-This sermon is about a lion that killed a prophet but did not devour him. How can this be?

-1 Kings 13: 23-28 This incident is a reminder for all the servants of God. In the book of Kings there was this young prophet who was betrayed by the old prophet of God.

-2 amazing thing in this incident is that the lion killed the man of God but did not devour it and also did not kill the donkey.

-The lion and donkey stood by the body of the prophet and This is something strange as lion would naturally devour the donkey too.

-Why was the young prophet betrayed by the old prophet?

I King 13:1-5 The man of God came out of Judah which is the southern part of Israel. The northern part is Israel

-Why did God chose a prophet from Judah the southern part of Israel to rebuke the King Jeroboam who was the king of the northern Israel. Is there no longer any prophets in Israel

-This means that God no longer wanted to use the old prophet from the northern. There is a reason and through this incident we know why.

-Here King Jeroboam was making offerings which is the role of the priest. Yet the old prophet did not say anything to correct the King nor he was courageous to rebuke the king to to proclaim the word of God.

-The young prophet from Judah was chosen to speak the word of God to King Jeroboam. The sign from God was manifested when the altar was torn down and the ashes poured out just as he prophesied that it would.

-The hand of the King jeroboam that dried up but after prayer the prophet restored the hand of the King.

-When the King wanted to invited him to eat together, the young prophet refused as it was commanded by God that he should neither eat bread or drink water nor return by the way that he came.

-The young prophet was very vigilant, very clear of God command when he refused the King’s invitation.

I Kings 13:11-19 When the young prophet finished his work, he was on his way home.

-The problem is temptations followed him after his work.

-The first temptation when the King invited him to eat together with him which he managed to overcome.

-The second temptation came from the old prophet when he invited him to his house to eat.

-The old prophet may be jealous and may want to cause the young prophet to fall.

-When the old prophet caught up with the young prophet he was sitting under an oak. It is not easy for him not to drink and eat as it was a long journey.

-This young prophet decline and continue to uphold the word of God even though he was tired.

-The third temptation, he was defeated in 1 Kings 13:18

-And the old prophet said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are , and an angel spoke to me by the world of the Lord saying, “Bring him back with you into your house that he may east bread and drink water.

-So the old prophet lied and told the young prophet that an angel spoke to him.

-The young prophet let his guard down hearing that the old prophet lied saying angels spoke to him. He also regarded the old prophet was also a prophet.

-By right he should know that God will not contradict himself and how can he listen to the word of the old prophet and the word of the “angel?”

-1 Kings 13:20-22 As they sat at the table, the word of the lord came to the old prophet who had brought him back. And he cried to the young prophet from Judah.

-“because you have disobeyed the word of the lord and have not kept the command that the lord your God commanded you but have come back and have eaten bread and drank water in place your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers”.

-This old prophet was a false prophet who used the name of God to lie to the young prophet.

-However the words of God prophesied through the old prophet is actual declaring judgment against himself as well as to the young prophet.

-This is also a good teaching that temptations can come one by one and we have to be always vigilant so that we will not be defeated.

-Temptation can be external and internal too.

-The words of God must be kept to the end.

-In the bible it teaches us that we must endure to the end.

-Heb 4:14 Let us hold fast to our faith and word of God.

-Satan used the old prophet to lie and deceived the young prophet. His actions may seem to be out of love but in actual fact it was full of deceit.

-1 Kings 13:29-32 The old prophet’s actions seems to be full of “love”. He took back the body and told his sons that he wanted to be buried with the young prophet. In verse 32 he said that the word of God has truly came to pass.

-In actual fact he was the cause of the young prophet’s downfall. He was no longer used by God but instead he was used by the devil.

-God used this lion to testify. This lion killed the man but did not devour and stood beside the lion and the donkey. This took a while as people saw this and reported to the old prophet and the old prophet himself had to saddle to personally see this.

-God used the lion and donkey to testify the judgment of God.

-No one knew that this young prophet was betrayed by the old prophet.

-Today we have to be vigilant and hold on the truth right to the end.

-Today if a deacon or preacher who may be full of love and may have performed many miracles and set up many churches, preach another doctrine eg that we do not need to pray for holy spirit, no need to have holy communion is just a remembrance etc. we should reject and not believe.

-We should always hold fast the truth right to the end.

Gal 1:7-9 Not that there is another one but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you as gospel contract to the one whe preacehed to you let him be accursed. As we have said before so now I say again. If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received let him be accursed.

-so let us always be reminded of this so that we do not accept a different gospel but always hold fast to the truth.