FADING AT THE FINISH LINE

For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.  (1 Kings 11:4)

 

It is important to start well, but it is more important to finish well. There are horses that charge out of the gates and lead the race early, only to fade at the finish line. It can happen in the church. Paul said to the Galatians, “You ran well. Who hindered you?” The church at Ephesus was enjoined to repent and do the first works. We all know people who have joined the church with great enthusiasm, began serving with high energy, but flamed out—their spiritual life just cold ashes now. Solomon is a classic example of fading at the finish as described in 1 Kings 11.

 

Think about THE CAUSE OF HIS FALL (v.1-8).  The law of the harvest is this: we reap what we sow, more than we sow, and later than we sow.  Solomon is an example. The sins of the fathers are visited upon the children. David had fallen into lust with Solomon’s mother. Now we see his son caught in the web of immorality. In Proverbs we read how Solomon warned his son of seductive women, but the wisest man became a fool.  Imagine—Solomon—a man who had conversed with Living God, bows to graven images.  He had built the house of God and seen the glory fill it.  Now, he erects altars where the foulest blasphemies are acted out—orgies of sensuality and child sacrifice.  Once the devil gains a foothold, he moves to build a stronghold. The man given to sensuality will become a compromiser.  

 

This brings us to THE CONSEQUENCE OF HIS FALL (v.9-13).   God is not mocked. Solomon had sown to the flesh and would reap corruption.  After all God had done for him, Solomon thumbs his nose at God.  He bites the hand that feeds him.  No wonder God was angry. He is not a God to be trifled with.  Twice before God had appeared to Solomon and promised blessing to him and his descendants.  These promises were conditioned upon his obedience.  Solomon failed and God will be faithful to his warnings also.  So God announces He will show His displeasure for Solomon’s disobedience by bringing discipline on him.  We should never use the grace of God as an excuse to sin.  Even forgiven sin can have temporal consequences.

 

The end was THE CHASTISMENT OF HIS FALL (v.14-43).  God brings out the rod and chastens His child.  Note that it was the Lord who raised up these adversaries.  Solomon could not conquer them.  The faithful child of God will face fierce foes, but has grace to overcome them.  The backslider cannot draw upon God’s power.  The implications of sin can be far-reaching, extending to many people over many years.  It certainly will impact our family. 

 

By contrast, Paul finished well.  In his last will and testament he declares, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge will give to me on that Day, and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved His appearing.”  I want to be included in that number.  You are going to die and face judgment for your works as a Christian—what kind of reward will you achieve?

THE WAGES OF SIN

Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!”  And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it.  So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.  (Judges 16:30)

Sin and death walked hand in hand into the Garden of Eden.  God had warned Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed Him they would die.  James described the process this way, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”  (1:14-15)  Samson stands as a living illustration of this truth.

His life was marked by compromise (Judges 16:1-3).  Little by little, he abandoned his consecration to God.  Flirtation with the world leads to friendship with the world; friendship then leads to courtship; courtship leads to spiritual adultery.  What Samson saw, he desired, and what he desired, he experienced.  He was a mighty man who could beat back a thousand soldiers, but could not conquer the beguiling form of a female.  This would, at last, be his Achilles’ heel.

Samson’s judgment was clouded by the intoxicating charm of a woman (Judges 16:4-21).  This brought him into the arms of Delilah and that would bring his doom.  His relationship with her—as in the many before—was utterly sensual and not spiritual.  Samson fell—not because he was too weak—but, was too strong.  He was brim full of pride.  After all, he had never lost a fight.  He should have run from Delilah’s den like his pants were on fire.  Scripture says, “Flee fornication.”  Instead he takes the serpent to his chest and plays with it.  He gets by for a while.  Then the venomous fangs bring deadly poison into his life.  Delilah rocks him to sleep.  Samson had forsaken two-thirds of his Nazarite vow, and now abandoned the rest.  Strike three and you’re out!  His hair was not the source of his power, but it was in his dedication to God that his long hair represented.  The Lord departed from him, and what is even worse—Samson did not know it.  Sin binds, it blinds, and it grinds.  Samson’s arms would no longer hold a beautiful woman, but they would be held by bronze fetters—sin binds.  His eyes would never again look with lust at a lovely woman—sin blinds.  He would become a beast of burden—sin grinds.

The Bible solemnly warns, “The wages of sin is death,” (Rom.6:23).  Samson’s story comes to that predicted end (Judges 16:22-31).  Instead of bringing glory to God, Samson inspired the Philistines to honor their idol, Dagon, and rejoice in his victory over the God of Israel.  When believers fall—especially leaders of God’s people—it results in hell rejoicing.  Thankfully, Samson finally sought the Lord in repentance.  “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”  (Rom.5:20b).  In the end, Samson conquered by crying out to God instead of calling on his own resources.  In the final act of this tragedy, he brought down the house.

Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Way,” which is an ode to stubborn, self-centeredness that refuses to pursue any other way than one’s own way, has been popular and recorded often since Sinatra first crooned it.  It could have been Samson’s theme song.  Remember, however, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”  (Prov.14:12)

KEEPING THE FIRE KINDLED

Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.  (Joshua 23:11)

I was living in Franklin, N.C. when the Blizzard of ’93 hit.  Two feet of snow and high winds shut off the power.  Thankfully, we had a wood heater in the basement.  In order not to freeze, I would feed that fire every couple of hours.  I was intent on not letting the flame die.  If we do not keep the fire kindled in our spiritual experience, it will go out.  Our church can become a cold church.  It happened to the church at Ephesus.  Jesus confronted them with these chilling words, “you have left your first love.”  (Rev.2:4)  That is what Joshua is warning the people about as recorded in the twenty-third chapter.  Joshua had come to the end of his service.  Death was coming, and heaven was waiting.  Knowing this, he issues a final challenge—one that still resonates in our generation.

Joshua is concerned that they will compromise with the pagan world.  The fire does not go out all at once.  It gradually dies if neglected.  They would be tempted to weariness in their warfare against those nations, and declare a truce, that would lead to embracing them and their gods.  That would be a spiritual disaster.  It is such a sinister and subtle thing.  Cancer is a killer.  Many of our members have died from it.  Dealt with early, it can often be overcome, but the peril is that it often works so insidiously that one does not realize it is there until it is too late.  Compromise is like cancer.  It will little by little eat away at your spiritual life.

An evidence that the fire has been diminished is the presence of defeat, where there had been victory.  God promised to drive their enemies before them, if they would cling to Him, but if they abandoned Him, God assured them that the enemy would scourge their sides, driving the Israelis before their foes.  Does not the church today seem impotent before the assault of the ungodly?  The world is given over to iniquity because the church has yielded to apostasy.  Rather than setting sinners free from sin, we hear of many church members held in the shackles of sin themselves.

The fire does not have to go out!  Joshua told them how to keep the fire kindled.  He called them to fuel the fire with faithfulness.  They were to know, believe, and obey the Word of God.  He said, “Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left…” (v.6).  Confessing to believing the Bible must be matched by committing to behave by the Bible.  Submission to Scripture must be matched with separation from sin.  The people of God were warned not to become intimate with the wicked and adopt their ways.  When we watch trash on TV, look at filth on the internet, frequent the beer joints and gambling halls, listen to degrading music, and laugh at filthy comics, then the fire of our love for God will diminish and we will embrace the world in spiritual adultery.  One love excludes the other.  Tend to the fire of your love for God.  Be zealous for Him, and you will not seek the pleasures of sin.  “Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.”  (Joshua 23:11)

THE STRATEGIES OF SATAN

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors.  (Joshua 9:3-4a)

Not only was Israel’s conquest of Canaan supernaturally supervised, it was strategically sound.  Beginning at Jericho, a wedge would be driven through the middle of Canaan, and then mopping up operations would follow in the north and south.  They would divide and conquer—a wise war plan.  I want to remind you that the church is in a war.  Our foe is Satan, not sinners.  Our weapons are not material, but spiritual.  It is no less real because it is spiritual in nature.  Yet, most Christians have no battle plan.  I want to assure you that the enemy of our souls has a strategy.  Satan is right now plotting your defeat.  Paul wrote the Corinthians and commended them that they were not ignorant of Satan’s “schemes” (2 Cor.2:11 HCSB).  I am not sure Paul could say that about us.  The Apostle warned us about “the tactics of the Devil” (Eph.6:11 HCSB).  We learn of Satan’s strategies he employed in Joshua 9.

We read of THE SCHEME OF THE ENEMIES OF GOD (v.1-13).  There were two ways the Canaanites chose to fight the people of God.  First, they attacked by direct assault (v.1-2).  Satan attacks us as a roaring lion.  When the child of God determines to walk by faith, the Devil will seek to paralyze us with fear.  Any advance on his kingdom of darkness will bring a counter-attack.  There is a bigger danger and that is deceitful appearance (v.3-13).  Satan doesn’t always come as a roaring lion, but as an angel of light!  The Gibeonites used guile to gain their way. 

The enemy was successful due to THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD (v.14-15).  Why were the Israeli’s fooled?  There are three areas where they failed.  They failed because communion was absent. There is not a hint that they considered praying about this proposal.  The place of prayer is where the battle is won.  Paul’s discussion of spiritual warfare and our armor culminates in a call to prayer.  He who stands strongest, first kneels in weakness.  There was a second shortcoming: counsel was avoided.  They trusted in their own wisdom rather than God’s Word.  They leaned on human reason rather than looking to heavenly revelation.  Having a Word from God is critical for conquering the enemy.  The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.  It is how the Perfect Man won.  The Devil is a deceiver—error can seem so right.  The Bible is the litmus test (see 1 John 4:1).  Then the people of God failed because compromise was allowed.  An unholy alliance was formed.  If Satan cannot have your soul, he will seek to ruin your testimony.  He does this through compromise.  Who knows how far we will go?

Yet, we also discover THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE PURPOSES OF GOD (v.16-27).  Where sin abounds grace does much more abound.  God has a sovereign purpose He will accomplish.  There was the salvation of the Gibeonites (10:6-10).  Israel kept their promise.  Even when we fail, we may still be used of God.  Then, there was the service of the Gibeonites.  They became servants, aiding in worship.  If you have failed, humble yourself and serve God.  Tears purify the soul.  This does not give us an excuse to surrender to Satan’s schemes.  It does remind us that even though you cannot change your past, you can be changed by it, and have a great future.

THE CHOICE BETWEEN COMPROMISE AND CONVICTION

“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.”  (Numbers 25:11)

I have had a few flat tires in my lifetime.  Progress comes to a halt, and if you are traveling at a high speed can be dangerous—even deadly.  It may be the result of hitting a big pothole or sharp object, but not typically.  What usually occurred is that the tire had been losing air almost imperceptibly, and I had failed to be vigilant.  The result was a horrible noise, difficult steering, and finding myself beside the highway with a flat tire. 

I still remember the warning given by the man who once pastored my home church, Dr. Thad Dowdle.  He said, “Most spiritual failures are not the result of a blowout, but a slow leak!”  How true!  We see someone who has wrecked their marriage, totaled their testimony, and are sitting on the side of the road of life, and wonder what happened.  We may conclude it was a sudden event—and it can be—but not usually.  It was the little compromises—the neglect of the spiritual life—failing to be vigilant and diligent in maintaining Biblical convictions that brought the catastrophe.

This is the way the Devil operates.  We observe it in the twenty-fifth chapter of Numbers.  Balak, the King of Moab, had tried to hire Balaam to curse Israel, but each time the false prophet opened his mouth, God cause a blessing rather than a curse to be spoken.  Balaam’s plan then became to send beautiful Moabite women into the camp to seduce the gullible Israeli men, leading them to worship Baal.  Since Balaam couldn’t get God to turn from Israel, he decided to get Israel to turn from God.  Then he knew that God would bring His wrath upon the idolatry.  He knew there was more than one way to skin a cat!

The plan worked perfectly.  Their compromise in their relationship with heathen people—being “unequally yoked,”—led to contamination of their morals, and what we would call “backsliding.”  The wages of sin is death—and we see the high price of low-living.  24,000 died in a plague sent as a punishment from God.

What saved the day?  The zeal of Phineas stopped the plague.  This godly man was stirred to action.  A man named Zimri had given his heart to a pagan woman, who in turn had led him to give his heart to idolatry.  What magnified his sin was that he was a leader in Israel, and so Zimri not only hurt himself, he led others astray.  Phineas took radical action and stuck a javelin through the two compromisers—surgically removing the moral malignancy threatening to kill the nation.  Phineas is commended by God for his zeal—a zeal for holiness like his Lord—and blessing is promised to him and his descendants.

Today you will likely face a temptation—will you respond with compromise or conviction?  Satan whispers, “It is such a little thing.”  It might be—the little compromise added to the little one from yesterday, and the day before—and you may be closer to ruin than you imagine.  May we seek the zeal of Phineas and kill the compromise!  The great old Puritan, John Owen, said, “be killing sin or it will be killing you.”  Click on the link for more from Owen on this vital matter.

https://youtu.be/qU5b3uzqZMc