Whose Voice Are You Listening To?

I'd like to begin today, once again, thanking you for your prayers on the general conference of elders meetings which took place here this last weekend in Cincinnati. A total of 186 elders were present along with their wives. I believe the report was over 700 were actually in the hall there in Cincinnati on the Sabbath. And as always, it was a wonderful opportunity for the ministry to come together to encourage each other, to strengthen the bonds of relationship, and to do the business, the work of the church. Now, this year's meetings marked the 30th anniversary of the founding of the United Church of God. As most of you are aware, in 1995, UCG began out of a desire to preserve doctrine. Our former organization, with which most of us fellowshiped at that time, 1995, had abandoned their historical and biblical positions regarding the Sabbath, regarding the Holy Days, regarding many of the other doctrines that we hold dear, doctrines that God called us into the church and gave us an understanding of what His Word said. And everything was being turned around and being changed at the highest levels of the church in that day. And those doctrines were being set aside in favor of adopting a mainstream package of teachings. As a result, many leaders bought in, and sadly, as a result of that, many church members as well followed in their error. Darla and I were pretty newly married around that time.

Had a new baby, you know, we'd been married a little over a year. Austin was born, and that was in 1995. Then, as the meltdown occurred, and we lived here in Spokane, and going back in my mind as memory serves, the Spokane congregation had an attendance of around 350. We look around today. We're, you know, maybe in our 80s on a good holy day. 350 in Spokane, with a congregation in Coeur d'Alene of 150. Hey, we see what's left. We had a sizable congregation in the Tri-Cities, a congregation of about 35 up in Colville, a decent-sized congregation down in Lewiston, Idaho, as well on this circuit. It was not a small thing that occurred. Frankly, those of us who were here and saw it and lived through it, it wasn't... it was something that was dramatic. So, you know, 30 years later is a remembrance, is a recognition. The United Church of God formed in order to maintain and carry forward with the faith once delivered. Recognizing that Jesus Christ is the head of the church and that the church is a spiritual body. Okay, the church is not a corporate organization. We function within a corporate organization in the United Church of God to be able to function according to the laws of the land and to do a work and to be able to do the things God has given us to do in this world. But it is not a corporate organization. The church is a spiritual body.

And so, with that recognition at its founding, UCDG decided up front against adopting a structure centered on promoting one individual, you know, centered around... there was a pastor general system under our previous organization, and that is not how we function here today in the United Church of God. It did, at least in modern day, prove problematic. Instead, we follow an Ephesians 4 service model where each part does its share. So we have a general conference of elders, which is made up of the ordained ministry of the church. We have a council of elders as appointed by the GCE. And then we have a church president who is appointed by the council. And the president serves at the pleasure of the council. And the president's responsibility, then, is for essentially the business head of the church, operating the day-to-day business of the United Church of God, as is laid out in the strategic plan and the operation plan, overseeing the preaching of the gospel and the work that we do. There has to be structure and organization. So this is how the United Church of God has formed and how we work together. And I would say it's a framework that encourages patience, mutual respect, and bearing with one another in love.

You know, it's yielding to one another and being guided by God's Spirit and working together for the good of the whole. Now, given that this was a milestone anniversary, the 30th year, a degree of focus was placed on recalling past events, on sharing experiences that various individuals had, certain ministers that were in the ministry and present in 1995, and then at the Indianapolis Conference, and then yet even today at this 30th anniversary conference, they got up and they shared some recollections, some memories, and honestly it was heartfelt sharing with one another lessons learned. You know, what is it that we should remember today, 30 years later, that we carry forward with us? Lest we forget. Because allowing someone else, brethren, to turn you away from what God himself has instructed does not lead to life.

So we came together and I listened to these things being recounted and recalled my own memories. I was reminded of just how vital it is to remain grounded in God's truth, to remain steadfast in obedience to his word, and the importance of remaining cautious in the face of potential compromise. Again, allowing someone to turn you aside from what God himself has instructed in his word does not lead to life. In fact, it causes a stumbling and frankly puts everything at risk. The title for my message today is, Whose Voice Are You Listening To? Whose voice are you listening to? Whose voice should we? Must we listen to? We live in a world with so many competing voices, so many competing messages, and it's almost like just garbled chaos around us, and yet we need to be able to hear the still small voice and settle our focus in on the one true voice that really matters. Whose voice are you listening to? Indeed, the Bible contains many powerful reminders on this point, and one particularly sobering account can be found in 1 Kings chapter 13. So I'd like to spend some time there today at 1 Kings chapter 13 as we reflect upon the high cost of listening to the wrong voice, the high cost of listening to the wrong voice. It's interesting, I was sitting in my office here on Wednesday, and I was just going over in my mind, and I was looking at some of the notes that I'd taken over the course of the weekend at the GCE, and I was considering lessons learned, and I was thinking, how do I kind of boil this down and bring it forth to the congregation, and bring it in a way that ties it into a very literal reference in the Bible? And as I'm sitting there thinking about it, Darla comes into my office, and she'd been listening to the Bible, and she says, you know, 1 Kings 13. I just listened to it again, and she says, you know, that's in some ways that that account's been almost troubling to me over time, you know, and she says, I understand it, but it's something that maybe needs a little more clarification, a little more explanation. So as I went and looked at it, I thought that's interesting. This is exactly what I need to focus on today to to bring forth the emphasis of this message. So God gives us what we need when we need it.

1 Kings chapter 13, the context here follows the split of Israel into two nations following the death of Solomon. You recall it split, and you had Israel to the north, the ten tribes to the north, with Jeroboam ruling over them, and to the south you had Judah with Rehoboam ruling over Judah to the south. And again, as God would have it, this is not the intent, division, separation amongst his people, but it is what occurred following the death of Solomon. Out of fear that his people's allegiance might return to Judah because, you see, that's where the temple was in Jerusalem, that's where the seat of worship of the true God was, and Jeroboam is seeking not to lose control and essentially influence over his people. He decides to go and set up a counterfeit religion in the north. And you'll recall the outcome of that. He set up two golden calves, one in Bethel and the other up north in Dan. He built shrines on the high places, instituted sacrifices and worship to false gods in the high places. He appointed priests over those high places, made priests who were unauthorized, as in they weren't of the tribe of Levi as God had instructed in the true worship of him. It says that Jeroboam made priests of every class of people. In fact, Jeroboam himself appointed his own self as priest. He built up shrines and instituted this false worship, and he instituted a man-made festival at a different time, one month different than the Feast of Tabernacles, in order to prevent the people from returning back to the central focus of worship of God. Understand this was all done out of political fear and personal ambition.

Jeroboam's decisions marked a beginning of widespread idolatry in the northern kingdoms and a deliberate departure from obedience to God. This wasn't just confusion or a misguided step. This was literally taking the nation from true worship of the true God and directing them completely in a different direction altogether. So as 1 Kings chapter 13 begins, God is sending a prophet from Judah to confront Jeroboam. So let's take a look at the story. 1 Kings chapter 13, and beginning in verse 1, it says, And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord. And Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. You know, here Jeroboam's out conducting this worship himself by the altar, by the golden calf set up in Bethel. This false worship, and God sends a, as it's called, a man of God. We don't know this man's name. It's not given to us. He's simply referred to as the man of God or a man of God, but he's a prophet that is sent from Judah in the south up to Bethel to deliver the words of God. And you notice it says, He went by the word of the Lord. All right, he's listening to that voice, and he's responding, and he's not going according to his own works. He's going to deliver what it is God has given him to deliver. He's going to confront this system. Verse 2, it says, And 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, on you, the altar, he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places, and burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you.

So just understand what an incredible pronouncement this is. Josiah is prophesied to be born. This would take place 300 years later after this prophecy was given. But he would be born. He would be the one that would come in and would move against this false worship system. And it says, he would come in here and he indeed would take the false priests, he would take the worshipers, and they would be destroyed in that day on this altar. And you can find the fulfillment of that.

We won't read it today, but jot it down. Check it out. 2 Kings chapter 23, verse 15 through 20, when King Josiah comes in and literally rounds up those false priests, and he actually digs up the bones of the worshipers of this false system and burns them on the altar of false worship.

Again, a defilement of everything that altar would have stood for. It's actually a confirmation of its defilement. So this is prophesied. Verse 3, it says, and he gave a sign the same day, saying, this is the sign which the Lord has spoken, saying, surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out. It would be a symbol of God invalidating this form of worship, because the altar, again, in true worship was a special place, and the sacrifices were offered up to God, and there was even a system by which the ashes were to be carefully collected and discarded of. The prophecy here is this altar is just going to split open, and the ashes of your sacrifices are going to pour out onto the ground. It's a rejection by God. Verse 4, so it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, that he cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, arrest him, then his hand with which he stretched out towards him withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. You know, this was an incredible intervention by God, the show in the sight of all the people, you know, who his true messenger was, and what the message indeed was. He was validating again what he had sent the man of God to deliver, and upon the message here you have Jeroboam crying out, and as soon as he said, arrest him, you know, it says his hand was on the altar, so he took the hand he was serving the altar with and said, arrest him, and immediately that hand shrivels up, and he can't even pull his arm back to himself. I mean, have you seen the Raiders of the Lost Ark? I mean, it's kind of like, you know, in my mind this is one of those things where the people watching are going to see, and they're going to understand that the power of God is backing up this man of God, and his message is true. Verse 5 says, 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. He says, then the king answered and said to the man of God, please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me that my hand may be restored to me. So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as before. Another miracle was performed.

Okay, the man of God simply prays. God restores the hand. It's restored openly in the sight of all.

Who's going to question the legitimacy of this prophet? Or even if they didn't truly believe in the God, they're certainly going to say, this man is backed by power. Power beyond anything that would back our gods. But the point was, he came in the word of the Lord, and what he declared was in the name of God. Verse 7, then the king said to the man of God, come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward. You know, I don't know what that is. Maybe he wants to just, you know, maybe he wants to bribe him. Maybe he wants to say, why don't you come and work for me? I could use a guy of your talents. You know, whatever it is, he's offering him some sort of reward. But the man of God said to the king, if you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you, nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, you shall not eat bread nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came. So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel. Understand, the man of God is fasting. He was fasting from the time he left Judah. And I didn't Google it. I don't know how long does it take to go by donkey from wherever he left in Judah up to Bethel, but he had no bread, he had no water, he had been fasting, he was observing the word of God, he had stood in opposition to the king, cried out against him and against this place, miraculous deeds that had been done. And now it's like, come enjoy the luxury. He says, no, God has given me his word, and I must heed the voice of the Lord. And he says, so he departed. He went out another way. In fact, following God's command precisely is what he did. And it symbolized his obedience to God, something that was contrary to what was happening in that place. Bethel was all about disobedience and turning aside from God. And the prophet's example was, I must heed the voice of the Lord and in his words, and he obeyed what it was that God gave him to do. And we don't even know his name. But you know, the story's not over. Verse 11 says, 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. And 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 the way which the man of God went, who came from Judah. And he said to his sons, saddle the donkey for me. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he rode on it. And he went after the man of God, and he found him sitting under an oak. You know, you might think, what's he doing sitting under an oak?

Well, again, however many days of fasting, he's weakened, he's probably dehydrated, he's just had this highly intense experience, and he's heading back to Judah. My assumption is he's under that oak in the shade of that tree to rest, to recover, to refresh a little bit. He's probably in a very physically weakened condition here now when the old prophet finds him. He finds him under the oak. Again, verse 14. Then he said to him, Are you the man of God who came from Judah? And he says, I am. And 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 or drink water with you in this place. For I've 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. So the man of God says, No. Right? Thanks for the invitation. I can't yield to you. I must follow exactly the word that God has given to me.

You know, again, this is somewhat my speculation on it, but put the story together.

I'll just put me here. You know, that's I'd be hungry. I'd be thirsty. I'd be probably waning physically. And somebody comes along and offers something that my flesh most craves in that moment.

Isn't that what Satan did to Jesus Christ? 40 days, 40 nights, fasting in the wilderness. He's afflicted. Yes, he's drawn close to his father, but physically in the flesh, he's hungry. He's dehydrated. And every cell in his being is crying out to be nourished. And that's when Satan says, I have him. Or so he thinks. And he comes in with his temptation. But of course, Jesus is successful. He was close to God, and he resisted. This prophet here would seem is kind of been somewhat of a different, similar situation, right? He needs what he needs. And here's what this man is offering him. He says, you know, I can't. I follow God. But now the story takes a very strange turn in verse 18. First Kings 13, verse 18. And 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. If your Bible's like mine, it has here in brackets, it says, he was lying to him. It was a lie. This old prophet, it says he was a prophet. An old prophet comes along and says, you know, I too am a prophet. I've received a message. An angel of God came and gave me a message from God. And I'm supposed to take care of you. You're supposed to come with me, back to my house. I'll feed you. I'll give you a drink. You can rest. You can recover. Then you can make your way back to Israel. You've fulfilled what God has given you. But it was a lie.

Why would he lie?

The Bible doesn't really tell us why he lied. You know, maybe he was a prophet that had never heard from God. Maybe there's some jealousy here. I don't know. Perhaps he recognized that this prophet from Judah truly was a man of God. He performed these miracles. Eyewitnesses confirmed it. And now, you know, if I can have him, this old prophet thinks, come and reside with me.

And, you know, it could be a benefit to my relationship. We can have fellowship. We can have encouragement. You know, maybe he can do me a favor. Whatever it might be, maybe this prophet even longed to return to the ways of Judah, as opposed to the way Jeroboam was going. The Bible doesn't say why he lied, but he lied. And being an older man claiming to have received the divine message from God, he convinces the younger prophet to return with him. Again, hungry, thirsty, yearning for some fulfillment. This man offered him probably that which he most wanted in the flesh. You know, that's what our adversary does. I appreciated Mr. Neff's sermonette. He talked about the fact Satan's a deceiver, right? And he knows what you want as much as you know what you want. Now, God knows what we want. We pray to God, but the thing about Satan is he'll seek to give you what it is that you want, but it'll come with a catch.

Right? You want that job? Well, he can give that job to you. You just, you know, have to work on Friday nights for six months, and then you can set your hours. Whatever it might be, he knows what you want, and he can send a way to try and fulfill it. The question is, are you going to remain to the commandment of the Lord? Whose voice are you going to listen to? Again, that's the title. Whose voice are you listening to? It's a very important question to consider, and it indeed is what this prophet should have considered as well. Verse 19 says, so he went back with him, and he 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. Maybe the first time in his life now, God speaks to that prophet. It says, 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, drank water, in the place which the Lord said, You shall eat no bread and drink no water.

Because of this, your corpse shall not come up to the tomb of your fathers. In other words, you're going to die, and you're not going to be buried with your family. It's a very sad story.

It's tragic. You know, when Darla read through this, she said, I was going to ask you about it last year when I went through this portion of the Bible, and you know, it came up again, and she came and asked me about it. It's like, I think we all feel a degree of sympathy. This man was tricked. He was lied to. And the consequence is, you're going to die, and you're not going to receive, you know, the honor of being buried with your family. Understand, to not be buried with your ancestors was a serious loss of honor and heritage. You know how important inheritance was in the land, and it was the land that was your grandfather's and your father's and yours, and they're buried there, and you're going to be buried there. And the message was, no, you won't be, because you've not heeded the voice of the Lord. It was seen as a very shameful and a tragic end for someone not to be buried with their fathers. The message from God was one of judgment for the man of God's disobedience. And although he had been deceived, he still violated God's clear command. He still heeded a voice of another over the voice of God. And, brethren, that's a message for all of us to remember. We have friends, we have family, we know people intimately who heeded the voice of another rather than the voice of God. And by God's grace, some have walked back in the door, and we praise God for that. But, again, lessons from 30 years ago are, frankly, timeless each and every day in this Christian walk. And there's nothing new under the sun. Although he had been deceived, he still violated God's command. The consequence which came to the man of God wasn't just death, but a dishonorable and separated burial, reinforcing the seriousness of his failure. And it highlights the fact that even God's messengers aren't exempt from obedience. It doesn't matter who you are, to heed the word of the Lord and to listen to his voice.

That is the calling, and that is the expectation. God's word must prevail.

Verse 23, 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. And when he had 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. And there men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. He told it in Bethel. Right? That was the place the prophet dwelt. That was the place that this man of God had cried out against the altar and against the king for their disobedience to the word of God.

This was clearly God's judgment, you know, and his body lay out there for all to see. This wasn't just an example of, you know, hear the prophet's words, judgment will come for disobedience. This was an example of even the man of God received the judgment of God for disobedience. And his body lay there, I believe, intact as a reminder and a warning to all who would walk by and see it.

This wasn't an accident. It wasn't random. The lion doesn't just kill its prey and not devour it. The donkey would not just hang around standing there untouched by the lion. This indeed was something that God brought about for all to see. The man of God who had pronounced God's judgment on Jeroboam and the false worship of Israel now lay dead in the street of Israel because of his own disobedience. This was the judgment of God. And you know the word would spread. Verse 26, it says, Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord.

Therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to him. He says, And he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle the donkey for me. So they saddled it. And he went, and he found his corpse thrown in the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse.

The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey. And it says, And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn and to bury him. You know, I think about what that what would that have been like for the old prophet? You know, he knows what he did. He sees the judgment of God, and it's like he comes up to this man lying in the street, and here's the lion.

I just kind of imagine, you know, one eye's on the lion standing over this man as he's putting this man on the donkey, and maybe he's thinking, I shared a part in this man's death. Is my judgment going to come, you know, by the mouth of the lion in this moment? You know, God let him live, and I think he let him live very likely to live with the knowledge of what he had done. There would be punishment in that, surely, as well. Verse 29, he took the prophet up, the man of God laid him on the donkey, brought it back, so the old man came to the city to mourn and to bury him.

Verse 30, and he laid the corpse in his own tomb, and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! It's a very sad story. You know, the old prophet here had to come face to face with the shame and the repercussions of what he had done, and he had to live with the knowledge of what he had caused in terms of the stumbling of the man of God. He put a stumbling block in front of his brother and felt bad about that, and he laid him to rest and says, in his own tomb, that was an act and a gesture of honor.

By doing this, he didn't leave the body forgotten in the street. Instead, he provided a burial that symbolized respect and offered some final dignity for the man of God, and I do really believe he felt remorse for what he had done. Was it repentance? It doesn't say, but it certainly seems he was remorseful, and he had to live with the guilt of what he had caused. Verse 31, it says, So it was, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb where the man of God was buried, lay my bones beside his bones.

For the saying which he cried out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines in the high places which are in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass. He says, you know what? This was the man of God. This was a prophet, and what he declared is true. Put him in my tomb and lay my bones side by side with his. And again, if you check out that reference later in 2 Kings chapter 23 through 15 through 20, 2 Kings 23 verse 15 through 20, what you find is that when Josiah is purging the idolatrous graves, digging up the bones of these idol worshipers and burning them on the altar, they come to the tomb of the man of God.

And he says, This is the man of God. Leave him there. And they left him, and they left the old prophet, the two of them, together undisturbed. But the rest were dug up and burned in that place destroyed. 300 years approximately following this event. Again, a very, very sad story. In the end, the man of God dies, not due to some outside force, but because he failed to follow through on God's command. He didn't heed the voice. He didn't endure to the end.

And the result of that cost him his life. Not his salvation, I would not assume, okay, but his physical life was lost as a result of this disobedience. God will have a time and a day for him pertaining to his salvation. But after all that he'd done, right, after all that sacrifice, after standing firm for so long, confronting the king, refusing a reward, refusing to be entreated in any way, and return towards home another way, this man of God, after all of that, when he is weak, when he is exhausted, allows someone to come along and deceives him with lying words, and he heeds the voice, the voice over the direct command he had received from God.

That's where the old prophet he was left to reflect upon his own shame with the realization that this truly was a man of God, and that all he prophesied would come to pass. And what about Jeroboam?

What lesson did he learn, if any? Verse 33, after this event, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places. Whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth. You know, his name, his family, his house was under this judgment. Despite the clear warning that had come through the prophet, and despite the warning that actually had come by his death, as people saw and recounted this in Bethel, Jeroboam still refused to repent, and he led Israel farther and farther down the path of false worship. Ultimately, they were dramatically and brutally pulled out of the land by the Assyrians scattered among the nations. And there's other references through the kings when there was an evil king. It was like, you know, like his father, Jeroboam. This is what he was known for. Disobedience to the voice of God. So, brethren, what lessons can we learn for the man of God's story in 1 Kings chapter 13? What lessons would apply to you and I today? What lessons do his story teach us? Well, I would submit to you it's the same lessons we must retain in the United Church of God, even 30 years after our founding, because of the events that took place leading up to our founding. There are lessons we learned in that day, and we reflect upon 30 years later, lessons that we must never forget as the people of God. They applied in 1 Kings 13 throughout the entirety of Scripture.

They apply in our lives today. So, I have four brief lessons I want to reflect upon. We must take with us as we consider our relationship with God. Lesson number one, we must always trust God's voice and God's words above all others.

I think that's an absolutely clear lesson from this example. We must always trust God's voice and God's words above all others. The man of God began his mission faithfully, delivering God's message with boldness and clarity, but when he deviated from God's direct command, he allowed himself to be misled by one claiming to speak with divine authority. When he allowed that, his fate was sealed. His fate was sealed. The story reminds us of the importance of staying true to God's instructions, even in the face of others whose voice seems trustworthy. While they've been around 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years, they've always been on mark with this. Well, now they've said such and such. Does it agree with the Word of God? It must. It doesn't mean don't ever listen to a man. It doesn't mean don't ever imitate the example of an individual. Paul said, imitate me as I imitate Jesus Christ, but the faithfulness has to be there. God's Word is true. What man says may be true or not true, but as Herbert Armstrong said time and time again, blow the dust off your Bible and prove it for yourself, because that's where the rubber meets the road, and that's where deception is dispelled in the words of God. The man of God followed the prophet in opposition to what God gave him to do. We must never find ourselves in a similar situation. Don't follow a man. Never follow me across the street, unless that's where our new rental for a church hall ends up. Keep looking, please, and keep praying about that. Follow God. Look to the example of those that would lead in a godly way. In the end, it's what God says that truly matters. Deuteronomy chapter 13.

Warning for the nation of God's people. Deuteronomy chapter 13 in verse 1, whose voice are we listening to, says, If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder comes to the pass of which he spoke to you, saying, let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them. In other words, you know what? If a prophet comes up and prophesies, and it comes true, or if somebody, you know, performs a miracle, and it's a miracle, wow, or somebody declares something, and it comes to pass, that isn't where the evaluation ends, because the example is, if he says, wow, let us go after other gods to to pursue them and to serve them, verse 3 says, You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or the dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. I would say the man of God was under a test when the old prophet came to him, and you and I, it's not so different from us. We are tested each and every day on this. I think I have some sympathy for that man of God, but I also have some fear because of the directness of what it is God requires and the reality of it. But it says, you know, don't even follow such a prophet. We can never come to a time when we heed the voice of another over the voice of God, no matter how convincing they may seem. A prophet performing miracles or signs or wonders or declaring a word that comes to pass can seem pretty convincing, but it's not only about what might look good or sound good. That can be the deception.

Right? The old man sounded good, and the man of God followed him. It's ultimately about what God has commanded his people to obey. We find a New Testament reminder of this in Galatians chapter 1, this time by the Apostle Paul. Here Paul says, I marvel that you were 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. You know, there was another competing message that was being spread by those who were calling it the true gospel. Okay, and Paul's contending with this idea. He says, don't be confused. Verse 8, What Paul taught them and brought them as the gospel message was not of his own devising, it was divine in origin. And he said, no one has the authority to change it, not an angel. He said, not even me. If I were to bring you another message, what I brought you is what came by divine revelation. As the people of God today, God still speaks to us through his word.

But we must do our part, brethren, as well. We must read it. We must not only read it, but we must know it. We must understand it. We must yield to his Spirit in us, and we must trust it. And then we must go on to live it, because everything we need to know is here.

2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16.

2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16. Paul writing to Timothy, he says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. That phrase, inspiration of God, is from the Greek word theonustos.

Theonustos. Don't ask me to spell it, because I didn't put it in my notes. But theos means God.

Right? Nustos means breathed out. God breathed. This is the God-breathed word that is given. And it says, and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped, for every good work. So just as God's instructions to the man of God were complete, he had all he needed to know from God before he even set out from Judah. There wasn't missing anything. There wasn't anything lacking. Brethren, what God has given us through his word is complete. It gives us knowledge of him, how he would have us to live. Our responsibility is simply to obey, and not to be turned aside, not to be convinced of something that is separate than what God has delivered. We must contend earnestly for the faith once delivered. That's a fight that takes place every day, because we had an adversary that seeks to pry the truth of God from our grasp. God's word is not vague regarding truth, holiness, or obedience.

In a world of competing voices, we must stay rooted in what we know God has clearly stated, not be convinced edder-wise. No matter how convincing, no matter how trustworthy, no matter how long of a history with someone we may have, the word of God is true. Let God be true, and every man a liar. You hear what I say, and we have a relationship, and we're friends, but don't just take it because I said it. Take it because it is what God's word says. Prove it is what God's word says. That is the standard that is set before us all. Indeed, God's word must be the lamp to our feet and the light to our path. Second lesson, we must be diligent to exercise spiritual discernment in all things. And again, I'll remind us of Mr. Ness's message. I appreciated that about being vigilant in exercising discernment. We must exercise, be diligent to exercise spiritual discernment in all things. I am a prophet as you are, the old man said. But it wasn't true.

Maybe he was kind of a prophet. Maybe he sounded credible, even claimed supernatural revelation, but again, it was a lie. In Jeremiah 23, God condemns false prophets who speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 16.

Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 16, thus says the Lord of Hosts, do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. He says they make you worthless. Understand, this is, Jeremiah is out prophesying because Judah is sliding towards destruction themselves. The warning has come, and Jeremiah is prophesying to them of the captivity to come if they do not turn. But there's other prophets as well, not sent out by God, who are saying, you know what, we've got the temple, we're the people of God, nothing's going to happen to this place. Eat, drink, and be merry.

He says they make you worthless. They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. It's their own words, God says, Jeremiah says. It says they continually say to those who despise me, the Lord has said you shall have peace. And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, no evil shall come upon you. For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord and has perceived and heard his word, who has marked his word and heard it?

Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury, a violent whirlwind, and it will fall violently on the head of the wicked. There indeed will be an accountability, no matter how smooth the words that are spoken. God's word will stand. Verse 20, the anger of the Lord will not turn back until he is executed and performed the thoughts of his heart. In the latter days, you will understand it perfectly. It says, I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel and had caused my people to hear my words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings. But he says, you know what? They did not, and they have made you worthless because you follow their words.

Not everyone who invokes the name of God is speaking the truth, and even sincere people can be misled if they fail to exercise spiritual discernment. Again, what God says is true.

What a man says might be true or might not be true. You have to go and prove it for yourself.

First John chapter 4 and verse 1.

First John 4 verse 1.

Talking about spiritual discernment. Is it true the words you hear? First John 4 verse 1, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. You know, rather than blindly accepting what someone might say, we're commanded to test and to evaluate them against the standard of God's Word, against the standard of who He is, His Spirit. And it should be His Spirit that guides us, and it should be that radar that goes up when we hear what we know is not right. So how do we evaluate? How do we test the spirits? Well, do their words agree with the words of God? Are they being honest with it? Are they twisting it to some advantage? What is the attitude behind the message? Is it an attitude of humility, or is it an attitude of pride? Is it pointing people to God, or is it pointing people to self?

And then we must always ask, and for me, this actually, this was kind of part of a growth experience for me, we have to look at the fruit. Because something might sound good, something might seem perhaps even convincing. What is the fruit? What does it actually produce?

Do they produce love, joy, and peace, those things of the Spirit of God that becomes evident? Or do these things produce confusion, fear, and division? This is all part of the assessment process we must all walk through as we discern what is of God and what is not.

In Matthew chapter 24 verse 11, Jesus states, many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

It's a condition that's prophesied to exist at the end of the age. And Jesus says, beware, it's coming. Beware, watch, listen. Beyond guard. Revelation chapter 13 verse 11 says of that future beast, it has two horns like a lamb and speaks like a dragon. Two horns like a lamb. It looks like a lamb.

You know, it actually sets itself up, right? Man of sin sets himself up in the temple of God.

You know, it's a system that presents itself like a lamb, but its word speaks as a dragon.

Beware, again, is the warning. Deception is the game of our adversary, and everyone not written in the lamb's book of life will worship him. That's a scary statement. That's like almost everybody.

So, brethren, we must learn to discern the spirits. We must learn to pray for God to give us the understanding we need to see these things, to make the right decision, to always follow him.

Lesson three, we are responsible, each and every one of us, we're responsible for our own obedience.

We're responsible for our own obedience. Even though the old prophet lied to the man of God, he still bore the consequences of his own sin. He knew what God had clearly told him, and yet he allowed himself to yield to the voice of another. And again, it should stand as a sobering reminder to all of us, brethren, that each and every one of us are individually accountable.

Not for our neighbor, but for ourselves. We're accountable to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, and we can't lay our salvation or the loss of our salvation at the feet of someone else. We can't say, I was just following my neighbor or my friend, or I was just following my spouse, or I was just following my pastor. Again, this relationship is personal and direct with God, and it must be an unwavering commitment to follow his voice. Deception, no matter how sincere, does not excuse disobedience.

Deception, no matter how sincere, does not excuse disobedience. There's still a price, because in the end it is God and the truth of God that must be glorified. Romans chapter 14, verse 10.

I appreciate your patience as I beg a few extra minutes from you.

I haven't seen you in a month. Romans chapter 14 and verse 10. The Apostle Paul is writing, and he says, but why do you judge your brother?

Why do you show contempt for your brother, for we all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ? He says, you're going to give an account for you. So why are you spending your time judging them? Judge yourself, Paul says, for it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. We all stand at that judgment seat, and Paul Moody will answer for me, and you will answer for you, and our neighbor will answer for themselves. Verse 13, therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. You know, the old prophet put a stumbling block in the way of the one he called his brother, and he had to live with that, and that grieved him, it would seem, tremendously.

Brethren, we cannot shift blame for our own disobedience to others.

God has spessed us to discern and obey, especially when we already know the truth. There's a high accountability in that.

And finally, lesson number four, partial obedience to God is still disobedience.

Partial obedience to God is still disobedience. The man of God received God's full instruction before he ever departed Judah. Before he ever ventured up to Bethel, he knew what God required of him. And yet, in the end, his obedience was only partial. Brethren, when God gives a command, he expects it to be followed completely, not selectively, and partial obedience is still disobedience because it falls short of what God actually requires. You know, there's a number of examples of this in the Bible. We can all think of people in the Scriptures who obeyed partially because it was not full. There was a consequence. Think of Moses. Think of Moses. God told Moses to bring forth water from the rock for the people. He said, speak to the rock, right? And it'll bring forth water. But the people were pushing out on them. The people are upset. And again, it's one of those cases where I look at Moses and I say, I can sympathize. What did Moses do?

Here now, you rebels, must we bring forth water? And he struck the rock.

And God in his mercy poured out water for his people. But Moses had not fully and faithfully followed what God had given him. And the result was he was denied access to the Promised Land.

Big cost. Big cost. King Saul. Remember King Saul's story? King Saul spared a gag, king of the Amalekites. He spared the best of the livestock despite the instruction to destroy everything that was tied to them. Okay? Partial fulfillment. And as a result, God rejected him as king. Our one scripture on this point, let's notice Samuel's words to Saul in the aftermath of his sin. Let's conclude today over in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 22. 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 22. So Samuel said, speaking to Saul, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

It's like you offer these things. You think God's pleased with things, these sacrifices, which is more pleasing to him? To obey is more pleasing because that's ultimately what God wants, and if you obey perfectly, the need for the sacrifice actually goes away, right?

But of course, none of us obey perfectly. The sacrifice was necessary. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry, because you've rejected the word of the Lord. He has also rejected you from being king. Again, a very, very high price to pay. In the end, brethren, partial obedience is still disobedience, and it's compromise. True obedience trusts God enough to follow him all the way to the end, even when it's difficult. Even when we don't see where he's leading, even when we don't understand why he's leading us there, and even when it doesn't make sense. True obedience is following him to the end. God desires our complete devotion to him, not selective compliance, and not what might seem good enough to us along the way. Anything less than full obedience is not obedience at all. So, brethren, in conclusion, the question remains for each of us, and it remains to be asked, frankly, the remainder of our life and service before God. Whose voice are you listening to? Listening to God's voice, listening to it through his word, through his Spirit, above all is paramount. And unwavering obedience to him cannot be overrated. The story of the man of God in 1 Kings 13 illustrates the dangers of yielding to deceit and failing to follow through with God's instructions fully, failing to heed the proper voice. As the United Church of God commemorates its 30th anniversary, it's crucial we never forget those same lessons which led to our founding. Complete dedication to God and resistance to compromise our essential elements to this life we live today. Let us strive to follow God fully, remaining vigilant, remaining passionate against the wrong voices, and upholding the principles of his word that have guided us in our relationship with him. And all I can say is, to God be the glory.

Right? To God be the glory in what he is doing in us and through us and in spite of us, frankly. To God be the glory. While we look to men in leadership roles who point us to God, we must never think it's all about the man. Jesus Christ is the head of this church, and Jesus yields himself to his Father who is above all. Let you and I be careful to always heed his voice.