I Kings 13:1-32

• v2 – See fulfillment in II Kings 23.

What God requires for salvation is not difficult (John 7:17).

• It only becomes difficult when man gets in the way.

• Man can understand, believe, and carry out God’s requirements for salvation. He can be what God requires one to be.

All of God’s commands are to be respected.

• There was nothing wrong with eating or drinking in Samaria, except for what God told this specific prophet.

• There is no room for rationalizing around God’s commands.

God’s commands must be strictly obeyed, even if we can’t see the reason behind them.

• Examples:

  • Hebrews 10:24-25 – Not forsaking the assembly.

  • Genesis 2; Matthew 9:6 – God’s marriage law.

The sad effects of believing a lie.

• The prophet thought the deceiving prophet had received a later revelation.

• Many in the religious world today make the same mistake of believing a lie.

Sin cannot successfully be committed.

• It may be pleasurable, but it will not be successful.

• Numbers 32:23 – Your sin will find you out.

• Galatians 6:7-8

Disobedience is fatal.

• A lion slew the disobedient prophet.

• II Thessalonians 1:7-9

• Matthew 7:24 – Sin is fatal.

How do we react to God’s commands?

Romans 12:10 – Outdo each other in serving one another.

Book: Start with Why by Simon Sinek

• “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”

• The Golden Circle – Why, how, what

What is my purpose as a Christian?

The aim of our charge

• To behave differently.

  • I Timothy 3:14-15

• To teach the word.

  • I Timothy 1:19

• To be an example.

  • I Timothy 4:12

• I Timothy 1:5

• Matthew 6:33-34

• I Thessalonians 4:1, 10

• I Corinthians 9:24-27

• II Corinthians 5:9

• Philippians 3:10-12

• II Corinthians 13:11-13 – Aim for restoration

• I Timothy 1:5

• II Timothy 2:4

• II Timothy 3:10-15

• II Timothy 2:22 – Pursue righteousness

Four ways to draw even closer to God this week.

• Read with your spouse, kids, or friends.

• Pray for someone.

• Discuss a sermon/class/podcast with a friend.

• Do something nice for someone.

Win the week, win the war!

Acts 2:41; 6:1 – Prayer was a big part of the lives of the apostles and the early Christians.

Romans 12:12

Make it an engrained part of your routine.

• Daniel 6:10-11 – Even threatening death would not stop Daniel.

• Nehemiah 1 – Nehemiah wept and prayed for days!

• Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:16, 28; 10:17, 21; 23:46

Freshen up your phrases.

• Matthew 6:5-15 – Avoid meaningless repetition.

• Psalms 51:16-17 – God demands a broken and contrite heart.

• Changing our wording forces us to think, which is what we should be doing when we pray.

• Have you tried writing or typing out a prayer?

• Psalm 48 – Include praise in your prayers.

• Colossians 4:2 – Include thankfulness in your prayers.

Develop a proper heart.

• Luke 18:9-14

• Romans 8:5 – We should be spiritually minded.

  • Colossians 3:2

Read a whole book of the Bible in one sitting.

• Deuteronomy 8:3

• Psalms 119:1-16

• We need Jesus as our shepherd! (See https://berksblog.net/2020/07/03/we-are-sheep-he-is-the-shepherd-we-need-an-illustration/)

• I Thessalonians 5:27

• You have more time for Bible reading than you think! (Infographic - https://www.crossway.org/articles/infographic-you-can-read-more-of-the-bible-than-you-think/)

• A good reading option: ESV Reader’s Bibles: https://www.crossway.org/articles/a-guide-to-esv-readers-bibles/

Pray for longer than 2 minutes.

• Luke 18:1-8

• Nehemiah 2:4; 1:4-6; 4:4; 5:19; 6:9; 13:14, 22, 29 – Nehemiah was a man of prayer.

Listen/watch another sermon/class

• I Timothy 4:16

• II Timothy 2:2

• Many churches have started putting classes and sermons online because of the COVID-19 outbreak. This can be a great resource for us!

• Acts 17:11 – Examine what you hear!

• Recommendations:

  • https://www.humblechurchofchrist.com/Humble_Sermon_Recordings/2020/2020_Sermons_mp3_recordings.htm

  • https://lhmcallen.org/sermons-laurel-heights-church-mcallen-tx/

  • http://www.justchristians.com/sermons

  • http://www.thebibleway.com/audio/sermons

  • http://www.dowlenroad.com/sermons-alt/

Send a note to someone.

• II Corinthians 2:13; 7:6-7

• Communication can be a great boost to others!

I Peter 2:21

Angered, but righteous

• Mark 3:1-5 – Jesus was angry at their hardness of heart.

• Mark 6:3

• It’s easy for us to get riled up at sin, and then sin in return.

• I Thessalonians 5:15 – Don’t repay evil for evil!

• Acts 17:5 – Rioting!

• I Peter 3:8-9

• I Corinthians 13:5

• Acts 18:12, 17 – Evil going unpunished is not a new thing!

Anxious, but trusting

• Luke 12:49-50

• Luke 22:39-46 – Jesus underwent great stress but trusted in God.

• John 16:32-33

• I Peter 2:21-23 – Jesus entrusted Himself to God.

Aware, but optimistic

• Matthew 9:35-38; 10:1, 6-7, 16-17, 21-23 – Jesus was not naïve about the dangers, but He knew the people needed the word of God.

• Matthew 11:1 – The world needed the gospel then and it needs it now!

• Matthew 28:19

• The gospel is the greatest weapon in the world, and it’s the only thing that can change hearts and minds.