Richvale Community Church
Sunday, September 20, 2026
- IntroductionGood morning.We are in our sermon series, Hearing God Through the Noise.We have been looking at the life of Elijah.And this morning we're talking aboutdoing the right thing …when everything goes wrong.In scripture …There is one word that defines doing the right thing:And that is the word ..Obedience.A.W. Tozer said,“Obedience is one of the toughest requirements of the Christian life.” TozerThere is a reason..Because often obedience comes at a cost…There is a price for doing the right thing.There are times in life..where You could have looked the other way.. ..But You told the truth,You kept your word,You did what you knew was right, and and it made life harder.Obedience is harder than compromise …But the also Bible tells us that obedience is better that sacrifice..We're in 1 Kings 21 .And the more you sit with the…text..the story of Elijah, the more you realize how relevant the life of Elijah is .Not because he was a mighty prophet .. or all the signs and wonder he performed..But because of his humanity.. it is humanity that makes his life accessible to us.Because we relate..to his emotions.Elijah desired to do God's will, but at the same time, he felt the pressures of life—He had highs snd lows… he had victory and disappointments. … we have seen him on the mountain top-and we have seen in the cave..Where he struggles with fear, disappointment, and discouragement.Last week we saw.. how God draws him out of the cave...He restores his heart.He renews his mind.And He gives him a new lease on life..And just like David sang in the psalms,. that ..God rescued him and he pulled out …of mire and placed his feet on solid grounded..Praise GodHe is a restores of callings…And it is GodWho sends Elijah back to Jezreel to continue his ministry.God is not done with Elijah yet.And here's the thing:Elijah is still living under reign of King Ahab and Jezebel....And they are still Corrupt , living for the machinery of their own ambitions, and their own power.And Even after God's demonstration of power… on Mount Carmel, …not much has changed.Ahab is still Ahab.Jezebel is still Jezebel.The culture around hasn't changed.But … some thing has happened on the inside if Elijah..There is a story told about Augustine, one of the great church fathers.Before his conversion, Augustine had lived a life that was far from God. Wild life… His mother, Monica, prayed for him for years. She wept over him. She pleaded with God to bring her son home.And God answered those prayers.Augustine eventually came to faith in Christ, and his life was radically changed.One day, after his conversion, Augustine was walking down the street when an old acquaintance saw him.The man looked at him and said, “Is that you, Augustine?”Augustine looked at him and essentially replied,“Yes—but it is no longer I.”In other words he was changed..Elijahs.. circumstances havent changed..But.. Elijah has changed.He's a new man.He's seeing things differently.And now, in 1 Kings 21,Elijah lives out h is calling form a new perspective in a very difficult situation.It’s all happens ..When King Ahab..desires the property adjacent to the palace..We learn from this encounter..…T/s How to do right thing when everything goes wrong… first.1. Don’t Sell Out — Live With IntegrityDo you remember the show Deal or No Deal with Howie Mandel?A contestant would choose a briefcase, hoping it contained the million dollars.Then the other briefcases would be opened one at a time.As the smaller amounts disappeared, the contestant's bargaining position would change.And eventually the banker would make an offer.“Here's what I'll give you.Deal or no deal?”Sometimes the offer was good.Sometimes they walked away too soon.In 1 Kings 21, Ahab is going to make Naboth an offer.And on the surface, it sounds like a pretty good deal… but not every deal is worth takingLet's read our text..
1 Kings 21:1–4 ESV 1 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.We're told that Naboth had a vineyard adjacent to the palaceNow ..Naboth didn't simply own a piece of property.This vineyard had been passed down to him from his fathers.It was part of his family's inheritance.WhenIsrael entered the Promised Land, God gave His people land as an inheritance.That land wasn't simply something they could treat like a commodity and sell to whoever offered the most money.AndSo when Ahab comes to Naboth, he's not simply asking for a piece of property.He's asking Naboth to give up something that had been entrusted to his family by the Lord.But Ahab wants it badly.It's prime real estate.And Ahab thought that this…“This would make a great vegetable garden.”So Ahab goes Naboth and makes an offer …He offering to buy him out… or exchange for the property for a better piece of land….Ahab is basically wanting to make deal…But the negotiations came to a standstill when Naboth says,“No deal.”…Look at verse 3:1 Kings 21:3 ESV 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”NABOTH says the Lord forbid…Naboth understood something Ahab didn't.Some things are not for sale.Naboth knew that this vineyard represented more than land.;;There was history here.There was responsibility here…In..Numbers 36:7 ESV 7 The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.When Naboth said no deal.. he understood..h is obligation to the law..that he was a steward not an owner... He was just one in link of many….. there would be a generation after him that would depend on his faithfulness.What makes this powerful is that…In the same way we have been entrusted to what we have receied an..in the Gospel.We are stewards of what God has entrusted to us.Paul says inEphesians 1:11 ESV 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,Think about what we have been given in Christ in the gospel.We have been forgiven.We have been adopted as God's children.We have been given the Holy Spirit.We have been given a new identity.We have been given the hope of eternal life.We have been given an inheritance that cannot be taken away.And yet, every day, we face our own version of Ahab's offer.The world says,“Give me your convictions, and I'll give you acceptance.”“Give me your purity, and I'll give you pleasure.”“Give me your integrity, and I'll give you success.”“Give me your time, and I'll give you more money.”“Give me your devotion to Christ, and I'll give you something that looks easier.”And sometimes the offer looks reasonable.That's what makes temptation so dangerous.It doesn't always look like a terrible decision.Sometimes it looks like a really good deal.But Naboth reminds us:Don't trade something eternal for something temporary.Some things are not for sale.Naboth heard the offer.He understood the cost.And he said,“No deal.”T/s How to do right when everything goes wrong?1. Don’t Sell Out — Live With Integrity2. Don’t Give Up — Stay FaithfulWhen live in Maine, we had to learn how to drive in the snow…And one of the worst things was black ice.You could be driving along and everything seemed fine—and suddenly your tires would hit a patch of black ice and the back end of the car would start to slide.You had to learn to steer into the slide and make the correction.But one of the biggest dangers was overcorrecting.If you reacted too quickly or turned too far, you could send the car into a spin.How you respond when you hit black ice matters.And the same is true in life.Because sooner or later, something is going to happen that throws you off balance.And when it does, how you respond matters.When you compare the responses of Naboth and Ahab, the contrast couldn't be greater.Naboth says no because he wants to remain faithful to God and his commandments.“that is Obedence…”In contrast…Ahab goes home, gets into bed, , turns his face to the wall, and refuses to eat.Now remember—this is the king of Israel.A grown man.A king with wealth, power, servants, a palace—and probably anything else he wanted.But because he can't have one vineyard, he falls apart…Ahab disobedience is in that he rejected God’s boundaries..He wasn’t merely sad;HE was refusing to submit to a world where he couldn’t have everything he wanted…and this is going to open up the door to something far worse…lets read..1 Kings 21:5–16 ESV 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ” 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”Ahab is sulking in his room, and Jezebel comes in and asks him what's wrong.So far, so good…But it goes downhill fast.When Jezebel hears the story, she says:“Do you now govern Israel?”In other words:“You're the king! Act like it.”She's challenging his authority—his pride, his ego.She's essentially saying,“What kind of king are you if you can't even get what you want?”And Jezebel knows exactly what she's doing.She takes Ahab's disappointment and turns it into entitlement.She takes his weakness and uses it to manipulate him.And what Ahab wouldn't do for himself, Jezebel is willing to do for him.Notice this not love.This manipulation—manipulation .. imposing your will on someone else to get what you want.This is not a healthy marriage..God's design for marriage is partnership.It is about love and respect.It is about serving one another, looking out for the best interests of your spouse, and going through life together.And when we don't live within God's design for marriage, we run into misery.That's what makes this story so sad.Because there is an imbalance ..Ahab won't lead, and won’t seek GodHe creates a spiritual vacuum..Ahab bails out take a the Easier way..Listen go the wrong voice..The wrong voice will will tell you,“You don't have to do it God's way.”“You don't have to wait.”“You don't have to forgive.”—- We living in a day where there is a need good Counseling — life is stresful and difficulty..The truth is we need healthy places — that are safe…We need objectivity in our lives..And that's why the Bible places such a high value on wise counsel.Proverbs 11:14 ESV 14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.Proverbs 15:22 ESV 22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.And Proverbs 12:15 says,“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”There is wisdom in listening to others.There is wisdom in allowing trusted, godly people to speak into our lives.But here's the problem with Jezebel's advice:It was completely absent of concern for Ahab.She wasn't interested in helping him deal with his disappointment.She wasn't interested in helping him obey God.She was interested in helping him get what he wanted.And what happens next is pure Evil..Jezebel wrote letters pretending to be from her husband King Ahab,using his official seal to make them look real, and sent them to the city leaders where Naboth liveShe calls for a fast.She gets the city leaders to put Naboth on trial.They bring in false witnesses.They accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king.And then they take him outside the city and stone him to death.Here is what is deceptive..Jezebel made everything look legitement…She covered disobedience with sudo leadership a r Spirituality…That's what happens when we listen to the wrong voice.The wrong voice doesn't help us obey God.Far from it..T/s How to do right when everything goes wrong?1. Don’t Sell Out — Live With Integrity2. Don’t Give Up — Stay Faithful3. Don’t Lose Heart — Trust That God SeesWe have all experienced disappointment..Disappointment is the gap between what we expected and what actually happens.To loose heart meant to loose courage…—-We living at time where there is collective and accumulation disappointment..—Disappointment with leadersDisappoint with the cost of livingHow difficult life seems..There is a series of disappointment in-our text..NabothAhabAnd JezebelAnd for a moment, it looks like the wrong people win.Naboth does the right thing— obedience..and he loses his vineyard… and ultimately his life…Ahab does the wrong thing—and he gets the vineyard.Jezebel manipulates the situation—and everything seems to go according to her plan.And that's where this story can become very uncomfortable for us.Because we've all lived through moments when doing the right thing didn't seem to work.You tried to honor God—and your circumstances didn't get better.And sometimes you look around and think,“What's the point?”“Why keep doing the right thing if it doesn't seem to make any difference?”That's the danger.We can become tired.We can become cynical.We begin to wonder whether faithfulness is worth it.—Charles Spurgeon once said .. that he read of a christian whoexperienced many disappointments life, until one day he realized that..One letter in the word makes all the difference..if you change the letter D in the word disappoints to an H…Disappointments becomes“His appointments”Charles SpurgeonJesus makes the difference..And this is what happens in verse 17… Just when you thing Evil have over come good — The word of the Lord comes to Elijah…1 Kings 21:17–19 ESV 17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”…..Notice that Elijah meeting Ahab in the Vineyard..I manage he was planning that vegetable garden—God is speakS RIGHT in the MIDDLE OF injustice and disappointments.God in speaks in the MIDDLE apparent failures.Here is the thing..The story isn't over.Elijah says to Ahab:“Thus says the LORD, ‘Have you killed and also taken possession?’”What a question!!In other words…Ahab thought he had acquired a vineyard FAIRLY.CAN HE BE MORE NAIVE,!God says,“You killed a man to get it.”Ahab saw a piece of property.God saw injustice.Ahab saw the outcome.God saw the process.Ahab thought the matter was finished.God says, “I've seen everything.”And that is one of the great truths of this passage:God sees what other people don't see.Naboth's faithfulness wasn't wasted.God saw the injustice.God heard the false accusations.God knew what Jezebel had done.And God confronted Ahab.This doesn't mean that God always intervenes immediately.Sometimes we wish He would.Sometimes we pray for justice and we don't see it.Sometimes we do the right thing and the situation gets worse before it gets better.But God's silence is not God's absence.And God's delay is not God's indifference.Just because you don't see God acting doesn't mean God isn't acting.In his book Payday Someday - R.G. lee said..‘Even though the mill of God grinds slowly, it grinds to powder. Yes, the judgments of God often have heels and travel slowly. But they always have iron hands and crush completely.”Think about how often Scripture reminds us of this.Psalm 34:15 ESV 15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.God doesn't overlook faithfulness.God sees when no one is lookng..There is a twist… because we are expecting immediate judgment.Ahab repents.Verse 27 says that when Ahab heard God's words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, fasted, and humbled himself before the Lord…God asks Elijah ..“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me?”….obedience is hard it is acceptance…of the well of FOS,IN THE STORY God delayed the judgment that had been announced against Ahab's family.Now, that doesn't mean Ahab's sin didn't matter.It doesn't mean there were no consequences.It means that God's mercy was greater than Ahab deserved.And that is something we need to remember when life doesn't turn out the way we think it should.We see one moment.God sees the whole story.ConclusionWhen it comes to doing what is right, we have to keep our eyes on the Lord.ITS ABOUT OBEDIENCE..Naboth looked beyond the offer.He saw his inheritance.He saw his responsibility.He saw the generations that would come after him.and Naboth was willing to say no because he knew what mattered more.And every day, we face our own version of that question.The world puts an offer in front of us:“Deal or no deal?”And sometimes the hardest part is that the offer looks good.It may even look like the answer to your prayers.But before you make the deal, stop and ask:“What am I giving up?”Because the enemy rarely comes to us and says,“Give up everything that matters.”He simply says,“I’ll give you this if you’ll give me that.”Just a little compromise.Just one decision.Just this once.But there are some things you cannot afford to trade.Your integrity.Your faith.Your family.Your witness.Your relationship with Jesus .Some things are not for sale.And maybe you're here today and you've already made a bad deal.Maybe you've allowed disappointment to make you bitter.Maybe you've listened to the wrong voice.The good news of the gospel is that your failure isn't the end of your story.Jesus Christ came for people who have made bad decisions.He came to forgive sinners.To restore the broken.To bring us back when we've wandered.So today, wherever you are, the invitation is simple:Listen to God's voice.don't sell out.Don't give up.Don't lose heart.Stay faithful.Know what you're worth—and know what is worth keeping.Amen.. 1 Kings 21:1–4ESV
1 Kings 21:3ESV
Numbers 36:7ESV
1 Kings 21:5–16ESV
Proverbs 11:14ESV
Proverbs 15:22ESV
1 Kings 21:17–19ESV
Psalm 34:15ESV
Richvale Community Church
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