A HEARER IN DISGUISE

I Kings 14:1-12

  1. Intro.
    1. isn’t it amazing how some people think that they can fool God?
      1. they think if they fool the man of God, they can fool God
      2. God can se through al of our disguises and hypocrisies
    2. isn’t it wonderful how God reveals the deceitfulness of men to His servants
    3. Ahijah was a prophet of God, and he had lost his ability to see
      1. God’s servants can be happy even with a physical infirmity
      2. even in his blindness, he saw more than most (the disguise fooled others, but not him)
      3. Ahijah was old, alone, and physically impaired; but he had a relationship with God
    4. here is comfort for those that suffer infirmities
      1. God can turn our loses into gains
      2. he can turn our curses into blessings
    5. some might ask, "has he not outlived his usefulness when he is dependent on others and a burden to himself"
      1. why doesn’t God take this good man home?
      2. he had another message to deliver, and he was immortal until his work was done
      3. he probably had longings to be with the Lord, but he was content to stay here until his work was done
    6. let us now consider an incident that happened near the end of his earthly ministry
  2. an occasional hearer - I Kings 14:2
    1. Jeroboam and his wife did not often go to hear Ahijah
      1. they were not the type of people who went to worship God
      2. they did not fear God nor regard His prophets
    2. this occasional hearer was totally void of all true devotion
      1. those who have true faith are not occasional hearers
      2. people of the faith love to assemble together for it is a blessed thing to them
      3. the occasional hearer has no fear of God, nor do they care about the things of God
    3. when the occasional hearer does come, it is usually because they are in trouble
      1. when Jeroboam’s wife came, it was because their son was sick - I Kings 14:1
      2. some people believe in God when their life is in danger, but when all is well, they return to their unbelief
      3. when all is going well the occasional hearer has no need for God
      4. the occasional hearer is always welcomed by God, but they may not get what they came for-I King 1:6
    4. they had confidence in him because they had heard him preach before - I Kings 14:2
      1. it was this prophet who told Jeroboam he would be king over ten tribes of Israel
      2. that message proved true; therefore, he had confidence in Ahijah now
        1. now they turn to the man of God because they have nowhere else to turn
        2. things could have been a lot different now, if only they had listened to the prophet of God all along
    5. though they did occasionally hear the prophet of God, they perished - I Kings 14:7-11
  3. the useless disguise
    1. cause of such action
      1. thought that he would speak angrily and give bad news, because she was the wife of Jeroboam
      2. isn’t it strange that she thought it necessary to put on a disguise when going to visit a blind man
      3. she thought that the gifts she brought would cause him to speak soft thing concerning her child
    2. in spite of her pretense, she was received gladly - I Kings 14:6
      1. we don’t turn people away just because they are sinners
      2. our mission is to sinners
      3. Ahijah did not deliver the message she wanted, but the message she needed
    3. many who come to God’s house are not disguised in dress, but are disguised in manner and appearance
      1. in the house of God there are many who wear a mask
      2. they sing as God’s people sing, and pray as God’s people pray, but their heart is concerned about many other matters
      3. God is not deceived, He knows where our heart is at
      4. it is better to go to hell as an unholy man, than as a hypocrite
  4. the heavy tidings - I Kings 14:6
    1. the woman’s amazement
      1. the prophet exposed the iniquity of her husband’s house
      2. he foretold of the certain judgment that God would execute
      3. he told of the terrible disgrace which would come upon the name of Jeroboam - I Kings 14:10
    2. as for the child, his death was an act of mercy from God
      1. his death would bring much pain to the parents
      2. he only of Jeroboam would come to the grave, because there was found something good in him
      3. the lad was taken from the evil to come
      4. the child who died was now with the Lord, and was experiencing great joy
      5. those who remained had their souls filled with gloom, because of the approaching judgment
    3. all lost sinners can look to the future with the same gloom that Jeroboam did (judgment is coming)
      1. in God’s Word there is a heavy message for some (sinners)
        1. all those without Christ are under the wrath of God
        2. "God is angry with the wicked every day"
        3. "turn ye, turn ye" for it is either turn or burn
        4. after death is the judgment
        5. all will die, but some may die today (check the newspaper)
      2. God’s Word has glad tidings for some (the saved)
        1. do you desire to be saved? "whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely"
        2. the way to be saved is to simply trust in Christ
        3. when trusting in Christ, there is no fear of a future judgment - "to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord"