1 Kings Overview Part 4 - The Worst of Jeroboam: Taking God’s Word As A Material With No Confirmation

It is not so important if our numbers are not big or the atmosphere is not great in our Friday meetings. What is more important are the prayers that we bring here. This number can in fact change the whole world. The prayer that we bring here is very important. Before the meeting, the workload should be less, there should be enough rest, and definitely there should be no overtime. Do not say, “I am tired” because the darkness will overwhelm us immediately. Some of us cannot make it today because of illness. However, though Satan will want to attack and disrupt the meeting, we can counter attack him by just praying for those who cannot come to this discipleship training and continue with the meeting! Some of us sleep in meetings. It is okay and we just need to get healed in this area. During the meeting, we just join together the message with our lives. During the meeting, we acquire the life so that we can preserve and revive our hearts and minds, but what happens if we just let our life go after the meeting? No! More than the convictions that are obtained during meetings, we must hold on to it even more after the meetings! For our church, for our family, this is the most important time during the whole week! One day, the Holy Spirit is going to fill us and this will come true. Therefore, if we are truly confirmed to be the main characters of this age in Singapore, even a slight lax or weakness in prayers before, during, and/or after prayers is going to affect Singapore and the timetable of our family. Nevertheless, we just hold on to God and move on.

To continue with 1 Kings, do not be discouraged and let any fear reign in our hearts. Command the darkness to leave and hold on to His promise.

These are the 4 main contents in 1 Kings:

1. Success

2. Failure

3. Division

4. Ahab and Elijah

1. Success

1) Success is inheriting the faith of Abraham, Moses, and David

There is no use if Adonijah looks like David. There is no use if we look like preachers, or even Christians! But do we have a life that died and resurrected <Assurance of salvation>? Our failures stem from not having the assurance of salvation! Repeatedly, we are bound by problems. Satan laughs at this always, because there is no one “with bones”. Satan saw Job had this assurance and therefore he inflicted suffering on Job.However, Job replied, “Blessings come from God, and He takes things away.”

2) Life and Thoughts System

Towards God, towards self, towards all creation -> Perfect Will

What do we immediately think of when we are met with problems in work? We shall think from the life and thoughts system! Those who have the system towards God, towards self, and towards all creation will not drift around but will acquire the perfect will of God. Therefore, we must treasure time, and discover the pleasing will of God (Ephesians). Some people remain in their own thoughts and waste one whole year. They waste their time, emotions, money, etc. A lot of people waste a lot of money in playing, yet are not happy in the end. They use a lot of time to try to fix up the interpersonal relationships, but in the end, they get worse.

3) Built Temple

(1) I

(2) Body of Christ (I plus I)

(3) Altar = Message

God will deal with those who look down upon their life, the body of Christ and the altar message.. God is unlimited. After one receives the born-again life, and have the life and thoughts system fixed up, they are to build the temple their whole life so that the temple gets more and more beautiful. For example, until yesterday, I do not know His will and my judgment has been wrong on some matters. However, after I used the fixed perspective, I know His will and His absolute answer. Therefore, my temple has become more beautiful. Therefore, whenever (I plus I) “one by one” come together and pray, God will be with them. And the building or the place becomes secondary and it does not matter too much. When God’s word is absent or more meaningfully, if the word of God is not spoken at the altar, there will be no more use for the place and God will destroy it.

This is a spiritual message. The blessings in our family are acquired this way.

4) Offer Sacrifice

Burnt Offering (Born again)

Grain Offering (Thanksgiving)

When we use the perspective of the born again system to see, everything becomes a new creation and is never again negative, therefore we have the reason to give thanks.

Peace Offerings

There is definitely a system. Therefore when Solomon built the temple, he offered the sacrifices.

5) Result: All nations, various nations find Solomon

In the future, all people will find you. Some will find us because of our expertise in preaching, in shepherding, in children ministry, in overseas missions (business missions), in leading choirs and music, etc. If people find us only because of money like Bill Gates, those with life (the church) will not come and find us! What is the career that we want to acquire? Our vision is to get a job that is like Joseph or Daniel, even if there are great problems! Think about it: what is it that - we are to be and what is the kind of great job or career we are to acquire - can attract all people interested in life to us? It is not just being great or earning great amounts of money. I was thinking if 500 people suddenly come to our church, will I from then on step up to attract all people? All people in the world look for physical things. If we want to be people who are wise, we must have the correct perspective. People like Bill Gates will not come before God and humble themselves.

2. Failure

Where does the failure of Solomon come from? We cannot use the world’s system to view the church. If the church goes into the politics, and it gets complicated and make things bad...

1) Gentile women (loved them) = Compromise -> Habit

The bible says Solomon “loved them”. This is about the fallen nature, about the spiritual fallen nature. We cannot vow and say that we will not fall. When the greed and the fear come, we will immediately fall. Men are like people of Noah’s time, where they saw the beauty of the world and compromised. We must be sensitive to this, so that we know what has happened to us from morning till now. I am talking about the spiritual dimension. Why do I lose the strength, and the discouragement overwhelms me in a moment?

If this becomes a habit, idols will form up.

2) Idols -> Assimilation

Visible idols, Invisible idols

Visible idols are actually the manifestation of the invisible idols. For example, the love of money, if continued, will bring us to worship the idol of money blessings. Those who want creativity will want to worship the monkey god. Therefore, because of the fear and motives in man, the darkness becomes so real so that they need to worship idols. Idols become numerous because of this.

Whatever the world loves, hates, cries, Israel follows. Therefore, people do not love the 4 gospelizations, but love the world.

3) The anger of Jehovah -> do not repent (Warnings)

God continued to give chances to Solomon and to many kings. However, they do not repent. Therefore discipline continued to come.

Leviticus tells us the 5 offerings, the mystery to solve the anger of Jehovah, yet people do not know how to rid themselves of the weaknesses and they do not repent despite repeated warnings.

4) Many adversaries are arisen (People do not like you)

Therefore, people do not like you and you begin not to like people around. Therefore wars began in the family and work.

5) Division

Deuteronomy tells us to get the fixed perspective so that like in Joshua, there is conquest of Canaan.

3. Division: Northern Israel (19), Southern Judah (20->12/8)

Why are there divisions in the family, and why so in the church? Why do deacons accuse the preacher and preacher accuse yet another? The church divides and has 100 voices if there are 100 members.

What is the greatest difference of North Israel and Judah? No matter how Northern Israel “performs”, God never brought them back. Judah has the root (remnants) of the gospel. Therefore good kings will rise up among them.

When Solomon lost the glory of God, he put the people of Israel under great yoke. Israel asked for a more gentle treatment. If Rehoboam knew the gospel, he would treat them gentler. Yet he depended on his peers and put greater yoke on them.

1 Kings 12:10-11

It is easy to see which belongs to the gospel. Religion causes oppression, isolation, and reservations against people. Jeroboam can be said to be a servant of God, such that a man of God anointed him by tearing his new clothes into 12 pieces and gave 10 to Jeroboam. The emphasis here is that Jeroboam started wrongly on his ministry and responsibility. Therefore, the whole 10 tribes of Israel failed.

1 Kings 12:26-34

Jeroboam feared that the people would still follow the house of David. Look at this - the worship of idols started from fear! Similarly, Jeroboam made the golden calves as in the days of Exodus because of fear. He instituted priests by his own feelings and liking. Do we institute deacons and elders by the ways of the world and from our own judgment? Jeroboam even instituted his own date of sacrifice. The problem of this age is no other but doing as people wished.

Is it strange that a prophet, an old man, told and cheated of the man of God to eat and drink? This passage is not to blame the man of God. This is for the sake of Jeroboam! Why was Jeroboam destroyed? This is because he heard with his own ears that the man of God was going to go by another way without eating and drinking due to the seriousness of the matter. Jeroboam should fear and take heed then as he witnessed the whole matter from the beginning till the end. However, he was not able to return to the Lord because he did not have the faith ideology!

What is the most serious problem of Jeroboam? Yes, we know that he did not obey the instruction of the Lord. However, fundamentally, he did not inherit David and Abraham’s system! David was not perfect. However, he had the system of Jesus Christ. Therefore, even if he committed the most serious sin, he had the most blessed gospelized way of healing and sanctification.

Many people use their own judgment to decide for themselves who shall be leaders, and how much they shall offer to God. They judge by their own zealousness, their own convenience. Therefore, many people continue to quarrel out of their zealousness in meetings in church.

The bible talks of the inherited way:

Romans - you are blessedly loved by God

Ephesians - God chose you

Philippians - God will continue to sanctify you till the end.

People do not know what is being blessed by God, therefore, they say whatever they like, “this is blessed, that is blessed”, “thank God” here and there, etc. They do so without a founded reason but based their exclamations on their own judgments. Therefore, the problem is that they have lost the assurance of salvation.

Religion: Legalism, Mysticism, Humanism.

Gospel

The Gospel can also cause zealousness and people offering up our lives. However, those who have the gospel have their root changed over.

1) Root problem

Own interests, see the need to die and resurrect.

2) Need Jesus Christ

Embrace totally

3) Assurance of blessedly loved

4) Discover perfect will

Therefore, he used his new creation to view his life.

5) Converse with God

If you do not know the perfect will of God, how do you pray? You just pour out problems in front of God, and this is what you call prayers? Therefore you just continue to hope for answers and wait for answers to appear.

If you become the expert in 5 gospel lessons (above), the whole age will be handed over to you. Do you believe this?

No matter what kind of problems there are in this world, they all come under the 3 problems of religion: legalism, mysticism, and humanism. Jeroboam started it all, but the start is the most important. I am not saying that all churches are cults, but the gospel talks about life, power and inheritance.

The churches of this age feel the trend and just follow. When the trend is the four spiritual laws, the pastor will teach it that year. When it is “Evangelism Explosion”, people will follow then. When it is Navigators, people will start recognizing the need to train up disciples. When they realize that their inner experience with God needs to be strengthened, they follow the writings of Andrew Murray. Bill Bright wrote the “Four Spiritual Laws”, Pastor Dennis James Kennedy wrote the “Evangelism Explosion (三福)”, etc. We must know that they are all written when Bill Bright and Pastor Kennedy walked with God. However, people just take them as materials. If our 36 lessons are just taken as just materials, principles or even knowledge, there is no other way to be saved, especially when the message is very spiritual. For example, there is a sentence in 36 lessons, “No matter what, the truth is that God is with you.” If you just nod your head and agree, you will immediately go into religion. No, the 36 lessons have to be confirmed!

Treating Jesus Christ as King

When you invite the king to your home, if you do not talk to him, and just leave him there, it is even worse than not inviting Him. He will get angry as you do not even treat Him as King! Therefore, such lukewarm feelings will be vomited out.

Who is Jesus Christ then, for us to treat Him as King?

Some people say that since the King has solved all their problems, they will not want to sin again. 2 results will happen: 1) Because you are still in the flesh, you will receive more accusations and you will sin even more, 2) If people succeed, they will judge people. The correct understanding is that since Jesus Christ has solved everything, I should always wash myself with His blood. With the realization of the goodness of being clean, I will not want to go into sin to make myself dirty! This is the gospel. On the contrary, the totally inverted ideology is when people heard that Jesus is King, they therefore wanted to prove by their own life that Jesus is really King. No! Instead, when sickness comes, I will use this body to glorify Him and witness Him. This is the gospel, where there is absolute answer. This is important, so I emphasize again: “What is the characteristic of Jesus? Jesus is love. Therefore we should love Him.” No! But if Jesus is love, we shall first find out and confirm that He really loves us. Then we can love Him! The preachers of this age gives not the gospel but motivational talk. And especially in traditional churches, many preachers say that since Jesus sweated and shed blood, we shall be like him to sweat and shed blood for Him. If this is the case, we will leave the world in 10 years after using up our physical life! Jesus loved to pray, morning and evening. Many preachers love to preach, yet cannot pray. They love men’s expectation, and when they are alone, they do not pray. For me, I love what Jesus told me, I find out how He blesses my family, and I intercede for people with His power. This is the power I have so that God leads me to lead Penang, not by the glib of the tongue. It is about eating His bread first!

Jeroboam did not start by receiving power from above. Judaism and Roman Catholics are like this. I just read that the economy of Philippines depends on the salaries of maids. Christianity, no matter how weak they are, they have the gospel. Why are there so many sects in Christianity? This is because they continue to reform in the gospel! When Lutherans are weak, Presbyterians are arisen, etc.

After David, there are 40 kings, and there is no exception to what God had ever said in the history that followed.

Next week, we shall talk about the importance of the king. You need the life of the king to lead the family. We must grasp this properly and not be carnal. The things of the physical: family life, church life, and career life are important. However, the revival of the spiritual must happen in order to fulfill the physical.

Taken from Discipleship Training on 4^th May 2007, 1Kings Overview Part 4.