Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / The Cost of a Covenant With the World - 8/9/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch

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The Cost of a Covenant With the World - 8/9/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

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  Welcome to the [music] podcast of
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  Meadows Baptist Church of Walnut Cove,
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  North Carolina.
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  We're so glad [music] you joined us
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  today.
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  If you enjoy today's message, be sure to
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  subscribe, [music] follow, and share
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  with your friends.
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  Now, let's join Pastor Charlie [music]
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  Branch
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  with a word from God.
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  >> I appreciate you tonight. We find you
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  blessed if you would stand on the
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  reverence of the reading of God's word,
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  1 Kings chapter 20.
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  1 Kings chapter number 20. I need to
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  read about 20 verses tonight, but just
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  to save some time, we'll look in the
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  last part of the chapter this evening
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  and I'll give you the thought and then
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  we'll go home. Amen. And at least the
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  choir won't. We're going to have choir
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  practice. Amen. But
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  anyway, this text tonight, I was
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  thinking today
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  studying this afternoon, looking over
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  some things for tonight and I like
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  preaching this way and the reason I like
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  preaching this way is cuz it gets me out
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  of
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  accusations that I'm preaching at
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  people. Amen. And you say, "What do you
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  mean?" Well, I don't choose the message.
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  I just preach where he puts me. Amen.
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  And wherever he puts me, I stay there as
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  long as he keeps me there and I enjoy it
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  and he always gives me something. Man,
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  I'm telling you, I hear people all the
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  time, "Man, I read my Bible and I just
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  don't never seem to get nothing." Well,
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  you just ain't looking hard enough. And
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  I think a lot of us many times we just
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  quit they say and the day of
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  convenience, this microwave generation
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  that we live in, if it don't just
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  automatically happen in about 30 seconds
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  or less, we just lose intention and lose
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  interest. But I'm going to tell you
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  this, you're going to get something out
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  of this book, you're going to stay with
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  it. Amen. And I appreciate the Lord
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  speaking to us and I appreciate his
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  blessings. 1 Kings chapter 20 and let's
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  read in verse number 41.
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  For sake of time, we'll look back back
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  all the way to about verse number 32
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  this evening but notice what your Bible
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  said there in verse 41.
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  And he hastened and took the ashes away
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  from his face. The king of Israel
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  discerned him that he was one of the
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  prophets that he was of the prophets.
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  And he said unto him, "Thus saith the
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  Lord, because thou has let go out of thy
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  hand a man whom I appointed to utter
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  destruction, therefore thy life shall go
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  for his life
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  and thy people for his people." And the
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  king of Israel went to his house heavy
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  and displeased and came to Samaria. Look
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  back with me in the chapter and you say,
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  "Preacher, what is the context of this?"
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  Well, I'll give you this verse here and
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  then we will
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  give you the thought tonight. Verse
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  number 34,
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  Ben-hadad said unto him, that is King
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  Ahab, "The cities which my father took
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  from thy father I will restore. Thou
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  shalt make streets for thee in Damascus
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  as my father made in Samaria."
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  Then said Ahab, "I will send thee away
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  with this covenant." So he made a
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  covenant with him
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  and sent him away.
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  Now we read those first verses and you
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  are seeing the fruit that has taken
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  place from this folly in verse 34. And I
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  want to preach for just a little while
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  tonight if the Lord will help me on the
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  cost of covenanting with the world.
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  The cost of a covenant with the world.
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  Now I was thinking today, you can be
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  seated this evening we'll pray in a
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  minute. I was thinking today actually
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  just while I was sitting over there.
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  Today my mind often drifts to the music
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  industry for this reason. I think that
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  it is the most manifest place in the
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  world, probably that and Hollywood, that
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  represents this truth well and you say,
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  "What do you mean?" Well, when you think
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  about what fills up Hollywood and what
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  fills up the music industry, whether it
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  be country music or rock music or pop
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  music, just about every one of those
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  people that's been sex successful has
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  made a covenant with a devil.
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  They've sold their soul.
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  You say, "What do you mean?" Well, you
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  you don't have to look too very far to
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  find that.
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  And it looks like they're doing all
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  right on this side.
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  But I'll tell you this, the the whole
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  story has not been written yet.
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  And I want to tell you where it's
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  headed, it's headed to a place of
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  destruction. Amen.
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  And I want to give you some principles
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  out of these this text here about how
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  you get there, what happens when you get
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  there, and how you going to end up.
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  Amen. And now you say, "Preacher, what
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  would that have to do with us tonight?"
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  Well, I don't know where you might be 20
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  years from now, but God does. Amen. And
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  so I hope there's nobody here made a
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  covenant with the world. Amen. Or sold
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  their soul. Amen. But I'll tell you
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  this, I've I've heard stories in days
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  gone by of men, young men, young ladies
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  that sit in Baptist churches and have
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  sold their life away. And they walked
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  out the doors only to make it a few
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  steps from the church and drop dead. I
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  want to say this, that God then is still
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  the same God now. Amen. And this thing's
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  serious. All right, it's serious
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  tonight. And so let's pray and let's God
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  to help us. Father, thank you God
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  tonight for the word of God. Thank you
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  for the privilege that we have to
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  proclaim the truth. And God I ask you
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  tonight that you would give us liberty
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  and vocabulary tonight as we preach. I
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  pray you'd hide us behind the cross.
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  Remove uh Lord every sinful thought,
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  Lord every fleshly uh idea tonight. And
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  God I pray that you would fill us with
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  our spirit, cleanse us of all sin and
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  self. Fill us with the spirit of God.
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  Anoint us tonight, we pray. God I pray
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  Lord for whatever needs are present or
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  missed tonight, you'd get glory and
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  honor unto yourself. Thank you for
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  loving us. Thank you God that you are
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  God on the valley, the God in the valley
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  just as you are God on the mountain. And
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  Lord I know that you can help us Lord to
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  keep ourselves unspotted from this
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  world. God I ask you to help us tonight.
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  Use us for your glory. What you do,
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  we'll thank you. We love you. We ask it
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  all in Jesus name. For his sake we pray.
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  Amen and amen. This morning we left off
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  in verse number 20 when the uh the
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  Israel Israelites here in the text had
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  pitched over against the Syrians in the
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  text, and they work a great victory in
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  verse 29 and 30. 127,000
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  Syrians die in the text. Ben-Hadad flees
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  in verse number 30. And you notice in
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  verse 31, I got an introduction tonight,
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  so I need you to stay with me and we'll
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  get to the message tonight. You notice
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  that Ben-Hadad, as he has made it into
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  the city, his servants have come unto
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  him in verse number 31, and they begin
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  to tell him their plan. Now, I want to
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  say this tonight, these are the same
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  servants that told him in verse number
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  23 that their gods are gods of the
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  hills. Therefore, they were stronger
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  than we, but let us fight against them
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  in the plain, and surely we shall be
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  stronger than they. And so, what's
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  happened is him listening to his
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  servants has caused him 130,000
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  of his men. Let me say this, if it don't
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  work one time, amen, it would be insane
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  to try it again a second time. But what
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  happens here in the text is they're
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  going to try it again. And so, their
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  plan comes together in verse 31. Look
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  what your Bible says. "Behold now, we
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  have heard that the kings of the house
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  of Israel merciful kings. Let us, I pray
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  thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and
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  ropes upon our heads, and go out to the
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  king of Israel. Peradventure, he will
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  save thy life." And so, they are calling
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  upon the mercy of these kings of Israel.
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  Now, it's a righteous thing that the
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  nation of Israel and their kings would
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  be known for being merciful. But I want
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  to say this tonight, when there is a man
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  that is unrepentant and has no desire to
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  get right with God, there is no mercy
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  for that man. Amen. I'm saying to you
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  tonight, if you are in your sin and you
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  are steeped in your sin, and having no
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  desire to get right with God in that
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  same, there is no mercy for you this
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  evening. And I notice out of their plan,
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  you see their performance in verse 32.
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  The Bible says, "So, they girded
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  sackcloth on their loins, and but ropes
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  on their heads, and came to the king of
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  Israel, and said that the thy servant
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  Ben-Hadad saith, I pray thee, let me
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  live." And so they come to him. Notice
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  how they're clothed in the text. They
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  girded sackcloth on their loins trying
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  to create a persona of repentance. And
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  not only that, they put ropes on their
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  heads to display that Ahab could do with
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  them what they will. Basically saying
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  those ropes would signify that if Ahab
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  so chose, these servants would allow him
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  to hang them for their coming unto him
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  in the text. And you know what they're
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  doing? They're putting on a front of
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  repentance. They're putting on a front
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  wanting to say that they're going to get
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  right with this king, but we know the
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  truth behind the matter. They are
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  praying upon the mercy of this man. And
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  we notice that out of their performance,
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  you see that his predilection, that is
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  King Ahab, in verse number 32, look what
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  the Bible said. And he said, "Is he yet
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  alive?" Notice it again, "He is my
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  brother." So, in the text, Ahab is
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  deceived by them. And I want to say this
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  this morning, we noted in Sunday school
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  that Ahab was a weak man. And it is
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  further illustrated to us in verse
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  number 32 that Ahab is a weak man. He's
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  not thinking about conflict. He's not
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  thinking about retribution. When in
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  reality, he should have killed every one
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  of these servants and went and got
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  Ben-Hadad and killed him as well. But
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  you see in the text his predilection is
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  that he's decided, "All right, I'm going
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  to love this man because he's royalty
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  like me."
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  Now, here's what you say, "Preacher,
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  what does that have to do?" Well, here's
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  what happens in our lives. We find
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  somebody that's got a hobby that we
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  share or or got a friend that we share
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  or something that we like and
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  automatically we yoke up with them and
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  we hook up with them and we've got a
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  mindset about them. But what you'll find
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  after a while is that thing turns back.
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  Amen. And the Syrians, you say,
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  "Preacher, how is it?" Well, they'd done
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  tried to take Ahab out. But all it takes
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  is one little claim in the text and Ahab
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  is right back in the position he was in
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  in the beginning. Let me say this to you
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  here in the text. You'll find later on
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  in the book of Kings that Ben-Hadad
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  comes back again. What I'm saying is as
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  he allows Ben-Hadad to get an advantage
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  over him in this text. Notice not only
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  the predilection of Ahab, but consider
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  the perception of these servants in
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  verse 33. Now the men did diligently
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  observe whether anything would come from
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  him, and did hastily catch it. And they
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  said, "My brother Ben-Hadad." Then he
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  said, "Go ye and bring him." So what
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  this simply means in verse 33 is that
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  these servants were listening for what
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  Ahab would say. They were wanting him to
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  denote some kind of relationship with
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  Ben-Hadad and pray that they would be
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  casting themselves upon the mercy of
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  this man, and there is a law in these
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  oriental countries that you can read
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  about. I'm not got time to preach it
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  tonight, but if there was any mercy that
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  was shown from the king that would be on
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  this side of the fight here in the text,
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  that they would take that and they would
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  run with that, and it would be a
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  covenant. If this king did not
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  immediately denounce them, they would
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  take that and accept that as they are
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  forgiven. And you notice what happens in
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  the text. They perceive there in the
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  verse number 33, they said, "Thy brother
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  Ben-Hadad." So they played off the words
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  that Ahab said in the text, and they've
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  already hooked in. Now here's what I
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  want to tell you tonight about this
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  before we go any further. You need to be
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  careful in your conversation with this
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  world.
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  You need to be careful with your
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  fellowship, with your conversation, with
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  the way you carry yourself in this
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  world, cuz if you're not careful, amen,
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  you'll get yoked up with something you
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  ain't got no business being involved in.
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  I'm saying, friend, you give the devil
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  an inch and he'll take a mile, amen. I'm
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  saying here in the text, his their
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  perception is they've got Ahab hook,
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  line, and sinker in this text.
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  Notice verse 34. And Ben-Hadad said unto
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  him, "The cities which my father took
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  from thy father I will restore.
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  Thou shalt make streets for thee in
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  Damascus as my father made in Samaria."
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  Then said Ahab, "I will send thee away
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  with this covenant. So he made a
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  covenant with him and sent him away. So
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  you see in verse number 34, Ben Hadad's
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  working deceitful again. The enemy's
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  trying to deceive him. And you think
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  about this. He said, all right, I'll
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  give you the cities back that we've
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  taken. What should Ahab have done? He
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  should have destroyed the whole crowd
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  and took every city that Ben Hadad had.
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  Amen. He should have utterly wiped them
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  off the face of the map. He should have
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  took care of them and there'd been no
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  more remembrance of them. But I want to
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  remind you again, we said it in Sunday
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  school this morning, Ahab was more
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  concerned about his perception of men
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  than he was concerned about obeying God.
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  And that's manifest in the fact that he
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  did not care for his family. And you
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  notice his perversion in verse 34, then
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  said Ahab, I will send thee away with
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  this covenant. So he made a covenant
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  with him and sent him away. Let me say
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  this to you this morning, and this ain't
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  a part of the message, but it goes to it
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  goes to truth just the same. Donald
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  Trump can write up as many peace
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  treaties as he wants to write up. That
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  towel head rug riding crowd over there,
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  they're not going to listen to any of
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  that, okay? It don't matter what they
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  sign that pen on their paper, amen,
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  don't mean absolutely nothing to them.
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  And they would destroy us now if they
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  could. Amen. I'm saying, friend, there's
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  going to be people in this world, you'll
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  go and covenant with them, you'll yoke
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  up with them, you'll lock up with them,
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  and what you'll find is that's what's
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  happened to you. You've got locked up
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  with them, amen. And what they're going
• 12:52
  to try to do is they're going to try to
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  play upon your mercies SO THEY CAN
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  DESTROY YOU, AMEN.
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  You say, how is that? Well, Ben Hadad
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  didn't care nothing for Ahab.
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  And it shows Ahab's foolishness. Think
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  about all that God has done for Ahab in
• 13:08
  this text. You say, what do you mean?
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  Well, twice the Syrians have been
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  delivered into his hand. He had the
• 13:14
  opportunity to utterly wipe them out,
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  twice. He takes them out the first time,
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  God gives victory, God does it all for
• 13:20
  him. He didn't have a plan, he didn't
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  have an army put together, God just
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  comes in and works it out and says, all
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  right, you're going to be in charge of
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  it." God works a great victory. Second
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  time rolls around, the Syrians have got
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  another plan. They all go up against the
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  Israelites in the taste. God works it
• 13:36
  out again. Less than six 8,000 people go
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  up against over 125,000
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  men and utterly destroy them. God works
• 13:45
  in their favor. The king escapes and
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  here we have Ahab whom God has WROUGHT
• 13:49
  VICTORY FOR TWICE IN THIS CHAPTER is
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  taking care of the king.
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  Let me ask you something tonight.
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  Why is it that sin in your life you've
• 13:59
  got victory over over and over and over
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  again?
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  Why are you petting on the king of that
• 14:04
  thing?
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  Why are you allowing that thing to
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  continue in your life?
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  You say, "What do you mean?" Well, Ahab
• 14:13
  wasn't trusted with so much. I like
• 14:15
  Matthew Henry said this. He said, "There
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  are those on whose success is
• 14:19
  ill-bestowed. They know not how to serve
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  God or their generation or even their
• 14:25
  own true interest with their
• 14:26
  prosperity." God has been blessed or
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  Ahab has been blessed by God in this
• 14:31
  chapter. He has allowed him to have
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  victory, but he doesn't even know what
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  to do with it.
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  You say, "What do you mean?" Because
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  he's living in his sin.
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  SOME OF YOU HAVE VICTORY EVEN TONIGHT
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  and because of the issues that you have
• 14:44
  in your life, you can't enjoy it.
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  Notice this, Isaiah chapter 26
• 14:50
  verse number 10.
• 14:52
  Very interesting verse. Isaiah 26 verse
• 14:54
  number 10.
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  Listen to this now. I encourage you to
• 14:58
  write this in your margin.
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  Let favor be showed to the wicked.
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  Yet will he not learn righteousness. In
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  the land of uprightness will he deal
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  unjustly and will not behold the majesty
• 15:10
  of the Lord. Listen to that again.
• 15:12
  Let favor be showed to the wicked. Yet
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  will he not learn righteousness. In the
• 15:16
  land of uprightness will he deal
• 15:18
  unjustly and will not behold the majesty
• 15:21
  of the Lord. Ahab has been given every
• 15:24
  opportunity to get right with God. What
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  does he do? The first thing he does when
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  he gets out of this battle, victory's on
• 15:29
  the other side, he goes and hooks up
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  with the man that he should have
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  destroyed.
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  Notice what happens in the text, all
• 15:36
  right? I got to move quickly tonight.
• 15:38
  You see out of this, verse 35, look what
• 15:40
  your Bible says. And a certain man of
• 15:43
  the sons of the prophet said unto his
• 15:44
  neighbor in the word of the Lord, "Smite
• 15:46
  me, I pray thee." And the man refused to
• 15:49
  smite him. Then said he unto him,
• 15:51
  "Because thou hast not obeyed the voice
• 15:53
  of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art
• 15:54
  departed from me, a lion shall slay
• 15:56
  thee. And as soon as he was departed
• 15:58
  from him, a lion found him and slew
• 16:00
  him." So, after Ahab has made a covenant
• 16:03
  here in the text, there's a man in the
• 16:05
  sons of the prophets that God comes to
• 16:07
  and says, "All right, you get your
• 16:08
  neighbor to smite you." That other boy
• 16:10
  in the sons of the prophets, you get him
• 16:12
  to smite you. This young man refuses to
• 16:14
  smite him. And notice the sudden
• 16:16
  punishment in the text, verse 36.
• 16:19
  "Because thou hast not obeyed the voice
• 16:21
  of the Lord." Now, when we think about
• 16:23
  this fact tonight, doesn't that just
• 16:25
  sound crazy?
• 16:26
  That the prophet would say, "All right,
• 16:28
  you need to what? You need to knock me
• 16:29
  out."
• 16:30
  You need to take You need to smite me.
• 16:33
  And he says that, the Bible clearly says
• 16:35
  that, it's in the word of the Lord. And
• 16:38
  so, you know what? The man refuses to do
• 16:39
  it. Now, we think, man, that's a good
• 16:41
  thing. He shouldn't have done that. But
• 16:42
  you know what? It was a commandment from
• 16:44
  God.
• 16:45
  And so, what happens in the text? Well,
• 16:47
  you notice this sudden punishment. "As
• 16:49
  soon as thou art departed from me, a
• 16:50
  lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he
• 16:53
  was departed from him, a lion found him
• 16:55
  and slew him." You say, "What does that
• 16:57
  represent, preacher?" Well, it
• 16:58
  represents the disobedience of Ahab. God
• 17:01
  had given him every opportunity to do
• 17:03
  right. He's given him opportunity after
• 17:06
  opportunity in this chapter. They
• 17:08
  literally had Ben-Hadad in their
• 17:09
  clutches in this text, and they allow
• 17:11
  him to go free. And what is illustrated
• 17:14
  here by this prophet is the sudden
• 17:15
  punishment that was soon to come on him.
• 17:17
  Notice verse 37. Not only the sudden
• 17:20
  punishment, notice but notice the
• 17:21
  stricken presentation in verse 37. I
• 17:24
  know this is a running commentary
• 17:25
  tonight and some of y'all are looking at
• 17:27
  me like I'm crazy, but this is true,
• 17:29
  okay? Stay with me. I'm going somewhere.
• 17:31
  Then he found another man and said,
• 17:33
  "Smite me, I pray thee." And the man
• 17:35
  smote him, so that in smiting he wounded
• 17:37
  him. So the prophet departed and waited
• 17:40
  for the king by the way and disguised
• 17:42
  himself with ashes upon his face. So
• 17:45
  this other this other this prophet in
• 17:47
  the text, he comes to another man. He
• 17:49
  tells him to smite him in the word of
• 17:51
  the Lord. The man is obedient and he
• 17:53
  smites him in the text and so there's a
• 17:55
  wound. There's a mark that's left upon
• 17:56
  him. And so he has done this in verse
• 17:59
  number 38, it reveals that the prophet
• 18:01
  departed, waited for the king by the way
• 18:03
  as he is journeying in and disguised
• 18:06
  himself with ashes upon his face. Why
• 18:08
  did he do that? Because these sons of
• 18:09
  the prophets look different than
• 18:11
  everybody around them. And so he wanted
• 18:13
  himself to look like a soldier. Notice
• 18:15
  what happens in the text. Verse 39. And
• 18:17
  as the king passed by, he cried unto the
• 18:20
  king and he said, "My servant went out
• 18:21
  into the midst of the battle and behold
• 18:23
  a man turned aside and brought a man
• 18:25
  unto me and said, 'Keep this man. If by
• 18:27
  any means he be missing, then shall thy
• 18:30
  life then shall thy life be for his life
• 18:32
  or else shalt thou shalt thou pay a
• 18:35
  talent of silver.'" And so this prophet
• 18:37
  speaks a proverb. Now remember, he's got
• 18:39
  a mark upon his body. The battle has
• 18:42
  wounded him. He has tried to make an
• 18:44
  image of himself to the king in the
• 18:46
  text. He speaks this proverb in verse 39
• 18:49
  and verse number 40, notice the sad
• 18:51
  pronouncement. And as thy servant was
• 18:53
  busy here and there, he was gone. Listen
• 18:55
  to this now. And the king of Israel said
• 18:58
  unto him, "So shall thy judgment be."
• 19:01
  Listen to this. "Thyself hast decided."
• 19:08
  That principle right there in that verse
• 19:11
  is the principle from Genesis chapter
• 19:13
  number two
• 19:15
  all the way until the end of time.
• 19:18
  You say, "What do you mean?"
• 19:20
  Notice the verse.
• 19:21
  So shall thy judgment be.
• 19:24
  Thyself
• 19:25
  hast decided.
• 19:28
  You know what the judgment that you and
• 19:29
  I would have faced as lost sinners, you
• 19:32
  know what that judgment was? That was
• 19:33
  judgment that we decided for.
• 19:36
  It was your decision. It was your sin
• 19:38
  that put Jesus on the cross. You say,
• 19:40
  "Preacher, what do you mean?" Ahab in
• 19:42
  this text, what he's doing is or this
• 19:44
  prophet has come to Ahab and he's
• 19:45
  painted this picture
• 19:47
  of what's happened to him. And Ahab
• 19:49
  looks at him and says, "Well, you're
• 19:50
  going to die because you didn't do what
• 19:51
  you said you was going to do."
• 19:53
  But you know what the prophet was doing?
• 19:55
  He was turning around and putting it in
• 19:57
  the face of Ahab. You say, "Preacher,
• 19:59
  that sounds familiar." Well, yeah, it
• 20:00
  sounds a whole lot like David in 2
• 20:02
  Samuel chapter 12
• 20:04
  when Nathan come to him and told him
• 20:05
  about the man that had the little lamb.
• 20:07
  Amen. That come to him and he said that
• 20:09
  traveler come, amen, and he took that
• 20:11
  little lamb from that little man, amen,
• 20:13
  and gave that lamb unto that traveling
• 20:15
  that warfare man in the text and Nathan
• 20:18
  looked at David and said, "David, thou
• 20:19
  art the man." After David had just said,
• 20:22
  "The man shall surely die and he shall
• 20:24
  restore him fourfold." And you know
• 20:25
  what? David, the Bible says God said
• 20:28
  "The sword shall never depart from thy
• 20:29
  house." Ahab in this text, by speaking
• 20:32
  to this young prophet here in these
• 20:34
  verses, has decided his own judgment.
• 20:36
  You say, "Well, what do you mean?" Well,
• 20:38
  notice it in the text, verse 41. And he
• 20:40
  hasted, that is the prophet, and took
• 20:42
  the ashes away from his face and the
• 20:44
  king of Israel discerned him that he was
• 20:46
  of the prophets. You know what that king
• 20:48
  realized when he was a man of God? He
• 20:50
  realized his judgment had already been
• 20:52
  declared. He realized that he himself
• 20:54
  had spoken his sentence. Let me say this
• 20:56
  to you tonight. If you are walking in
• 20:58
  disobedience to God, if you are walking
• 21:01
  against the clear command from the word
• 21:02
  of God, and deciding to live your own
• 21:05
  way, and covenanting this with this
• 21:07
  world. Lost or saved tonight, I'm saying
• 21:09
  if you're lost, you will die and go to
• 21:11
  hell because of your covenant with this
• 21:13
  world. But if you're saved tonight, you
• 21:15
  will have the destruction of your
• 21:17
  physical life by covenanting with this
• 21:19
  world.
• 21:22
  Say, "What does that look like?" Well,
• 21:23
  we notice sin's price in the text.
• 21:26
  The Bible said in verse 42, "And he said
• 21:28
  unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because
• 21:30
  thou hast let go out of thy hand a man
• 21:32
  whom I appointed to utter destruction.
• 21:35
  Therefore, thy life shall go for his
• 21:37
  life,
• 21:38
  and thy people for his people."
• 21:40
  Ahab in the text has decided his own
• 21:43
  consequence.
• 21:45
  You know what? We don't realize how many
• 21:46
  times we do that.
• 21:49
  Say, "What do you mean?" Well,
• 21:51
  oftentimes the sin that we are involved
• 21:54
  in the most
• 21:55
  is the sin we are quickest to call out
• 21:57
  in others.
• 21:59
  The thing that we want to condemn in
• 22:01
  everybody else,
• 22:03
  we can real easily point it out in
• 22:05
  others because it's in us.
• 22:08
  And what happens in this text is Ahab
• 22:10
  signs his own sentence.
• 22:13
  He decides his own judgment. He's made
• 22:15
  his decision. He's declared. He said
• 22:18
  just He said, "So shall my judgment be.
• 22:20
  Thyself has decided it." And just like
• 22:22
  David, Ahab has decided what his
• 22:24
  sentence will be. And sin's price in the
• 22:27
  text, the Bible says, "Therefore, thy
• 22:29
  life shall go for his life, and thy
• 22:31
  people for his people."
• 22:33
  Now, I want you to think about this with
• 22:35
  me tonight. What got Ahab to this point?
• 22:38
  This is the message tonight. This is all
• 22:40
  it is. Three things. All right, what got
• 22:41
  Ahab to this point? All right. This is
• 22:44
  what happens when you end up covenanting
• 22:46
  yourself with this world. And this is
• 22:48
  the cost. All right, it's death. That's
• 22:50
  what it is. All right, from the text.
• 22:52
  Number one, I will say this. The number
• 22:54
  one thing that led Ahab to this point is
• 22:56
  there was no consultation.
• 22:58
  Say, "What do you mean?"
• 22:59
  Not a single time in 1 Kings chapter 20,
• 23:02
  do you see Ahab calling for a prophet?
• 23:06
  Not a single time do you see Ahab asking
• 23:08
  God, "Lord, what do I do?"
• 23:10
  The covenant that Ahab makes is a
• 23:12
  presumptuous, prideful, personal, he's
• 23:16
  only propping up himself by this
• 23:18
  covenant.
• 23:19
  If you was here in Sunday school this
• 23:21
  morning, you'll know that I said when
• 23:22
  Ahab was willing to turn his family over
• 23:24
  to Ben-Hadad, he was just doing this, he
• 23:27
  was allowing himself to fall upon them
• 23:29
  because he knew if they come and take
• 23:30
  him, he'll still get to eat with them as
• 23:32
  a king.
• 23:34
  Much like the government which we live
• 23:36
  in today.
• 23:37
  They'll sell us out to fill their own
• 23:39
  pockets up.
• 23:40
  But I notice this, there's no
• 23:41
  consultation. You say, "Preacher, what
• 23:43
  do you mean?" He never asked God for any
• 23:45
  help.
• 23:46
  You know what? We get ourselves in the
• 23:47
  middle of the mess and we ask God,
• 23:48
  "Where you at?"
• 23:51
  He says, "I've been here the whole
• 23:52
  time."
• 23:54
  You know what our problem is?
• 23:56
  In the business.
• 23:58
  You say, "What do you mean in business?"
• 23:59
  Well, notice the text, the prophet calls
• 24:01
  him out on it. Notice this. Verse number
• 24:03
  40. The prophet's telling this story,
• 24:06
  but look what he says, "And as thy
• 24:08
  servant was what? Busy here
• 24:11
  and there."
• 24:12
  Do you know why Ahab didn't have time to
• 24:14
  call on God?
• 24:16
  Cuz he was too pre pre uh
• 24:18
  What's the word I'm looking for?
• 24:20
  He was too concerned with himself.
• 24:24
  He's too focused on him.
• 24:26
  You see, in our life, there's no time
• 24:28
  for consultation
• 24:29
  with him
• 24:31
  cuz we're too busy consulting with
• 24:32
  everything and everybody else.
• 24:34
  Ahab had his gods, Ahab had his people,
• 24:37
  Ahab had his family and his kingdom and
• 24:40
  really he felt like he was doing all
• 24:41
  right. I've got victory twice, surely
• 24:43
  God will allow me to make it out this
• 24:45
  time. I'm saying, friend, it's just like
• 24:47
  Lot, when he left Sodom and Gomorrah,
• 24:49
  God told him to get out of there and run
• 24:51
  away. And what did Lot do? He went just
• 24:54
  as close as he could stay to Sodom and
• 24:56
  turned into Zoar, that little city. He
• 24:59
  said, "Can I not flee to this little
• 25:00
  city?" He said, "It's just a little
• 25:02
  one."
• 25:03
  And what did he do there?
• 25:05
  His two daughters defiled him.
• 25:07
  In that city, destroyed his lineage,
• 25:10
  destroyed his children. He lost all his
• 25:13
  right all his children that could have
• 25:14
  had an opportunity to repent. The two
• 25:16
  that he kept, they defiled him.
• 25:19
  I'm saying, friend, what what what this
• 25:20
  represents to us is is that there was no
• 25:23
  consultation
• 25:25
  with the master.
• 25:27
  You know,
• 25:29
  you've heard it said, I've heard it
• 25:30
  said, I believe it tonight, every
• 25:32
  failure in the life of the believer is a
• 25:34
  prayer failure.
• 25:37
  Every time you misstep,
• 25:39
  every time you miss the mark is because
• 25:40
  you've not been in conversation with
• 25:42
  him.
• 25:43
  Anytime that I've gotten out of sorts
• 25:45
  with that little lady you're sitting
• 25:46
  right there in our marriage is just
• 25:47
  because I've not been consulting him.
• 25:50
  And let me say this to you, sir, this to
• 25:52
  you, ma'am, before you consult your
• 25:54
  spouse about anything, you need to talk
• 25:55
  to the Lord about it first.
• 25:57
  Cuz there's some things that you go to
• 25:59
  them with that's going to cause a lot of
• 26:00
  strife and the Lord will get it out
• 26:02
  before you get there if you'll just go
• 26:04
  to him with it.
• 26:10
  Your family will be destroyed.
• 26:13
  You say, "Preacher, what was he going to
• 26:14
  lose in this text?" Well, you think
• 26:15
  about it. He's going to lose what he
• 26:17
  wanted to keep and that was Ben-Hadad.
• 26:20
  But you know what? He's also going to
• 26:22
  lose his family that he was going to
• 26:23
  give away to Ben-Hadad.
• 26:25
  But you know what? He's not only going
• 26:26
  to lose Ben-Hadad and his family, he's
• 26:28
  going to lose his own life.
• 26:30
  You say he thought he was just going to
• 26:32
  be turned over to them.
• 26:33
  But you know what? His sin in
• 26:35
  covenanting with the world, you know
• 26:36
  what it got him?
• 26:37
  It made him lose everything.
• 26:40
  Cuz there was no consultation. Number
• 26:42
  two,
• 26:43
  there was no consultation with the
• 26:44
  sovereign. That's what got Ahab to this
• 26:47
  point in the text that he is going to be
• 26:49
  destroyed. Thy life for his life and thy
• 26:52
  people for his people. LET ME TELL you
• 26:54
  something TONIGHT, FRIEND. GOD DON'T
• 26:56
  PLAY GAMES with his children. HE DON'T
• 26:59
  PLAY GAMES WITH HIS PEOPLE, AND YOU
• 27:01
  BETTER TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
• 27:04
  There's no consultation. Number two.
• 27:07
  There's no consultation with a
• 27:08
  sovereign. I'll say the second of all,
• 27:09
  there was no consideration for his sin.
• 27:13
  Say, what do you mean? Well, I would say
• 27:14
  first of all, Ahab didn't consider the
• 27:16
  sin of Ben-hadad.
• 27:18
  Say, preacher, what do you mean? Well,
• 27:19
  you think about the fact that he's
• 27:21
  literally just tried to destroy him
• 27:22
  twice.
• 27:24
  He's tried to take him out twice.
• 27:26
  Why would we want to house a lion that's
• 27:28
  going to eat us alive?
• 27:30
  Let me ask you something. Why do you
• 27:31
  want to protect something that's going
• 27:32
  to try to destroy you?
• 27:35
  Some of you got pets in your houses.
• 27:37
  Amen. Lester Roloff used to preach a
• 27:38
  sermon called The Mule Walked On. He
• 27:40
  talked about those pets that you got in
• 27:42
  your house. All they can't handle that
• 27:44
  kind of preaching. Amen. But, it's just
• 27:45
  true.
• 27:46
  Some of you got pets in your houses.
• 27:48
  Amen. That you keep around. What they're
• 27:49
  doing, they're eating you alive.
• 27:52
  You say, preacher, but everybody's got
• 27:54
  one.
• 27:57
  Last time I checked, everybody ain't the
• 27:58
  standard.
• 28:02
  Be good some of us learn how to live
• 28:04
  without a telephone again.
• 28:06
  Or learn how to live with one that ain't
• 28:07
  got the internet. Somebody say amen
• 28:08
  right there.
• 28:11
  Say, preacher, what do you mean? I'm
• 28:13
  saying if you can't handle it, THROW IT
• 28:14
  AWAY.
• 28:17
  IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TV, HEY,
• 28:18
  YOUNG'UNS, listen to me. You young'uns
• 28:20
  in here. If you can't handle the TV in
• 28:21
  your bedroom, throw it out. You don't
• 28:23
  need one in there anyway.
• 28:26
  I'm saying that what destroyed Ahab in
• 28:28
  this text was there WAS NO CONSIDERATION
• 28:31
  OF HOW DANGEROUS THIS MAN WAS. BEN-HADAD
• 28:34
  WANTED HIM DEAD, BUT HE NEVER STOPPED
• 28:36
  ONCE TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
• 28:38
  THERE WAS NO CONSIDERATION OF HIS
• 28:40
  SINFULNESS. HE WAS LITERALLY GOING TO
• 28:41
  DESTROY HIM AT THE FIRST CHANCE HE GOT.
• 28:44
  BUT, NOW, we're just going to He He's
• 28:46
  peaceful now.
• 28:48
  It'll be okay now.
• 28:50
  You know what you'll find? You'll walk
• 28:52
  out of here and you say, "Man, that
• 28:53
  preacher was crazy. I can handle that."
• 28:54
  But you know what? 3, 4 days down the
• 28:56
  road, you headlong into something
• 28:58
  that you wish you'd never been involved
• 29:00
  in.
• 29:03
  You say, "What does it lead to?" Well,
• 29:05
  the prophet says this way.
• 29:07
  He said, "Because I have let go out of
• 29:09
  thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter
• 29:11
  destruction, there therefore thy life
• 29:13
  shall go for his life."
• 29:15
  You'll lose it all.
• 29:17
  Notice this, I'm done tonight.
• 29:19
  There's no consultation with the
• 29:20
  sovereign. There's no consideration of
• 29:22
  sin, and that is the indictment of our
• 29:24
  generation.
• 29:27
  We don't We don't We don't weep over sin
• 29:29
  anymore.
• 29:32
  Sin don't make us bitter.
• 29:34
  Sin don't make us broken. That's the
• 29:35
  word I was looking for.
• 29:37
  Sin don't turn us away like it used to
• 29:39
  do.
• 29:40
  We don't We don't turn our nose up at it
• 29:42
  anymore, but it's just like a pet, just
• 29:44
  hangs around.
• 29:46
  You better start considering that sin.
• 29:48
  You say, "How is that?" Well, the
• 29:50
  prophet done told Ahab to consider his
• 29:52
  ways one time.
• 29:53
  Listen to this, verse 22 of chapter 20.
• 29:56
  "Go strengthen thyself and mark and see
• 29:58
  what thou doest." God's done given the
• 30:00
  warning one time.
• 30:01
  But now he's messed up and he's on the
• 30:03
  wrong side of the warning.
• 30:05
  There was no consultation. There was no
• 30:07
  consideration, but
• 30:08
  I'll say this tonight and I'll be done.
• 30:11
  Ultimately, what got Ahab was that there
• 30:14
  was no condemnation.
• 30:16
  You say, "What do you mean?"
• 30:17
  Well, there was no condemnation of
• 30:19
  Ben-hadad.
• 30:20
  You say, "What do you mean?"
• 30:22
  His crimes was enough to convict him.
• 30:27
  Are you listening to me?
• 30:29
  That thing that's got you in sin so many
• 30:31
  times,
• 30:32
  it's messed you up enough times. It's
• 30:34
  It's It's time for it to be condemned.
• 30:36
  You say, "What do you mean?" I'm saying,
• 30:37
  "If you don't condemn it, it's going to
• 30:38
  condemn you."
• 30:41
  You say, "What do you mean?" Well,
• 30:42
  notice the text. HE SAID, "THY LIFE FOR
• 30:44
  HIS LIFE."
• 30:47
  IF YOU DON'T TAKE it out, it's going to
• 30:48
  take you out.
• 30:51
  Ben-Hadad got what he wanted
• 30:54
  because of this covenant. And you know
• 30:56
  what? Ben-Hadad didn't even have to
• 30:57
  raise a finger.
• 31:00
  You think about this. They fought him
• 31:01
  twice and ain't been able to win.
• 31:04
  But you know what? Ben-Hadad got him
• 31:05
  destroyed
• 31:06
  because of this covenant.
• 31:09
  You know what? There's a lot of people
• 31:10
  that the devil destroys and he don't
• 31:11
  even have to lift a finger.
• 31:13
  You know why? Because you've destroyed
• 31:15
  yourself.
• 31:18
  Are you listening to me?
• 31:19
  Hey friend, it's serious.
• 31:22
  No condemnation. What was there no
• 31:23
  condemnation for? This sinner, you see
• 31:26
  the sin that you refuse to condemn will
• 31:28
  ultimately condemn you.
• 31:32
  Notice what happens, verse 43.
• 31:35
  You say, "Preacher, how can I tell one
• 31:36
  of these people?" And notice in verse 43
• 31:38
  and I'll tell you. And the king of
• 31:39
  Israel went to his house heavy and
• 31:41
  displeased and came to Samaria.
• 31:45
  You know the people that are under the
• 31:47
  judgment of God?
• 31:49
  You know how you tell them?
• 31:51
  When they hear a word from God,
• 31:53
  they get mad.
• 31:55
  Bible says he was heavy. That means he
• 31:57
  was angry. But then that word displeased
• 32:00
  in the text, it literally translates to
• 32:01
  the word sullen.
• 32:03
  He was quiet He was silently bitter.
• 32:08
  There's a lot of people that don't
• 32:09
  really say anything, but what they do is
• 32:11
  they walk around and they mumble under
• 32:12
  their breath
• 32:14
  the pain that they have.
• 32:16
  You say, "Preacher, how do you know
• 32:17
  that?" Well, I've been there before.
• 32:18
  We've all been there before. That sullen
• 32:20
  state that we get in.
• 32:22
  You say, "How is that?" Well, Ahab, he
• 32:23
  finds himself here again, chapter number
• 32:25
  21. Notice this.
• 32:27
  He asked for Naboth's vineyard, verses 1
• 32:30
  verse number 2. He wants Naboth's
• 32:32
  vineyard. Naboth says, "I'm not giving
• 32:34
  you the inheritance of my fathers" in
• 32:35
  verse 4. And look what the Bible says in
• 32:38
  verse number four.
• 32:39
  And he laid him down upon his bed and
• 32:41
  turned away his face and would eat no
• 32:43
  bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him
• 32:46
  and said unto him, "Why is thy spirit so
• 32:48
  sad that thou eatest no bread?" Notice
• 32:50
  the first part of verse four. And Ahab
• 32:52
  came into his house heavy and
• 32:54
  displeased, the same description.
• 32:57
  You say, "What is that?" Well, he'd
• 32:58
  gotten the call from God that there was
• 33:00
  judgment coming upon his house. It made
• 33:02
  him heavy and displeased. But you know
• 33:04
  what else made him heavy and displeased?
• 33:06
  When he didn't get what he wanted.
• 33:09
  People that are under the judgment of
• 33:10
  God a lot of times when they don't get
• 33:12
  what they want,
• 33:13
  they'll show the same kind of response.
• 33:16
  They get mad.
• 33:18
  You ever seen somebody like that?
• 33:21
  Always searching, always seeking for
• 33:23
  their way.
• 33:24
  You've heard the saying it's their way
• 33:26
  or the highway.
• 33:27
  This is the way Ahab operated his life.
• 33:30
  And isn't it funny that he funny that he
• 33:31
  was merciless with his own people?
• 33:34
  He killed Naboth in chapter 21. But the
• 33:37
  man who tried to take his life,
• 33:39
  he keeps him for himself
• 33:41
  as a buddy.
• 33:43
  You see, this is the vanity of somebody
• 33:45
  who makes a covenant with the world. The
• 33:47
  people that really love them, they want
• 33:49
  nothing to do with them.
• 33:50
  The people of God, they want nothing to
• 33:52
  do with them. They want what the people
• 33:54
  of God had, but they don't want to do
• 33:55
  the work the people of God have to do to
• 33:57
  get it and keep it.
• 34:01
  So you know what they do? They yoke up
• 34:02
  with the world.
• 34:03
  The world that wants to destroy them,
• 34:05
  the world that wants to defile them, and
• 34:07
  the world that would care could care
• 34:09
  less what happens to them.
• 34:11
  Those are the people they yoke up with.
• 34:13
  Why? Because their God is themselves.
• 34:16
  And you know the reason why people that
• 34:18
  come into this church
• 34:20
  can't hook up with us?
• 34:22
  They can't get along with the preaching,
• 34:24
  they can't get along with the word of
• 34:25
  God. This is what happens.
• 34:27
  Ultimately, their religion is self.
• 34:30
  That's right. And you know what somebody
• 34:31
  whose God is himself, they'll never hook
• 34:34
  up with anybody who's God is the Lord.
• 34:36
  >> That's right.
• 34:37
  >> You won't be able to have fellowship
• 34:39
  with those people that love God cuz you
• 34:41
  won't understand us.
• 34:43
  And you know what? Something I've said a
• 34:45
  lot here lately. I don't understand
• 34:47
  them.
• 34:49
  Say preacher, what do you mean? You know
• 34:50
  what it is for yourself to be God in
• 34:52
  your life? Of course I do. But man,
• 34:54
  that's the most miserable life anybody
• 34:56
  could ever live. I lived that way as a
• 34:58
  young man. My flesh and my self was my
• 35:00
  God and I want to tell YOU THIS TONIGHT.
• 35:02
  THERE IS NO SATISFACTION IN THAT.
• 35:05
  THERE'S NO PLEASURE in that. It's
• 35:06
  nothing but misery and wretchedness. I'M
• 35:09
  SAYING FRIEND, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY
• 35:11
  ANYBODY WOULD WANT TO FOLLOW AND WORSHIP
• 35:13
  THEMSELVES AND HONOR AND GLORIFY
• 35:15
  THEMSELVES. WHEN WE GLORIFY AND HONOR
• 35:18
  HIM, HEY FRIEND, HE LIFTS THE
• 35:20
  CONDEMNATION. OH FRIEND, THERE'S
• 35:22
  FORGIVENESS AND MERCY IN HIS HAND and
• 35:25
  aren't you thankful THAT WHEN WE DO
• 35:27
  WRONG, THERE'S A GREAT THERE'S GRACE
• 35:29
  THAT MEETS US RIGHT WHERE WE ARE AND
• 35:31
  HE'LL cleanse us from our sin.
• 35:34
  And do it every time. You know what the
• 35:35
  problem with worshipping self? It'll
• 35:36
  never cleanse you.
• 35:39
  You'll never be free.
• 35:42
  Never enjoy the blessings of God.
• 35:44
  And the cost of a covenant with the
• 35:46
  world
• 35:48
  is still death.
• 35:51
  You say preacher, what do you mean?
• 35:52
  Well, to put the whole summary the whole
• 35:54
  sermon in summary in short, Paul said it
• 35:56
  this way.
• 35:58
  For the wages
• 36:00
  of sin
• 36:01
  is death.
• 36:04
  That's not just for those who are lost.
• 36:07
  There's been a lot of saved people went
• 36:09
  to an early grave
• 36:11
  cuz they couldn't turn loose.
• 36:13
  Every head bowed and every eye closed
• 36:15
  tonight,
• 36:17
  I want to ask you tonight,
• 36:19
  I don't know where you're at but
• 36:22
  what kind of covenant have you made?
• 36:24
  Say what do you mean? Well,
• 36:27
  there's plenty of
• 36:28
  avenues and areas of life where
• 36:31
  if we're not careful,
• 36:33
  we'll slip up and end up yoked up with
• 36:35
  the world.
• 36:38
  You'll end up hooked up with people that
• 36:43
  would love to destroy you.
• 36:46
  Those of you that's been in the
• 36:47
  corporate work world, you know that
• 36:50
  most people, their desire, their only
• 36:52
  desire is another rung on the ladder.
• 36:54
  And if they have to step on your head to
• 36:56
  get there, it's not going to bother
• 36:57
  them.
• 36:59
  Yeah, they'll go and they'll they'll
• 37:01
  drink and party with you after work.
• 37:04
  They'll fellowship with you, but the
• 37:05
  first time they get an opportunity to
• 37:07
  get past you, they going to push you
• 37:08
  away push you away.
• 37:10
  I want to say this, won't you yoke up
• 37:11
  with the church?
• 37:13
  Won't you get right with God?
• 37:16
  You see, Ahab had the people of God
• 37:18
  before him, and if he could if he would
• 37:19
  have done right with done right before
• 37:21
  God, God had already blessed him, but
• 37:23
  I'm reminded of what Matthew Henry
• 37:24
  sayeth.
• 37:26
  He said, "Some people, they are given
• 37:27
  the most prosperous life."
• 37:29
  He said, "But yet they don't know how to
• 37:30
  honor God with it.
• 37:32
  They don't know how to take care of the
• 37:33
  generation around them, and they do not
• 37:35
  know how to even supply their own
• 37:36
  interest."
• 37:37
  You see, the thing is, even in Ahab's
• 37:39
  own interest, why would he keep
• 37:41
  Ben-Hadad safe?
• 37:43
  Cuz Ben-Hadad wanted him dead.
• 37:46
  You see, it's not even reasonable for
• 37:47
  him to keep him around. Listen to me,
• 37:49
  young'un.
• 37:50
  That friend you've got that causes you
• 37:52
  nothing but trouble,
• 37:53
  why do you even keep them around?
• 37:56
  Why do you keep those people around?
• 37:59
  They're not benefiting you.
• 38:01
  You need to give those people up. You
• 38:02
  say, "Preacher, but it's the only friend
• 38:04
  I have." No, it's not.
• 38:07
  I can tell you two people right now
• 38:09
  that's your friend.
• 38:10
  You say, "Who's that?" Well, I promise
• 38:12
  you the Lord Jesus Christ is.
• 38:14
  And I can tell you this preacher loves
• 38:16
  you.
• 38:18
  I want to tell you tonight you don't
• 38:19
  have to live that way
• 38:21
  cuz the cost of a covenant with this
• 38:22
  world is too high.
• 38:24
  Young lady,
• 38:26
  that young man you're seeing, he's not
• 38:27
  causing you anything but trouble.
• 38:29
  Young man, that young lady you're
• 38:31
  seeing, she's not causing you anything
• 38:32
  but trouble. You're doing things that
• 38:33
  you would never otherwise done.
• 38:36
  Why would you stay up with that?
• 38:39
  You say, "Preacher, but I love them."
• 38:41
  Here's the thing about that.
• 38:43
  There's a lot of difference between love
• 38:44
  and lust.
• 38:46
  I'm going to tell you this tonight.
• 38:48
  If your relationship with that young
• 38:50
  lady or that young man doesn't bring you
• 38:51
  closer to God, but if it brings you away
• 38:53
  from God, it's not right.
• 38:56
  If it keeps you from church, it's not
• 38:57
  right.
• 38:58
  If it keeps you from loving your family
• 39:00
  and listening to your mom and daddy,
• 39:02
  if you have to question what you're
• 39:03
  doing, you probably shouldn't be doing
• 39:05
  it.
• 39:08
  Hey, that's for us older people as well.
• 39:11
  That job you've got,
• 39:14
  that hobby you have, those friends you
• 39:15
  hang out with,
• 39:17
  you say, "Preacher, I've not made a
• 39:18
  covenant with them."
• 39:20
  Why don't you ask them?
• 39:23
  You see,
• 39:24
  Ben-Hadad had it all worked out.
• 39:27
  He had it all written down. You know
• 39:28
  what they have all he had to do is sign
• 39:30
  his name to it.
• 39:31
  And let me tell you, child of God, every
• 39:33
  one of you in here, from the youngest to
• 39:35
  the oldest, from the and the wisest to
• 39:38
  the one that don't have much knowledge,
• 39:39
  let me say this to you, it doesn't
• 39:41
  matter where you're at. There's somebody
• 39:43
  that's waiting to get in an agreement
• 39:45
  with you to destroy you.
• 39:48
  Father, I pray in Jesus' name tonight.
• 39:50
  Lord, I don't know what situations are
• 39:52
  here,
• 39:53
  but God, I know how dangerous
• 39:55
  this world is.
• 39:57
  And God, it amazes me that a man that
• 39:59
  you'd given so much means, or that you'd
• 40:02
  given so much blessing to, you allowed
• 40:04
  him to see so much victory,
• 40:06
  yet he still wanted to harbor sin in his
• 40:08
  life. And Lord, you destroyed him for
• 40:11
  it.
• 40:12
  And God, I pray you'd help us remember,
• 40:13
  Lord, that if we harbor things in our
• 40:15
  heart and our life, God, that you will
• 40:17
  judge us for that.
• 40:19
  And Lord, I'm reminded of what your word
• 40:21
  tells us that you're keeping a record of
• 40:22
  the lost.
• 40:24
  But Lord, you're also keeping a record
• 40:25
  of the saved. And you told us in your
• 40:27
  word that we'll be judged when we stand
• 40:29
  before you in the book of Corinthians
• 40:30
  for those things done in the body,
• 40:32
  whether they be good or bad. And there's
• 40:34
  a record, Lord, and if we fail,
• 40:36
  God, you know it.
• 40:38
  And Lord, we'll be judged for that one
• 40:39
  of these days. I'm thankful that you
• 40:40
  forgive us and you have mercy on us.
• 40:43
  But Lord, I know this this morning, this
• 40:45
  evening, God, that you know that record,
• 40:47
  Lord, and we'll stand before you and
• 40:48
  have to give account of that.
• 40:50
  Lord, help us to draw near to you.
• 40:52
  Lord, I pray, God, you would cleanse us
• 40:54
  of all sin and self tonight. And help
• 40:56
  us, Lord, I pray.
• 40:58
  In this time of invitation for just a
• 41:00
  moment, she's going to play just a
• 41:01
  verse.
• 41:02
  Somebody may need to come tonight.
• 41:04
  Let me ask you this.
• 41:07
  Say, "Preacher, I'm going back to
• 41:08
  school. Would you pray for me that
• 41:11
  God would give me strength not to lock
• 41:13
  up with the wrong people?"
• 41:14
  Not to yoke up with the wrong people.
• 41:16
  There may be a young person in here say,
• 41:17
  "Preacher, would you pray for me that
• 41:19
  God [music] will protect me?
• 41:20
  God will help me
• 41:22
  from getting around the wrong
• 41:23
  influences." Yes, God bless you, son.
• 41:25
  Amen. Any of you other young people in
• 41:27
  here tonight, you say, "Preacher, would
• 41:28
  you pray [music] for me that God will
• 41:29
  help me?" God bless you, young lady.
• 41:32
  Amen. I tell you, he's able tonight.
• 41:35
  He is able to help you.
• 41:37
  I tell you this, he'll be your strength.
• 41:40
  The world may [music] hate you,
• 41:42
  but Jesus said, "Marvel not that the
• 41:43
  world hates you." He said, "Know that it
• 41:45
  hated me before it hated you." I want to
• 41:48
  say this, he [music] loves you tonight.
• 41:50
  And he will help you. Amen. And this
• 41:52
  preacher's praying for you. [music] This
• 41:53
  preacher loves you. And if you need any
• 41:55
  help, I don't care what time of day or
• 41:56
  night, you call me and I'll do whatever
• 41:58
  I can. But [music] I'm thankful that
• 41:59
  when you can't reach me, there's a God
• 42:01
  in heaven. Oh, hallelujah. There's
• 42:03
  somebody that loves you, and he cares
• 42:06
  for you, and he wants to give you
• 42:07
  victory.
• 42:10
  I pray for you, folks, [music] this
• 42:12
  morning that's in that corporate work
• 42:14
  world as well.
• 42:16
  God knows what you face.
• 42:18
  God knows the language you hear.
• 42:21
  The things you have to deal with. I'm
• 42:22
  praying that God would give you strength
• 42:25
  and help you with that.
• 42:27
  Say, "Preacher, would
• 42:29
  you pray for me? I'm dealing with
• 42:30
  something in my family."
• 42:32
  Preacher, I'm struggling with my family.
• 42:33
  I've got some Yes, God sees that.
• 42:36
  Got some in my family that just don't
• 42:38
  want to do right, don't want to live
• 42:39
  right, and they want to condemn me for
• 42:40
  trying to live right.
• 42:42
  Would you pray for me?
• 42:44
  God sees those hands. I'll say this
• 42:46
  [music] to you tonight, he's able.
• 42:48
  He is able. You just keep living right.
• 42:50
  As I tell you this, [music] you're
• 42:51
  living for one, and that's him. He's all
• 42:54
  that matters, child of God.
• 42:56
  He is all that matters. And you know
• 42:58
  what? The world can say what they want
• 42:59
  to, even [music] your friends and family
• 43:01
  can say what they want to. If you do his
• 43:02
  will,
• 43:03
  he'll be pleased with you.
• 43:05
  Father, thank you again for this time.
• 43:07
  Thank you for these young people. Thank
• 43:09
  you, Lord, for each individual [music]
• 43:10
  that's here. God, I pray you would help
• 43:11
  us to resolve in our heart, Lord, that
• 43:14
  we wouldn't yoke up with this world.
• 43:17
  God, help us not [music] to covenant
• 43:18
  with the king
• 43:20
  Lord, that would destroy us.
• 43:21
  Lord, I love you in Jesus' name.
• 43:24
  Amen.
• 43:25
  >> Thank you for joining our service today.
• 43:27
  [music]
• 43:28
  We'd love it if you join us in person
• 43:30
  the next time you are able at Meadows
• 43:32
  Baptist Church.
• 43:34
  Our physical address is 2988
• 43:37
  Stuart [music] Road in Walnut Cove,
• 43:39
  North Carolina.
• 43:40
  Our service times are Sunday school at
• 43:43
  10:00 a.m., Sunday morning [music]
• 43:44
  worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
• 43:47
  worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday
• 43:49
  evening Bible study at 7:00 p.m.
• 43:52
  For more information, visit us at
• 43:54
  [music] meadowsbc.com.
• 43:56
  Thanks again for tuning in.
• 43:59
  >> [music]