You Can\'t Handle The Truth - \"Through The Bible\"

YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
Text: 1 Kings 20-22

This evening we invite you to gather with your Calvary Chapel family in the Holy Grounds Café
or on Calvaryinv.com or Facebook and Youtube (Calvary Inverness), as we continue our
Wednesday evening Through The Bible series with a message I’ve entitled- “You can’t handle
the Truth!”

Tonight, we will look at chapters 20-22 of 1 Kings. In these chapters we see King Ben-Hadad, the
king of Aram had his messengers tell King Ahab that all of the gold and silver of Samaria
belonged to him. He also told Ahab that he would take his wives and children. Ahab refused his
demands. Then Ben-Hadad and his army decided to attack the king in Samaria.

An unnamed prophet told Ahab that he was to attack first. So, he assembled an army of seven
thousand men and they set out to attack Ben-Hadad and his men when they were getting drunk
in their tents. While the Israeli army was fighting the Arameans, Ben-Hadad escaped on
horseback. Israel’s army overpowered him and his men. Many of the army of Ben-Hadad were
killed in battle. The following spring, the king of Aram once again fought against Israel and once
again God gave the Israeli army a great victory. In this chapter we also see a great object lesson
from the prophet of God. 
In the next chapter there's a guy named Naboth. He has a plush vineyard in Jezreel right next
door to Ahab's palace. Ahab  wants to buy it from Naboth, but Naboth refuses, saying the Lord
commanded him not to sell his property to Ahab and the king begins to pout. Jezebel, like a
good wife, knows how to cheer him up. So she falsely accuses him of blasphemy and arranges
for witnesses to testify against him. The people carry Naboth outside the city and stone him to
death. After this Ahab obtains ownership of the vineyard. Then Elijah warns him about his sin
and Ahab repents for a time.

In chapter 22 we see that Ahab has surrounded himself with “yes men” but there is a prophet
named Micaiah who basically tells him, "If you come back from this battle, then I'm not a
prophet." He speaks the truth and Ahab can’t handle this word from the Lord. Ahab gets hit by
an arrow as he's driving his chariot during the battle and he perishes and his son Ahaziah
becomes king. It a tragic ending to the book of 1 Kings.

Please pray for our time together that we would experience a fresh outpouring of His Spirit
upon our hearts and through His Word we will be changed to be more like Christ. Hope to see
you somewhere at Calvary.
 
Blessings,
 
Pastor Paul