AHAB S WRONG HAND OF FELLOWSHIP (1 Kings 20:32; cf. Gal 2:9) C. The word fellowship as found in the NT has nothing to do with socializing. A. The popular religion today is an ecumenical one: a striving for unity amidst diversity. 1. Koinonia fellowship, association, communion, joint participation, share. 1. It s a religion that is growing in the church because no one likes to be an outsider; it s easier to be agreeable. B. But a true follower of Christ cannot be ecumenical. a. with faithful members of the Lord s church in the work of the Lord (Gal 2:9; Phil 1:5; 4:15-17). b...not in the sins (flesh or spirit) of people outside of Christ (Eph 5:11; 2 Cor 6:14; 1 John 1:5-7). 1. We must contend earnestly for the faith (Jd 3). 2. Since there is one faith (Eph 4:5), we must study to discover what it is (2 Tim 2:15) & stand by it. 3. A Christian cannot have fellowship with just anyone who calls himself a Christian. c. not in the sins of people who are in Christ (1 Cor 5:13; 2 Thess 3:6; Titus 3:10; 2 John 9-11). [As we can see, God is very serious about the matter of fellowship; He wants us to understand its boundary.] I. AHAB S BOUNDARY OF FELLOWSHIP 1
Ben-Hadad, King of Syria, & his army besieged & attacked Samaria, threatening to take its silver & gold, the loveliest women & the children (1 Kings 20:1-3). Ahab responded saying, My lord, O king, just as you say, I & all that I have are yours (4). Ben-Hadad hoped to take advantage of Ahab s generosity, but he & the elders resisted instead (6-9). So Ben-Hadad threatened, The gods do so to me, & more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me (10). Then we have Ahab s famous words, Tell him, Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off (11). After hearing those words from his messengers, Ben-Hadad said get ready to attack the city (12). Then a prophet came to Ahab & said, Thus says the Lord: Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, & you shall know that I am the Lord (13). The prophet told Ahab that Ben-Hadad would return for battle in the spring (22). The Syrians reasoned that Jehovah was only a god of the hills, & so they would have a better chance of defeating Israel on the plains (23-25). So as the Syrians prepared for battle in spring, the prophet delivered another message to Ahab, Thus says the Lord: Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys, therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, & you shall know that I am the Lord (26-28). The second battle went worse for the Syrians than the first: 100,000 foot soldiers died & the wall of Aphek fell & killed the 27,000 troops remaining (29-30). Ben-Hadad fled into an inner chamber of the city. Here is where things begin to go wrong for Ahab & the nation of Israel (31-34). As a result, one of the prophets returned to Ahab with an object lesson & a new message from God (35-43). You can read about that great victory in verses (14-21), but Ben-Hadad escaped. 2
A. Ahab s sin can be broken down into three parts: II. GOD S BOUNDARY OF FELLOWSHIP 1. He disobeyed God by sparing the life of Ben- Hadad (42). A. We may have fellowship with one who accepts the absolute authority of God & His Word. 2. He made a treaty, which included an alliance, with the enemies of God (34). 3. He stepped over God s boundary of fellowship, by saying Is he [Ben-Hadad] still alive, he is my brother (32). B. So it is essential that we, as members of the church, understand the boundaries of our fellowship. 1. In other words, we need to know how to identify the church, our brothers & sisters in Christ. [We can make the same mistake that Ahab made when he extended the right hand of fellowship to the Syrian King. So with whom may we have fellowship?] 1. That He is the Creator (Gen 1; Psa 100:3). 2. the Father of all (Eph 4:6; Jas 1:17). 3. the Demonstrator of love (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:8-9). 4. the Savior of men (1 Tim 2:3-4, 4:10). 5. the Commander of all (Acts 17:30-31). a. That He sent Jesus to speak & to do His will (Jn 6:38; 12:48-50; Heb 1:1-2; 5:8-9). b. That Jesus chose the apostles to carry on His work (Jn 14:26; 16:13-15; Lk 10:16; 1 Thess 2:13). c. That the revelation of God s word is complete in the NT (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:3; Jd 3). [God s boundary of fellowship must begin here (1 Cor 1:10; Phil 3:16; 4:9). With whom may we have fellowship?] 3
B. We may have fellowship with one who is a child of God (not to be confused with the offspring of God Acts 17:28). 1. If you want to know who a man s children are, who do you ask? You ask the man if he s a descent man he ll know who his children are. 2. So if you want to know who God s children are, who do you ask? a. Do you ask someone who claims to be His child, or do you ask God. b. You see, there is a lot at stake in being a child of God (in this world & in the world to come), so many people will make that claim who, in truth, are not His children. b. Those who because of their faith in Jesus Christ, have repented & have been baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38-39). c. These have been added to Christ s body the church (Acts 2:47); these have put on Christ (Gal 3:27); these have newness of life because they have obeyed God from the heart & are now free from sin (Rom 6:3-4, 17-18). [With whom may we have fellowship?] C. We may have fellowship with one who is obedient to God (1 Pet 1:14-16, 22-23). 1. Jesus had many followers, & a lot of people wanted to bend His ear, but He was clear in regard to His true family (Mk 3:31-35). 4 3. God has stated in His word that His children are: a. Those who have been born again, born of water & the spirit (Jn 3:3, 5; Titus 3:5). 2. A Christian cannot have fellowship with anyone whose actions & beliefs consistently conflict with the NT (2 John 9-11).
3. Where did Ahab go wrong? a. He extended the right hand of fellowship to someone God had rejected. b. He made a covenant with someone who had no covenant with God. c. He refused to draw the line of fellowship where God drew it; Ahab s emotions & pride got in the way of his obedience. a. Are they alienated & enemies of God by their wicked works (Col 1:21). b. Do they follow the commandments of men (Matt 15:9; Titus 1:14; Col 2:22). c. Or do they walk in the light (1 Jn 1:5-7), & abide in the word of God (Jn 8:31; 15:17)? 2. Ahab simply didn t care about God s boundary of fellowship; he wanted to have fellowship with whomever he chose so God cut him off. CLOSING A. When it comes to fellowship in Christ, we cannot read hearts to know for certain if someone is in fellowship with God. 1. We can only look at the objective evidence: [That s why the matter of fellowship has to be important to us because it s important to God.] God s Plan For Our Salvation: Hear the gospel of Christ: Acts 2; 3; 13; Rom 10:17 Believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God: John 3:16; 8:24; 20:30-31 Repent of sin: Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 1 John 3:4 Confess faith in Christ: Matt 10:32-33; Acts 8:37; Rom 10:9-10 Baptized for the forgiveness of sins: Gal 3:27; Rom 6:3-4; Acts 2:38 Obedient to Christ: Titus 2:11-12; Heb 5:9; 2 John 9; Rev 2:10; John 12:48 5