From His Heart

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Do you have good ambition or bad ambition? Find out today on From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Shreve.

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Listen, you reap what you sow, you reap later than you sow, you reap more than you sow. And if you're pursuing selfish ambitions for your own glory, for your own fame, and it's not for the Lord from that, there is disorder in every evil thing.

And we have the opportunity to start today to sow to the spirit and quit sowing to the flesh. And let the Lord have his way in our lives. He can heal every scar with real truth, real love, real hope from his heart.

Speaker 1

The truth is ambition can be good or ambition can be bad. Very, very bad. The Bible warns us about selfish ambition, and as we're going to see today, it can be deadly.

This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Shreve. Thank you for joining us today as he begins part two of the lesson simply titled Selfish Ambition. It's from Pastor Jeff's new 10-message series, Before There Were the Cost of Compromise. If you missed any of these timely lessons this month that we've already aired, you can listen again online at fromhisheart.org; click the Listen tab.

But first, we'll do a little catching up of our own from last time and continue with part two of the Selfish Ambition message taken from the ninth chapter of the Book of Judges. Here now is Pastor Jeff.

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**Question, what can we learn from the awful story? True account of the life of Abimelech? Three key lessons for you and me today.**

**Lesson number one.** A father greatly impacts a child's life for good or for evil. This man who kills all his brothers is Abimelech. His name means "my father is king." His father was Gideon. If you remember, after Gideon won the battle with the Midianites, God used Gideon in such great ways that the people wanted to make Gideon king. They said, "You rule over us, you and your sons. You be our king." Gideon replied, "No, I'm not going to be your king. The Lord God is your king." However, as we saw last week, he proceeded to live like a king and fell prey to money, sex, and power. It says of Gideon in chapter 8, verse 30, "Now, Gideon had 70 sons who were his direct descendants, for he had many wives." The king wasn't supposed to do that. He also had one concubine on the side, and she bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech, meaning "my father is king."

If we delve into the mind of Abimelech, we can see that he was so evil that he killed all his brothers, the 70 sons of Jerubaal. What fueled all this murder? It’s likely that Abimelech felt overlooked and second-class because he wasn't a full son. Additionally, he probably witnessed his father living a duplicitous life, which made him bitter and eager for power at any cost. This bitterness is evident when he speaks to the people of Shechem, addressing his mother's family and uncles. He says, "Gideon is dead. He has these 70 sons living in Ophir. Do you want 70 sons to rule over you, or just one? Just me. I am your relative." They throw their weight behind him, giving him 70 pieces of silver from the house of the false god Baal Berith, the Lord of the Covenant. He hires a group of thugs, and they murder all his brothers, killing them on one stone. This suggests a brutal method, likely beheading. We can conclude that Gideon failed greatly in Abimelech's upbringing. While Gideon is not responsible for everything Abimelech did, the truth remains: a father greatly impacts a child's life, for good or for evil, because a child looks up to their dad, who has a significant influence on their life.

**Lesson number two.** A bramble king will lead people to curses, not blessings. Abimelech is known in theological circles as a bramble king, a thorn bush king. This is articulated through the lips of Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, who escaped. Jotham stands on Mount Gerizim, where the acoustics allow his voice to be magnified, and he proclaims, "Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them. They said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' But the olive tree said to them, 'Shall I leave my fatness, with which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?'" The trees then approach the fig tree, which declines, and the vine, which also refuses. Finally, all the trees turn to the bramble, the thorn bush, saying, "You come reign over us." The bramble responds, "If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade." This is a sarcastic remark, as a bramble bush provides no shade. He continues, "But if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon."

Jotham then questions the integrity of the people, stating, "If you have dealt in truth and integrity in making Abimelech king, then rejoice in him. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem." He emphasizes that they have chosen a bramble to be their king, and all they will receive from him are curses. While Jotham stands on Mount Gerizim, the Mount of Blessing, he warns that there are no blessings for those who have not followed the Lord. The saying goes, "You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear," and nothing good will come from Abimelech.

**Lesson number three.** We have the principle of sowing and reaping, an unbreakable principle evident in Abimelech's life. Galatians 6:7 states, "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." The one who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption, while the one who sows to the Spirit will reap everlasting life. In verse 22, it says, "Now, Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem." The men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, and the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubaal would come back to haunt them, as their blood would be laid on Abimelech, their brother, who killed them. The men of Shechem were complicit in the murder, having provided the funds to hire the thugs.

The principle of sowing and reaping, also known as the law of the harvest, is unbreakable. You reap what you sow, you reap more than you sow, and you reap later than you sow. Abimelech sowed to the flesh, and for three years, it seemed he faced no negative consequences. He thought everything was fine, as the people loved him and he was their king. However, after three years, God moved against this bramble king. The law of the harvest is clear: you reap later than you sow. Hosea 8:7 states, "For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind." If you sow the wind, you do not reap the wind; you reap the whirlwind.

For example, one tomato seed can yield multiple plants, and from those plants, you can harvest many tomatoes. You reap what you sow, and it is not a one-to-one relationship. This principle applies to both good and bad outcomes. Those who sow to the Spirit will reap eternal life, while those who sow to the flesh will reap corruption.

It is crucial to remember that just because three years have passed, it does not mean God has forgotten. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good. No one gets away with sin. As Abraham rhetorically asked, "Shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly?" Of course, God will deal justly. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Sometimes we see individuals committing terrible atrocities without apparent consequences, leading us to question God's justice. However, God will judge. The saying goes, "The wheels of God's justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine." God will not be mocked. Those who defy Him and pursue selfish ambition will face consequences.

As we reflect on the story of Abimelech, we see that he killed his 69 half-brothers, and how does he die? A woman crushes his skull with a millstone. He killed on a stone, and God repaid him with a stone. The principle of sowing and reaping is evident: you reap what you sow, you reap later than you sow, and you reap more than you sow.

The people of Shechem experienced death because they supported Abimelech. When considering whom to vote for, remember that abortion is the issue that outweighs all others. You should never support someone who is pro-abortion, as it is the murder of the unborn. God will hold you accountable, just as He held the men of Shechem accountable for strengthening Abimelech's hands in the murder of his brothers.

Jesus said, "Permit the little children to come to me, for such is the kingdom of God." You cannot claim to walk with God while supporting the murder of the unborn. Just as the Shechemites justified their support for Abimelech, you cannot justify supporting those who promote such atrocities.

We reap what we sow, we reap later than we sow, and we reap more than we sow. Today, we have the opportunity to start sowing to the Spirit and to stop sowing to the flesh, allowing the Lord to have His way in our lives.

Speaker 1

As you've heard today, it's so imperative that we heed the lessons of the law of the harvest.

You've been listening to Pastor Jeff Shreve on From His Heart today and part two of the lesson Selfish Ambition. It's one of ten in Pastor Jeff Shreve's new series, Before There Were Kings, the Cost of Compromise.

And there is so much to learn from and grow in our faith associated with this chapter by chapter study.

Here's Pastor Jeff with more on the Book.

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Of Judges is a sobering reminder of what happens when people reject God's truth in favor of their own desires. Now, during the time of the Judges, there was no king in Israel. Each man did what was right in his own eyes. In this book, we see a continuing cycle of sin and subjugation and suffering that brought desperate cries for mercy and deliverance.

Now, in response, God raised up Judges to save his people. These Judges were flawed, yet they were willing leaders who were used to call God's people back to faithfulness.

In my new 10-message series, "Before There Were Kings: The Cost of Compromise," I'll unpack the important lessons from Judges, warnings about apathy and the dangers of compromise, and the hope of redemption. You can get your copy in the format of your choice when you call or go online today with a gift of any amount. I hope you'll get your copy today.

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To get your copy on USB flash drive, CDs, DVDs, or MP3, download your choice. Make your gift of any amount from his heart when you request it by name.

Before There Were Kings the Cost of Compromise, call 866-40-BIBLE or go online to promisheart.org. Thanks for being here today.

I'm Larry Nobles inviting you to be right back here tomorrow as we begin the eighth message in the Timeless 10 lesson series from Pastor Jeff on the Book of Judges. He'll explain how to overcome whatever life throws at you as you wholeheartedly trust in the Lord.

It's the lesson called "Overcoming Obstacles." That's on Friday right here on Promise Heart.

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He can heal me. Every spirit.

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From his heart is the listener supported Broadcast Ministry of Dr. Jeff Shreve speaking the truth in love to a lost and a hurting world.

Remember, no matter what, God loves you and he has a wonderful plan for your life.

Find out about that when you go to fromhisheart.org.