Text:  1 Kings 21:1-19; “When authorities promote evil.”

There is a story about the President of Anheuser-Busch who went over to the Vatican for a private audience with the Pope. The meeting went something like this: “Holy Father, we are prepared to make a donation of $10 million to the church if you would simply replace ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ with ’Give us this day our daily beer.’” “I’m afraid, that’s not possible, my son.” “Could you do it for a bigger contribution, say $25 million dollars?” “I’m afraid that’s not possible, my son.” “Holy Father, here is my final offer. Change “bread” to “beer:” and I will write you a check right now for $100 million dollars.” The Pope picks up the phone and says: “Cardinal Mancini, how firm is our contract with Pillsbury?”

* Corruption makes everyone sick to their stomach except the corrupt.

Joshua 24:15; “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Title: “An evil society will always ask you to go against God’s word!”

Theme: “Today, we will see what happens to a person who is trying to live according to God’s word in a world that lives according to self-gratification. Eventually, a conflict will arise.  Usually, it is a little thing.  Surely, God will understand if you follow what is expected of you and give in to the pressure?”

* This morning, I would like to share with you the following lessons.

1. In an evil society conflict will arise if you decide to live according to God’s word.

1 kings 21:1-4; “Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” ³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” ⁴ And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.”

* Beloved, I want you to notice that it is not always a big issue that confronts God’s people.  In my life time it has been Prayer, the Bible and then God Himself removed from society.  You can pray but we just can’t have prayer in public because not everyone wants to pray.  So we removed prayer from schools and events.  Next it was you can’t have God’s word in public because not everyone recognizes God so the Ten Commandments were taken down from statues and in Court House around America.

* We were supposed to think of the few people who were offended.  But beloved, no cares that I am offended.  No one is willing to offer me the same courtesy. Their requirements never end.  I say; no more!

Leviticus 25:23; 28; “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. ²⁸ But if he does not have sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.”

* One of the Ten Commandments tells us Exodus 20:17; “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.” God didn’t just put that commandment in because the Ten Commandments sounded better than the Nine Commandments; he put it in for a reason.

* Beloved, most Americans today have no clue that the Bible is a hand book for living God’s way.  They think it is a book that will keep them from being happy.  Well, I haven’t meet a happy one yet.  How’s that life working for you? I will compare my life to yours any day.

* God is also concerned with this unhealthy drive for more because it damages our finances. We buy more than we can afford because we want more than we need. I know people making $20,000-$30,000 a year who enjoy their lives and pay all their bills. I also know people whose income exceeds six figures and yet they are miserable and near bankrupt, because they can’t control their wants.

2. In an evil society the elites scheme and plan for their own financial gain at the cost of innocent people.

1 Kings 21:5-14; “But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” ⁶ And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷ And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” ⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. ⁹ And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰ And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” ¹¹ And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, ¹² they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. ¹⁴ Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

* The whole matter may have been resolved had Jezebel left it alone. Ahab was a grown man and should be able to handle not getting something he wanted. Do you see the privileged don’t have to deal with not getting what they want?  They get it all and you and I have to do without.

* Naboth will be accused of blasphemy, cursing both God and the king and he’ll appear to get what he deserves. She makes sure the legal niceties are followed. She makes sure there are two witnesses to accuse him, that the elders of the city are present, that it’s all done in public and that the penalty fits the crime. Don’t worry about the fact that they’re going to lie about Naboth. Justice must be seen to be done.

* This is the way things often work out in a world where the unrighteous often have political and economic power and the righteous have none.

John 15:18; “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”

* Jesus warned that if they persecuted him they would certainly persecute those who chose to follow him. Naboth is simply obeying God when he refuses Ahab and he suffers the ultimate consequence for his faithfulness.

James 4:1 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Do they not come from your own desires that battle within you? You want something, but don’t get it, so you kill and you covet. You can’t have what you want so you quarrel and fight.” (written about believers)

3. In an evil society they use religion and government as a weapon against the innocent.

1 Kings 21:15-16; “As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.”

* The elders and nobles of Jezreel are just as guilty for what they did. Any one of them could have objected, could have refused to play along. Any one of them could have revealed the subterfuge they were taking part in.

* What we learn here is that injustice flourishes not only by wickedness but also by weakness. Of course if we’re to stand against this sort of injustice it may involve a cost mightn’t it?

* In a business setting the worker who refuses to act against their conscience risks losing the favor of the boss and possibly even their job.

* This story also demonstrates the dangers of half-truths. It should also tell us to be sure of our facts, and the truth before we base any action we deem appropriate for any given situation.

* Today, we call what Jezebel did; ‘spin’.  Create the narrative to get the desired results. In this account we see hypocrisy, perjury (remember Baal is her god and notice she uses sons on Belial) and Murder. Truth became a valueless commodity.  It is happening in America today!

* (Jezebel killed all of Naboth’s sons a violation of Gods word). 2 Kings 9:26; “As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

* It is worth noting that just one person could have been the ruin of this scheme.  Just one person who would not go along, but sadly there was not one.  Just suppose Jezebels laptop or emails became public?  God hates evil. The whole system was corrupted by the wicked people on top and weak people willing to follow.

* Even though our stories end’s with the death of a righteous man, God is still working.  Justice will come.

Psalms 11:7; “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.”

Joseph Stowell tells of a conversation he had with a pastor in the former Soviet Union. "Stalin's reign was the worst time," said the pastor. "I had two KGB agents come to me and say, 'We'll take care of you. You stay the pastor of that church, but once a week give us a report on every one of these Christians. Work for us.' "I can't do that to God, and I can't do that to this flock," he replied. So they sent him to a prison camp in Siberia. He endured the forced labor and the cold for ten years. But he did find other Christians in the camp, and God used these believers to fulfill his purposes. "I was a carpenter building towns for Stalin," said the pastor. "We'd go out in sixty-mile radiuses, and there we would fellowship together. Today there are hundreds of churches in Siberia as a result of these small prisoner fellowship groups."

* When men refuse to compromise, they may lose much, but through them God will fulfill his higher eternal purpose. Choose who you will serve