stand sing a song, Amen. 

962
01:01:33,520 --> 01:01:38,480
Hang out a little bit maybe and 
get some sleep for our mission 

963
01:01:38,480 --> 01:01:41,520
tomorrow morning. 
Praise team, thank you for 

964
01:01:41,520 --> 01:01:43,880
leading us tonight. 
Thank you for your service. 

965
01:01:44,840 --> 01:01:48,080
Let's sing loudly unto the Lord.
Shall we give him thanks for his

966
01:01:48,080 --> 01:01:48,360
word?