Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Denying Worldly Lusts Pt.6

Amen! Let's turn to Second Chronicles. We'll pick up where we left off this morning. Just a quick word to bring you up to date on what's going on in Africa, and to share with you that we are able to send some money along with our next wire to make provision for the children in Kakamega. We want to make things a little more user-friendly there in the school. They can get some chairs and put some partitions up. Just continue to pray and be faithful. We're excited about what God is doing.

Some interesting things that are going on in Nairobi, as it pertains to the land. There seems to be some confusion that is taking place, as always, in that country, so be prayerful. We don't know exactly which way things are going to go, at this juncture, with that land. Everything was 100 percent go and all of the friends of the President and all of the people in the know, and now people are being put in jail over that. There have almost been some riots. It seems like everything that we get involved with over there is very exciting. So be in prayer and we'll see what Father does as it pertains to that. What we do know is that we're just going to keep preaching the Gospel and the Lord is going to add to the Church such as should be saved, praise God. Just continue to pray for that wisdom.

Let's turn to Second Chronicles, chapter 13 and we'll see if we can finish this up a little bit as we've been dealing with the fact that God's grace now is working in us, Titus says. We could live our lives separate and in authority over all ungodliness and worldly lusts. We would be able to deny, the Scripture says, these things. Because of that, we would be able to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. This is the admonition that has been given to us. We've been looking at all of the practical applications we can. We looked here at this duration of the kings and what it means to walk in the Spirit. The temptation under pressure to cave in and walk in the flesh, to trust in our own strength and wisdom, and the alliances that we've somehow been able to put together over the years. Alliances that may be with financial institutions. Alliances with our employers. Alliances with family members who may be able to back us. Whatever it might be. We need to begin to draw... We're trying to draw the contrast between God's methods that He does use men, and the trust or the unity with the spirit of the world. I think we see that clearly as we go through these passages in the Chronicles.

When we left off this morning, we were looking at Abijah. We saw God working in his life. He made the declaration of the covenant of salt that made the distinction between God's chosen people and those who chose to exalt themselves. It is very interesting--even in our midst, here--we've talked before about the fact that you start hanging around authority and power, whatever it is, and somehow you begin to think of yourself a little more highly than you ought to think. We've seen that as part of the type throughout the Scriptures. We see the Korahs and Dathans, who then will rise up and tell Moses that he is taking too much upon himself. Moses was never promoting himself. These were the people who were self-promoters. But Moses chose to fall on his face in humility, and God then chose to open the ground and swallow up those that were thinking of themselves more highly than they ought, those who were establishing their own system. I want you to see the world's system as the system that Korah and Dathan operated in. I want you to see the world's system as that that a Jeroboam operates in. They think that they, in their own strength, can establish their own institutes and call them equal with what God has ordained. Any time you call the world's kingdoms equal with the wisdom of God, you're in trouble. Jeroboam's whole premise was this: "We don't like the way that Rehoboam is doing this." The fact of the matter is did he, or did he not, make a wrong decision? Yes, he did. But he was God's man. It doesn't have anything to do with our natural perception with justice or right. It has to do with God's eternal purposes. The spirit of the world will always get you to choose your rights, to defend yourself, to make sure that you have the final say on what's right and what's not. That is the spirit of the world and it will take you to where Korah and Dathan went. It will take you to where Jeroboam went. It is the spirit of antichrist and the spirit of the flesh. God wants us to be able to walk free in the Spirit. Many times one of the hardest things to do is to step back and not try to right what we perceive is wrong. Realize that God is in charge, especially when it comes to these kinds of situations.

Here we find, then, God justifying His covenant. Abijah is making the declaration to the northern tribes of their rebellion and the need to submit to the will of God. They refused, and because of that, God's people prevailed. Thus, then, verse 18 of chapter 13, "Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord...." They prevailed because they relied upon the Lord. So we see then, at this particular time, God raises up another man--King Asa. Chapter 14 tells us that "...Abijah slept with his fathers.... And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. For he took away the altars of the strange gods, [and this is where we left off this morning. We saw then in verse 5 that] ...he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images...." The revival is beginning here under Asa and the very obvious things are being dealt with. The are purging the very obvious things out of their midst. We saw then that there was peace that came to the land. They built their walled cities and established their army of 580,000, verse 8 tells us.

The first trial comes. Now they have been at peace because of the righteousness of God that was manifesting in Abijah and those who were following the priests that were offering to God. Now they begin to experience a trial in their lives. Verse 9 says that Zerah the Ethiopian begins to move in on them. A million people strong. Verse 11 says, "And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name [as we saw young David this morning, proven with the anointing of God] we go against this multitude...."

In the name of the Lord, David ran toward Goliath. We realize that everything we do, whether in word or in deed, it's all to be done in the name and for the glory of God. Their declaration was "O Lord, thou art our God; let not [the world] prevail against [us]." "Lord, You're our God. Let not man prevail against us. Don't let the world exalt itself in Your presence." This is the spirit of jealously that we're supposed to have in this daily war that we have with the world system. We saw in Corinthians that no flesh was to glory in His presence; and no flesh will glory in His presence as long as we, in that passage in Corinthians, draw upon the wisdom of God and the methods of God. God confounds the wisdom of the world and shows it to be the foolishness that it really is. Don't let man prevail, and so the Scripture goes on to say that the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa. Asa and the people then rejoice and the Ethiopians could not recover themselves for they were destroyed [verse 13] before the Lord and before His hosts. Then the people carried away a great amount of spoil.

They come back triumphant and here they are victorious. A people who have known rest, fortified the cities, et cetera, and the king cries out and says, "Lord, we believe that You're able to save by many or by few." They were moving in the Spirit of God. A lot of times when we're moving in the Spirit and moving into sanctification, you would think that we're always quick, at that juncture, to hear what God has to say to us. But, in fact, many times we begin to think, "Praise God, I've got the handle on this thing. I'm walking here pretty decently, praise God. I think I really know what I'm doing at this time." It was interesting at this very moment that the Spirit of God comes upon Azariah, and look what it is that is declared at this particular time. And the prophet comes out to meet King Asa. Now remember who this man is. He was a man who was leading revival in the nation. He was a man who was putting away idolatry from their midst. He was a man who just led them to a great victory over the Ethiopians. He was a man that was humbly seeking God saying, "Lord, we can't defeat these people unless You show up. But, You're able to deliver by many or few." The prophet speaks and says here, "Listen, Asa, and all of Judah and Benjamin." Underline this. Get it in your notes. Get it in your hearts, listen! "The Lord is with you, while ye be with him." If you seek Him--seek Him with all of your heart, the Scripture says--you'll find Him. Seek Him early. Don't wait for disaster to come. Seek Him first, is what that means. "The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you." This is a principle that is interesting. If God be for you, the Scripture says, nobody can be against you. But God, who gives grace to the humble, does something as it pertains to the proud. What is it? God resists the proud. He isn't neutral. He doesn't allow pride just to run its course, especially among His own children. As hearts begin to be puffed up, and as we begin to compromise ourselves with the wisdom of the world, and we begin to take the same standards that the world uses, in Corinthians, and we begin to call wise what the world calls wise, and mighty what the world calls mighty--I want you to know something. God will begin to resist you. To be a friend of the world is to be what? The enemy of God. Or to be at enmity with God. Don't think you can ever use the world's methods and be in some static environment. The moment you embrace the wisdom of the world, God begins to oppose you.

He's talking to His children. He's talking to them in the midst of revival. The prophet is speaking to a people who just obeyed and he said, "Don't forget what happened here." Whatever you do, don't forget what happened here. Whatever you do, don't trust in today's obedience; it's tomorrow's obedience that really counts. Today is the day of our salvation. He begins to warn them. What is he warning them against? Very clear, what's in all men? That tendency to be puffed up. That tendency to trust in the flesh. That tendency to revert back to the knowledge of the fruit of the tree of good and evil. It's within every one of us. So the prophet says, look man, you guys have had a great victory. The path you are on is the right path. Revival is in your midst, but I want to tell you something. It hasn't changed what you're capable of doing in the flesh. "In me, (that is in my flesh,) [the apostle came to tell us later] dwelleth no good thing." There is nothing in there you can rely on. There is nothing you can trust, so realize this: if you seek Him, you will find Him. If you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

"Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law" (2 Chronicles 15:3). We see, then, the need then to seek the wisdom of God and the Word of God. The rebuke is coming and says, "You guys have been without God for a long time. Revival has come. It's fresh, it's new, but I want you to understand something; you need to build some foundations." The vexation that is going on in the world today. We're looking at normative Christianity. Let me ask you a question. In light of the spirit that we're talking about, where do you think you would be today in your walk without this schedule that many of you complain about, that it's so busy here? What would you be doing with all of those hours that some of you say you're so weary? There are so many things going on. We have prayer every night, Home Fellowship Groups, Young Adults, Youth activities, the basketball games and all of those different things. The Discipleship Training and all the time we are volunteering. Let me ask you something. What would you be doing? Do you want me to tell you? You would be serving in the world's kingdom. That is what you would be doing? That is all that's left. If you're not sowing into this kingdom, you're sowing into that one. "No, what I'm looking for is family time. I just want some family time." Doing what? "I need time to myself and just to visit with my wife." What are you going to visit about? What are you going to talk about? Let me ask you what's the best thing to talk about. Are you going to talk about the new flowers you just planted or the new addition you're going to put on the house? Are you going to talk about--what is it you're going to talk about? Are you going to just talk about the fellowship you just had with the saints? Things the kids just did in ministry, whatever it is that we're doing for the kingdom of God. What are you going to talk about?

The spirit of antichrist, the spirit of the world, those things you think you need, are death to you. There is nothing out there that has any eternal value. Regardless of how they wrap it, those who are selling it--and let me tell you something--not only are they selling it, you're flesh is buying. Do I need to say that again? Your flesh will buy it every time. Let me tell you something. Listen to me, beloved, you are absolutely helpless against the spirit of antichrist, the spirit of the world. You are helpless without the spirit of God that is in you. It's irresistible without the spirit of God that is in you. The spirit that lusts against the flesh, and the flesh against the Spirit, and these two are contrary, one to the other so you can not do the things that you would. Where do you think you would be today without the schedule that we're keeping? Where would you be today without teaching priests? Where would we be as a people? And then--I'm trying to point something out to you--remove all of this that we do. Remove all of the teaching. Remove all of the prayer. Remove all of the community that we've tried to build and now you have normative Christianity from the world's perspective. Not even normative--probably from their perspective--extreme fundamentalism. If nominal Baptists are extreme, what are we? I'm not talking about any self-righteousness here. I'm just talking about the fact--and I've shared it before in these terms--the one thing that I believe with all of my heart is this. If you hang out in this environment you have the best chance available to finish the race and make it to heaven. I believe that. There are others that are out there that I am sure are just as good, some better; but to my knowledge, everything we're doing is making it so that you can finish this course and resist that spirit that we are talking about that is carnal-mindedness and death. We have so much to be thankful for. Next time you think that you're too busy, ask yourself what you would be doing with that time. Next time you think you're too busy about helping out the body of Christ and being in the presence of God and serving and being about spiritual things, just ask yourself what you would be doing with that time.

We realize here that the prophet of God, Azariah, is sharing how long they have been without the presence of the true God, without a teaching priest, and without Law. So, he said, "Be ye strong [verse 7] therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded." In due season you're going to reap if you don't what? Faint! It is very important here that we realize the need for endurance and consistency. "And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin...." Now see, they have already begun to put away some of the idols and the revival had begun. But he is hearing now that that hasn't settled this thing. There is still the possibility of being destroyed, of backsliding, and losing the presence of God. As we sang in closing this morning the fifty-first Psalm and the cry that God would not take His Holy Spirit from us. How we relate to David as his heart was crying out at that time. We relate to David every time we sin. Every time we find ourselves being taken over by the world. Every time we find ourselves apathetic. Every time we find ourselves in conflict with the law of God. Every time we find ourselves defeated by sin and we cry out "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me" (Psalms 51:11). Can you imagine life without the presence of God? Do you understand that every decision you make toward the world is a step back to where you came from? What's back there, but death? We already know what's out there; we've partaken of it.

Sit down with your children and show them the memorials of God and make sure that there is nothing out there that you're glamorizing that they might want to try. It's death! Let them know what the drugs and the alcohol and the lascivious behavior provide. All it is, is pain and scars. There isn't any satisfaction. There is nothing that lasts. There is the pleasure of sin for the season, but it is death and it leaves you empty, alone, and dammed.

As we are leading our children into this kingdom, and to rejoice in the privilege of being mocked by the world. Teaching our children to wear it as a badge of merit when the world hates us and says all manner of evil against us. Rejoice! Praise God. Don't hang your head. The world thinks we're weird, and they don't love us. That is a badge to wear and rejoice in, praise God, when you're identified with Jesus. People want to get close and not offend anybody. Whatever it is that we're doing. Even the one little thing that we did as we're going out to the different events and ministering some in those different areas. For the trailer here we just put a scripture on it. It's not your generic scripture. It's not John 3:16, "For God so loved the world...." It's not "Jesus saves." It's not "Jesus is Lord." What we have on the back of the trailer is out of First Corinthians 15:

JESUS CHRIST

"...DIED FOR OUR SINS...WAS BURIED, AND ROSE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY

ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES...IF CHRIST BE NOT RAISED

YOUR FAITH IS IN VAIN; YOU ARE YET IN YOUR SINS..." 1COR. 15:3, 4, 17

That's the Gospel. That's the Gospel in three lines. I delight in the fact that we able to drive down the road now and somebody doesn't see "God is Love." "...If [Jesus] be not raised, then your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." Dear Lord, that will ruin somebody's day. We're different! We're a people who are able to--we need to instruct our children in this. What are they trusting in? Do we want to be close to the world and not be offensive? This is the rock of offense that we're serving, the Scriptures tell us. They hated Him; they're going to hate us.

Asa now, having heard the prophet, it says he was encouraged and said, "Praise God, if what we've done was good, this is going to be better. Let's get rid of the rest of this stuff." They "...renewed the altar of the Lord, [verse 8] that was before the porch of the Lord." It's beautiful to see, then, as God moves in their midst. Verse 12 says, "And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God.... That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death...." Now, this is getting a little radical, isn't it? You thought pressure was being put on you to come to prayer! How about this one? You don't come to prayer; we're coming to kill you. The bar was just raised a little bit, wasn't it? Some of you have been ticked off just by getting a phone call. "Been missing you" instead of "We're hunting you." How serious are you going to get? These folks got serious. How serious are you? They made a covenant and said, "Whosoever would not seek the Lord God in our midst dies--great, small, man, woman--it doesn't make any difference." What was it that created this in their hearts? The presence of God, a revival. An understanding that God alone is our source. God is totally sufficient. We don't need anything else. (We sure don't need a bunch of people in our midst who don't believe.) If you want to be part of us, this is what its going to cost. "And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: [verse 15 says] for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: [according to the prophet Azariah] and the Lord gave them rest round about." So the revival was progressing.

The one thing you will know is this: Once you begin to see the world for what it is, God can now give you further illumination and move you further from it. You don't see it all right now. You think you do. Those of us who has been being sanctified and had progress, we haven't seen it all yet. We're constantly being changed from glory to glory. Every day there is new understanding and new illumination of God's great presence and what He intends for us. "...And the Lord gave them rest...." "And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen...." Now, you know there is a revival when you fire Mama. When you fire Mama, something is happening in your heart. Mama got her pink slip. You are no longer queen. The queen mother has been removed "...because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol...." I want to tell you something. Some of us need to cut down our mother's idols. Some of our mothers are dead and we're still serving their idols. Some of us are still so bound by tradition and family heritage that we can't hear what the Spirit of God is saying to us. You need to go back and read Matthew 10 and see what the Lord says at it relates to family and love for Him. And Asa, the Scripture says, then "...cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron." Look what it goes on to say. "But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days." When you see this word "perfect" about the hearts of men, you'll notice that usually says it's perfect in their generation. They are the most spiritual guys going at that time. Not perfect in sinless perfection or faultless. But here is a guy that is doing what he knows to do. We see two phases of revival, but the idols are still in the high places, the hard-to-reach areas, the obscure areas. There is another area that God wants to reach into all of our lives, and it's constantly there. Whenever that one is reached, then guess what? There is another one. That is why we've shared that unless we are constantly growing, being conformed into the image of Jesus, we're backsliding. You can't just remain neutral. There isn't any place to rest as we are pressing in towards the presence of God and the high calling of God that is in Christ Jesus. So, "...he was perfect all his days," the Scripture says. "And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa." So here they are resting in the presence of God, purifying their hearts, and seeking the Lord.

But Baasha from the north begins to fortify Ramah. What they're doing is blocking the trade routes into Judah. He is trying to starve them and bring about recession and says he Isn't going to let anything go in or come out (verse 1). Now they have known prosperity and ease, and now this revival has gone on for quite a while, and in the midst of it, they're prospering. It says, then at that time Asa forgot what Azariah, the prophet, had said. You seek God, He'll be with you, but if you forsake Him (what will happen?). He will forsake you. Now look what happens. A little bit of pressure put on him--not Zerah and a million Ethiopians--just some pressure from the north. The brothers are acting up again. "Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord...." He defiles the house of God, if you please, and sends to Benhadad, king of Syria and says, "There is a league between me and thee..." and I want to pay you this money, "...silver and gold; go break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me." They are putting pressure on them, and the first thing Asa does, rather than represent the Covenant of Salt that had been spoken of by his father, rather than looking to the Lord like he did in the Ethiopian attack. The first thing he does after a long period of ease is--what? He reverts back to seeking the world. You can't get any more worldly than Benhadad, the Syrian. He turns to the world for his deliverance. The Scripture make it very clear what God thinks about this. Verse 7. "And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host... yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. [A passage that all of us are very familiar with] For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

Beloved, if you've begun to walk in the Spirit and know the peace of God that passes understanding, If you're anxious for nothing but in everything through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving, you're letting your requests be made known unto God, The peace of God that passes understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Are you at peace? Have you enjoyed supernatural victories? Have you begun to walk in the Spirit? Have you seen the heart's desire to where you hate everything that opposes God? It is in your heart to make that covenant that if I don't seek God with all my heart, then kill me. It's not worth living any way. Is that were you have come in your walk? Be careful, because opportunity is going to arise to let you to revert back to the world. The prophet of God says, "Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

Asa is then broken, repents and says, "I'm the man!" No. In a rage, he takes the prophet and throws him into prison. The man who established the teaching priests now rebels against the truth that comes from their mouths. Carnal man always makes his own thoughts supreme. Carnal man always is the final source of justice. Carnal man cannot hear the truth, for it is spiritually discerned. The moment you come to the place where your counselors are no longer wise in your eyes, you have already partaken of death. When everyone is wrong but you, and they can give a reason, then you've become a fool and the world is full as all men count their opinions equal to truth. "Thy word is truth." We have only one truth. Our opinions don't matter; they're worthless. We see then in this life, King Asa is smitten of God and diseased in his feet. It says that he didn't even seek God, he sought the physicians; He sought the world's methods, "and Asa slept with his fathers."

What a sad commentary on a man who began so well. It's not how you begin; it's how you finish this race. So here we are realizing that what has destroyed this great man of God is nothing less than the world's wisdom. The prosperity killed him. The ease, the trust in the natural things. Then we find, as this process continues, in Chapter 17:1, "And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel."

Jehoshaphat is a cool guy. I like studying his life. He was one of the great men of God. "And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David...." What an interesting phrase! Because he walked in the--what? Say it. First ways. Our natural leaders are growing and they make mistakes--they sin. The "first ways" here is just speaking of the pure revelation of what God used to take a man and use him to reveal His will. I want to tell you something: these men like Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and Peter. These men are not perfect, but their message is. The revelation that they brought, the first ways of the wisdom of God and the knowledge of God. Jehoshaphat works on those principles, and he's walking after the first ways of David. He didn't seek Baalim, but he sought the Lord and walked in His commandments and not after his brethren in Israel.

I want you to see who Israel is in typology as it relates to you and me. Israel is just accepted Christianity. Israel is the religion that the world accepts. It's the diluted version. It's people who are of the covenant who aren't waking in the obedience to the covenant. If you read these stories you see even the vileness of Ahab, God still delivered the children of Israel under Ahab as they were being opposed by the world because of the covenant that was made. God continued to draw them unto Himself. They would be under His judgement, He would send nations against them, but there were the times that God would move in their lives and bring deliverance and preservation to them. Just because God is preserving you, however, doesn't mean that He is approving of your life. Jehoshaphat wasn't walking in the ways of Israel, the ten northern tribes, the counterfeit kingdom. He was still walking under that spirit of the covenant that was made. If we don't serve God--let's kill them. Everybody that is not serious doesn't need to be here. "Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance. And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord...." Don't you like that? A lot of us have our hearts lifted up in the ways of the world. We're proud of ourselves. "His heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord." "...Moreover he took away the high places [They finally got those high places] and groves out of Judah." You will find that they didn't all go, but somebody is making a move on them. We're going into another phase of revival here. The bar is raised a little higher again.

The Scripture makes it very clear as you read on. Verse 9 says, "And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people." You see, the teaching priests are beginning to go and say, if we're going to build a foundation, we're all going to have to believe the same thing. We have to be people of one heart and one mind. We understand the strength that is in that. (That is what we've tried to do over all these years, to build a sound doctrine. To make sure that we had teaching that would strengthen us.) The people were taught and the people feared the Lord; and because they did, the fear of them went out to the nations. They understood that God was in their midst and so it says that they didn't make war against them. They really understood that this was the power of God. They had known the stories of when God's people became serious, that the presence of God would come and defend them--that presence that was upon the Ark was known throughout the regions. I'll tell you what, the world's system today, they believe--they're not serving and not obedient--but the majority of them understand that there is something beyond them. They defy it! They're becoming a little more crass than they used to be, A little more bold than they used to be, but it's amazing to me. You look at some of the people today and watch the way that they operate around Christians, or God, or whatever. They don't want to mess. Don't mess with God. Don't rob the Church. Why? Something will get us. There are people who rob the churches and rob Christians. But there are a lot of people--the point I'm making is this--there is a fear in the people. They have the knowledge of God in their hearts. So the nations feared them because of their obedience and they became a great kingdom under Jehoshaphat.

Now he makes his poor decision in life. Chapter 18, "Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance...." Then something possess him to reach out to the counterfeit church, the TBNs, the T. D. Jakes, you name it. Their methods seem to be working. There is such a liberty. Everyone seems to have equal say. Their will establishes the doctrine. And Jehoshaphat, the Scripture says "...joined affinity with Ahab." Now you have to understand who Ahab is. Turn back to the book of First Kings for just a second. I just want to read you one. Now here is Jehoshaphat, the man who is blessed of God in abundance, experienced in revival, and he joins an affinity with Ahab. Let me show just one verse that I think will give you the story on Ahab. 1 Kings, chapter 21:25. Ahab had a wife that many of you are very familiar with, her name was Jezebel. The dogs got sick in verse 23. They ate her. She was so vile. Even the dogs wouldn't return to their vomit on that one. But verse 25 says--here is the guy he goes into affinity with, "But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the slight of the Lord...." What was it that made this man so wicked? Here was his fuel. "...Whom Jezebel his wife stirred up." What a team! Now you tell me what it is that causes these two people to come together, Jehoshaphat and Ahab. These are strange bedfellows. What is this? What caused this affinity? If you read the story as it goes on, it says [2 Chronicles 18:3] "And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" And he said, "It's about time. My brother is calling me for help. I've been praying for him all of these years and here is my opportunity to help."

We need to pray for those who are lost. But when you chose to help, don't help according to their demands, help them according to the wisdom of God. The fact that we're willing to help doesn't mean we help them with natural wealth, with natural strength. We give them what they need, not what they want. The Scriptures speak to that wisdom that we don't cast our pearls before swine. They will turn and rend you. Many of us are very vulnerable because of our compassion for the lost. Our love for our family. "These are my brothers. This is my mom, my dad, my brothers, my uncles, my aunts--whoever. My friends." Need I remind you that they are the enemies of God? It's time to fire Momma. Throw Momma from the train, period. Don't add the kiss.

As we are looking at this.... (I'm trying to get this image out of my head. Give me a second, I'm having a little trouble.) Jehoshaphat responds and says, "I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war." Now see, the problem that Jehoshaphat is having here is this. They are outwardly more wicked, apparently, in the eyes of Jehoshaphat because of their blatant idolatry. But you have a counterfeit religion with false priests and these golden calves. You have a man that the Bible has just described to us as the most vile and wicked, his wife Jezebel--and because there is some natural blood relationship--because I'm a blood relative I call him brother. Hey, brother! They're not my brothers. Hey, Bro! You're not my "Bro." My mother and my brothers are those who do the will of God, amen? Period! So there was this natural empathy. There was this natural obligation that created this affinity. Jehoshaphat didn't have the understanding, clearly, of what Deuteronomy shared with us this morning. Those who entice you, you be the first one to kill them. Do you want to know why? Part of it was his prosperity. He had the power to help now, and we think that many times we have the power; we have the right. We have the resources so I have the right to decide whom I'm going to bless. Don't you take His blessings and give it to dogs, or you will know the curse.

Look what it goes on to say, "I'm going to make a league with you and I'll go up but I really want to seek God. I want to know what God has to say about this." Now he has already made his mind up. Don't pray after, pray before. Don't pray and think that God is going to endorse your good intentions. That is the way the world moves. This is the spirit of the world. Now I'm obligated. I'm obligated to my family. I'm obligated to this guy who gave me a job. I'm obligated to.... You're not obligated to anybody but the One who bought you with His blood. Let's wind this up. "And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day. Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men [Vile dogs--I added that.] and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" They said, "What do you want to do, king. I thought that's what we came up here for. Isn't that what you were intending to do. Isn't that how you conned Jehos.... Yes, go up, the Lord has spoken." Heaping "to themselves teachers, having itching ears." People who will tell them what they want to hear. Hanging out with folks that will tell you exactly what you already want to hear.

Jehoshaphat says, "Hmm, there seems to be an anointing missing. I wonder if these guys bought their ordination." We read earlier that these guys bought these positions. Priests and prophets bought this thing. They were part of the political system. The one thing that you will see as you read through this story, and there is no way we can finish this up. We have too far to go. But one of the things that is really cool, as you begin to read through here you begin to see the wisdom of God. You'll see that one of the things that Jehoshaphat does down in chapter 19, verse 11, is that he makes a separation between church and state. Between the spiritual and civil. He establishes in verse 10, prior to that, a Supreme Court that would deal with civil issues. He's realizing that there has to be a distinction because the world's wisdom comes in and defiles the truth that is from above, that is first of all, pure. He realizes there is a natural justice that is spoken of in chapter 19. We can't confuse that with the wisdom of God. He is making that distinction and as you read through there, that will be a real help to you in understanding this same spirit that we're talking about. That is how you know when to use the civil system. There are Christians that think, "I can't sue." The Bible doesn't say you can't sue anybody. It says you can't sue any of your brothers. There are Christians that really believe that we can't sue anybody. Someone asks for my coat--you've missed the whole teaching that the Lord is trying to get across there. The Law is for the lawless. He's talking about the higher law of the community of believers. He's talking about how we relate to one another, and how we are better off to humble ourselves in our relationships with one another. I don't want to get off on that right now. Let's go back and finish this for tonight.

Jehoshaphat then says, "Isn't there a prophet of the Lord?" What a slam on those dudes! Let's inquire of the Lord. Four hundred guys show up. Go up and take them, God's with you! "Is there any one around here that knows God?" Here is the irony of this whole thing. Listen to this as we close for tonight. They know they're wrong. The world knows they're wrong. They know they are playing a game. They know what the truth is. The knowledge of God is in their hearts; they just don't want to retain it. "Well isn't there somebody that can talk to God?" "Yeah, there is guy, but I hate him (verse 7)." "Why?" "He never prophesies good unto me. Always evil." "His name is Micaiah. This man is a chump. Every time you go down there, he tells you something you don't want to hear." I wonder why that is. According to Corinthians, I wonder what wisdom you're operating in. If this guy communes with God, and he's always telling you something different than what you think, which kingdom are you drawing from?

The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, sat together and the prophets prophesied. I like this story. I was going to quit, but this story is cool. You all read it this afternoon. Zedekiah, the false prophet, has these productions. Dear Lord, churches are full of productions. Here is the Old Iron Horn production. He makes these horns and says, "You're going to push Syria until they are consumed." Everybody is cheering in church, dancing, glory to God. Go up and prosper. This whole thing is going. Meanwhile, while all this prophesying is going on, they sent for this guy Micaiah. They said," "Listen, everybody has spoken and they have declared good to the king. Let your words be like one of theirs. Speak good." "Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak." I've tried to make that the hallmark of my life. This is what I've tried to do all of my life in serving God. It is not easy. You won't always prosper from it, but you will hear, "Well done." So they ask him, "Shall we go, or shall we forbear?" Micaiah says, "Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand." The king looks at him and says, "How many time do I have to tell you, speak the truth to me!" "Okay, you're going to die." "I told you!" They know what we're going to say. Do you have that reputation? Does the world know exactly what you're going to say, before you even open your moth? Do people around you know what position you're going to take? As we read the story, we know how that goes. He said, "I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd." The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you? I told you he would not prophesy good." Now there's some doubt. You know Jehoshaphat has to be thinking, "Whoa, Jack! What have I got myself into? "And the Lord said, [now here's the crux of this whole thing] Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and die at Ramoth-gilead? Then there arose and came out a spirit and stood before the Lord and said, I will entice him.... I will go out and be a lying spirit [verse 21] in the mouth of these thy prophets." And the Lord said, "Go on."

Second Thessalonians 2:11, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." When you reject the truth, you are absolutely vulnerable to every deception and delusion that Satan can bring to you. Strong delusion! The tragic thing about this is that people really believe that it is the truth. People who are deluded, people who are deceived just don't believe the truth. Their perception is now "truth." When your friends lie to you long enough, two of you--you'll believe that it's the truth. You'll believe in your own wisdom. I encourage you to get around somebody who will bring you the Word of God.

Zedekiah the false prophet says, "Take Micaiah and lock him up. Put him in prison [verse 26] until I return and deal with him." And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me." You're going down, Jack! That's paraphrased, but anyway.... So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth-gilead. What's involved here now? Pride. "We've already made our decision. I already committed. I've given my word." Then back out of it! "Well, I've given them my word." Your word to God is all that matters. The fact that you've been snared by your own words, then repent and humble yourself. Say, "I was wrong. I didn't know what this was all about. I didn't know what I was signing up for. This isn't what I agreed to. I'm serving God. I'm backing out of this thing." We know the story and how Ahab is judged of God. Jehoshaphat receives the reproof and the rebuke from this alliance that he had gotten himself involved in. Chapter 20 sets up the life of a penitent believer. Let me give you the outline and we'll stop for tonight. First of all, verse 3, calls a fast. Secondly, verses 4 and 5, he comes into corporate prayer. Through chapter 6, you see humility. Chapter 8, worship. Down through 9, intercession. Down through 11, the rest. That's how we come about and experience spiritual victory in the face of our opponents. Fasting, prayer, humility, worship, intercession and rest. "Neither know we what to do: [verse 12] but our eyes are upon thee."

Father, we thank You for the Word of God tonight. We will not trust in the arm of the flesh--the nations that are around us. Our trust is not in Egypt, the broken reed of Egypt. Our trust is not in Syria. We will not defile the house of God and take His bounty and His treasures to buy the world's methods, but we rest in You. We will not be seduced by natural obligations, By blood brothers, by wives, children, or friends. We will be first to lay our hands upon them to honor You. Make that our heart's commitment, Father, as we hate the things that are in the world and we embrace the cross of Christ, by Whom the world has crucified to me and I to the world. Our treasure, the cross, the death of Jesus and our death with Jesus is the high calling of God. Make it real to us Father, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord tonight. We're reading tonight a lot about war, and we are at war. We're told to put on the whole armor of God. The Bible says that in this war, we don't war with carnal weapons, but our weapons are mighty through God. Can I ask you a question tonight? How is your arsenal? Are you down to one blank and maybe you can scare somebody, or does the spirit world know you're invincible? When you rise up, is your name written in the heavens? Do they know that when you speak, God confirms the words with signs following? Does everybody around you know exactly what is going to come out of your mouth? He'll speak only what God's told him to speak. There will be no sparing for the crying. There is a jealously for God. Has the world sold you a lie when it comes to dealing with your children? "You need to do this. You're somehow going to bring about emotional trauma and ruin them for life." You owe it to your children to bring them this standard that we read about tonight. "...As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." If you don't, you die. My children know that. I have everything set up as far as any natural inheritance. If my children defect from the kingdom, they don't receive a penny. I have no natural obligation to my children. My obligation is to the kingdom of God. Oh, I love my kids. The children and the children's children, but I love God more. You say, after you die, they'll take care of that. No, I set it up so that after I'm dead, I'm still talking, because it's to go to two and three generations. God has given me everything I have and I will not give it to the world. Where is the wisdom that governs your steps? "I'm just going to--my children are going to get it equal and they'll get whatever they have coming, then whatever God has to do with them...." That's the world's method. That's the world's wisdom. We can go on and on about a lot of things that creep in and govern us that we're not even aware of. Those things that will bring you back to an affinity with Brother Ahab. I encourage you, beloved, hear what the Spirit is saying to us today and seek the wisdom that is from above. It's pure. Raise up a generation that is jealous for the things of God. Don't be afraid of your children. Don't be afraid of what the world has said will be their responses. They don't belong to the world and they don't belong to you. God has told us exactly how to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Then you believe with all of your heart that when they are old they will not depart from it. I believe that. I believe that the Word will not return void and I expect to see the fruit of it, in Jesus' name.

As we worship the Lord tonight, I just want you to allow this Spirit into your hearts. Let Him speak to you right now and ask yourself, "How free am I from this system of Ahab and Jezebel?" That's who is out there. You want to fellowship with somebody other than those who are on fire for God? All that are out there are the Ahabs and Jezebels. They go to church on Sunday, but they are Ahabs and Jezebels. They name the name of Jesus, but they are Ahabs and Jezebels because they won't choose to do the Word of God, just talk about it. It seems right, but it is death.

As we sing this tonight, just worship the Lord and thank Him for the Word that has come forth. Thank Him for the teaching priests. Thank Him for the kingdom that you are a part of.

Let's sing it together. "Here We Are...." Sing it one more time. Glory in Him tonight! Give Him the praise He is due. Hallelujah! We do thank You, Lord, and we give You all of the praise and worship tonight to where You brought us. We're humbled by Your presence. We stand in awe of Your power and we declare that You are altogether lovely. Father, we are jealous for Your holiness and Your righteousness. We ask that we would be doers of Your Word and not hearers only, that men would see the good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. It's our hearts desire, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts." Amen. Go in peace, God's love go with you.

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