THE MAN OF GOD AND THE WORD OF GOD

Titles can tell us a lot: President, Principal, Chairman, Coach, Doctor, Deputy, Attorney, Actor.  Titles convey a person’s authority and activity.  Some titles are impressive—“Lord” like those of a royal family; others are infamous—“Don” like those of a crime family.  Titles can speak volumes.

One of the most honorable of titles is to simply be called, “the man of God.”  That means you are His man—God owns you and you have surrendered your life in totality to His service.  The world may not hold that title in high esteem, but in heaven it is a title rarely bestowed and of exceeding worth. 

There is a special authority—you are God’s representative.  There is a select activity—you carry God’s revelation.  You have been sent into the world to proclaim God’s Word.  You are a herald of the King of kings and ultimate allegiance belongs to Him.

When we think of Moses, David, Elijah and Elisha we think of heroes of faith who stood tall for God and so whether having other titles like leader, king, and prophet, the best designation was the simple “man of God.”

Others who bore that title, carried no other—sometimes they were not even named.  They are as one of the men in our text: the man of God.  That’s it—no proper name given, no family designation.  He is God’s man—and that is enough to know.

The authority of the man of God flows from the Word of God.  He has been given the Word, and must speak the Word.  He has it engraved in his heart, utters it from his lips, and reflects his submission to it in his life.  The man of God is inseparable from the Word of God.

In these days of moral confusion and doctrinal compromise, how much we need the man of God with the Word of God!  Whether that man is a produce manager in the marketplace who stands for truth on the job or is a pastor in the church who speaks for truth from the pulpit—laity or clergy—there is a dearth of men who will surrender to God and speak for God!  There were few in Bible times, and there are fewer still today.

What are some lessons we can glean from the man of God with the word of God, as we study the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of 1 Kings?

We see that the man of God has A COURAGEOUS WORD FROM GOD, (1 Kings 13:1-10).

“Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, ‘O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘ “Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ ” And he gave a sign the same day, saying, ‘This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.’ So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, ‘Arrest him!’ Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.” (13:2-5).

From a human viewpoint, to stride into the presence of a king, and as a simple man to utter words of judgment, took great courage!  Surely, the man of God knew the danger involved.  Jeroboam was not happy!  The order came to have this man of God thrown into prison.  Whether it was Jeremiah in the Old Testament or John the Baptist in the New Testament, God’s spokesmen seem to spend a lot of time behind bars.  This is one reason why the church has often been known as a “non-prophet” organization.  People don’t line up to be cut in two, as Isaiah was thought to have been, or have their head cut off, like John the Baptist did.  When the deacon Stephen spoke God’s Word, the congregation gnashed their teeth in fury, took up stones and battered that man of God into a bloody pile of shattered bones.  No wonder there are not many applying for the prophet position!

It takes courage to speak with eternity’s authority against earth’s authority.  It requires courage to underscore there are objective standards in a world that has bought into the idea that there are no absolutes.  It takes courage to stand against the tide, to shout into the fury of the prevailing winds, and be faithful to God; it will cost us something and it may cost us everything!

We also detect a danger to the man of God in that there might be A COMPROMISED WORD FROM GOD, (1 Kings 13:11-34).

“Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. And their father said to them, ‘Which way did he go?’ For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. Then he said to his sons, ‘Saddle the donkey for me.’ So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, ‘Are you the man of God who came from Judah?’ And he said, ‘I am.’ Then he said to him, ‘Come home with me and eat bread.’ And he said, ‘I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the word of the Lord, ‘ “You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’ ” He said to him, ‘I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘ “Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (He was lying to him.) So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘ “Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, ‘ “ ‘Eat no bread and drink no water,’ ” ‘ your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.” ’  So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse.” (13:11-24).

The greatest peril to the man of God is not from the wrath of man due to our faithful stand against sin, but from the displeasure of God as we are unfaithful to submit to His Word ourselves.  The man of God committed a “sin leading to death,” (1 John 5:16), which is a capital crime in the high court of heaven.  This man of God who had courageously faced the king and pronounced God’s message, falls in an unguarded moment of leisure.  One thinks of how David was able to face down a giant in that hour of crisis, but in the night succumbed to the lure of a slender woman.

The man of God had a clear word from God—and he compromised.  It seems like a little thing, but compromise never is.  It is defiance.  It is sin—and God doesn’t take it lightly.  Another “prophet” was complicit in this.  For his own personal benefit—his desire to entertain the “man of God”—he presents this ruse.  You see now why that old prophet who lived in the neighborhood was not sent by God to Jeroboam; that God instead, had to send someone from distant Judah.  That fellow was already a compromiser—and the old spider spins a web that traps the man of God.

It is interesting that there was a claim that an angel had given a different message.  There was a rejection of a clear word from God in favor of an additional revelation from a celestial messenger.  How many cults and false religions have sold the same lie—whether packaged as Mormonism or Mohammedism. This fascination with messages from angels is characteristic of New Age occultism.  Don’t be seduced.  You have a Bible—that’s enough!

Paul said a few things about this:

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things. Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows! But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (2 Cor. 11:3-15).

“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” (Gal. 1:6-10).

This is no small matter!  When the Word of God is compromised, we cease to be the man of God.  We have been swayed by spiritual deception or the desire to please man.  This is deadly.

The man of God has A CONVICTING WORD FROM GOD, (14:1-11).

“Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, ‘Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.’ And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, ‘Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘ “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘ “ ‘Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken!” ’ ” (14:5-11).

One man of God falls and God raises up another.  Ahijah had been faithful and will be faithful to the end.

Jeroboam knows who to turn to when he needs to hear from God.  Ahijah had already prophesied that Jeroboam would become king—and the Word had been fulfilled.  So, he seeks the man of God for guidance about the future, as he had proven reliable in the past.  Speaking for God will seldom bring us popularity, but it will demonstrate integrity. 

Do you want a doctor who tells you what you want to hear or what you need to hear?  My first surgeon had the personality of a cardboard box, but the ability of the best in his field.  That’s the one I wanted for my operation.  He cut me; it hurt, but I was healed.  This is what the Word of God spoken by a man of God can do.

Jeroboam would not take the prescription, even though he respected the physician.  That was the case of King Herod who loved to listen to John the Baptist’s preaching, but would not repent; it was like Pilate who knew Jesus was innocent but caved in to political expedience.  I am fairly certain that both men are in hell—and that is what rejecting the Word of God will do.  Judgment fell on Jeroboam and his household accordingly.

Thankfully, the man of God also has A COMPASSIONATE WORD FROM GOD (14:12-20)

“Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.” (14‬:‭12‬-‭13‬‬).

Even on the darkest days, God will sometimes send a shaft of sunlight breaking through the clouds—in wrath He remembers mercy, (see Habakkuk 3:2).  That is how the gracious God treats a little boy born into a wicked family.  His death was a precious gift.  He would be buried rather than consumed by dogs.  People would be mourning at his funeral instead of celebrating his death.  The little fellow would be welcomed by his Heavenly Father into heaven rather than following the wicked path of his human father, had he grown up in Jeroboam’s palace.

The man of God must share the Word of God, whether people want to hear it or not.  Sometimes, it is blunt and confrontational, smelling of fire and sulfur.  Then, there are times is it blessed and comforting, smelling as Eden’s flowers.

No matter how people evaluate it, ultimately, it is what God says that matters.  Let us be faithful to proclaim and practice the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth—so help us God!

DOCTOR, HOW IS THE PATIENT?

In determining a church’s health there are quantitative and qualitative measurements. Just as when you go for an annual physical, the doctor will look at numbers—take your blood pressure, check your pulse, do blood work, an EKG, and so forth, since numbers help tell a story. But, the physician will also ask questions, look you over, discuss sleep patterns, exercise regularity, and so forth. A good doctor will then suggest any adjustments and improvements that need to be made. You do not have to listen, of course, but then you may find yourself declining and eventually dying should you fail to take action. 

The church is an organism—a living thing. Leaders are stationed by God to evaluate the church’s health. There are quantitative measurements: attendance, baptisms, giving, participation in Bible study, and so forth. But, these do not tell the whole story. There are also qualitative measurements: how many people are called into the mission field, are young men surrendering to Gospel ministry, what community impact is noted, are members growing in grace and knowledge, is the Gospel being shared with regularity, and such?  

The church leaders: elders, deacons, and perhaps other significant leaders (some of which may not have a title but exert influence) are positioned by God to conduct this examination and lead the church toward better health. If the “doctors” shirk their duty or the “patient” will not listen, then decline and death will come.  Churches are in decline and dying all around us. But, with the Lord of Life, it does not have to be, and even those in such a state can be resurrected to a new beginning. You see, the Great Physician is in the miracle working business!  But, He uses leaders to speak into the issues of a local church. We must step up and be honest without being negative to the point of despair.

A RIGHT ACTION WITH A WRONG ATTITUDE

 Being concerned about the state of the church we serve is good. Looking at it from a Biblical lens is essential. Yet, even the right action undertaken with the wrong attitude will be counterproductive. Do you want the church you lead to be healthy and growing? That is all well and good. But, dig deeper. What is your motivation? Is it for the glory of God or your own?

JOY IN THE MINISTRY JOURNEY

It has been a very busy week—day and night of ministry. From 8 to 8 yesterday, I was on the go. Then, this is time change Sunday, and we lose an hour of sleep as our body tries to adjust to the new schedule. We also are aware of how this can potentially shrink church attendance and that even those who come are yawning. Poor, pitiful me! 

Except we don’t have to surrender to such an attitude. The feelings are real, but there Is a greater reality. It is a privilege to be chosen to serve the King! It is an honor that He would give me almost fifty years of Gospel ministry and enough strength to keep going. I do not have to mount a horse to get to church or face a firing squad for my faith. Amazing grace is available to equip me—His Spirit to empower me!  So, I choose to press on with joy!

PRIORITIES FOR THE PASTOR

I have heard it said, “There is not enough time to do all you want to do. There is not enough time to do all others want you to do. There is enough time to do all God wants you to do.”  Whether it be as a preacher at a small country church, a pastor off a metropolitan megachurch, the president of a corporation, or the president of this country we all have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year—and we do not know how many years. What we do with that time is determined by our priorties.  Leading our family and our flock well is essential. Jude lays out in verses 20-23.

The first priority here is BUILDING. “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith.”  We cannot build the church, if we do not build ourselves up. John Maxwell speaks of “The Law of the Lid” as one of his irrefutable laws of leadership. My leadership is a lid, and only as I lift my capacity will I be able to lift others. How do I build them? “Preach the Word,” Paul commanded in 2 Timothy 4.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. If the Word won’t do it, it won’t get done.

The next priority Jude lists is PRAYING, “praying in the Holy Spirit.”  When I work, my hands can accomplish what a man can do. When I pray, God works, and will accomplish what only He can do. Someone has said, “There is much to do after we pray, but nothing to do until we pray!”

Then, we find the priority of LOVING, “keep yourselves in the love of God,.”  The Great Commandment is to love God with all our being and then to love others as ourselves. God’s love for us is our model and His love in us is the means. Without love, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 that we are just a lot of noise as we speak. 

Further, we focus on LOOKING, “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”  We have talked about faith and love. Now, we focus on the third Christian virtue of hope. The blessed hope in the return of Christ is one that must be sounded forth from our pulpit and a motivating force in our life and ministry. Ours is a hopeless world apart from Christ, and people are searching for it. Give it to them and they will soak it in!

Last, but not least, let us labor in REACHING, “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” This is evangelism, and it must claim a priority. This is the Great Commission. The fires of Hell await those who reject Christ. Let us do all we can to “rescue the perishing…snatch them in pity from sin and the grave,” as the hymn exhorts.

There—that should keep us busy!  Do this for your family and your flock and you will be a success in God’s eyes. What else matters?

YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME

“You’ve got a friend in me!” That’s the title of Randy Newman’s song from Toy Story. It is also my heart for other pastors. I consider it one of my primary tasks and a privileged service as an Associational Mission Strategist for Haywood Baptists. 

Some wonder what good an association of churches is—and I will quickly answer there are many blessings that flow from such a fellowship. There is greater Kingdom impact when churches work together for advancing the Gospel than if one church tries it alone. We pool our resources. We learn from one another. None of us have all the gifts and together we are better. 

The unity pictured in an association of churches is what Christ prayed for in John 17. As we are bound together in truth and love, the world not only hears the Gospel, but sees it. In a world that is increasingly polarized, we can stand against that tendency united by truth. From the outset, God told us, “It is not good for man to be alone.”  I say to our pastors—you are not alone. You’ve got a friend in me.  I will be your sounding board, a counselor, a listening ear, a confidant, and a resource. Get in touch. You need it, and I do too!

THE HORROR OF THE HERETIC

The focus of 2 Peter 2 is the features of false teachers. If the Devil cannot beat the church, he will join the church. His best weapon is to place a man in the pulpit as a pied piper to lead the people to their doom. Often, such preachers seem solid and sound, but inside they are hollow and rotting—as a tree destined to fall. Their crash not only destroys them, but those who have gathered under their branches.  The horror of the heretic is not only experienced by him, but by those he influences.  How does this happen?

There is REFORMATION.  “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning,” (v. 20). The sad reality is that you can have a knowledge of the Lord and Savior intellectually and even emotionally without knowing the Lord and Savior personally. We see this often in people who will make a profession of faith and yet do not have a possession of faith as there is no perseverance in faith. This not only happens to people in the pew, but preachers in the pulpit!  They exhibited behavior that attested to salvation at first. But it is reformation and not regeneration. The outside conduct was clean while the inside character was still corrupt. Jesus described such hypocritical religious leaders in his day as “white-washed tombs,” beautiful outwardly, but inside there was death. Eventually, such become entangled again in the world and are overcome by it.

There is then REGRESSION.  “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them,” (v. 21).  They had facts in their head, but without faith in their heart. The doctrinal facts about Jesus are essential, but are not enough. They can stir the  feelings but unless they move us to submission—to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior—there is no salvation. Eventually, these depart from the faith. Today it is called, “deconstruction.”  We have heard of notable preachers who have departed from the faith. 

Peter illustrates it this way: “But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’” (v. 22‬‬).  Dogs and pigs behave as they do because of what they are. You can take a dog to the most exquisite cafe and he will still consume what he regurgitates. You can wash and perfume a pig, but it will roll in the mud at first opportunity. Without regeneration there is eventually regression.

The horror of the heretic is the end—and that is RETRIBUTION. Peter states it, “the latter end is worse for them than the beginning,” (v. 20), and stresses, “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them,” (v. 21). The ultimate horror of the heretic is hell—something he no longer believes in. It often begins with him avoiding the topic in his sermons, and moves to questioning it in his heart, to denying it in his unbelief. When he discovers the reality of God’s wrath it will be too late. The gravity of that judgement will be immense as it not only is in measure of his own apostasy, but increases in intensity due to those he has dragged down to hell with him!

God help us—help me—to not have such an end, but rather have the testimony of the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Tim.‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭8‬‬).

Peter once wavered. He denied the Lord three times!  Yet, he did not stay there. He fell in the mud, but got up and cleaned up!  He repented because he was regenerated. If you are struggling, listening to seductive false teaching, then cast yourself in brokenness upon the Lord. Trust in Him! Believe His Word.

Without question, the greatest evangelist of the last century was Billy Graham. Yet, his grandson, Will, recounted that it almost did not happen.

He wrote, 

“a very good friend and contemporary of my grandfather’s, a man named Charles Templeton, had begun challenging my granddaddy’s way of thinking. Mr. Templeton, who had preached with Youth For Christ as well, had gone on to study at Princeton, where he began to believe that the Bible was flawed and that academia – not Jesus – was the answer to life’s problems. He tried to convince my grandfather that his way of thinking was outdated and the Bible couldn’t be trusted….

One night at Forest Home, he walked out into the woods and set his Bible on a stump – more an altar than a pulpit – and he cried out: ‘O God! There are many things in this book I do not understand. There are many problems with it for which I have no solution. There are many seeming contradictions. There are some areas in it that do not seem to correlate with modern science. I can’t answer some of the philosophical and psychological questions Chuck and others are raising.’

And then, my grandfather fell to his knees and the Holy Spirit moved in him as he said, “Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word—by faith! I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be Your inspired Word!’

My granddaddy wrote in his autobiography that as he stood up his eyes stung with tears, but he felt the power and presence of God in a way he hadn’t in months. “A major bridge had been crossed,” he said.

(From an article by Will Graham, https://billygraham.org.uk/p/the-tree-stump-prayer-when-billy-graham-overcame-doubt/)