1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,400 God has his people in some very surprising 2 00:00:04,400 –> 00:00:08,000 places. That’s one of the things we’re going to learn from the scriptures 3 00:00:08,000 –> 00:00:12,480 today, actually, we’ve seen it already although we’ve not drawn attention to it 4 00:00:12,480 –> 00:00:15,840 in the story of the widow of Zarephath. You 5 00:00:15,840 –> 00:00:19,200 remember, God sent Elijah to this lady, who must have 6 00:00:19,200 –> 00:00:23,360 seemed the most unlikely person to help him. After all, she had no resources of 7 00:00:23,360 –> 00:00:26,240 her own. Only a willingness to trust God and to 8 00:00:26,240 –> 00:00:30,799 walk in obedience. But even more surprising was that she was 9 00:00:30,799 –> 00:00:35,040 a widow in Zarephath. I want just to draw your 10 00:00:35,040 –> 00:00:39,279 attention to that today. Zarephath was in Sidon. 11 00:00:39,279 –> 00:00:43,040 If you check back in chapter 16 and verse 31. 12 00:00:43,040 –> 00:00:48,880 Guess who came from Sidon? Jezebel. The woman who was at the very heart of 13 00:00:48,880 –> 00:00:52,560 importing Baal worship into Israel. 14 00:00:52,560 –> 00:00:56,799 And here’s then Elijah and he’s called to confront the worship of Baal 15 00:00:56,799 –> 00:00:59,759 that is now shaping the life of the people of God. 16 00:00:59,759 –> 00:01:06,480 And the icon of Baal worship is Jezebel, Ahab’s chosen Queen and the 17 00:01:06,480 –> 00:01:10,400 heartland of Baal worship is over there in Sidon 18 00:01:10,400 –> 00:01:14,160 from where she comes. And God says to Elijah, I want you to 19 00:01:14,160 –> 00:01:18,879 go to Zarephath which is in Sidon and to dwell there. Behold I have 20 00:01:18,879 –> 00:01:24,239 commanded a widow there to feed you. Elijah must have said, 21 00:01:24,239 –> 00:01:29,919 a widow where? I mean of all the unlikely places for God to have a 22 00:01:29,919 –> 00:01:33,680 servant, Jezebel’s backyard, I mean that 23 00:01:33,680 –> 00:01:37,360 is quite extraordinary. I can imagine Elijah just 24 00:01:37,360 –> 00:01:41,199 wondering Lord you’ve you’ve called me to confront the idols 25 00:01:41,199 –> 00:01:46,000 and the Baals and now you send me to the very place that they come from? 26 00:01:46,080 –> 00:01:50,559 How in the world does that make sense? And God’s effectively saying to Elijah, 27 00:01:50,559 –> 00:01:54,879 yes there is a widow who will honor me in Sidon, 28 00:01:54,879 –> 00:01:58,959 the very home of Jezebel, the darkest place you can imagine, the heartland of 29 00:01:58,959 –> 00:02:02,480 idolatry itself. Now I mention that today because it 30 00:02:02,480 –> 00:02:04,879 launches us right into the theme that’s 31 00:02:04,879 –> 00:02:10,399 before us in chapter 18. Ahab has been looking for Elijah 32 00:02:10,399 –> 00:02:14,320 and God is providing for him in Jezebel’s 33 00:02:15,240 –> 00:02:20,960 backyard. And I wonder if Elijah had recited a 34 00:02:20,960 –> 00:02:24,800 psalm of David that he would have known? Psalm 23, that 35 00:02:24,800 –> 00:02:28,160 most of us know and love very much, which has this line, 36 00:02:28,160 –> 00:02:31,520 you prepare a table for me in the presence 37 00:02:31,520 –> 00:02:36,279 of my enemies. That’s what was happening at Zarephath. 38 00:02:36,279 –> 00:02:39,440 Now, today we meet another servant of God 39 00:02:39,559 –> 00:02:45,080 in an equally unlikely place. His name is Obadiah. 40 00:02:45,080 –> 00:02:47,080 We have not met this character before. 41 00:02:47,080 –> 00:02:49,779 It’s the first time he appears in the story. 42 00:02:49,779 –> 00:02:53,080 And we find out in verse three that he serves as 43 00:02:53,080 –> 00:02:58,940 no less than the chief of staff to King Ahab himself. 44 00:02:58,940 –> 00:03:02,279 Look at verse 3. Ahab called Obadiah, 45 00:03:02,279 –> 00:03:04,919 who was over the household. We would call that 46 00:03:04,919 –> 00:03:08,240 chief of staff. Now Obadiah, we’re told, 47 00:03:08,240 –> 00:03:12,960 verse 3, feared the Lord greatly. 48 00:03:12,960 –> 00:03:16,839 Verse 12 fills out the picture, where Obadiah tells Elijah, 49 00:03:16,839 –> 00:03:21,820 I, your Servant, have feared the Lord from my youth. 50 00:03:21,820 –> 00:03:25,139 So here is a godly man, 51 00:03:25,139 –> 00:03:28,619 and he’s in the most extraordinary place. 52 00:03:28,619 –> 00:03:31,779 He is in the palace, and he is 53 00:03:31,779 –> 00:03:35,220 right next to Ahab. And in a 54 00:03:35,220 –> 00:03:37,820 country that is being swept by idolatry 55 00:03:37,880 –> 00:03:39,740 that is coming out of the palace, 56 00:03:39,740 –> 00:03:43,419 whoever would have imagined that a godly person 57 00:03:43,419 –> 00:03:47,479 would be right next to the King from whom it was coming? 58 00:03:47,479 –> 00:03:51,979 Now remember that Ahab did more evil in the sight of the Lord 59 00:03:51,979 –> 00:03:55,820 than any of the kings who came before him. We saw that back in chapter 16 and 60 00:03:55,820 –> 00:03:56,779 verse 30. 61 00:03:56,779 –> 00:04:01,100 Now we’re being told in verse 4 of our chapter today 62 00:04:01,100 –> 00:04:04,419 that Jezebel cut off 63 00:04:04,779 –> 00:04:09,460 the prophets of the Lord. What that means is simply this, that Jezebel 64 00:04:09,460 –> 00:04:11,779 launched a campaign of persecution 65 00:04:11,779 –> 00:04:15,660 and terror against those who spoke the Word of God publicly. 66 00:04:15,660 –> 00:04:19,480 The campaign was being run right out of the palace. 67 00:04:19,480 –> 00:04:22,940 So imagine the darkness of this palace 68 00:04:22,940 –> 00:04:25,940 that is dominated and ruled by an 69 00:04:25,940 –> 00:04:29,059 evil king and by a wicked 70 00:04:29,059 –> 00:04:33,579 queen. This is the capital of darkness. 71 00:04:33,839 –> 00:04:37,980 But right in the middle of it God has placed 72 00:04:37,980 –> 00:04:41,220 a man who fears the Lord 73 00:04:41,220 –> 00:04:46,299 greatly and his name is Obadiah. Now here’s where we’re going with the message 74 00:04:46,299 –> 00:04:48,260 today. My aim is very simple, 75 00:04:48,260 –> 00:04:52,359 it is to encourage every Christian who has been placed by God 76 00:04:52,359 –> 00:04:57,100 in a dark place. That’s the aim today. The Bible speaks to every 77 00:04:57,100 –> 00:05:01,540 circumstance of life and the testimony of Obadiah 78 00:05:01,579 –> 00:05:05,160 as a person who was thrust into the 79 00:05:05,160 –> 00:05:08,700 difficulties of the political realm 80 00:05:08,700 –> 00:05:12,019 speaks powerfully into our lives today. 81 00:05:12,019 –> 00:05:15,299 If you have a difficult boss 82 00:05:15,299 –> 00:05:18,980 imagine what it would be like working for 83 00:05:18,980 –> 00:05:23,339 Ahab. Just think about. If you find that 84 00:05:23,339 –> 00:05:26,440 your work puts you in the middle of difficult 85 00:05:26,440 –> 00:05:30,019 ethical decisions, imagine 86 00:05:30,359 –> 00:05:33,119 how he would have felt. 87 00:05:33,119 –> 00:05:36,260 Imagine how that was for Obadiah as he was the 88 00:05:36,260 –> 00:05:38,059 right-hand man of this extraordinarily 89 00:05:38,059 –> 00:05:38,720 wicked king. And yet God had 90 00:05:38,720 –> 00:05:40,320 placed him there. 91 00:05:40,320 –> 00:05:43,959 So I want us to think about it. 92 00:05:43,959 –> 00:05:46,459 Because it speaks right into our lives today. 93 00:05:46,459 –> 00:05:48,380 I’ve never preached in my life on this 94 00:05:48,380 –> 00:05:50,459 passage before. It’s so often skipped over 95 00:05:50,459 –> 00:05:52,559 when we come to the story of Elijah. 96 00:05:52,559 –> 00:05:54,779 But I think that it may prove 97 00:05:54,779 –> 00:05:56,859 in the kindness of God, perhaps, to be 98 00:05:56,859 –> 00:05:59,000 just a word that many of us need by way 99 00:05:59,739 –> 00:06:01,399 of encouragement today. So let’s begin 100 00:06:01,399 –> 00:06:04,040 here by looking at where God placed him 101 00:06:04,040 –> 00:06:06,880 and the sheer difficulty of his calling. 102 00:06:06,880 –> 00:06:09,320 It is a remarkable thing throughout the 103 00:06:09,320 –> 00:06:11,559 Bible that, for the purposes of his grace, 104 00:06:11,559 –> 00:06:15,059 God often finds a way to put people who 105 00:06:15,059 –> 00:06:19,559 honor him quietly into places of very 106 00:06:19,559 –> 00:06:23,000 high influence indeed. Think about 107 00:06:23,000 –> 00:06:26,059 Joseph, and he’s at the right hand of 108 00:06:26,459 –> 00:06:30,220 Pharaoh in Egypt. What an uncomfortable 109 00:06:30,220 –> 00:06:32,299 place that must have been for anyone who 110 00:06:32,299 –> 00:06:34,899 was a believer. But God has him there and 111 00:06:34,899 –> 00:06:36,660 through his presence there food is 112 00:06:36,660 –> 00:06:39,540 provided for the family of God. 113 00:06:39,540 –> 00:06:43,140 Think about Esther. There she is in the 114 00:06:43,140 –> 00:06:47,179 court of King Ahasuerus. And can you 115 00:06:47,179 –> 00:06:49,679 imagine the pressures that were on this 116 00:06:49,679 –> 00:06:52,140 godly woman in the position that she was 117 00:06:52,140 –> 00:06:54,779 in, in the king’s court, and yet through 118 00:06:54,920 –> 00:06:57,899 her ministry in that most difficult of 119 00:06:57,899 –> 00:07:01,019 all situations a whole holocaust from 120 00:07:01,019 –> 00:07:04,140 the people of God is avoided. Think of 121 00:07:04,140 –> 00:07:06,760 Daniel and how God puts him at the 122 00:07:06,760 –> 00:07:09,420 center of the Court of Nebuchadnezzar. 123 00:07:09,420 –> 00:07:11,380 Can you imagine how difficult that must 124 00:07:11,380 –> 00:07:13,160 have been for Daniel? And we read some 125 00:07:13,160 –> 00:07:15,320 stories about how difficult it was. But 126 00:07:15,320 –> 00:07:18,420 it was all in the purpose of God. You 127 00:07:18,420 –> 00:07:20,339 roll on into the New Testament. We are 128 00:07:20,339 –> 00:07:22,779 told about a woman called Joanna. She 129 00:07:23,380 –> 00:07:26,660 was the wife of Chusa. That’s Luke 130 00:07:26,660 –> 00:07:30,339 chapter 8. In verse 3, Chusa was Herod’s 131 00:07:30,339 –> 00:07:34,660 household manager. And this woman, Joanna 132 00:07:34,660 –> 00:07:36,500 was one of the women who went to the 133 00:07:36,500 –> 00:07:39,040 tomb on Easter morning. She showed she was 134 00:07:39,040 –> 00:07:42,359 a woman who loved Christ and was devoted 135 00:07:42,359 –> 00:07:45,140 to the Lord Jesus Christ. But there she 136 00:07:45,140 –> 00:07:47,880 is and she’s living in Herod’s palace. I 137 00:07:47,880 –> 00:07:49,880 mean that’s the palace where they brought 138 00:07:49,880 –> 00:07:52,260 the head of John the Baptist on a plate 139 00:07:52,320 –> 00:07:55,579 at the end of a wild party. Can you 140 00:07:55,579 –> 00:07:57,420 imagine how difficult it is for someone 141 00:07:57,420 –> 00:08:00,839 who loves Christ to find a way of being 142 00:08:00,839 –> 00:08:03,660 in an environment as dark as that? But 143 00:08:03,660 –> 00:08:07,519 God had Her there. And Her husband’s work 144 00:08:07,519 –> 00:08:08,640 was… 145 00:08:08,640 –> 00:08:13,079 was there. And if you roll forward in the 146 00:08:13,079 –> 00:08:14,579 New Testament, one more example 147 00:08:14,579 –> 00:08:17,700 Philippians chapter 4 in verse 22. I 148 00:08:17,700 –> 00:08:19,420 wonder if you’ve ever noticed this, Paul 149 00:08:19,440 –> 00:08:23,480 says, the saints greet you, especially 150 00:08:23,480 –> 00:08:30,459 those who are of Caesar’s household. So 151 00:08:30,459 –> 00:08:32,760 quite early on in the New Testament 152 00:08:32,760 –> 00:08:36,099 story, there are Christians who are in 153 00:08:36,099 –> 00:08:39,159 Caesar’s household in Rome. The very 154 00:08:39,159 –> 00:08:41,020 highest level of the Roman Empire. And 155 00:08:41,020 –> 00:08:43,059 can you imagine how difficult that is 156 00:08:43,059 –> 00:08:45,760 for a Christian believer, to be in the 157 00:08:45,760 –> 00:08:49,340 home… the household of Caesar who 158 00:08:49,479 –> 00:08:52,000 is being worshipped as God, by so many. 159 00:08:52,000 –> 00:08:54,840 So there were Christians at the very 160 00:08:54,840 –> 00:08:57,840 highest level. How did these people get 161 00:08:57,840 –> 00:09:02,359 into these positions? Well, they were 162 00:09:02,359 –> 00:09:05,500 clearly highly gifted people. They 163 00:09:05,500 –> 00:09:07,880 were clearly people of integrity, and I 164 00:09:07,880 –> 00:09:09,559 guess that was why those who employed 165 00:09:09,559 –> 00:09:12,200 them trusted them. And God clearly gave 166 00:09:12,200 –> 00:09:14,659 them favour in the eyes of the leaders 167 00:09:14,659 –> 00:09:17,919 who had hired them at the highest levels 168 00:09:17,940 –> 00:09:21,880 of society. So I’m wanting to remind you 169 00:09:21,880 –> 00:09:23,599 something that we do not often think 170 00:09:23,599 –> 00:09:26,840 about, that God places his people in 171 00:09:26,840 –> 00:09:30,219 surprising spheres of influence. And He 172 00:09:30,219 –> 00:09:34,479 does it for surprising purposes of grace. 173 00:09:34,479 –> 00:09:38,020 Now Obadiah fits exactly into this 174 00:09:38,020 –> 00:09:42,260 storyline. Remember, that the king, any 175 00:09:42,260 –> 00:09:45,500 King of Israel’s first calling, was to 176 00:09:45,799 –> 00:09:49,239 fear the Lord. The king of Israel was to 177 00:09:49,239 –> 00:09:52,200 write out a copy of the Scriptures for 178 00:09:52,200 –> 00:09:54,400 himself as his first act, so that he 179 00:09:54,400 –> 00:09:55,479 would fear the Lord. 180 00:09:55,479 –> 00:09:57,500 Ahab had nothing to do with that, he did 181 00:09:57,500 –> 00:09:59,479 not fear the Lord. So what did God do? 182 00:09:59,479 –> 00:10:02,840 God placed a man right next to him who 183 00:10:02,840 –> 00:10:06,460 did. You see the surprising kindness of 184 00:10:06,460 –> 00:10:10,440 God. Now many of you will relate 185 00:10:10,440 –> 00:10:13,580 immediately to this man, Obadiah, who 186 00:10:13,940 –> 00:10:16,239 loved the Lord, but lived and worked in a 187 00:10:16,239 –> 00:10:18,539 place that must often have torn him 188 00:10:18,539 –> 00:10:22,380 apart. Maybe you are serving a company 189 00:10:22,380 –> 00:10:24,000 where many things make you deeply 190 00:10:24,000 –> 00:10:26,640 uncomfortable. Sometimes you say, well, 191 00:10:26,640 –> 00:10:29,900 now I’m a Christian, should I even be 192 00:10:29,900 –> 00:10:33,859 working here? And how long can I go on 193 00:10:33,859 –> 00:10:37,859 working for these people? And here’s the 194 00:10:37,859 –> 00:10:40,840 problem…and I speak here especially to 195 00:10:40,960 –> 00:10:44,119 those who are younger. If you are looking 196 00:10:44,119 –> 00:10:48,359 today for a career in which you will not 197 00:10:48,359 –> 00:10:52,099 experience conflicts of conscience, you 198 00:10:52,099 –> 00:10:55,140 will have a very limited choice indeed, 199 00:10:55,140 –> 00:10:57,359 because that sphere is getting narrower 200 00:10:57,359 –> 00:10:59,299 and narrower and narrower. You just 201 00:10:59,299 –> 00:11:01,119 think across the professions. Here’s a 202 00:11:01,119 –> 00:11:03,159 Christian teacher and she’s saying, how 203 00:11:03,159 –> 00:11:05,780 can I work with this godless curriculum? 204 00:11:05,780 –> 00:11:08,359 Here’s a Christian pharmacist and she’s 205 00:11:08,359 –> 00:11:10,820 saying how can I serve these pills over 206 00:11:10,900 –> 00:11:13,419 the counter? Here’s a Christian lawyer 207 00:11:13,419 –> 00:11:15,659 and he’s saying how can I in good 208 00:11:15,659 –> 00:11:17,900 conscience defend this particular client? 209 00:11:17,900 –> 00:11:19,960 Here’s a Christian banker and he’s 210 00:11:19,960 –> 00:11:22,200 asking how can I in all conscience 211 00:11:22,200 –> 00:11:24,880 invest in this company? Here is a 212 00:11:24,880 –> 00:11:27,559 Christian politician and she is asking 213 00:11:27,559 –> 00:11:30,299 can I support this compromise? The list 214 00:11:30,299 –> 00:11:32,659 goes on and on and on 215 00:11:32,659 –> 00:11:35,140 it’s the real world in which Christians 216 00:11:35,140 –> 00:11:39,119 live. And many of you face intense 217 00:11:39,119 –> 00:11:42,359 pressures in your career. You say to 218 00:11:42,359 –> 00:11:43,739 yourself sometimes when you’re lying in 219 00:11:43,739 –> 00:11:46,140 your bed at night should I even be doing 220 00:11:46,140 –> 00:11:49,080 this? is it possible for a Christian to 221 00:11:49,080 –> 00:11:51,460 pursue a secular calling in this world 222 00:11:51,460 –> 00:11:53,900 that is increasingly hostile to 223 00:11:53,900 –> 00:11:57,659 everything that I hold dear? Can I stay 224 00:11:57,659 –> 00:12:03,219 or should i go? And there will be very 225 00:12:03,219 –> 00:12:05,640 few people who have not or not able to 226 00:12:05,640 –> 00:12:07,760 identify the reality and the 227 00:12:07,760 –> 00:12:10,280 painfulness of these questions that 228 00:12:10,280 –> 00:12:13,159 occur many times, and maybe you said 229 00:12:13,159 –> 00:12:14,940 this, maybe you said, oh I know what I 230 00:12:14,940 –> 00:12:16,840 should do, maybe I should get a job in 231 00:12:16,840 –> 00:12:18,280 ministry, 232 00:12:18,280 –> 00:12:20,619 maybe I should become a pastor, maybe I 233 00:12:20,619 –> 00:12:23,179 should become a missionary, maybe I 234 00:12:23,179 –> 00:12:25,840 should go far away, maybe I should work 235 00:12:25,840 –> 00:12:28,760 for a nice Christian organization and 236 00:12:28,760 –> 00:12:29,900 then I wouldn’t have to deal with all 237 00:12:29,900 –> 00:12:33,739 these nasty pressures. And the the 238 00:12:33,739 –> 00:12:36,239 darker the world becomes friends, the 239 00:12:36,440 –> 00:12:39,260 greater the pressure on Christians to 240 00:12:39,260 –> 00:12:44,200 withdraw. That’s the pressure. Because 241 00:12:44,200 –> 00:12:48,520 it’s not easy to be in Obadiah’s shoes. 242 00:12:48,520 –> 00:12:51,640 So this is a huge issue that this man 243 00:12:51,640 –> 00:12:53,739 who is brought before us in the 244 00:12:53,739 –> 00:12:57,080 Scripture today speaks to us about. 245 00:12:57,080 –> 00:13:00,419 Obadiah’s career as, imagine it friends, 246 00:13:00,419 –> 00:13:04,719 Ahab’s Chief of Staff! How difficult is 247 00:13:04,780 –> 00:13:06,500 that! How careful do you have to be 248 00:13:06,500 –> 00:13:09,900 with what you say in that environment? 249 00:13:09,900 –> 00:13:11,900 And it is of huge importance for every 250 00:13:11,900 –> 00:13:14,039 Christian who struggles with these 251 00:13:14,039 –> 00:13:16,419 questions. And we’re learning from him 252 00:13:16,419 –> 00:13:19,599 straight-away that God places His people 253 00:13:19,599 –> 00:13:22,219 in every sphere and in every level 254 00:13:22,219 –> 00:13:26,059 of life. And I want to encourage 255 00:13:26,059 –> 00:13:27,559 younger folks as you’re thinking about 256 00:13:27,559 –> 00:13:29,000 a choice of career and how can you 257 00:13:29,000 –> 00:13:31,559 be most useful to your God. Don’t d shy 258 00:13:31,559 –> 00:13:34,400 away from spheres of influence simply 259 00:13:34,400 –> 00:13:36,520 because they will be difficult. We need 260 00:13:36,520 –> 00:13:38,239 Christians who will be lights in the 261 00:13:38,239 –> 00:13:40,820 darkest places across every profession 262 00:13:40,820 –> 00:13:45,799 and this is the calling of God. 263 00:13:45,799 –> 00:13:47,719 Friends, over these last weeks we’ve been 264 00:13:47,719 –> 00:13:51,580 asking this question that Dr. Jim Packer 265 00:13:51,580 –> 00:13:54,280 has framed so helpfully. This question 266 00:13:54,280 –> 00:13:56,679 what is the best that I can do for my 267 00:13:56,679 –> 00:14:00,619 God? What is the best that I can do 268 00:14:00,619 –> 00:14:03,500 for my God? Great question for every 269 00:14:03,580 –> 00:14:07,700 Christian to keep asking. And I want you 270 00:14:07,700 –> 00:14:11,859 to notice this that God placed Obadiah 271 00:14:11,859 –> 00:14:16,520 in a sphere of influence that was 272 00:14:16,520 –> 00:14:19,659 extremely difficult in the palace of 273 00:14:19,659 –> 00:14:23,440 Ahab himself. We know from verse 4, if 274 00:14:23,440 –> 00:14:25,080 you look there, that there were at least 275 00:14:25,080 –> 00:14:28,380 a hundred men who had been called to be 276 00:14:28,380 –> 00:14:31,380 preachers of the Word of God. A hundred 277 00:14:31,380 –> 00:14:36,679 preachers. But there’s only one man who’s 278 00:14:36,679 –> 00:14:39,200 at the elbow of Ahab and that was 279 00:14:39,200 –> 00:14:42,880 Obadiah. And so you ask what is the best 280 00:14:42,880 –> 00:14:44,880 that Obadiah can do for his God. It is a 281 00:14:44,880 –> 00:14:48,520 no-brainer. The best that Obadiah can do 282 00:14:48,520 –> 00:14:50,960 for his God is not to abandon his job 283 00:14:50,960 –> 00:14:52,799 and go and become the hundred and first 284 00:14:52,799 –> 00:14:56,479 preacher. The best thing that Obadiah 285 00:14:56,479 –> 00:14:59,520 can do for his God is to persevere in 286 00:14:59,780 –> 00:15:03,400 the high pressure difficult political 287 00:15:03,400 –> 00:15:05,940 position in which he finds himself and 288 00:15:05,940 –> 00:15:09,179 it must often have torn him apart. And I 289 00:15:09,179 –> 00:15:10,840 want to give you that encouragement, that 290 00:15:10,840 –> 00:15:13,039 if you are in a place of difficulty you 291 00:15:13,039 –> 00:15:14,760 are not there by accident. You are there 292 00:15:14,760 –> 00:15:18,000 by the design of God and we need 293 00:15:18,000 –> 00:15:22,619 encouragement for Obadiah’s very much 294 00:15:22,619 –> 00:15:25,940 today. I think how much would be lost if 295 00:15:25,940 –> 00:15:27,940 Obadiah comes out of the palace. Who 296 00:15:28,039 –> 00:15:31,460 replaces him? There’s a uniqueness about 297 00:15:31,460 –> 00:15:35,039 his position and it’s of huge importance. 298 00:15:35,039 –> 00:15:37,340 So we’ve looked just briefly at at where 299 00:15:37,340 –> 00:15:40,359 God placed him and the difficulty of his 300 00:15:40,359 –> 00:15:42,299 calling that must be very obvious just 301 00:15:42,299 –> 00:15:44,080 as we think about it. 302 00:15:44,080 –> 00:15:47,119 Let’s look secondly at how God used him 303 00:15:47,119 –> 00:15:53,159 and the distinctness of his calling. 304 00:15:53,159 –> 00:15:55,640 See verse 4, from his position of influence 305 00:15:55,940 –> 00:15:59,919 Obadiah had been able to do a great deal of good. 306 00:15:59,919 –> 00:16:02,859 Verse 4, when Jezebel cut off the 307 00:16:02,859 –> 00:16:06,739 prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a 308 00:16:06,739 –> 00:16:10,539 hundred prophets and hid them by 50’s in 309 00:16:10,539 –> 00:16:13,840 a cave and fed them with bread 310 00:16:13,840 –> 00:16:15,359 and with water. He could not possibly 311 00:16:15,359 –> 00:16:16,979 have been able to do that apart from 312 00:16:16,979 –> 00:16:18,940 information that presumably 313 00:16:18,940 –> 00:16:23,979 he gleaned from his position in the palace. 314 00:16:24,460 –> 00:16:26,960 And I want you to think about the risk 315 00:16:26,960 –> 00:16:29,559 that was involved in that. 316 00:16:29,559 –> 00:16:34,559 Here’s Jezebel actively killing the prophets, 317 00:16:34,559 –> 00:16:36,559 and right under her own roof, 318 00:16:36,559 –> 00:16:41,559 her husband’s chief of staff is hiding them in caves. 319 00:16:41,559 –> 00:16:44,960 It’s marvelous, marvelous. 320 00:16:44,960 –> 00:16:46,460 And think not only of the risk but 321 00:16:46,460 –> 00:16:49,280 think of the cost. We’re told here that 322 00:16:49,280 –> 00:16:51,960 he supplied food to a hundred missionaries 323 00:16:52,000 –> 00:16:53,359 out of his own pocket. 324 00:16:53,359 –> 00:16:54,640 That’s a remarkable thing. 325 00:16:54,640 –> 00:16:56,320 Elijah could never have done that. 326 00:16:58,320 –> 00:17:00,359 1 Kings and chapter 18. 327 00:17:00,359 –> 00:17:03,679 God brings these two men together. 328 00:17:03,679 –> 00:17:06,839 Elijah who we’re already familiar with 329 00:17:06,839 –> 00:17:11,060 and Obadiah who we’ve just begun to get to know. 330 00:17:11,979 –> 00:17:14,479 It’s the third year of the drought 331 00:17:14,479 –> 00:17:17,560 and the search for the water is now desperate. 332 00:17:17,560 –> 00:17:20,800 Verse five, Ahab says to his right hand man Obadiah, 333 00:17:20,880 –> 00:17:22,680 well let’s go through the land. 334 00:17:22,680 –> 00:17:24,800 Let’s try and find the springs of water 335 00:17:24,800 –> 00:17:26,739 and let’s look at the valleys. 336 00:17:26,739 –> 00:17:28,439 Perhaps we’ll find some grass. 337 00:17:28,439 –> 00:17:30,819 Perhaps we’ll be able to save the horses. 338 00:17:31,920 –> 00:17:32,739 Very interesting. 339 00:17:32,739 –> 00:17:34,040 He’s worried about the horses. 340 00:17:34,040 –> 00:17:36,260 Of course, they were key to his national defense. 341 00:17:36,260 –> 00:17:38,719 There have been excavations in a town 342 00:17:38,719 –> 00:17:42,979 of Megiddo that show huge stables 343 00:17:42,979 –> 00:17:45,040 that go back to the time of Ahab. 344 00:17:45,040 –> 00:17:46,560 He had them built because horses, 345 00:17:46,560 –> 00:17:49,280 chariots, that was his national defense. 346 00:17:49,780 –> 00:17:52,079 It tells you something about the character of Ahab 347 00:17:52,079 –> 00:17:53,439 that after three years of drought, 348 00:17:53,439 –> 00:17:56,880 this man is not caring about the people, 349 00:17:56,880 –> 00:18:00,140 but he’s caring about national defense and about horses. 350 00:18:00,140 –> 00:18:02,119 If there’s any water, we want the water 351 00:18:02,119 –> 00:18:04,479 to go there, quite extraordinary. 352 00:18:04,479 –> 00:18:06,800 So Ahab, verse six, and Obadiah, 353 00:18:06,800 –> 00:18:08,359 they divide the land between them. 354 00:18:08,359 –> 00:18:11,459 Ahab goes one way, Obadiah goes the other. 355 00:18:11,459 –> 00:18:13,040 They’re looking for some place 356 00:18:13,040 –> 00:18:14,800 where there’ll at least be some green grass 357 00:18:14,800 –> 00:18:17,619 trying to save the horses, verse seven. 358 00:18:17,699 –> 00:18:20,619 But as Obadiah was on his way, 359 00:18:20,619 –> 00:18:23,579 behold, Elijah met him. 360 00:18:25,339 –> 00:18:27,579 And now these two men who both fear the Lord, 361 00:18:28,819 –> 00:18:32,640 both brothers in the faith, 362 00:18:33,699 –> 00:18:36,439 but living in completely different worlds, 363 00:18:37,619 –> 00:18:38,459 meet together. 364 00:18:40,780 –> 00:18:43,900 I expect, though we’re not told that Obadiah, 365 00:18:43,900 –> 00:18:46,140 as the chief of staff, would have been present 366 00:18:46,400 –> 00:18:48,739 in the palace when Elijah, you remember, 367 00:18:48,739 –> 00:18:50,859 right at the beginning, came up to Ahab 368 00:18:50,859 –> 00:18:51,900 and made his announcement 369 00:18:51,900 –> 00:18:53,880 that there would be no rain on the land. 370 00:18:53,880 –> 00:18:57,859 And so it’s not surprising that he recognizes this man. 371 00:18:57,859 –> 00:19:01,479 But it is also quite clear from this story 372 00:19:01,479 –> 00:19:04,520 that Obadiah was completely horrified when he did. 373 00:19:05,540 –> 00:19:09,500 After all, Elijah is the most wanted man in Israel. 374 00:19:09,500 –> 00:19:11,300 Obadiah tells in verse 10, 375 00:19:11,300 –> 00:19:13,300 there is no nation or kingdom 376 00:19:13,300 –> 00:19:16,239 where Ahab has not sent to seek you. 377 00:19:17,219 –> 00:19:20,359 And when Ahab sends his investigators out 378 00:19:20,359 –> 00:19:22,040 in the search for Elijah 379 00:19:22,040 –> 00:19:23,880 and someone says he’s not here, 380 00:19:23,880 –> 00:19:25,599 then Ahab doesn’t just accept that, 381 00:19:25,599 –> 00:19:28,079 he makes them swear on oath. 382 00:19:28,079 –> 00:19:31,459 And now Obadiah has run right into Elijah 383 00:19:31,459 –> 00:19:33,420 and he knows he’s going to have to go back to Ahab 384 00:19:33,420 –> 00:19:36,780 and he wonders just what that is going to mean for him. 385 00:19:36,780 –> 00:19:38,560 It’s the last thing that he wanted. 386 00:19:40,900 –> 00:19:43,280 I don’t think that Elijah 387 00:19:43,520 –> 00:19:45,640 had much time for Obadiah either. 388 00:19:46,699 –> 00:19:47,719 And here’s why. 389 00:19:48,780 –> 00:19:51,119 Later in the story, 390 00:19:51,119 –> 00:19:52,719 chapter 19, verse 10, 391 00:19:52,719 –> 00:19:54,699 when Elijah gets discouraged, 392 00:19:54,699 –> 00:19:56,979 you remember he says this? 393 00:19:56,979 –> 00:20:01,599 I, even I only am left. 394 00:20:01,599 –> 00:20:04,000 I, even I only am left. 395 00:20:05,479 –> 00:20:08,219 Which tells you what he thought about Obadiah. 396 00:20:08,219 –> 00:20:10,180 He wasn’t worth counting. 397 00:20:10,180 –> 00:20:13,000 Miserable compromiser working for the enemy. 398 00:20:13,819 –> 00:20:17,579 Taken a salary and a fat one at that out of the palace. 399 00:20:19,219 –> 00:20:20,400 So here are two men. 400 00:20:21,619 –> 00:20:23,699 Brothers in the faith. 401 00:20:25,339 –> 00:20:27,280 But living in different worlds, 402 00:20:28,500 –> 00:20:31,060 with different temperaments, 403 00:20:31,060 –> 00:20:34,079 and with very different callings. 404 00:20:35,939 –> 00:20:39,520 Elijah is called to a Ministry of Confrontation. 405 00:20:40,579 –> 00:20:42,859 He’s the man who stalks into the palace 406 00:20:43,040 –> 00:20:44,420 announces the word of God, 407 00:20:44,420 –> 00:20:46,239 and walks right out again. 408 00:20:46,239 –> 00:20:47,180 He can do that. 409 00:20:48,680 –> 00:20:50,199 Everything in Elijah’s life 410 00:20:50,199 –> 00:20:53,219 is leading up to this moment of confrontation 411 00:20:53,219 –> 00:20:56,000 at Mount Carmel that we’ll come to next week, 412 00:20:56,000 –> 00:20:58,680 where the word of God will confront 413 00:20:58,680 –> 00:21:02,959 the vested interests and idolatries of the people. 414 00:21:04,020 –> 00:21:07,160 Elijah is a guy who stands apart. 415 00:21:07,160 –> 00:21:10,060 He works from the outside. 416 00:21:10,060 –> 00:21:12,579 He speaks into national life, 417 00:21:12,579 –> 00:21:15,079 and God has given him a platform to do that. 418 00:21:17,339 –> 00:21:20,739 But Obadiah has a very different calling, 419 00:21:20,739 –> 00:21:22,939 and it has to be pursued in a different way. 420 00:21:24,040 –> 00:21:27,560 Obadiah’s ministry is not a ministry of confrontation. 421 00:21:27,560 –> 00:21:31,040 It is a ministry of influence. 422 00:21:31,040 –> 00:21:33,859 He stays in the palace, 423 00:21:33,859 –> 00:21:36,459 and he has to be very careful about what he says. 424 00:21:36,459 –> 00:21:38,880 He’s not like Elijah who comes in and goes out. 425 00:21:39,719 –> 00:21:42,920 He has to work from the inside, 426 00:21:42,920 –> 00:21:46,280 and everything about his life and about his ministry 427 00:21:46,280 –> 00:21:49,479 is to do with staying faithful 428 00:21:49,479 –> 00:21:52,020 in a situation that often must have felt 429 00:21:52,020 –> 00:21:54,619 as if it was tearing him apart. 430 00:21:56,079 –> 00:21:57,099 So think about this. 431 00:21:57,099 –> 00:22:01,319 Here are these two men and they’re brothers in the faith. 432 00:22:01,319 –> 00:22:03,819 They now meet for the first time. 433 00:22:03,819 –> 00:22:06,239 One of them is a prophet. 434 00:22:06,239 –> 00:22:09,000 The other, I think, is best described as a politician, 435 00:22:09,000 –> 00:22:11,900 the chief of staff in the king’s palace. 436 00:22:11,900 –> 00:22:14,280 Their callings are different 437 00:22:14,280 –> 00:22:17,760 and their lives have been on separate tracks 438 00:22:17,760 –> 00:22:22,020 but on this one occasion, in 1 Kings in chapter 18, 439 00:22:22,020 –> 00:22:25,400 God sovereignly brings the two of them together 440 00:22:25,400 –> 00:22:28,400 in the parched wilderness of Israel. 441 00:22:31,660 –> 00:22:33,660 Now I find it fascinating 442 00:22:33,760 –> 00:22:34,579 fascinating 443 00:22:36,119 –> 00:22:38,939 to think about the lives and the callings 444 00:22:38,939 –> 00:22:40,280 of these two men 445 00:22:41,500 –> 00:22:45,500 and to reflect on how their different lives, 446 00:22:45,500 –> 00:22:48,599 their different callings might have affected 447 00:22:48,599 –> 00:22:51,180 their view of each other 448 00:22:51,180 –> 00:22:54,079 and I hope to show you, this is a huge practical influence 449 00:22:54,079 –> 00:22:56,359 in relation to the Christian church today 450 00:22:56,359 –> 00:22:58,280 in all kinds of spheres. 451 00:22:59,520 –> 00:23:01,300 See, let’s stand together for a moment 452 00:23:01,319 –> 00:23:03,619 in the shoes of Elijah. 453 00:23:03,619 –> 00:23:07,199 Try and think as Elijah might have thought. 454 00:23:09,739 –> 00:23:14,000 God has called you to confront the worship of Baal. 455 00:23:15,880 –> 00:23:19,180 You feel very alone in this work 456 00:23:19,180 –> 00:23:20,380 and now here is a man 457 00:23:20,380 –> 00:23:23,000 who is supposed to be a brother in the faith 458 00:23:23,000 –> 00:23:26,380 and you find out that he’s working for the king 459 00:23:26,380 –> 00:23:28,719 who’s trying to destroy you. 460 00:23:30,160 –> 00:23:31,199 No, if you’re Elijah. 461 00:23:31,280 –> 00:23:34,380 What are you going to say to Obadiah? 462 00:23:34,380 –> 00:23:37,859 Well, I think I may have been saying something like this. 463 00:23:37,859 –> 00:23:40,599 What in the world are you doing, man, 464 00:23:40,599 –> 00:23:42,420 working in that palace? 465 00:23:42,420 –> 00:23:44,380 What are you thinking about? 466 00:23:44,380 –> 00:23:46,459 How can you possibly serve a king 467 00:23:46,459 –> 00:23:48,140 who’s done more evil than anyone 468 00:23:48,140 –> 00:23:50,900 who has ever gone before him? 469 00:23:50,900 –> 00:23:52,560 You might quote the Bible to him. 470 00:23:52,560 –> 00:23:53,560 You might say, 471 00:23:53,560 –> 00:23:57,619 come out from among them, Obadiah, and be separate. 472 00:23:57,619 –> 00:24:00,900 Have nothing to do with the works of darkness. 473 00:24:00,939 –> 00:24:03,280 You think you might say that? 474 00:24:04,420 –> 00:24:08,500 But now try and stand in Obadiah’s shoes 475 00:24:08,500 –> 00:24:11,420 and consider how you might respond. 476 00:24:12,760 –> 00:24:15,280 I think if I was in Obadiah’s shoes, 477 00:24:15,280 –> 00:24:16,739 I might have said something like this. 478 00:24:16,739 –> 00:24:20,900 Elijah, I thank God for you and for your calling, 479 00:24:23,140 –> 00:24:27,160 but please understand this, that mine is different. 480 00:24:27,160 –> 00:24:31,040 You’re called to confront this culture from the outside, 481 00:24:31,040 –> 00:24:34,380 I am called to influence from the inside 482 00:24:35,660 –> 00:24:39,739 and Elijah, separation is a matter of the heart. 483 00:24:41,280 –> 00:24:45,119 God has given me this position, right next to Ahab 484 00:24:45,119 –> 00:24:47,160 and Elijah, understand this, 485 00:24:47,160 –> 00:24:48,859 I have been able to do some things 486 00:24:48,859 –> 00:24:51,339 that no one else was in a position to do, 487 00:24:51,339 –> 00:24:54,060 God put me in the position. 488 00:24:54,099 –> 00:24:56,319 Didn’t you heard verse 13, he says 489 00:24:56,319 –> 00:24:59,020 that I was able to save the lives of a hundred prophets 490 00:24:59,020 –> 00:25:01,520 by hiding them in caves? 491 00:25:01,520 –> 00:25:04,540 I know Ahab is an evil king, 492 00:25:04,540 –> 00:25:07,239 but God has put me next to him 493 00:25:07,239 –> 00:25:09,160 and this is my calling. 494 00:25:12,040 –> 00:25:15,619 Elijah or Bediah two brothers in the faith 495 00:25:15,619 –> 00:25:18,040 are two brothers in the faith 496 00:25:19,880 –> 00:25:24,000 but their temperament and their calling 497 00:25:24,000 –> 00:25:27,660 so different that it was extremely difficult 498 00:25:28,599 –> 00:25:32,119 for these two men to understand each other well. 499 00:25:32,119 –> 00:25:35,579 And yet they are brothers in the faith 500 00:25:35,579 –> 00:25:38,000 and they’re on the same side. 501 00:25:41,459 –> 00:25:43,260 Friends, once you’ve got that in your mind 502 00:25:43,339 –> 00:25:44,199 that these different callings, 503 00:25:44,199 –> 00:25:45,599 these very different temperaments 504 00:25:45,599 –> 00:25:48,640 and God’s work in different ways through each of them, 505 00:25:48,640 –> 00:25:50,420 I hope that you will immediately see 506 00:25:50,420 –> 00:25:52,199 relevance not only to your own life 507 00:25:52,199 –> 00:25:53,959 but also to the Christian church. 508 00:25:53,959 –> 00:25:56,979 So, all of the rest now is application 509 00:25:56,979 –> 00:25:59,599 and I want to make two kinds of application. 510 00:25:59,599 –> 00:26:04,599 First to offer some insights for inside influencers. 511 00:26:05,140 –> 00:26:07,540 If you’ve been saying in the last few minutes, 512 00:26:07,540 –> 00:26:09,979 man Obadiah really speaks to me, 513 00:26:09,979 –> 00:26:12,099 then here are some applications for you. 514 00:26:13,339 –> 00:26:15,180 Then I want to offer after that, 515 00:26:15,180 –> 00:26:20,180 briefly some applications for culture confronters 516 00:26:20,819 –> 00:26:22,619 because if you’ve been sitting 517 00:26:22,619 –> 00:26:24,199 over the last few minutes saying, 518 00:26:24,199 –> 00:26:26,060 I know I like Elijah and I’m not sure 519 00:26:26,060 –> 00:26:28,300 I’ve made my mind up yet about this guy Obadiah, 520 00:26:28,300 –> 00:26:29,880 I’m not even sure if I like him. 521 00:26:29,880 –> 00:26:31,939 I think he probably is a compromiser, 522 00:26:31,939 –> 00:26:33,380 then if you’ve been thinking that, 523 00:26:33,380 –> 00:26:36,739 you need to be listening to the applications 524 00:26:36,739 –> 00:26:39,699 that relate to your own temperament 525 00:26:39,699 –> 00:26:42,900 that led to that response. 526 00:26:42,900 –> 00:26:45,380 So let’s begin here then with insights 527 00:26:45,380 –> 00:26:48,979 for insight influencers and here’s the first. 528 00:26:48,979 –> 00:26:51,260 I say this for your encouragement 529 00:26:51,260 –> 00:26:52,699 and for your strengthening. 530 00:26:52,699 –> 00:26:56,300 Number one, expect to be troubled. 531 00:26:56,300 –> 00:26:58,180 It’s actually very helpful. 532 00:26:58,979 –> 00:27:02,699 If you expect a career with a very peaceful conscience 533 00:27:02,699 –> 00:27:03,739 that’s gonna be untroubled, 534 00:27:03,739 –> 00:27:05,140 you will be very disappointed. 535 00:27:05,140 –> 00:27:08,819 Jesus said, in this world you will have trouble. 536 00:27:09,619 –> 00:27:12,660 And here you are pursuing work in this world, 537 00:27:12,660 –> 00:27:14,579 you’re working in this world, 538 00:27:14,579 –> 00:27:16,420 but you are not off this world 539 00:27:16,420 –> 00:27:18,800 and you are going to experience the tension 540 00:27:18,800 –> 00:27:21,339 of that again and again and again. 541 00:27:21,339 –> 00:27:23,099 This world is not your home. 542 00:27:23,099 –> 00:27:25,260 You are there for serving where you do not belong, 543 00:27:25,260 –> 00:27:27,979 you are serving in a system that you yourself know 544 00:27:27,979 –> 00:27:29,800 will pass away and sometimes you think 545 00:27:29,800 –> 00:27:31,739 it can’t pass away quickly enough. 546 00:27:31,739 –> 00:27:35,819 There will always be that source of tension. 547 00:27:35,880 –> 00:27:37,420 We don’t want this kind of tension. 548 00:27:37,420 –> 00:27:39,339 And so here’s what I want to encourage you today. 549 00:27:39,339 –> 00:27:40,819 When you feel the pressure 550 00:27:40,819 –> 00:27:43,400 to withdraw from your profession 551 00:27:43,400 –> 00:27:46,459 because it is a dark place, 552 00:27:46,459 –> 00:27:49,359 please remember that God calls Obadiahs 553 00:27:49,359 –> 00:27:51,920 as well as Elijahs. 554 00:27:51,920 –> 00:27:54,660 He puts His light into some dark places 555 00:27:54,660 –> 00:27:56,099 because that is where the light 556 00:27:56,099 –> 00:27:58,020 is needed most. 557 00:27:58,020 –> 00:27:59,459 And the best thing, 558 00:27:59,459 –> 00:28:02,900 the best thing that Obadiah can do for his God 559 00:28:02,900 –> 00:28:05,280 is to stay right where he is 560 00:28:05,300 –> 00:28:08,479 and to stand firm where God has placed him 561 00:28:08,479 –> 00:28:10,060 with all its difficulties, 562 00:28:10,060 –> 00:28:11,719 with all its limitations, 563 00:28:11,719 –> 00:28:12,560 and sometimes 564 00:28:12,560 –> 00:28:14,680 with the great difficulties of conscience 565 00:28:14,680 –> 00:28:16,099 that he experiences. 566 00:28:18,060 –> 00:28:19,079 Expect that trouble. 567 00:28:20,739 –> 00:28:24,479 And the steadfastness of Obadiah in this 568 00:28:24,479 –> 00:28:26,079 is wonderfully honoring God 569 00:28:26,079 –> 00:28:28,339 and was a means 570 00:28:29,339 –> 00:28:32,040 by which the witness to the Word of God in the land 571 00:28:32,040 –> 00:28:33,880 was preserved in the darkest time. 572 00:28:35,880 –> 00:28:37,000 And you just go back in your mind 573 00:28:37,000 –> 00:28:38,599 through the list of all these people 574 00:28:38,599 –> 00:28:40,579 who were in very difficult situations 575 00:28:40,579 –> 00:28:41,719 from Joseph onwards, 576 00:28:41,719 –> 00:28:44,260 and you’ll see that this is a pattern of scripture, 577 00:28:45,599 –> 00:28:46,819 and it’s a warning against 578 00:28:46,819 –> 00:28:50,239 a culture of Christian withdrawal from the world. 579 00:28:51,979 –> 00:28:52,819 Second, 580 00:28:54,099 –> 00:28:56,680 your identifying with Obadiah, 581 00:28:56,680 –> 00:28:59,800 expect to be misunderstood. 582 00:29:01,579 –> 00:29:04,560 Now, this has been absolutely fascinating to me, folks, 583 00:29:04,560 –> 00:29:06,359 as I’ve studied this and read round 584 00:29:06,359 –> 00:29:08,479 what different people have said about the scripture 585 00:29:08,479 –> 00:29:11,020 and particularly, about Obadiah, 586 00:29:11,020 –> 00:29:14,119 that some Christian writers 587 00:29:14,119 –> 00:29:18,359 are extremely negative about this man. 588 00:29:19,280 –> 00:29:22,219 And I quote, for example, F.B. Meyer, 589 00:29:22,219 –> 00:29:23,760 whose name you may know, 590 00:29:23,760 –> 00:29:25,500 a wonderful Christian writer. 591 00:29:25,500 –> 00:29:29,459 I benefited so much from much that he’s written, 592 00:29:29,459 –> 00:29:33,380 he does not have a good word to say about Obadiah. 593 00:29:33,380 –> 00:29:35,619 For Meyer, it’s very simple. 594 00:29:35,619 –> 00:29:40,119 Elijah’s the hero, Ahab’s the villain, 595 00:29:40,119 –> 00:29:43,199 and Obadiah’s the compromiser in the middle, 596 00:29:43,199 –> 00:29:44,880 and what use is a compromiser 597 00:29:44,880 –> 00:29:46,560 in the middle of this kind of conflict? 598 00:29:46,560 –> 00:29:47,619 That, that’s it. 599 00:29:48,760 –> 00:29:51,119 And he is so tough on Obadiah 600 00:29:51,119 –> 00:29:53,719 that I think F.B. Meyer probably 601 00:29:53,719 –> 00:30:00,500 will’ve had the shock of his life 602 00:30:00,500 –> 00:30:00,900 I wonder how they sorted it out. 603 00:30:01,040 –> 00:30:03,000 I saw what you wrote about me 604 00:30:03,000 –> 00:30:04,339 in your book, Mr. Meyer. 605 00:30:04,339 –> 00:30:09,719 Some of you may feel 606 00:30:09,719 –> 00:30:12,300 the same way about Obadiah as Meyer. 607 00:30:12,300 –> 00:30:15,619 And I want you to notice 608 00:30:15,619 –> 00:30:16,579 that the Bible doesn’t say 609 00:30:16,579 –> 00:30:17,819 a single words against him, 610 00:30:17,819 –> 00:30:18,619 so why should you? 611 00:30:20,540 –> 00:30:21,819 What the Bible tells us 612 00:30:21,819 –> 00:30:24,219 is that Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, 613 00:30:25,420 –> 00:30:26,680 that he took a great risk 614 00:30:26,680 –> 00:30:28,140 that God used as a means 615 00:30:28,140 –> 00:30:30,020 of saving the lives of 100 prophets, 616 00:30:31,020 –> 00:30:32,140 and that God used him 617 00:30:32,140 –> 00:30:33,260 in this crucial role 618 00:30:33,260 –> 00:30:35,140 of bringing Elijah together 619 00:30:35,140 –> 00:30:36,099 with Ahab, 620 00:30:36,099 –> 00:30:37,180 which, at this moment, 621 00:30:37,180 –> 00:30:38,819 was the purpose of God 622 00:30:38,819 –> 00:30:41,619 for his advancing plan. 623 00:30:43,439 –> 00:30:44,739 So, what I’m saying to you 624 00:30:44,739 –> 00:30:47,219 is if you are in an Obadiah position, 625 00:30:47,219 –> 00:30:48,939 expect that there are going to be Christians 626 00:30:48,939 –> 00:30:49,719 who will completely 627 00:30:49,719 –> 00:30:51,140 misunderstand you, 628 00:30:52,380 –> 00:30:54,239 and will have it in for you, 629 00:30:55,819 –> 00:30:57,839 and will not begin to understand 630 00:30:57,839 –> 00:30:59,180 what it is that God has called 631 00:30:59,219 –> 00:31:00,880 you to do. 632 00:31:02,459 –> 00:31:03,520 Here’s Obadiah, 633 00:31:03,520 –> 00:31:05,280 and he’s a godly man, 634 00:31:06,300 –> 00:31:08,099 and you know, he might have hoped 635 00:31:08,099 –> 00:31:10,780 to get some encouragement from Elijah, 636 00:31:10,780 –> 00:31:12,560 but read through the passage again later 637 00:31:12,560 –> 00:31:13,859 if you would like to do that, 638 00:31:13,859 –> 00:31:16,180 and just look for the slightest bit of warmth 639 00:31:16,180 –> 00:31:17,739 from Elijah towards Obadiah. 640 00:31:17,739 –> 00:31:18,839 You will not find it. 641 00:31:20,260 –> 00:31:21,239 There’s warmth the other way, 642 00:31:21,239 –> 00:31:22,880 but not from Elijah to Obadiah. 643 00:31:24,219 –> 00:31:26,280 Perhaps, Elijah would thank him 644 00:31:26,280 –> 00:31:27,819 for what he did 645 00:31:27,900 –> 00:31:29,640 and would at great risk to his own life 646 00:31:29,640 –> 00:31:33,239 in saving a hundred prophets of the word of God, 647 00:31:34,959 –> 00:31:36,859 but there’s no recognition 648 00:31:36,859 –> 00:31:39,140 that these men are on the same side at all. 649 00:31:41,739 –> 00:31:45,160 Folks, some people have it in 650 00:31:45,160 –> 00:31:48,359 for anyone who is given a trusted position 651 00:31:48,359 –> 00:31:49,859 at a high level, 652 00:31:49,859 –> 00:31:52,400 whether that be in the world of business, 653 00:31:52,400 –> 00:31:55,040 whether that be in the world of politics, 654 00:31:55,040 –> 00:31:57,199 and frankly, it’s creeping increasingly 655 00:31:57,199 –> 00:31:59,939 into the church as well. 656 00:31:59,939 –> 00:32:03,160 So if God calls you to be an inside influencer, 657 00:32:03,160 –> 00:32:06,400 you gotta expect to be misunderstood, 658 00:32:06,400 –> 00:32:08,780 and when other Christians don’t understand 659 00:32:08,780 –> 00:32:10,959 the work that God has called you to do, 660 00:32:10,959 –> 00:32:15,380 remember this, you are not accountable to them. 661 00:32:15,380 –> 00:32:18,880 You are accountable to God. 662 00:32:18,880 –> 00:32:20,119 Don’t be surprised by this. 663 00:32:20,119 –> 00:32:21,040 Don’t be discouraged. 664 00:32:21,040 –> 00:32:24,260 Don’t think, well there must be something wrong with me. 665 00:32:24,260 –> 00:32:27,520 The third application to those who are inside influencers, 666 00:32:27,520 –> 00:32:28,920 trust God to keep you. 667 00:32:30,099 –> 00:32:32,520 Here’s Obadiah, and his great fear 668 00:32:32,520 –> 00:32:35,079 when he brought Ahab to meet with Elijah 669 00:32:35,079 –> 00:32:37,599 was that Elijah would just have been gone, 670 00:32:37,599 –> 00:32:39,540 and then where would that leave Obadiah? 671 00:32:39,540 –> 00:32:41,459 Surely his life would be at an end. 672 00:32:41,459 –> 00:32:43,520 And Elijah says to him, now that’s not gonna happen. 673 00:32:43,520 –> 00:32:45,599 Verse 15, he gives him the Word of God. 674 00:32:45,599 –> 00:32:49,500 As the Lord lives, I will show myself to him, Ahab, today. 675 00:32:50,380 –> 00:32:52,599 And so Obadiah has to trust the Word of God 676 00:32:52,599 –> 00:32:54,219 just like the widow of Zarephath 677 00:32:54,219 –> 00:32:56,439 had to trust the Word of God, 678 00:32:56,439 –> 00:32:59,640 and God proves faithful to his word. 679 00:33:00,680 –> 00:33:02,619 And friend, in all the difficulties 680 00:33:02,619 –> 00:33:05,160 that you will face on a continuing basis 681 00:33:05,160 –> 00:33:07,479 in your calling in the secular world, 682 00:33:07,479 –> 00:33:12,479 God will be faithful to you and to his word. 683 00:33:14,479 –> 00:33:18,500 Remember this, God can keep you 684 00:33:18,500 –> 00:33:21,280 wherever he has placed you. 685 00:33:22,219 –> 00:33:27,219 God can keep you wherever he has placed you. 686 00:33:28,959 –> 00:33:30,599 Spurgeon says beautifully, 687 00:33:30,599 –> 00:33:35,599 grace can live where you would never expect it 688 00:33:35,660 –> 00:33:38,060 to survive for a single hour. 689 00:33:39,500 –> 00:33:42,640 How does Obadiah sustain his spiritual life 690 00:33:42,640 –> 00:33:44,920 in as dark a place as the Palace of Ahab? 691 00:33:46,119 –> 00:33:47,540 Well, God’s able to keep him, 692 00:33:48,439 –> 00:33:51,319 God is faithful to his word and to his promise. 693 00:33:52,239 –> 00:33:55,459 As true as you go out into a secular university, 694 00:33:55,459 –> 00:33:57,359 it’s true as you go into the world of business, 695 00:33:57,359 –> 00:33:58,859 into the world of politics. 696 00:33:58,859 –> 00:34:03,199 God protected the soul of this faithful man 697 00:34:03,199 –> 00:34:08,199 who served in a cesspool that was Ahab’s palace. 698 00:34:08,679 –> 00:34:11,939 And he can do the same for you, do the same for you. 699 00:34:12,899 –> 00:34:17,300 Insights for inside influencers. 700 00:34:18,679 –> 00:34:20,419 Briefly in these last moments, 701 00:34:20,419 –> 00:34:24,159 cautions for culture warriors. 702 00:34:24,159 –> 00:34:27,479 Cautions for culture warriors. 703 00:34:27,479 –> 00:34:31,399 Some of us, like FB Maier may instinctively have thought, 704 00:34:31,399 –> 00:34:34,719 I don’t think I like this guy, you know. 705 00:34:35,760 –> 00:34:37,060 Here’s a caution to you. 706 00:34:38,000 –> 00:34:43,000 Don’t pass judgment on your brothers or on your sisters. 707 00:34:45,679 –> 00:34:48,100 See, think about how practical this is, folks. 708 00:34:49,239 –> 00:34:52,699 An issue comes up in a school and a Christian teacher feels, 709 00:34:52,699 –> 00:34:54,659 now that this is a bridge too far 710 00:34:54,659 –> 00:34:57,679 and this is the place where we have to make a stand. 711 00:34:58,800 –> 00:35:00,719 She goes down the corridor and she talks 712 00:35:00,719 –> 00:35:04,179 to another Christian teacher who she knows well. 713 00:35:04,179 –> 00:35:06,500 And that other Christian teacher says to her 714 00:35:06,520 –> 00:35:07,699 something like this, well, she says, 715 00:35:07,699 –> 00:35:12,360 I feel the same as you do and I respect what you’re saying, 716 00:35:12,360 –> 00:35:16,000 but I honestly don’t think that this is the hill to die on. 717 00:35:16,000 –> 00:35:16,979 These things happen. 718 00:35:18,459 –> 00:35:19,959 And suppose you’re the first teacher, 719 00:35:19,959 –> 00:35:22,379 how are you going to react? 720 00:35:22,379 –> 00:35:24,679 Well you see, the tendency, the impulse 721 00:35:24,679 –> 00:35:25,939 that would come up within you 722 00:35:25,939 –> 00:35:28,479 and that would come up within me will be something like this 723 00:35:28,479 –> 00:35:31,760 to say, well, now, where in the world is her courage? 724 00:35:31,760 –> 00:35:33,399 What’s wrong with her? 725 00:35:33,399 –> 00:35:35,719 Why won’t she support me in this? 726 00:35:35,800 –> 00:35:39,179 I wonder if she really knows the Lord at all, you see. 727 00:35:42,080 –> 00:35:45,719 We all face these situations where Christians see things 728 00:35:45,719 –> 00:35:48,840 in a way that is different from the way that we do. 729 00:35:50,479 –> 00:35:52,000 In the field of education, 730 00:35:52,000 –> 00:35:55,139 there are Christians in our congregation 731 00:35:55,139 –> 00:35:58,760 who are called by God to serve 732 00:35:58,760 –> 00:36:02,659 on the inside of state education, 733 00:36:03,500 –> 00:36:07,399 and they might well feel that if more Christian families 734 00:36:07,399 –> 00:36:09,040 were in the state system, 735 00:36:09,040 –> 00:36:11,520 a greater difference could be made for good. 736 00:36:11,520 –> 00:36:15,320 And then there are other families 737 00:36:15,320 –> 00:36:19,219 who God has led to work outside 738 00:36:19,219 –> 00:36:21,360 of the state education system, 739 00:36:21,360 –> 00:36:24,580 and they might feel that if more Christian families 740 00:36:24,580 –> 00:36:25,840 would take responsibility 741 00:36:25,840 –> 00:36:27,639 for the education of their own children, 742 00:36:27,639 –> 00:36:30,780 then a greater difference could be made for good. 743 00:36:31,540 –> 00:36:34,439 Examples could be multiplied. 744 00:36:35,879 –> 00:36:37,060 But here’s what matters, 745 00:36:37,060 –> 00:36:38,739 and it’s a very important principle 746 00:36:38,739 –> 00:36:40,580 that’s a direct application of what we’re learning 747 00:36:40,580 –> 00:36:41,979 out of the Word of God, today. 748 00:36:41,979 –> 00:36:44,159 Where God has given us the gift of freedom, 749 00:36:44,159 –> 00:36:46,139 we must not judge one another. 750 00:36:47,040 –> 00:36:49,939 The Scripture we must take is Romans Chapter 14 751 00:36:49,939 –> 00:36:51,100 and Verse 4. 752 00:36:51,939 –> 00:36:53,659 Who are you, Paul writes, 753 00:36:53,659 –> 00:36:57,439 to pass judgment on the servant of another? 754 00:36:57,439 –> 00:36:59,239 See, no Christian is your servant. 755 00:36:59,260 –> 00:37:01,959 No Christian is accountable to you. 756 00:37:01,959 –> 00:37:04,040 All Christians are accountable to God. 757 00:37:04,040 –> 00:37:05,840 And it is before our Master 758 00:37:05,840 –> 00:37:07,939 that each of us stands or falls. 759 00:37:07,939 –> 00:37:10,500 And if we’re truly Christ, Paul goes on to say 760 00:37:10,500 –> 00:37:12,560 we will be upheld, because the Lord 761 00:37:12,560 –> 00:37:15,100 is the one who is able to make us stand. 762 00:37:15,100 –> 00:37:17,479 So in matters of conscience, 763 00:37:18,320 –> 00:37:20,459 God has given us freedom. 764 00:37:21,620 –> 00:37:24,320 And we all have a responsibility, 765 00:37:24,320 –> 00:37:26,760 each of us, to apply the Word of God 766 00:37:26,800 –> 00:37:28,699 the best we can to the decisions 767 00:37:28,699 –> 00:37:30,760 and the direction of our lives. 768 00:37:30,760 –> 00:37:33,739 And Christians will do this in different ways. 769 00:37:34,780 –> 00:37:36,719 And we must not judge each other, 770 00:37:38,919 –> 00:37:41,000 accept one another 771 00:37:42,040 –> 00:37:45,600 as God in Christ has accepted you. 772 00:37:45,600 –> 00:37:48,899 That’s Romans chapter 15 and verse seven. 773 00:37:50,639 –> 00:37:55,639 So you find yourself uncomfortable with obidiah today? 774 00:37:57,219 –> 00:38:00,479 I say to you, be very careful 775 00:38:00,479 –> 00:38:05,479 that you don’t judge your brother or your sister. 776 00:38:05,919 –> 00:38:09,360 Very easy if your instinct is that of a culture warrior, 777 00:38:09,360 –> 00:38:11,060 you’re a confrontation person, 778 00:38:11,060 –> 00:38:12,600 very easy for you to do that. 779 00:38:13,479 –> 00:38:15,139 And it does not honor Christ. 780 00:38:17,120 –> 00:38:18,639 Here’s another thing to remember 781 00:38:18,639 –> 00:38:21,840 if that spirit is within you 782 00:38:21,840 –> 00:38:25,459 as many of us recognize it in our own hearts. 783 00:38:25,459 –> 00:38:28,939 God has other servants beside you. 784 00:38:28,939 –> 00:38:30,780 This was an Achilles heel for Elijah. 785 00:38:30,780 –> 00:38:32,179 I only am left. 786 00:38:32,179 –> 00:38:34,620 I’m the only one that’s doing any good around here. 787 00:38:35,780 –> 00:38:38,899 Nobody else is doing what we are doing in our ministry. 788 00:38:38,899 –> 00:38:43,399 Not this kind of spirit, that was the danger for Elijah. 789 00:38:44,580 –> 00:38:47,939 And God is clearly reminding Elijah here 790 00:38:47,939 –> 00:38:49,540 in his great kindness 791 00:38:49,540 –> 00:38:53,139 that God has other servants beside Elijah. 792 00:38:53,139 –> 00:38:55,699 It’s interesting he doesn’t seem to pay any attention 793 00:38:55,699 –> 00:38:57,780 to the fact that there are 100 prophets in caves. 794 00:38:57,780 –> 00:39:00,580 It didn’t seem to mean anything to him at all. 795 00:39:00,580 –> 00:39:02,040 Focused on his own vision. 796 00:39:03,780 –> 00:39:05,239 Listen to this from Spurgeon. 797 00:39:06,340 –> 00:39:09,040 God may put you, my dear brothers. 798 00:39:09,040 –> 00:39:10,939 He’s talking to pastors 799 00:39:10,939 –> 00:39:14,340 who are so eminent, so useful, so brave, 800 00:39:14,340 –> 00:39:16,060 perhaps so severe. 801 00:39:16,060 –> 00:39:17,620 I liked that. 802 00:39:17,620 –> 00:39:19,600 He may put you, brothers, into a position 803 00:39:19,600 –> 00:39:22,260 in which the humbler and more retiring believer 804 00:39:22,280 –> 00:39:24,479 who hasn’t got half the grace or half the courage 805 00:39:24,479 –> 00:39:26,300 that you have may nevertheless 806 00:39:26,300 –> 00:39:28,219 become important to your mission. 807 00:39:29,919 –> 00:39:33,139 And when he does this, 808 00:39:33,139 –> 00:39:34,820 God would have you learn a lesson 809 00:39:34,820 –> 00:39:36,939 and learn it well that the Lord has a place 810 00:39:36,939 –> 00:39:40,260 for all his servants and that he would not 811 00:39:40,260 –> 00:39:43,060 have us despise even the least of them 812 00:39:43,060 –> 00:39:45,239 but rather to value them and to cherish 813 00:39:45,239 –> 00:39:47,479 the good that is in them. 814 00:39:47,479 –> 00:39:48,719 And then he quotes the scripture. 815 00:39:48,719 –> 00:39:51,800 The head must never say to the foot. 816 00:39:51,800 –> 00:39:55,399 I have no need of you. 817 00:39:56,500 –> 00:39:58,620 And here’s the very last thing. 818 00:39:58,620 –> 00:40:03,620 Your calling is not to greatness but to goodness. 819 00:40:06,939 –> 00:40:11,939 Elijah very simply was a change the world kind of guy. 820 00:40:13,080 –> 00:40:15,020 And if you recognize yourself in that, 821 00:40:15,020 –> 00:40:18,100 just listen up in this last moment. 822 00:40:18,100 –> 00:40:21,620 His mission was to call the nation to repentance. 823 00:40:22,459 –> 00:40:26,179 His strategy was one of open confrontation on Mount Carmel. 824 00:40:27,399 –> 00:40:30,860 God was in that and God used him in a remarkable way 825 00:40:30,860 –> 00:40:33,699 but God has more than one kind of servant. 826 00:40:34,899 –> 00:40:37,500 And here is what is so fascinating to me. 827 00:40:37,500 –> 00:40:41,340 Elijah ended his life in great disappointment 828 00:40:41,340 –> 00:40:43,139 that God had not done more. 829 00:40:44,280 –> 00:40:46,379 Carmel did not bring the revival 830 00:40:46,439 –> 00:40:49,419 that Elijah long to see. 831 00:40:51,000 –> 00:40:53,120 But if you read on in the story in 1 Kings 832 00:40:53,120 –> 00:40:54,959 and get to chapter 21 and the end 833 00:40:54,959 –> 00:40:57,860 you will find there one of the most surprising things 834 00:40:57,860 –> 00:40:59,439 in all of the Bible 835 00:40:59,439 –> 00:41:04,000 that Ahab who did more evil than all who came before him 836 00:41:05,139 –> 00:41:06,260 repented. 837 00:41:07,800 –> 00:41:12,080 Ahab repented which leads to this conclusion. 838 00:41:13,040 –> 00:41:16,280 Elijah achieved less than he hoped. 839 00:41:17,260 –> 00:41:19,679 Obadiah more than he expected. 840 00:41:23,260 –> 00:41:25,000 One quote and we’re done. 841 00:41:25,000 –> 00:41:28,120 Dale Ralph Davis has this comment that I found convicting 842 00:41:28,120 –> 00:41:31,139 and I found it helpful in searching. 843 00:41:31,139 –> 00:41:33,139 And it really speaks to all of the folks 844 00:41:33,139 –> 00:41:34,899 who have the spirit of Elijah. 845 00:41:34,899 –> 00:41:37,379 You wanna do much for Christ. 846 00:41:37,379 –> 00:41:38,979 You wanna see the community changed. 847 00:41:38,979 –> 00:41:40,340 You wanna see the church built. 848 00:41:40,340 –> 00:41:42,520 You want to see the nation transformed. 849 00:41:42,520 –> 00:41:44,300 You wanna see things revived. 850 00:41:44,459 –> 00:41:46,659 All of that pulsates within your heart. 851 00:41:46,659 –> 00:41:49,860 And here’s Dale Ralph Davis’ comment with which I close. 852 00:41:49,860 –> 00:41:53,399 How helpful that Elijah was not God’s 853 00:41:53,399 –> 00:41:55,000 only faithful servant. 854 00:41:56,199 –> 00:41:57,939 Faithfulness is not so dull 855 00:41:57,939 –> 00:42:00,020 that it only comes in one flavor. 856 00:42:00,020 –> 00:42:01,659 I like that. 857 00:42:01,659 –> 00:42:06,659 Moreover, your own pride requires the correction 858 00:42:06,659 –> 00:42:08,239 that the story can give. 859 00:42:10,100 –> 00:42:13,320 You are not called to great works, 860 00:42:13,320 –> 00:42:14,600 but to good works. 861 00:42:15,620 –> 00:42:19,320 You are not called to flamboyant ministry, 862 00:42:19,320 –> 00:42:21,040 but to faithful ministry. 863 00:42:22,199 –> 00:42:25,820 You are not called to be a dashing, 864 00:42:25,820 –> 00:42:30,780 but rather a devoted servant of God. 865 00:42:32,080 –> 00:42:33,080 Let’s pray together. 866 00:42:34,800 –> 00:42:39,800 Father, please strengthen all who labor 867 00:42:40,479 –> 00:42:44,100 in the tensions of the calling of an obediah 868 00:42:46,800 –> 00:42:51,800 and humble all of us who think too highly of ourselves 869 00:42:59,120 –> 00:43:00,699 in a calling like Elijah. 870 00:43:02,879 –> 00:43:06,340 Hear our prayers and give your grace 871 00:43:06,500 –> 00:43:07,780 to accept what it is needed 872 00:43:09,100 –> 00:43:10,899 for the sake of Jesus, 873 00:43:12,360 –> 00:43:15,639 in whose name we pray and God’s people together said, 874 00:43:15,639 –> 00:43:16,479 Amen.