Jezebel

By Pastor Bob

What I want to talk about his morning is called Jezebel
- Not the spirit
- Rather, the character
- Why should we care? She is dead?
- Creation is in the bible
- Healing is in the bible
- There is profound wisdom in scripture
  - It’s in the bible – amen?
    - 2 Tim 3:¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; ¹⁷so that the ^[^a^]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
  - Bible teaches us the nature of God
  - Bible shows us how to live our lives
  - AMP Matthew 22:36-40 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ 40 The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”
  - Bible also teaches us the nature of the enemy
  - Jesus cast out the demons –
  - KJV Matthew 8:28-34 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
  - There is good and evil
  - Why did Jesus not just kill them? This morning I will tell you why!
    - Yeah, I don’t know
    - I do know that after Jesus defeated Satan, demons were still being cast out
    - KJV Acts 16:16-18 1616 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
    - Good and evil is with us until He appoints the time
    - Bible is our guide
    - The bible is our hope
Let’s look at some scripture about Jezebel:
1 Kings 16:31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
- This is a political marriage
- Definitely not based on love
- The marriage makes her a Queen of Israel
- Jezebel Worshipping Baal, not Yaweh
  - Creating Division
  - Turning away from God
- This was not all Jezebels’ fault –
  - Ahab allowed it
  - Expound
1 kings 18Obadiah Meets Elijah
1 Kings:18 Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab called Obadiah who was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly; 4 for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.)
- More of her character can be seen
- She is killing the prophets
- Killing those that would spread what God desires
- The prophets are being hidden for protection
  - Jezebel wants to hinder the word of God
  - Jezebel wants the Word of God hidden
  - She wants to make the Word of God ineffective
    - Get people to stop talking about God
    - No word from God from the prophets
    - Stifle Worship with fear
    - ANYTHING where God is involved
- She wants Baal to be the supreme God and will stop at literally nothing to achieve this
Elijah now says hey, Go tell the King I am here
- He has GREAT confidence
In chapter 18 it continues that Elijah
- 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Are you the one who is bringing disaster on Israel?” 18 Elijah said, “I have not brought disaster on Israel, but you and your father’s household have, by abandoning (rejecting) the commandments of the Lord and by following the Baals. 19 Now then, send word and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of [the goddess] Asherah, who eat at [Queen] Jezebel’s table.”
  - To recap what happens – sacrifice of 2 bulls (no heat)
  - The odds are against Elijah in the physical – 850 to 1
  - The prophets that are standing against him cry out all day
  - The prophets of Baal even resort to cutting themselves
  - Elijah even calls their God out
  - 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied, or he is out [at the moment], or he is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened!”
  - Elijah is very confident
  - Elijah is very connected to God
  - This is important – Elijah is very much within the WILL of God
  - Elijah seems to have a lot of faith
  - He tells them to put water on it, not once, not twice, but 3 times
  - There is water everywhere – bible says even in even in the trenches
  - Elijah prays to the Lord:
  - 1 KINGS 18: 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, and even the stones and the dust; it also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell face downward; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” 40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and [as God’s law required] killed them there.
  - Full of faith! Full of Victory! Full!
  - Even conveys the rain is coming and tells Ahab as much (solving the drought problem)
  - And then the 850 prophets of Baal and
  - But in the very next turn of the page:
  - In the very next moment
  - It is like that sometimes!
    - On fire for God
    - Feeling the presence of the Lord
    - Fulfilling God’s will
    - Feel I am in the “zone”
    - But then the page turns!
  - 1 Kings 19:19 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
  - Jezebel is furious
    - Made to look bad
    - God got the glory – people focusing on His greatness – not on what she wants
    - This was an epic move of God in the land, a true testament of not only his power, that He was real
    - The attention was not on her nor Baal, but on God
    - She and those that follow Baal were embarassed
    - People were focused on the greatness of the Lord
    - How did Elijah respond?

3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
What is Jezebel causing here?
- Fear – He is ready to surrender
- Doubt, Condemnation – for I am not better than my fathers.
- Unworthiness – Have you ever had the page turn on you? In the will of God doing the next right thing, Serving, you’re praying, your doing your best, and then bam! I need to understand where some of it may be coming from!
Sometimes what is going on is not coming from God – it is the enemy – just Like Jezebel did that to Elijah. One more example of Jezebel:
- Ahab wants a vineyard, Naboth is the owner – he was a Jezreelite. Ahab wants the vineyard converted to a garden, Wants to trade it – nope , Wants to buy it – nope. Naboth said The Lord forbid me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you. Ahab is depressed. Ahab is disappointed and does not want to eat.
- Jezebel says “What’s a matter baby?”(Not really) 1 Kings 21:5-7 5 Then Jezebel his wife came to him and asked him, “Why is your spirit so troubled that you have not eaten?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ But he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” 7 Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now reign over Israel? Get up, eat food, and let your heart rejoice; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
- Jezebel does not care what is honorable Jezebel does not care what God says So what does Jezebel do? Nothing good Paraphrasing: Jezebel writes letters in Naboth’s name Jezebel is stealing his identity Jezebel forges his signature with his seal. Puts 2 men beside him Worthless Unprincipled they lie, Cursed King and God Renounced King and God Naboth is stoned and killed Jezebel gets her way Ahab get his vineyard
There are people in this world that have the same characteristics as those in the bible and we need to pay attention
We need to be wary, or why would it not be in the bible
- The characteristics of Jezebel are still working today:
- - They are in the church
  - They are in the family
  - They are in business
  - They are in schools
  - They are in our community
  - We need to be aware of them to protect our church, families, businesses, our schools and our community – and most importantly our relationship with our Savior
- Takeaways from Jezebel
  - Control!! Subtle, or aggressive
  - False accusations – affect
  - Seduction – uses anything to get their way
  - Create Isolation – doubt, fear – look what it did to Elijah
  - Jezebel will try to corrupt the Godly
  - Jezebel will try to destroy the Godly
  - Draw the tolerant – Ahab
  - There are casualties – we know that Jezebel was a murderer, especially spiritually
  - Jezebel is Unrepentant
  - Hates to lose – look at the reaction to Elijah victory
  - Confusion – Naboth, brought out and had to endure accusations so real from others 0 he thought he was at a party but it was a snare – an ambush
  - Fear – again – Elijah in a cave
  - Greatest enemy for Jezebel minded people is people who are moving towards God
  - Want to contain those on fire for God
A warning from Jesus in Revelation
- Revelation 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
  - Not the actual Jezebel of the OT
  - A warning for the modern church
    - Churches elevating man above God
      - Furtick coloring book page
      - Picture – Furtick Coloring Book
      - Whose vision? A church should be built on God’s vision and His Word
    - Conforming to the world doctrine
      - God’s people are not meant to conform to the will of society
      - Inclusive Church – family story Damien and why can’t they get married in your church
    - Perverting the Word
      - I am God almighty – Furtick video
      - Video- start 1:37
      - Kris Vallotton _ Bethel
      - The word of knowledge in the Song of Solomon, is the same Hebrew word – knowledge – is translated bed chamber. Why? Because this knowledge isn’t coming from classrooms; it’s coming from the bed chamber; it’s coming from Intercourse with God
- God knew all this would happen
- 1 Timothy 4:4 But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons,
  - Grave soaking or sucking –
  - Picture
  - Seances, psychics have all been minimized by society
  - We know that this is wrong, because it’s in the bible:
  - Deut 18:10-12 12 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire [as a sacrifice], one who uses divination and fortune-telling, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a charm or spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or a necromancer [who seeks the dead]. 12 For everyone who does these things is utterly repulsive to the Lord; and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God is driving them out before you
  - Maybe the grave soaking church should have read that in their bible
  - Picture – Passion Bible
  - The problem is that can’t read Deuteronomy because it is NOT there
    - They have Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah and So
  - Acceptance of eastern medicine
    - Rather, yoga is an ancient Hindu religious practice intended to unite a person’s soul with the impersonal, universal force Hindus call “god”
Not trying to give glory to Jezebel – just warning myself what to watch for
For the record – Jezebel loses Elijah declares a Word
- 2 Kings 9:10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’ ” And he opened the door and fled.
- And then in
- 2 Kings 9:35They went to bury her, but they found nothing left of her except the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
- Because of what?
- Because of word from the Lord
- God is faithful
- God is faithful to His Word
- Because God always triumphs
- Because Elijah remembered who he was
- Because God is faithful
- Because Elijah got out of the Cave
  - 1 Kings 19:9 There he came to a cave and spent the night in it; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?
    - He goes out
    - It’s not in the Wind
    - It’s not in the earthquake
    - It’s not in the fire
    - But he hears a Word from the Lord
    - It is in His Word He equips us
    - It is in His word
    - And in HIS WORD he could move forward
    - we can move forward
      - No matter what the enemy advances
- Closing thoughts
- We need to be vigilant
- We need to protect our church
- We need to protect our families
- We need to stand and not be like Ahab – complacency
- We need to use the Word to evaluate everything – it is our barometer
- Here is something I really got from the Word – back when I was talking about John and the demon possessed woman
  - You know where he was?
    - Thyatira
    - And in Revelation 21 Jezebel was reference in Thyatira
    - One big takeaway from that passage in Chapter 16 that I think is of note is:
      - It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer
      - The enemy was messing with one of the great Apostles
      - He was completely in the will of God
      - The enemy will attack the people of God no matter what
- M A Y B E?????????
Philippians 3:17 Brothers and sisters, together follow my example and observe those who live by the pattern we gave you. 18 For there are many, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, who live as enemies of the cross of Christ [rejecting and opposing His way of salvation], 19 whose fate is destruction, whose god is their belly [their worldly appetite, their sensuality, their vanity], and whose glory is in their shame—who focus their mind on earthly and temporal things. 20 But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself, will [not only] transform [but completely refashion] our earthly bodies so that they will be like His glorious, resurrected body.

PRAYER – Acts 2:38

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.