God Will Have The Last Word

There was an article a few years ago that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle's regarding a young man who, while he was walking along the street. He found a five dollar bill and then when he picked it up. He made eval right then and now that he will never keep his eyes off the street anymore that he will walk looking down not up. I don't have to be very bright to realize that this is very dangerous, but the paper went on to say in our cortisone over the years. He accumulated among other things. 29,516 buttons 54,172 pins $0.12 a bent back in a miserly disposition, but he also missed him something he lost see the glory of the sunlight, the radiance of the stars and the smiles of friends and the freshness of a blue sky. Even as secular newspaper can discern the misery of greed. The Bible tells us that there are even greater consequences to greed and covetousness. The Bible tells us that unbridled greed produces an unadulterated misery that uncontrollable covetousness results from debating grief in life that the fever of wanting more and more and more can only produce a perpetual pain and incompleteness and emptiness and I cannot think of a better example about what greed and covetousness, and NV can do to a person and the consequences of it is in this story of Ahab and Jezebel and hearing the story and this juncture in our series, we confront a poor man a simple man but faithful man by the name of Naboth, which is relied here on the small vineyard a small piece of land in the only problem is is abutted up against King Ahab's garden of his summer palace. First, you need to understand what it means to own a vineyard for a Jew for a Jew to all of vineyard is a big deal, and more than that it was his inheritance. Just as the people of God came out of the desert into the promised land were given inheritance, you who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have been given an inheritance that is yours for eternity.

And just as Jezebel and Ahab have tried to take that inheritance from this man who refused, and even he died for you and I under the command of God to hold them to our inheritance in Christ, no matter who tells us to do what no matter what pressure we have undressed no matter what difficulties we get into that I want inheritance is incorruptible, and we must hold on to it until we see Jesus face-to-face vineyard was the very emblem of Israel itself. Vineyard was a very sign of fruitfulness to a Jew in Isaiah chapter 5 God compares Israel to a vineyard to all vineyard in Israel is to possess the very symbol of the nation.

But this poor Naboth when his ancestors came from out of slavery into the desert, then into the promised land.

Part of that inheritance with this piece of land in the only problem was it was so close to King Ahab's garden, and I have felt incomplete without owning the whole of the surrounding land. I wanted to hear me accurately enough to misunderstand me, please.

Greed always makes you feel incomplete greed will always make you feel discontented. No matter how much you have over how much you don't have. You will feel incomplete unless you get more and more in the more you get, the more incompletely going to feel heard the story about the employer who was walking into the staff lunch room one day and he heard one of his work is saying if I only had $1000.

My problems will be sold and I'll be perfectly content he's being blessed of God, and he knew that not $1000.

Not all the money in the world is going to make anybody perfectly contented. He came over. He said here's $1000 is a thousand only give it to you because I love to see somebody completely happy.

He hasn't even gone around the corner from the cafeteria within earshot, he heard her say why in the world did not say 2000. That's what greed does you never contented and Ahab's greed is like a man who has a nail in his shoe. He could never enjoy walking anywhere because of that nail's greed was like the man who owned the Rolls-Royce, but he was frustrated because he could not have somebody else's motorscooter years ago. Some of you remember that greed was one of the seven deadly sins. In fact, when the word greed is mentioned. Most of us conjure in our minds. Ebenezer Scrooge in the back room counting money, but all of this has changed and thanks to the movie industry. Michael Douglas could say greed is good, but regardless of what modern day dress that we put on greed. It is in the garden of Eden to go to find the best definition of greed. I want to stop right here because I want to tell you and I think most of you know what I'm going to say that the word is misused, and often abused. There are people use that word to manipulate you to think their way.

Do you remember the days of the colonists that consider capitalism to be greeted they forgot hard work and achievement in doing something right with one's life is greed hogwash. That is not the biblical definition of greed. There are some in our society today who feel that those who work hard and earn their living ought to be willing to give their money away to those who can work and refused to work for Gannett that is not the biblical greed biblical greed is this that you will note at the one thing that God said you cannot have and then you reach out and you get it. That is the biblical definition of greed. You look at the one thing that God said you can't have a new reach out and you take it. Greed is the obsession of getting what you do not have. Greed is a state of non-contentment. No matter how much you have, or you don't have. Greed is the state of constant and emptiness and thinking just the next thing is going to make you happy and the next thing is going to make you happy and you not happy. Greed is loading up your credit card and having no way to pay back greed is getting in your car and go to the mall and buy some things that you don't need, and you never use. This is a proper definition of greed.

But then there is a fine line between the desire of greed and crossing over to accomplish the desire of greed.

There is a fine line between the desire of greed and breaking the law to accomplish the desire Ahab had enough knowledge of the Old Testament, the law of God.

He had enough knowledge in his head not to cross that line but not bailed worshiping Gentile Jezebel. His wife, she did. Jezebel asked her husband I have what's wrong why are you sullen and you can almost hear the wind blabbering into the IRS neighbor for just relied to settlement his vineyard but he refused, so meeting someone I Jezebel was a woman of action.

Jezebel was a woman of determination, she made up for the weakness of her wimpy husband and while the king had very little moral compunction because of his Jewish background and his knowledge of the law. Jezebel didn't. She had no morals whatsoever. She never let anything or anyone stand in her way. She was coldhearted and she would lie under oath, and everybody thought she was charming. Look at verse seven of first Kings 21 is what you basically saying I give your use of translation get up eat and drink, I will kill to give you what your heart really desires was a preacher from yesteryear had a graphic way of describing Jezebel and I have been. He said Ahab squatted on the throne of Israel like a toad squatting on the toadstool and Jezebel coil beside him like another is a much more graphic way than just saying I have was a bad kid.

Verse eight. It shows you the determination which led her to forgery and hypocrisy and treachery. She forged a letter in the king's name and then she stole his signet ring and she stamped that letter and why the media confronted her about all this. She said all I was doing is helping my husband to do the job that he was elected to do.

She told the population of Jezreel to proclaim a day of fasting was at me. What did she do that well her public relation officer's have explained to her that the Jewish people when they got a call at they which the going to judge somebody they call a day of fasting.

So she went to heaven and that have dirty work using the law of God abusing it.

In fact she was functioning as a key she was not elected to function as a king. She bribed two false witnesses to testify against this poor faithful man of God.

Naboth is one of the 7000 you remember from the last message that God told Elijah that he has the 7000 people who have never about the bail web never kiss the feet of bail and here's one of them faithful man holding on God's inheritance for him. He was not going to let it go for anything, even to the wicked king.

I have so she brings these two false witnesses put him in front of Naboth and bring false accusation with Naboth to be blaspheming God and to be blaspheming the king that is a capital crime punishable with a capital punishment of stoning by death. I can only imagine. As I looked at this again and again.

I'm going to tell you why you so graphic for me and why understand the picture of astonishment and horror in the pit of his stomach is as he stood there and heard these people telling lies about human and imagine how he was group in that fear with false accusation this wicked woman should an innocent blood. Why, greed, covetousness, jealousy or shape of the vestry. Not so long ago in one of my devotions, a story is told about two men. One was an envious man and the other one was a covetous man, the rule of the length of the message saying grandson one wish each with one proviso, the one who chooses first will get exactly what he asks for in the other man will get exactly twice what the first one asked for himself. Now the envious man was to choose first. Imagine envious man is trying to choose something for which the covetous man has to get twice as much to quandary.

Well, if I asked for a fortune is going to get twice as much if I asked for a palace to get to palaces, whatever. I asked what is going to twice and envious person cannot stand, it's a disease so he thought about it for a while and then he asked for one of his eyes to be plucked out in very jealousy, covetousness can never bring peace and never bring joy. I want to pause here for a moment and tell you about the influence of women that they have over men. This is not trivial and I'm adjusting I want to tell you in all seriousness that women who minimize their own influence are unaware of the fact that simple. Both the word of God and 2000 years of Christian history present us with the fact that women are spiritually more susceptible than men.

I'm not absolving men of their responsibilities.

No, don't misunderstand me, but what I'm telling you is factual. I have known enough history, whether through the missionary movement of the student volunteer movement and all the movement of God use flat Christian history. I know enough to be able to tell you that women are able to elevate the nation to a spiritual high pitch or denigrated to the lowest level of failure. Women are able to influence the church into the white heat of revival or divided into littleness and prettiness of division women can lead the home to become heaven itself, or can cause at the sizzle with the flame of hell listen to me. God has placed that power in the hands of women. I am telling you from the authority of the word of God. After all, imagine with me if Jezebel was a godly woman.

She could've looked.

I have been the iron she would've said honey you have mass and you have gas and you have that you have this you don't need the sugar syrup I have. You have all that you want further darling.

You have me buttercup, but you didn't. She did instead she catered to the worst and the lowest in the darker side of him, pushing him further.

Someone said Ahab was evil without Jezebel, but he was worse because of her outside of London, England. There's a tombstone in the symmetry and reads. She died for want of things, and right next to it.

Another tombstone reads. He died trying to give them to her.

Now this is a play.

This would be the end of act one in the beginning of act two, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was now dead. She went to Ahab and she said the vineyard is yours. It's our anniversary present and he was called heartedness verse 16 he goes down to take possession of it. Please hear me right the word of God, never, never, never denied that it is an eminently realistic book, the Bible never takes its character and clean them and wash them and dress them up and wrap them in cellophane and then present them as untouchables know the Bible is an eminently realistic book, and the Bible said that there is pleasure in sin for a moment for the season. If someone coverts another man's business or another man's wife or another man's possession. There is a moment of anticipation and when you are riding the wave of sin of covetousness.

You may feel that you are larger-than-life that you are living above all the circumstance but it is only for the season. It's only for a season when you look at this and you see what is happening, you have to ask and say where is God where is God when the honest man like Naboth is unjustly killed. Where is God where is God when this bail worshiping woman Jezebel defiles a whole nation where is God where is God when vacillating wimp liking.

I have conducted Naboth's vineyard and enjoy the fruit of his murder and greed.

Where is God.

It is a legitimate question and it's a right question.

In fact, this is a very question that the psalmist in Psalm 73 asked. In fact, he even only asked that question. He comes in and confesses at the end and he says I've almost lost my spiritual footing of almost flat of almost forsaken God and my faith, he said, because he looked around and he saw the wicked seem to be getting away with their wickedness and and he saw the there were wearing their pride on the index as a necklace and getting away with her teeth, looked around, and he saw the screaming and mocking garden and they seem to be getting away with it. Where is God in all of this, this and carefully God is there and just because he is merciful just because he is long-suffering. It does not mean that he is not just don't judge by appearances. Don't think that this life is all that is be patient and wait, and you will see the goodness of God first in chapter 21 verse 17 the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tisha bike go down and meet I have king of Israel who rules over Samaria. God knew what he was using his right that enables is vineyard where he is going to take possession. He knows what's happening is what's going on what what lysate I have Vista's are the larger you go down and tell him not to enjoy your vineyard too much as my own translation.

You know what I mean is don't enjoy it too much because the dogs that looked Naboth's block is going to lick you this. Don't ever ever confuse God's patience is God's weakness or God's indifference God's unfairness don't misjudge God because God will always have the last word.

Can you imagine how I have felt after he heard this message every time there's a dog. The box name is Doug Bucklew. He was say to me what Michael does this God always execute judgment immediately like this. Usually not usually not. It is an exception that Adam is confronted by God in the garden. There is an exception that Kane was marked as an exception that David was confronted with his sin is an exception that Herod the great died rocketing inwardly because of the slaughter of the infants. It is an exception that Ananias and Sophia dropped dead right in front of the apostles when they lied to them. These might be exceptions, but the examples are examples. There are enough to remind us that the consequences of sin can be immediate or be delayed but make no mistake about it, no one will escape the justice of God. No, God will always have the last word.

Some of you may be so indifferent to the faith and you never submitted your life to Jesus Christ as where I'm getting old. I'll do that later on I'll do that because you blessed in your life you don't see a need for believing in you think you getting away with it but the voice of God speaking to you concerning don't think my patience is going to be forever. You might think that you are getting away with your life of compromise that you getting away with your life of in the world and all of the world and then the church should be a different person.

Don't think you get away with that, because nothing happened to you don't misjudge God. Don't be tempted to think that God doesn't care about your sin simply because nothing has happened yet. The Bible said that God commands all men everywhere to repent. For he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world by this man, Jesus Christ.

God is after is repentance frisking 22 verse 34 a have goes to the battle disguised and then he gets shot in the battle. I don't know what you translation your Bible said there are no accidents of God. I guarantee you that arrow probably went all over town and come back and found the low spot God said it, please listen carefully to the details of the aftermaths.

It's an example of what God will do encounter King I have told a shofar should get out of the battlefield take me out of your wounded he runs out of the battlefield in the blood of his mood begins to flow into the chariot on the floor of the chariot, so after he was buried, the chariot gets washed in the pool in Samaria where the prostitutes were blazing in their the Bible said the dogs licked up his blood. Just as the word of God said God will always have the last word in others an irony here and I'm convinced the Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible for the day so you can understand that I can understand it a have introduced the worship of bail and compromising the nation and brought in cultic prostitution to the nation of Israel, so the dogs licked his blood from the pool where the prostitutes available basic. Shed blood. The blood of Naboth cried out to God and his blood pressure, I want to tell you this and I'm going to conclude there are basically three judgments. There is an internal judgment that is between you and God you judge yourself and come to God in repentance and God will forgive you, but then there's an external judgment. External judgment when consequences of your sins. God doesn't get an estimate.

It is all going to do now God doesn't do that.

I explained that once before so simple.

If Otto my kid not to touch far as afar is going to burn when the kid will testify will happening about God says what you going to get is the consequences of your choice. God is vindictive God sitting up there and whip you owe it doesn't work that way. This is not all God, but the external judgment of your sins and become, and if neither of those happen work or lead you to repentance. Then there is eternal judgment of God forbid, not a person listening to me today what ever end up in their eternal judgment. The best judgment of all his seat, internal judgment, why because you judge yourself and because it is done between you and God.

I don't know what it is that you need to judge in your life today.

Perhaps it's a relationship that does not belong in your life. Perhaps a processional or money that is not yours.

And that doesn't belong to you and your holding. Perhaps it's a an unbridled lust for someone or something.

Perhaps it's an anger that is absolutely eating you alive. Whatever it is the Holy Spirit is very able to tell you and tell me what it is that we need to exercise internal judgment. The best thing that could happen is when each of us exercise internal judgment because the Bible said that if we judge ourselves, we will not be judged by God. It is the desire of a merciful loving compassionate caring God that the very moment that you are convicted of sin is a very moment you repent of and of the Lord is bringing on the conviction today.

This is the very presence of God, do not harden your heart to know how you can measure your spiritual growth at the your way by which you can measure your spiritual growth. How short is the time between sin in your repentance and forsaking of that sin. If internal judgment does not happen.

You will be judged externally and if it does not work. The worst of all of all judgments is eternal judgment. And if the teller judgment is the only option you gonna leave the God that is the only option that he will offer back to you. The Bible said the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from every sin fought word, deed, whatever it may be what I'm talking about here is not another renewing of your commitment to God.

That's what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about a momentary decision that you make based on emotions and then when you walk out of these doors you forgot all about it.

That is not what I'm talking about. I am talking about that phone call that you need to make and talk about that letter that you need to write and talk about that visit that you probably drank, but you need to make on talking about the restitution that God is been telling you need to make need to pay you to do it now. You have a choice with you place yourself under the internal judgment of the external judgment of eternal judgment. You have a choice whether you place yourself under God's mercy for God's judgment.

I want to tell you what I I deserve nothing anybody close to me know that Norma Hart but are often said to the Lord, Lord, I deserve nothing but your judgment, but I will place myself under your mercy anytime precious heavenly father you know who we are what we made of your binoculars reaches all the way down to the past or present in the future and therefore Lord withstand the testimony I stand here is a testimony, Lord, to seek to seek internal judgment floor. The tie judge myself there. We judge ourselves. Father God, whatever it is that we ask you to empower us to rid of the side walk afresh with you today.

Father I pray that this be not just a mental decision but active decision. Father I pray that the loss of joy and peace in the fact it's heaven seem like I am sometimes an earthlike brass and the dryness in our spiritual life of hearing you today we go out in these last days and make you know that I pray that in Jesus. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that LTW.Ward