Making Peace With Those At War With God

·38 min·3 clips

Jehoshaphat's alliance led his son to marry Athaliah, who later tried to murder every male in the royal family.

The episode is a sermon from Village Presbyterian Church, delivered on Palm Sunday as the final installment in an 11-month series on the biblical book of 1 Kings. The preacher reads 1 Kings 22:41-53, focusing on King Jehoshaphat of Judah. He notes that Jehoshaphat is described as a good king but highlights one significant failure: making peace with King Ahab of Israel. The sermon contrasts the book of Kings with Chronicles, explaining that Kings aims to show why Israel and Judah ended up in exile, while Chronicles encourages post-exile Jews. The preacher details how Jehoshaphat's peace with Ahab led to a marriage alliance: Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram married Ahab and Jezebel's daughter Athaliah. This connection brought corruption into Judah and nearly caused the extinction of David's line when Athaliah later seized power. The sermon also discusses Ahaziah, Ahab's son, who provoked God's anger by serving Baal. A theological discussion follows about God's nature, arguing that God's essence is love and mercy, and his anger must be provoked. The preacher applies the lesson to Christians, warning against making peace with those at war with God. He connects this to the Palm Sunday crowd that turned against Jesus, influenced by religious leaders. The sermon concludes by urging listeners to examine their alliances in areas like parenting, finances, and media consumption, and to find peace with God through Jesus Christ.

As heard by us

A sermon distinguishing peaceful faith from alliances that compromise peace with God.

This closing sermon on 1 Kings 22 reads Jehoshaphat's peace with Israel's king as a warning about Christian allegiance. Its central distinction is between being peaceable, with a soul settled in peace with God and steady amid disorder, and making peace, which may involve joining…

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Why you'd press play

You want a sermon that asks when keeping the peace becomes making peace with Ahab.

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