NO COMPROMISE:

This is a mistake that we make: We align ourselves to wickedness [vs1].

Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.

The Lord has been good, prospered us, and we have been faithful, but we align ourselves with the flesh and fail!

We must not rely on wickedness to do God’s work: We must be faithful to Christ, fight the good fight, and give ourselves to holiness. We cannot compromise to succeed.

Secondly, Satan plays to our flesh and pumps us up, but he wants us to compromise [vs2-3]!

And some years later he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria, where Ahab sacrificed many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him, and urged him to march up to Ramoth-gilead.

Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat replied, “I am like you, and my people are your people; we will join you in the war.”

He wants pure worship distorted, and he wants God’s people to fail. He corrupts us, just as Balaam perverted Israel. Compromise is dangerous and to be avoided: Better to stand alone than in sin.

There can be no twisting of the gospel and no getting along with wicked doctrines. We cannot mingle and must maintain purity. Many think it is OK to say, “Jesus,” and preach whatever you want; it’s not!

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures [1 Cor 15:3-4]”

According to the Scriptures means a Substitute, a Surety, and a Success. It means He died to be Lord.

Finally, we are going to be hated if we preach the gospel of God’s grace, but what an honor it is!

The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

We will be the one standing among many, and God will be with us! Our word won’t fail like these useless false prophets, and we’ll deliver God’s elect. Most of all, we’ll honor Him who died for us!

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. [2 Cor 5:14-15]

This is the motive for missions: the will and glory of God. The salvation of man is part of it, but the gospel in its purity is of FIRST an importance! We have no ambition but God’s glory, whether He saves or not [2 Cor 2:15]. We want Him to save, but we must preach Christ!