King Abijah -

THINGS THAT ACCOMPANY PREACHING

God’s Game Of Thrones Season 2 Episode 3

A brief description of Abijah.

Abijah is Judah’s Second king behind Rehoboam(1st king of Judah)
His name means “my father is God.”
He is also called “Abijam.” This name means “my father is the sea.”(He is wishy washy and tossed to and fro)

Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

You’ll find Abijah in 1 Kings 15:1-8, 2 Chronicles 12:6-14:1
Reigned 3 Years Beginning In the 18th year of Jeroboam.
Spiritual Condition: Wishy washy. He talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. He finishes evil.
Tribe: Judah.
Parents are Rehoboam and Maachah. Both parents came from David. Rehoboam is the son of Solomon(son of David.) Maachah is the daughter of Absalom(son of David.)
Abijah would have had the influence of God because of Solomon being his grandfather. However his father & mother were wicked. His mother was an idol worshipper.
Prophets are Ahijah and Iddo
Abijah multiplied wives. He had 14 wives, 22 sons, and 16 daughters.

2Ch 13:1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.

2Ch 13:2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

THINGS THAT ACCOMPANY PREACHING

Preparation For Battle

2Ch 13:3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, beingmighty men of valour.

2Ch 13:4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

2Ch 13:5 Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, evento him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

Abijah was prepared enough for battle to have four hundred thousand chosen men. So they were hand picked. These men had to studied, looked at, and picked out of other men.

Abijah was prepared in that sense. If your going to preach or teach than you need to PREPARE.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Some men wait until it’s time game day and claim the LORD is just going to drop the message in their lap. But you need to PREPARE FOR BATTLE.

Hours are spent in just about every study that I put on here. Hours are spent studying for things that I’m not even doing a study on. I’m trying to build and prepare for spiritual warfare.

Something that should accompany your preaching, teaching, and the every day christian life is preparing for battle.

PREACHING AGAINST EVIL

2Ch 13:6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

Abijah is pointing out the rebellion of the king of Israel. Samuel pointed out the rebellion of King Saul. Remember that he said “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.”

Remember that Jeroboam is associated with the number 13, which is the number of rebellion in the scriptures. A good sermon will

expose rebellion.

2Ch 13:7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.

Abijah exposes Jeroboam who has gathered children of the devil to work for him and serve him. The Bible is clear that not everyone is a child of God.

Matthew 23:15 talks about a “child of hell.”

Acts 13;10 talks about a “child of the devil.”

2 Peter 2;14 talks about “cursed children”

1 John 3:12 says Cain was “of that wicked one.”

1 Samuel 2:12 says Eli’s sons were “sons of belial.”

In John 8:44 Jesus tells some men that they are “of their father the devil.”

Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 5:6, and Colossians 3:6 talk about “children of disobedience.”

We are not all the “children of God.” Jeroboam and his henchman were the devils kids. Abijah exposed them for what they were. He preached a good sermon, even though Abijah and his daddy Rehoboam weren’t all that much better themselves.

2Ch 13:8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

He exposes Jeroboam. He exposes corrupt government. A good preacher will expose the corrupt things going on in government. He says Jeroboam withstood the kingdom of the LORD. This is a physical kingdom and not the spiritual kingdom we fight for today.

In the New Testament Paul talks about men who “withstood” him.

2Ti 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:

2Ti 4:15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

There will be men who “withstand” your words as you preach the gospel and fight for the spiritual kingdom of God.

Back then they were fighting for the physical kingdom of heaven.

Abijah says that Jeroboam has a great multitude and he certainly does. However never forget what Jesus Christ said..

Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

There are more men going the wrong way than there are going the right way.

Something that should accompany your preaching is the preaching against the false idols of your day.

Whatever the golden calve is of your day is what you need to preach against. It might be a certain type of drug. It might be alcohol. It might be a certain rock group. Find out what the idols are and preach against them. The forces of darkness are trying to withstand you so you need to withstand them.

2Ch 13:9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.

Things that accompany good preaching is exposing the false men of your day. Abijah points out the fact that Jeroboam got rid of the priests of the LORD of the tribe of Levi and appointed posers.

That is all you have today on TV and in every other church is fake religious posers.

2Pe 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

These posers will “make merchandise” of the feeble minded, old people that are home bound, and bed ridden. They will go after weak people because they are money hungry cowards trying to make money off the gospel. Something that accompany a good sermon or preacher is the exposing of FAKE PREACHERS. Don’t shack up with them to save face.

Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Abijah has been exposing the evil of Jeroboam. Even though Abijah is a hypocrite and he has some half truths in his sermon, it’s been some GOOD PREACHING. I’ve heard a lot of good preaching that wasn’t 100% doctrinally correct. I’ve heard some good preaching from a hypocrite that I don’t even like.

Now, I’m going to show you something that shouldn’t accompany preaching, however it does many times. Many times bragging and talking about your own accomplishments accompanies preaching. Now you are going to see something Abijah has that he shouldn’t. That is…

PRIDE

2Ch 13:10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:

2Ch 13:11 And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.

Notice that Abijah is bragging about how good him and his people are doing. However you see in other places that Abijah isn’t all that himself. He doesn’t finish well and he isn’t even considered to be a good king.

He talks about here how…

His priests burn sacrifices every morning and evening.
The set the shewbread in order on the pure table
They keep the candlestick burning
They keep charge and don’t forsake the LORD.

Today many preachers get up and brag about how much they know about the scriptures. They think they are spiritual because they are always in church. They think they are something with their suit and tie on. They think they really know how to worship better than everybody else but for every good thing they have going for them they have about 20 bad things going bad for them. For every finger they point at somebody they have 20 fingers pointing right back at them.

You have to watch your pride.

Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

This is why there are qualifications for a pastor. You don’t want a pastor that is full of pride.

1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Abijah preaches a good sermon. Many men that are full of pride can preach a good sermon. They have a lot of good ideas and good delivery but it has made their head get big.

Something else that accompanies preaching has to do with the people who are listening. They are..

PICKING FIGHTS

2Ch 13:12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.

Abijah calls God his “captain.” He is the “captain of our salvation.”(Hebrews 2:10)

Notice that statement. He says “fight ye not against the LORD GOD.” There are people every Sunday who fight against what the preacher says when they are convicted to get saved or to get right.

Act 5:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Act 23:9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

You don’t want to fight against the undisputed champion.

Revelation 2;16 shows that he is coming back to “fight against them with the sword of his mouth.”

What you need to do is get on the right side and then FIGHT.

In John 18:36 Jesus said “if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight.”

In 1 Cor 9:26 Paul said “so fight I not as one that beateth the air.” The devil is the “prince of the power of the air” but swinging at him

With your fist won’t work. We are in a spiritual fight.

1 Timothy 6:12 says to “fight the good fight of faith.”

When Paul was making his departure he said “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course I have kept the faith .” Abijah didn’t finish well, he didn’t fight to the death.

Hebrews 10:32 talks about “enduring a great fight of afflictions.”

Hebrews 11:34 talks about the Old Testament saints that “waxed valiant in fight.” Can the same be said about you?

If your going to fight than get on the right team. Lest haply ye be found to fight against God.

When there is preaching going on you have fighting going on in the pews. They are fighting God when they don’t get saved or get right if the preacher is really preaching the word.

Something else that accompanies preaching is…

PLOTTING AGAINST THE PREACHER

2Ch 13:13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.

Instead of listening to Abijah preach Jeroboam

Is cornering the preacher. There have been people spit on the preacher, hit him, throw stuff at him and do everything but thank him.

Paul said in..

Gal 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

If a preacher gets up and preaches against your evil ways and tells you that your going to burn in hell he is trying to save you from a life of ruin and an eternity of torment. Don’t try to ambush the messenger. When you reject what he says, if he is preaching the book, your simply REJECTING GOD.

At the same time there is something about Abijah. He was preaching a good message but he shouldn’t have been snuck up on.

Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Abijah wasn’t walking “circumspectly.” He wasn’t checking all sides. In this war you need to be aware of your surroundings. You don’t want to be “ignorant of the devil’s devices.” You need to realize it is “high time to awake out of sleep.” You need to have your spidey sense activated on your whole armour of God.

While there are people hating the preacher, at the same time there is something that accompanies preaching that PREVAILS…

PRAYER OF THE SAINTS.

2Ch 13:14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.

There are preachers who have preached some great sermons but if it wasn’t for the “prayer of the saints” the message wouldn’t have pricked the hearts of the lost sinners and backslid Christians in the congregation. Maybe you can’t preach or teach but you can pray that the words of the man speaking will prick the hearts of the listeners.

Prayers are what makes the difference between a victory and a defeat. They lead to the Christian…

PREVAILING OVER EVIL

2Ch 13:15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

Abijahs sermon, mixed with the threat of death, provoked Judah to pray to the LORD and the Lord heard their cry and smote Jeroboam.

2Ch 13:16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.

2Ch 13:17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

The odds were against Judah two to one. However since Judah had the LORD on their side it wouldn’t be fair otherwise.

Lev 26:8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

2Ch 13:18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.

PURSUING COMPLETE VICTORY

Something that should accompany you hearing a life changing sermon is you as a Christian “pursuing complete victory.” Many times someone gets under conviction and goes to the altar to pray. Monday rolls and around and they are back to how they were Saturday night. After you hear a life changing sermon, it isn’t life changing unless you PURSUE COMPLETE VICTORY.

2Ch 13:19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.

Abijah went after Jerboam and took cities from

him. When you pray for victory over sin you need to immediately pursue every avenue and put barricades up wherever it might creep

Back in. You need to demolish every spot it has in your life. So that it doesn’t rear it’s ugly bead back up again. You don’t want it to recover.

2Ch 13:20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.

What a great victory this was for Abijah and Judah. However something that accompanies good preaching and great victory is success. Success can be turned into a bad thing and…

PROSPERITY CAN KILL

2Ch 13:21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

2Ch 13:22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

Abijah waxed mighty. He multipled wives like his daddies. And if you read about Abijah in 1 Kings you’ll find out that he didn’t finish well.

1Ki 15:1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.

1Ki 15:2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

1Ki 15:3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

Prosperity can kill. This is one reason why you need to watch out for “prosperity preachers.” Fake preachers that say you will have a lot of things and a lot of money if your living right.

1 Timothy 6:5 shows us that “gain ISNT Godliness” but rather “godliness with contentment is great gain.” Prosperity doesn’t have to kill you but it can.