In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the theme of wickedness and self-promotion. He begins by describing the actions of those who engage in evil deeds, using the metaphor of wetting their tongues like swords and shooting bitter words. These individuals shoot at the righteous in secret, encouraged by their own evil thoughts. The preacher then shifts to discussing the story of Joab, a Biathar, and Adonijah, highlighting their self-promotion and the danger of following such leaders. He emphasizes the importance of repentance, holiness, and the old-fashioned way of the cross as the path to eternal life.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, Post Office Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771, or by calling 903-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted, and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends. Kings Chapter 1, message entitled, Joab, Abiathar, and Adonijah. Joab, Abiathar, and Adonijah. Let's pray together, please. Father, you have given me this message. You have put it upon my heart tonight. Lord, it is written in your word. You said, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. God, I ask for an anointing of the Holy Spirit tonight, that every knee in this house would bow, every tongue would confess, O God, that your ways are higher than our ways, your thoughts are higher than our thoughts, that you have a path of righteousness, you have a path of perfect peace, you have a path that leads to eternal life, O God, and every other path leads to damnation. God, help our feet to be found on the right path in this last hour of time. You have warned in your word, O God, many false prophets and false Christs shall arise and shall deceive many. But, O God, you have a path, you have truth, Lord God. I ask, Lord, that you would grant to us tonight a love for the truth, an embracing of the truth, a desire for the truth, O God, that we would turn from every false path, turn from every false thought, and that our knees would bow and our tongues would confess that you are Lord, you are Sovereign King, you are God. Hallelujah. Father, I thank you for putting your anointing upon me. I thank you for touching my life once again and allowing me to stand and to preach the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. I thank you, Lord, you've chosen me because I'm foolish and you've chosen me because I'm weak. And I thank you, O God, that your word is true, that you take the nothings and nobodies of society, that you set our feet upon a hill, O God, and allow us from our inward parts to bring forth rivers of living water. And, Lord God, that's what I ask for this night, rivers of living water to give drink to those that are thirsty, sight to the blind, freedom to those that are in prison, healing to those that are bruised, light to those that are dead. Hallelujah. Direction to those that are on a crooked path. God, I thank you that your kingdom is going forward. I bind every work of darkness, I bind every lying spirit, every power and principality of hell. I stand against you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I declare the absolute triumph of Christ over the powers of darkness and hell. And, O God, I thank you for the anointing of your Holy Spirit. I thank you for life and strength and liberty in Christ, in this house tonight, in Jesus' name. Amen. 1 Kings chapter 1, Joab, Abiathar and Adonijah. Chapter 1, verse 1, then we'll go to verse 5. Now King David was old and stricken in years, and they covered him with clothes, but he got no heat. Then, verse 5, Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king. And he prepared him chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him at any time, and saying, Why hast thou done so? And he also was a very goodly man, and his mother bare him after Absalom. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zariah, and with Abiathar the priest. And they, following Adonijah, helped him. But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei and Rehi, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogo, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants. But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not. Now, I want to just build up to the scenario of Adonijah exalting himself and standing up against the throne of his father David. Now, David was old. That one thing is established surely in chapter 1 and verse 1. It says, David was old and stricken in years. They covered him with clothes, and he gat no heat. In other words, no matter how many clothes they put on him, he was probably shivering and shaking all the time. David used to be a mighty warrior. David used to be fearsome, I suppose, in his day. But there's one thing that comes to all of us, and that's old age. If the Lord should tarry and allow us to live long enough, every one of us in this room, if the Lord tarries and we live, we'll get to that place where we're old and gat no heat. David was old. Adonijah, one of his sons, typifies that ministry that becomes weary of what is old, even if that is where the proven pathway of God lies. You can hear him. You can hear Adonijah starting to speak to those people around him. My father David is old. The people need someone new. They need something new. David hasn't done anything in so long, and his ways are old, and yes, his kingdom is all established, and we know about the past history of victories, but it's time for Adonijah to arise. You see, that's what happens in the heart of every man who promotes himself, and that's what Adonijah was. He was a self-promoted man. You can hear him boasting and bragging, and somehow he succeeded in convincing 50 men to follow him and run before his chariot. How impressive it must have been. At least in his sight, it wasn't very impressive in God's sight. You can hear the Adonijahs of our generation. You can hear them saying, Repentance and holiness in the way of the cross are old-fashioned. We need something new. We need something revolutionary. We need something that's more in tune with the present needs of the people. Society is more complex today, and the old ways just won't do anymore. The time for user-friendly Adonijah has arrived. That's the time that we're living in right now, the user-friendly Adonijahs, gathering people around them and beginning to go through the cities with their 50 men, as blind as they are, espousing their leadership, and espousing their gospel, and espousing the things that they're saying are new and revolutionary. But I challenge you today, the old-fashioned way is still the way of eternal life. God has not changed His mind. Repentance and holiness in the way of the cross are still the way to eternal life, even though it's old. It has never changed. It never will change. Adonijah was a self-promoter. In the book of Psalms, let me just read it to you. Psalm 75. The Scripture says, I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly. And to the wicked, lift not up the horn. In other words, don't exalt yourself. Lift not up your horn on high, and speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. For God is the judge. He puts down one and sets up another. Oh, it's a foolish path that a man or woman or any child of God will ever walk when they attempt to exalt themselves and make themselves a leader when God has not appointed them into positions of leadership. It's a position of certain death. It's a position of absolute spiritual blindness. It's a position of death and decay and unfortunately, similar death and decay and blindness for those who are foolish enough to follow their chariots. We can see Adonijah now exalting himself above the Lord, really what it was. In his own mind, he was saying, well, David is old. It's time for something new. It's time for something revolutionary. I have a message. I have a direction. I have something that the people need. But first, he said, I need to share the leadership with men after my own heart. And so he calls a secret meeting. The Adonijahs always start their ministries with secret meetings. They're never done in the open. They always start behind the scenes somewhere. Some little secret meeting. I preached a message one time months ago called Wolves. If you've never heard it before, you need to hear it. You should get a copy of that tape. If you already have it, then I would encourage you to listen to it again. At the end of that message, I gave six ways to defend yourself against the strife of tongues and wolves that rise up in the church of Jesus Christ. Adonijah calls a secret meeting. In verse 9, it says, And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel. Now, Zoheleth means the stone of the serpent. So here was Adonijah. He had built himself an altar. It was the altar of the serpents. He's rising up in rebellion against established leadership. And he's looking now for men after his own heart. The first man that comes to him is Joab. I am dumbfounded when I read the Scriptures. Dumbfounded. Joab. All through the Old Testament, I read about the mighty strength of Joab. Joab, who would go into a city and besiege it for months on end until the city was virtually ready to fall and then send for David so that David could come in and take the city so that it would not be said that Joab had captured the city of his own accord. Joab, who was a mighty hunter and a mighty fighter, walking with David fearlessly for so many years. And all of a sudden now, he's at the stone of Zoheleth meeting with Adonijah who has exalted himself above God. Joab, the one thing I know about Joab from studying his life in the Scriptures is that he was an envious man. He was self-willed. He was violent. And now he had a proven and divided loyalty. It's incredible, incredible what happened to this man. And it's ironic that it was at virtually almost the end of his life and the end of his ministry. He was not a young man anymore. He had fought with David. He knew the integrity of David. He had walked with David. He had been there for years and years and he had known that God's call was on this man's life. And yet all of a sudden he's at the stone of Zoheleth thinking nothing of raising his hand against the man that he knew God had ordained and anointed to lead Israel. But there were seeds of death in Joab that others may have missed but God never missed these seeds of death. Joab was a murderer. In 2 Samuel chapter 20 verse 10 we see that Joab murdered Amasa after the defeat of Absalom when Absalom rose up against David. And David promised to make Amasa captain of the host in the place of Joab. And Joab heard that David was going to put another man in his place. There was envy in his heart. He was not prepared to take his place in the army that he was given by those in leadership and those with authority. And there are many, many in the body of Christ that rise to positions of prominence. They rise to positions of authority but they're not willing to come under the same authority that they would have those under their ministries come under. And all of a sudden David says I'm going to place Amasa over the army and something rises up in Joab. It's the seed of his death. It's envy. It's envy. It's nothing else but envy and self-will. And the violence that had been hidden in his life for so many years and had manifested itself in the warfare that he had fought for David now comes to the surface and begins to show itself against those that have been called of God in his place. And Joab in 2 Samuel 20 10 comes to Amasa and it's ironic how he murders Amasa. He walks up to him and says Are you in health my brother? Are you in health? He comes up pretending to be concerned about him. And he grabbed his beard the scripture says and leaned over as if he was going to kiss him and took his sword and smote him right under the fifth rib. In other words he ran the sword right through the man's heart. Cold-blooded killer just simply because he feared that this man was going to take his place and so rose up against him. In 2 Samuel 3 27 we see Joab now slaying Abner. Abner after the death of Saul was leading the armies of Israel and he had a falling out with Saul's son and Abner had come and met with David and Abner said I'm going to bring the kingdom into your hand. I'm going to bring all the people to you David. And so Joab came back from fighting a battle and found out that Abner had been there and David told Joab he was here for good and he's going to do us good and he's going to bring the rest of the kingdom to me. But Joab feared anybody that came into any place of authority or favor with David. And so Joab called Abner back to a secret meeting again and he called Abner over and he said again he went up to him as if he was going to befriend him. And as Abner walked up to him he took him again and with his sword the scripture says he smote him again under the fifth rib. In other words he ran his sword right through the heart of Abner. The slaying was one of vengeance because Abner had slain his brother Achael at Gibeon in battle. He was not a man who was willing to forgive. There was deep unforgiveness in his life and deep unforgiveness in his heart. Oh child of God it's so dangerous it's so dangerous to be a Christian and have unforgiveness in your heart. You can get away with it for years but be sure that your sin one day will find you out. You can hide it you can masquerade it you can put religious trappings all around it you can change your vernacular you can change all of the exterior but if it's in your heart be sure one day it will come out. Be sure one day it will catch you and it will slay you. Joab was a man of unforgiveness and a man of proven vengeance. I see the modern day Joabs there are so many modern day Joabs in the body of Christ sad to say that they're found in the house of God. I have no problem with all the Joabs outside of the house of God you expect all of the backstabbing and backbiting out there but the number of Joabs that are found in the house of God how dismaying it must be to the heart of the Lord to save and sanctify and set apart and see good men and good women going into battle. For a season they're fighting the good fight of faith. They do love God they do want to walk according to the purposes of God but there are areas in the heart that they're refusing to let God touch. They won't let God touch these areas and time and again He reproves them time and again He speaks to the heart time and again He tries to turn over the stone because He's not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance in the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I don't think that God I know that God doesn't delight in the death of anyone or in the judgment of anyone. God reaches out and reaches out but if you won't let the Holy Ghost deal with what's in your heart there is coming a day when what's in the heart begins to bear its ugly fruit on the surface. Joab's an older man he should know better but I see the modern day Joabs the Apostle John speaks about them in 1 John chapter 2 verse 11 but he that hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and knows not whether he goes because darkness has blinded his eyes. He that hates his brother that's the modern day Joab. Look at Psalm 64 with me please. Psalm 64 Listen to the Psalm of David. You see David had many Joabs after him as well too but he was more fortunate he escaped them because he was with God and God was with him. Psalm 64 he says Hear my voice O God in my prayer preserve my life from fear of the enemy hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked. In other words David is saying hide me from the Joabs and the Abiathars and the Adonijah's of his generation hide me from the secret counsel from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity. Now here's what they do verse 3 Who wet their tongue like a sword and bend their bows to shoot their arrows even bitter words. In other words they wet their tongue and bend their tongue and out of their mouth comes swords like Joab intended to smite in the heart under the fifth rib. Verse 4 says that they may shoot in secret at the perfect suddenly they shoot at him and fear not they would never have dared to speak before but all of a sudden something comes to the surface there's no restraining themselves anymore the ugly fruit that's been in the heart now comes to the surface and begins to manifest itself in their words they begin to shoot at those that are righteous they encourage themselves verse 5 in an evil matter I can see Adonijah and all of his followers and those in leadership with him around the stone of the serpent encouraging themselves saying we can do it we have the new word we have the new message this happens all over North America continuously little groups meeting here and there we have the message you see beware of it though because their ministry is usually built on the criticism of someone else beware of that you can't build a ministry on the criticism of someone else you can only build a ministry on Jesus Christ the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings they encourage themselves they commune of laying snares privately in other words they get behind the scenes and say what kind of a trap can we lay now they say who shall see them there's a spiritual blindness comes upon them they don't know that God is watching them verse 6 they search out iniquities they accomplish a diligent search in other words they look for faults they look for injustices they accomplish a diligent search their whole day is spent trying to find fault with the righteous both the inward thought of every one of them and the heart is deep now verse 7 says but God shall shoot at them with an arrow suddenly they shall be wounded so shall they make their own tongue to fall upon themselves and all that see them shall flee away and all men shall fear God and shall declare the work of God for they shall wisely consider of his doing the righteous shall be glad in the Lord and shall trust in him and all the upright in heart shall glory hallelujah hallelujah next Adonijah needs a house prophet Abiathar begins to come and here's Abiathar and that's one of the surprises of this rebellion Abiathar I think I think it must have confused a lot of the people Abiathar Abiathar that ministered with Zadok Abiathar that carried the ark of God Abiathar that went into the holy places Abiathar the high priest of God is it possible there's something to Adonijah's claim because Abiathar is involved in this thing every rebellion needs its house prophet the house prophet is carried about by changing trends in society and by the changing whims of the people I think that was the most confusing of all and some would say how is it possible how is it possible that you could call this rebellion and yet Abiathar is involved with it well I want to show you something through the life of Solomon turn to the book again of 1 Kings chapter 8 Solomon verse 54 there was a time when Solomon loved the Lord he loved Him with all his heart there was a time when Solomon taught the people Solomon wrote all of the proverbs that we have in this Bible there was a time that Solomon was right and just in the sight of God in 1 Kings chapter 8 verse 54 and it was so when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord so Solomon was known for his prayer he arose from before the altar of the Lord from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven he stood and blessed the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying blessed be the Lord that has given rest unto His people Israel according to all that He promised there has not failed one word of all His good promise which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers let Him not leave us nor forsake us listen to verse 58 that He may incline our hearts unto Him to walk in all His ways and keep all His commandments and His statutes you see Solomon was very big on the commandments and statutes Solomon was a teacher of the word and His judgments which He commanded our fathers verse 59 He says let these words wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night that He maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel at all times as the matter shall require that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and there is none else let your heart verse 61 therefore be perfect with the Lord our God to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments as at this day so here's Solomon in the dedication of the temple standing up and exhorting the people to walk according to the word of God exhorting the people that you are to have no other God before you exhorting the people in righteous and holy living talking about the relationship of covenant that God is willing to make with those that will walk in covenant relationship with Him Solomon standing there but what happened to Solomon there was something in his heart and I shared on that last week Solomon had built some halfway altars to holiness in his own heart these were hidden from the people at that time they couldn't see it but God could see it and I shared with you last week that God was calling out to Solomon the whole time Solomon, Solomon you're going in a way that's not good even when the queen of Sheba came in and saw him in all his glory and was dumbfounded at the wisdom that God had given to this man God saw it from a different perspective in heaven He saw something in the heart of Solomon that was going to lead him into a place of building temples to Ashtoreth and being temples to other abominations of the idol wives I suppose that he took unto himself God saw what was going to happen and was crying out to Solomon because God loved Solomon Oh friends, my brothers and sisters in the Lord if something is in the heart of a man that's not dealt with I've heard Pastor Dave one time a long time ago I heard a message from this church called Burning Embers I believe with all my heart it was a warning for many, many who have not been able to hear it there are things in the life that are not dealt with they seem so small they seem insignificant and rather than taking them to the cross they're just stuffed under a pile of religion but if you don't deal with it in the latter part of your life all of a sudden the flame comes up it ignites again and a blindness begins to take over that's how Abiathar ended up around the altar of the serpent Ezekiel, the prophet Ezekiel let me read to you oh turn there with me please Ezekiel, chapter 18, verse 24 listen to what the Lord says to Ezekiel When the righteous turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that wicked man does shall he live all his righteousness that he has done shall not be mentioned in his trespass that he has trespassed and in his sin that he has sinned in them he shall die yet you say the way of the Lord is not equal hear now O house of Israel is not my way equal and your ways unequal when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and dies in them for his iniquity that he has done he shall die again when the wicked man turns from his wickedness that he has committed and does that which is lawful and right he shall save his soul alive because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions that he has committed he shall surely live and he shall not die this is what the Lord is saying to Ezekiel a man can live all his life doing apparent righteousness but at the end of his life sad to say he can turn from that righteousness and turn to evil and God says all the righteousness that he has done will no longer be remembered but the evil that he has done the evil that he has embraced now will cover his life and stomp out all of the righteousness of all the years of righteousness that's what happened with Solomon that's what the apostle Paul says I keep under my flesh and I bring it into captivity I bring it into subjection to the spirit of God lest after I have preached to others I myself should be a castaway one of the greatest dangers of preachers of the gospel brothers and sisters is not bringing ourselves under the same authority that we are causing or calling other people to be under not letting the Holy Ghost examine our lives and examine our hearts it's been my heart's cry since the day that Christ saved me to have a heart like David that says search me oh God and know my heart today try me and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the path of everlasting life a blind man can't lead the people they'll both, the scripture says fall into the ditch the Abiathar priesthood in the Abiathar priesthood the cross becomes an offense because the cross that everything the cross speaks of the cross speaks of self-denial the cross speaks of sacrifice the cross speaks of steadfastness and faithfulness and loyalty and humility it's no longer in their hearts and no longer can be foundational in their doctrine the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter chapter 2 you want to turn there with me please it's so important that you understand this message tonight lest any in this house should find themselves around the stones or healeth in the future 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 17 Peter's warning now that there are going to be false prophets arise in the last days in verse 17 he talks about them he says these are wells without water they're clouds that are carried with a tempest in other words they're carried about with a storm wherever you find a storm that's where you're going to find them to whom the midst of darkness is reserved forever for when they speak great swelling words of vanity they allure in other words they draw through the lust of the flesh through much wantonness those that were clean escape from them who live in error while they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption for of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage for if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world now what are the pollutions of the world is not greed and envy and murder and self-promotion is not that the pollution of the world and the scripture says if they have escaped the pollutions of the world through this knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ they are again entangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them than the beginning for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them you know what that commandment is thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart all your soul all your mind and all your strength and the second is like unto it thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself they turn from loving God they turn from obeying God and the evidence is a casting down a smiting under the fifth rib of their neighbor as did Joab verse 22 said but it happened unto them according to the true proverb the dog is turned again to his own vomit and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire now in the midst of all this self-promoting and violent religious activity the plan and purposes of God were still moving forward and they still are in this generation there is a lot of violent religious activity there are a lot of Adonijas throughout all of the world but primarily I suppose in western society the Adonijas are rising up all over the place the Joabs are with them the position jockeyers the backstabbers I've seen it over the years in traveling so many Joabs in ministry fighting their way to the top stabbing in the back and in the heart anybody that gets in their way and stops their plans fearful of anybody that God would bring in an anoint fearful that the hearts of the people might turn from them and so in privately they begin to slander they begin to sow slander all throughout the ranks of God's people to cast others down to smite them under the fifth rib in the heart so that they themselves can maintain it's a murderous spirit that was upon Joab in the midst of it all there's all this this violent religious activity going on all over the nation you see the Abiathars the wind prophets what they are is bags of wind that follow these movements standing up and saying thus sayeth the Lord and trying to teach the people but you want to know the sad thing about it they no longer have the heart of God so all they can do is produce an inward focus if you sit under their ministry they'll get you staring at your belly button from now till Christ comes that's all they can do they can't look into the face of Jesus anymore the heavens are brass their ministry stops at the roof of the church it can't go any higher they can't lead you to what they don't know they can't bring you to the one who shut off heaven from them and so the whole focus will be internal and you'll sit there and it's like sitting in a chronic care hospital poor you how much you're hurting and how much you've been hard done by how much this and how much that week after week after week after week you'll sit there introspectively looking within yourself not realizing you're losing the heart of God the heart of God is to look out from yourself this is the end of side 1 you may now turn the tape over to side 2 into these streets where people are dying in their sin and need a savior hallelujah scripture says that God has called us out of darkness to call to show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light we're called to show forth the victory of Jesus Christ hallelujah we're not called to invite people to church and say come to my church and you can sit and hurt as much as I do from now until Christ comes there's a pure stream of God in the midst of all of this hallelujah and it flows only in one direction from the throne of God downward if you want to find the pure stream of God you better find yourself a place of humility in the body of Christ James 4.6 says God resists the proud but gives grace unto the humble I've used the analogy before there is a pure stream of God flowing from his throne right in this hour when you find that stream and get in it it will carry you to a low place I've never seen a river that goes uphill you see that's where the Joabs that's where the Abiathars that's where the Adonais just err they think the river of God travels uphill the river of God travels downhill it will take you from where you are to a lower place and a lower place and a lower place until you get to the place where you say I am nothing my thoughts are nothing my direction is nothing my will is nothing I am nothing absolutely nothing Jesus be everything in me be who I am be my heart be my direction oh God be the words that come out of my mouth consume me captivate my heart oh God set me aflame for you Jesus set me aflame there's a fear that comes upon those who walk with God say Lord don't let me walk by what I think is right in my own sight your word warns oh God there's a way that seems right unto man but the ends thereof are the ways of death oh God set my feet upon your path set my thoughts upon your thoughts my covenant God touch my hands that they may minister life touch my heart that my tongue may minister pure water to those that are around me may I not be ever found around the altar of Zohelith building a ministry on the criticism of other people of God the river of God is a river of purity David said in Psalm 46 he said there's a river the streams thereof shall make glad the city of God the holy places and the tabernacles of the most high God is in the midst of her she shall not be moved God shall help her and that right early if you want to be in a place where you're not going to be moved you find that low stream of God and walk in it hallelujah find that path of God and walk in it that's the place of help that's the place of strength that's the place of going from image to image and glory to glory hallelujah it's that place of being carried by the spirit of God where we can truly say before God it's no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me hallelujah hallelujah it's that place where you can turn your back to the smiters it's that place where you can turn your face to the mockers hallelujah it's that place where you can let them put a royal robe on your shoulders and rip it off and tear the skin off your back and it doesn't matter anymore because you've become dead in Christ the pure stream is a highway upon which are found the humble the pure in heart and the steadfast in God go to the prophet Isaiah please chapter 5 go way ahead hallelujah chapter 35 rather hallelujah Isaiah 35 oh God I'm bringing this message tonight I feel a burden of the Lord to protect you and to keep you in the future around the right altar of God keep you away from the stone of Zechariah Isaiah 35 verse 7 he says in the parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water in the habitation of dragons where each lay shall be grass with reeds and rushes verse 8 and a highway shall be there and it shall be called the way of holiness the unclean shall not pass over it but it shall be for those that is redeemed of God the wayfaring men the fools shall not err therein no lion shall be there nor any ravenous beast shall go thereupon it shall not be found there but the redeemed of the Lord shall walk there and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away I want to walk on that road of joy don't you want to walk on it tonight? I want to walk on that pathway of holiness I want to be found around the true altar of God I want to be found in a place that provokes me to humility that provokes me to Christ-likeness that causes me to want to walk a path of brokenness before God that His character may be formed in my life that's where I want to be hallelujah glory to God the true church will always follow the pathway of Christ David and Solomon were part of that pathway the plan of God they were part of the ultimate plan of God to bring forth the Savior who was to be called Jesus into the world to redeem fallen man and to build a house a permanent spiritual dwelling place for God men all throughout history have thought that they have had good ideas and I'm not necessarily against good ideas but I remind you tonight that God is the one who has the master plan cursed is he who trusts in the arm of flesh it's time for all of the church to begin to find the plan of God for the building of His house there is a house that's being built in this generation God is building His house He's building His church stone upon stone line upon line precept upon precept not those who just hear but those who hear and embrace and begin to do what they've learned to do I'm dumbfounded as a preacher of the gospel and just as a Christian man how many people over the years that I have met who have heard and heard and heard and heard and heard but in a time of crisis or crunch in their own life they're not able to obey one thing that they've learned it's simply because it's all been in the head and there's a danger in the house of God that you can come and a prophetic voice begins to ring out across the land and it becomes just a sweet song in your ears and there's no embracing there's no internal embracing there's no change there's no fear of the Lord David said in one of the songs because they have no changes therefore they fear not God if you truly fear God there's a change there's a change there's a transformation that takes place there's a desire to walk into that place of death with Christ as those that are going to be baptized but in a more spiritual sense to walk into that place of death to die to our own desires and die to our own thoughts die to our rights and die to all these things that the devil would want us to hold on to and to come alive in Christ and come alive in Christ alone unless the seed falls into the ground and dies it will remain alone but if it dies it will live again and bear much fruit hallelujah hallelujah in that generation of Joab and Abiathar and Adonijah God had plans for the building of a house and in 1 Chronicles 28 the scripture says David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch and of the houses thereof and of the treasuries thereof and of the upper chambers thereof and of the inner parlors thereof and of the place of the mercy seat and in verse 12 it says and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit hallelujah that house the Old Testament house that Solomon dedicated was built by God it was built by the Spirit it did not come about by men's ideas it was not built by self-exaltation it was built by men who knew the Spirit like David and even though there were those who wanted to exalt themselves above the knowledge of God God still had a plan and the plan for his house was going to be transmitted to his son Solomon and Solomon was going to build that Old Testament temple by the Spirit the scripture says David gave it to him by the Spirit this house that God is building in this generation is not built upon good ideas it's not built upon neighborhood surveys to find out what people want God's true house his building is built by the Spirit by the Holy Spirit of God forming and molding and fashioning vessels in his house causing the dead branches to fall off and new life to spring forth within men and women of God who are humbled by the presence of God the washing of the water of the Word washes over them and as the five smooth stones that David took out of the brook they have been in the brook the water has been going over them the rough edges are taken off of their lives they become useful in the kingdom of God they've allowed that water to go into their inward parts and to reform their very essence of who they are they become a new creature in Christ Jesus and God sets them in his house a stone built around the altar of God Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Let's look now at the men who stayed with Solomon back in 1 Kings again chapter 1 1 Kings chapter 1 speaking of Adonijah in verse 7 it says he conferred with Joab and with Abiathar the priest and they following Adonijah helped him verse 8 says but Zadok the priest Benaiah the son of Jehoiada Nathan the prophet Shimei, Rehi and the mighty men which belonged to David were not with Adonijah Nathan the fearless prophet concerned only with the honor of God Hallelujah! I look forward to meeting this man in heaven there's a lot of men I want to meet and women I want to meet in heaven but I look forward to meeting Nathan Hallelujah! and I would much rather meet him in heaven because then I know the old things are passed away Hallelujah! I'm in heaven because I'm saved Hallelujah! I tell you Nathan Nathan the fearless prophet concerned with the honor of God zealous on fire burning for the honor of God Nathan who had the courage to go to the king when the king had fallen out of fellowship with the Lord and done something evil in the sight of God Nathan going broken hearted to the king with a message from the Lord not fearing any man Nathan stayed with David Nathan knew where the anointing was and Zadok a minister after God's heart he and Abiathar had ministered together for years but there was a difference Zadok was ministering unto the Lord and Abiathar was ministering unto the house there is a difference my brothers and sisters there's a ministry that is a functional ministry in the house and very often never goes beyond the ceiling or beyond the walls but there's another ministry that God gives to men like Zadok Zadok was not ministering just to the people he was ministering to the heart of God and in ministering to the heart of God there was an overflow of blessing that came down upon the people Zadok knew where the anointing was and there were other mighty men the scripture talks about Benaiah and Shimei and Rehi and all these other men who stayed they knew where God's anointing was they had hearts after the Lord Revelation chapter 17 speaks of a day that's coming on our generation talking about the ten kings that are going to rise up and give their power unto the beasts in Revelation 17, 14 turn there with me very very quickly please Revelation 17, 14 These shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings and they that are with Him are called and chosen and faithful do you see that there? like the men that stayed with David Nathan, Zadok and the others they're called they're chosen by God and they're faithful to the things of God Hallelujah I encourage you as the people of God tonight to find and stay with the plan of God run away from self promoters get away from them get away from those who exalt themselves above the knowledge of God be content with who you are and where He has placed you in His body beware if you ever find yourself bored with the old rugged cross and the proven pathway of repentance and holiness oh beware of those who say that repentance is old fashioned we're tired of repentance and holiness let's get on to something else there's such deeper needs beware, beware, beware, beware that's all I can tell you tonight if you ever find yourself Pastor Dave talked this morning about tempting Christ by becoming bored with the pathway that God has laid before you beware if you ever find yourself bored with the old rugged cross Hallelujah I would be content to read the book of John the New Testament the Old Testament I would be content to read upon the cross for the rest of my days God help us as a church if we ever get bored with the way of the cross that's an indication that something is wrong in the heart Hallelujah Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16 the prophet Jeremiah says thus saith the Lord stand in the ways and see and ask for the old path where is the good way and walk therein and you shall find rest for your souls flee from envious self-willed violent men with divided loyalties free from the Joab's Proverbs 22, 24 says make no friendship with an angry man and with a furious man thou shalt not go lest thou learn his ways and get a snare unto thy soul flee the Abiathars of this church age those that are listening to this message flee the Abiathars there are so many of them they're always focusing on the ways and needs of man instead of the plans and purposes of God they're always ministering to the house because they've lost the heart of God they'll have you looking at yourself for the rest of your days the scripture says we're to look unto Jesus Hallelujah who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is now set down at the right hand of the Father we're to look into his face we're to come into his light oh run from any minister that doesn't turn you consistently to Jesus and talk about Jesus and lift up Jesus Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me he said I am the way the truth and the life no one can come to the Father except through me Hallelujah Hallelujah find his path if any man will be my disciple he said let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me where I am there will my disciple be also find his path find the path that God has outlaid for your life and walk in that path and walk in it with others who desire only the road of the cross and the purposes of God to be fulfilled through their lives walk in it with Zadok walk in it with Nathan and Benaiah our prayer has got to be oh God thy will be done thy kingdom come in me as it is in heaven Hallelujah Hallelujah now go back please to 1st Kings chapter 2 I'm going to conclude with this scripture I want to show you the end of self-promotion it's a sad thing beginning at verse 23 Solomon now has been established on the throne of his father because you can't stop the plan of God then King Solomon swear by the Lord saying God do so to me and more also if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life now therefore as the Lord liveth which has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and who has made me a house as he promised Adonijah shall be put to death at this day and King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and he fell upon him that he died and unto Abiathar the priest said the king get thee to Anathoth unto thine own fields for thou art worthy of death but I will not at this time put thee to death because thou barest the ark of the Lord God before David my father and because thou has been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted so Solomon thrust out Abiathar for being priest unto the Lord that he might fulfill the word of the Lord which he spake concerning the house of Eli and Shiloh then tidings came to Joab for Joab had turned after Adonijah though he turned not after Absalom Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar and it was told King Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the Lord and behold he is by the altar then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada saying go fall upon him and Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord and said unto him thus saith the king come forth and he said nay but I will die here and Benaiah brought the king word again saying thus said Joab and thus he answered me and the king said unto him do as he has said and fall upon him and bury him that thou mayest take away the innocent blood which Joab shed from me and from the house of my father and the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and slew them with the sword my father David not knowing there up to it Abner the son of Ner captain of the host of Israel and Amasa the son of Jether captain of the host of Judah their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his seed forever but upon David and upon his seed and upon his throne his house and upon his throne shall there be peace forever from the Lord so Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and slew him he was buried in his own house in the wilderness brothers and sisters that's the end of self promotion nothing has changed from that generation to this generation he who exalts himself will be cast down but he who humbles himself will be lifted up the choice is yours the choice is mine as to which way we're going to walk O woe be unto any in this house that are found around the stone of the serpent in the coming days let this message get into your spirit let it get into your heart what I'm telling you is follow Jesus with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength walk with those walk together with those who are faithful and called and dedicated to the things of God walk with men and women of a humble spirit who are not exalting themselves and not trying to form a following around themselves walk with those that are of a humble spirit before God hallelujah Jeremiah said seek out the old paths you'll hear about the cross you'll hear about repentance there'll be a continual reproving in this place you'll have to face the face of Jesus because the ministers in that house are not concerned with ministering to the house they're concerned with ministering to the heart of Jesus and ministering to the heart of Jesus is allowing him to come into his house and build his house by casting out those things in our lives that are contrary to his nature within us and allowing him to form us into the very image that he is in heaven and cause us to be set in the place where we can bring honor and glory to his name hallelujah that's the pathway that God would have you and I to walk in this day beware, beware lest you find yourself around the stone of the serpent let the Holy Ghost now deal with the hidden things of the heart let there be a cry come from your heart in this hour that we're living in don't suppose because you've done thus and thus this way for so long that everything's alright in your life let the Holy Ghost come in the Spirit of God is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly it is Jesus that appeared to John in the book of Revelation and revealed himself among the seven golden candlesticks let the Christ of Revelation come into your inward parts and say, God reveal to me if there's a seed in me that will cause my eventual death that will blind me, oh God that will turn me from you am I building altars somewhere I shouldn't do I have other loves in my life, oh God what am I doing, who am I and who am I becoming if you truly are a child of God if you truly love his kingdom if you truly want to go to heaven you'll place yourself in a house where there's a continual searchlight of the Holy Spirit going into your life and into your heart hallelujah that's where the love of God is whom he loves he chastens he scourges, the scripture says every son that he receives so that we might become partakers of his holiness in other words, he cuts deep he cuts right into the heart not that we should remain lame but that the healing presence of Christ come upon our lives and we become healed bringing honor and glory to his life would you please stand with me hallelujah there are some in this house tonight you don't necessarily understand this whole word but God has spoken something to your heart your cry tonight is Lord save me save me, I'm lost I'm a Joab, I'm an Abiathar I'm an Adonijah I even get little ministries are entrusted to me and the next thing you know I'm kicking people out of my way you see that's the seed that God's got to deal with now because if he doesn't deal with the seed yes you may promote yourself in the future you may get to a place of prominence in the house of God but if that seed's not been dealt with it will bring you to a place where you'll be hanging on to the horns of the altar trying one last religious exercise but something inside has told you you're cut off from God you're now under the wrath of God be careful of this thing be careful it's not just a message for big timers in the body of Christ it's a message for everybody at every level there could be that seed and let the Holy Ghost speak to you about that seed if it's in your life oh God save me save me Lord save me from myself save me from my carnal heart save me from my own thoughts and ways Lord God let me walk in your path and in your way if God's spoken that to you step out of your seat wherever you are up in the balcony you can go to the sides down below come to this altar tonight come if that's the cry of your heart Lord Jesus save me save me I'm lost save me God I don't have the fruit of a saved man or woman in my life I need you oh God come into my life there's others that are here tonight and you would say having heard this word Lord save me from getting bored with the cross oh God that's a sign there's a sign that I'm on dangerous ground I've become bored I've become bored a preacher gets up and preaches on John 3 16 and it bores me I no longer have that sense of burning even for the simplest message that comes from a pure heart something's wrong in my life I'm bored with the old ways of holiness and repentance I find a yearning in my heart for something new if that's in your heart this altar's open to you tonight you can come and repent of that you need to repent of heart and to say God give me an eternal desire for holiness an eternal desire God's kingdom is an eternal kingdom God give me an eternal desire hallelujah and there's others tonight that would say Lord save me from selfish ambition save me from envy and unforgiveness there are some if given the chance you would promote yourself and it's the grace of God that's held you back the grace of God has kept you because given the chance you would promote yourself and you would push for position in God's house before you know it you'd be around the stone of Zoheleth looking for others with a similar heart oh God let that be your prayer tonight if you're here let the Holy Spirit speak to you sir and ma'am let him speak to you tonight don't harden your heart say Lord save me from selfish ambition I've seen more preachers go down the drain in the house of God from selfish ambition than any other sin that's the root it's the beginning it's the beginning of a spiritual death you might only have what you consider a small ministry but given the chance you'd push everybody out of your way and promote yourself God wants to deal with it tonight get it out of your heart once and for all if you don't get rid of it it will blind you envy is a horrible sin the book of Proverbs says envy is rottenness in the bones envy you sit you minister and somebody else comes in after you and has more zeal or fire or is younger or is older whatever the case is you sit there and instead of rejoicing in the goodness of God you find a javelin in your hand like Saul wanting to kill and you come up to him and say are you in good health my brother with the sword coming under the fifth rib envy is rottenness in the bones it will produce rottenness in spite of the fact you could have been a preacher for 50 years and it will still produce rottenness in your bones if it's not dealt with in your life if you're here tonight it's a hard alter call I know and it takes courage and humility to respond to it but if God's speaking to your heart about envy tonight you need to step out from wherever you are and come unforgiveness is another unforgiveness it's a blinding sin not being willing to lay down the things that others have done holding others to account aren't you glad tonight that Jesus blotted out on Calvary the handwriting of sins and wrongs that was against us it's in his heart to forgive it's got to be in your heart to forgive if you're a child of God let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart this is the conclusion of the tape