Introduction: In the last message we saw the servant of the Lord that done all that the Lord had commanded him to do.  It should be the desire of every pastor that he had a whole church of Elijahs in his church as they do all that the Lord commands them to do.  As I was meditating on this and studying I ran across a message about an excellent servant.  I want to give the main points of this message in regards that it fits Elijah thus far and how he was just that- an excellent servant of the Lord.

• An excellent servant of the Lord warns people of error.
• An excellent servant of the Lord is a skilled student of Scripture.
• An excellent servant of the Lord avoids the influence of unholy teaching.
• An excellent servant of the Lord disciplines himself in personal godliness.
• An excellent servant of the Lord committed to hard work.
• An excellent servant of the Lord preaches and teaches with authority but makes the Bible his authority and not himself.
• An excellent servant of the Lord a model of spiritual virtue.
• An excellent servant of the Lord has a thoroughly Biblical ministry.
• An excellent servant of the Lord is fulfills his calling.
• An excellent servant of the Lord is absorbed in his work.
• An excellent servant of the Lord is progressing in spiritual growth.

      This describes Elijah in a way that every preacher of the Word should desire and work to become.

      We saw Elijah as the surrendered servant.  We do know three things that are evident in this surrendered servant of God.

1. He was filled with a consuming passion for the glory of God.

2. He was profoundly convinced that he was only a servant.

3. Elijah was eagerly desirous to know and work out the plans of God.

      How do we know all this?  In a few verses ahead we find these words. 

                              Vs. 36

“And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.”

      There were three realities in the life Elijah that he rested.  It was in his commander- the Lord.

It was in his command to go.  And lastly it was his comfort in that he may not had all the details but he knew that Jesus would lead him all the way.

      With those realities under his belt, he complied with the job at hand.  On his way, he met a man by the name of Obadiah.  He was in charge of Ahab’s house.  I thought after reading this how it is so odd this man could have such a great name and work for the devil.  His name means, “serving Jehovah”.   We will see more of this when we get into the message itself. 

II.  SECRET SERVICE OF OBADIAH

                                                Vs. 3-6

“And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.”

      There is a phrase in verse three that stands out to me.  It is “Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly”.  Why is he working in the house of Ahab?  This would be like me working in an abortion clinic as a nurse.  Ahab is described in the Bible as one of the most wicked kings of Israel. 

      This brings me to the thought of what is the fear of the Lord.  The fear of the Lord is defined as the continual awareness that I am in the presence of a Holy, just and Almighty God and that every thought, word, action and deed is open before Him and is judged by HIM. This definition should be burned into our minds, lives and hearts so that we will not only remember it but live it also.  If you look in the Scofield Bible notes, it is much weaker definition.  It says “a reverential trust with a hatred of evil.”  I looked at this closely and saw a big rabbit trail.  As I have said many times before, if a raccoon dog starts running rabbits, he is not a good and well-trained raccoon dog.  So I will not go down that trail today.  The fear of the Lord is an excellent subject deserving more time than one mention in a message.  So one day when I have liberty, I will preach and teach on that subject.

      Let’s explore Obadiah’s secret service.  It will show the difference between a hireling and a real servant of God.  We find him challenging God and the prophet. He is not a man who cannot be totally exonerated nor can he be totally condemned. He is a mixture of good and evil. He is a glaring example of a selfish, self-centered believer.  He is a great example of a poor example how many folks live the Christian life.

A.  His Sovereign  Vs. 3

“And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly”

      While we have already seen that Elijah is sold out to the Lord God, Obadiah is sold out to Ahab. This verse tells us that he is "governor" of Ahab's house. This means that Obadiah was the man who ran things around the palace. Some historians believe that he was second in command to Ahab. Obadiah occupied a high position in the court of Israel. When the prophet Elijah meets him, look what Elijah says to Obadiah in verse 8, "Go tell thy lord..." While Elijah is clearly a servant of God, Obadiah is identified as a servant of Ahab.

      Remember, Obadiah is a believer living a life of compromise. He is one who knows the Lord, but because of power, prosperity or position he has chosen to keep his faith a secret. He has sold out for personal gain!  He reminds me of something that Brother Roloff told about a boy and his dog.  Brother Roloff said he saw this boy with this mutt.  He asked the boy what kind of dog he had.  The boy told him it was a German police dog.  Brother Roloff told the boy that he did not think so.  The boy told him that the dog was undercover.  This is like a lot of church folks.  On Sunday they are in church singing and praying and praising God.  But Monday through Saturday, they live for the devil.  Obadiah is a contrast.  He seems to be hedging his bets so to speak.  He was trying to stay on both sides.  Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of English said that when you try to go up the middle of the road, you are going to get hit from both sides.  The most miserable person in the world is the one that is trying to hold onto the world and the Lord at the same time.  Two verses of scripture come to mind.

                        Matthew 6:24

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

                              Joshua 24:15

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

      If the entire pretense and all the window-dressing were taken away from us right now that all could see, could we honestly say that Jesus is our Lord? Maybe you wonder how you can know such a thing. The answer lies in how you live your life.  Let’s look at some hard questions, but if they are answered honestly, they will reveal who is the Lord of our lives.

• Whose will is more important to you, God's or yours?
• Is it more important to you that you please God or yourself?
• Can you honestly say that you consistently place God before everything and everyone in your life?
• When you make a decision do you consult with God in prayer and search His Word for an answer, or do you base your decisions on what you want?
• What is your first consideration in any matter your desires or the clear Word of God?
• Where are your priorities? Do sports come before church? Does TV come before prayer and Bible study? Does your desire for rest and recreation outweigh your desire for worship?
• Who gets the first of your money?
• Who gets the best of your time and talent?
• Who is the main one you want to please?
• Who really occupies the throne of your life? God? You? Work? Family? Things?
• So, who is your Lord today?

                  B.  His Secret  Vs. 4

“For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.”

      Obadiah holds a high position in the court of Ahab. He is in a position that requires trust and faithfulness, but Obadiah has a secret. Actually he has two secrets that if Ahab knew, would have meant death for Obadiah. Let's find out what those secrets are.

             1.  His Devotion - The Bible tells us that Obadiah is a closet believer. He believes in God and fears Jehovah, but he isn't about to tell anyone. After all, Jezebel is actively engaged in eliminating the prophets of God. If he were to stand up and declare his faith in God, he would be killed on the spot. While he did not let his true faith be come known, it also appears the Obadiah did not bow to Baal either.  How he keeps from bowing to Baal would be interesting to know.  All we can do is guess because the Lord has not seen fit to reveal it to us yet.

                               My question is this- is he really right with God?  I was thinking of the times that I have preached in the flesh and the Word of God is convicting me as I preach.  But I am required that I perform the deeds I surrendered my life.  This is why I really like a few minutes before church starts to make sure all is right between my Saviour and me. 

2. His Deeds tells us that when Jezebel began to exterminate the prophets of God, Obadiah took one hundred of them and hid them in caves. This was a deed that required great courage, effort and expense on the part of Obadiah. For this he is to be commended. If Jezebel had gotten wind of what he had done, he would have surely been killed.

            Obadiah has a few positive marks on his record. However, it is sad when people serve God in secret. It is a sin when those who know the Lord sell out to the world, the flesh and the devil. How many times are we guilty of the very same things? Because of a desire to fit in with the crowd, because of a job, or to keep a friend, we have chosen to keep silent about what we really believe. Far too often, God's children join the secret service. They conceal their faith in God to save face with men. That is a tragedy of the highest magnitude. When we consider what Jesus suffered to redeem our souls from Hell, how could we be ashamed to be identified with Him?  Romans 10:11

“For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

   Mark 8:38

"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

            When we think of Obadiah, one word comes to mind: Compromise. It is not a new concept.  Obadiah has chosen to live his life somewhere between God and the world. He has chosen a position that forces him to conceal who he really is. He has chosen to hide his faith in God to protect his life, satisfy his greed, exalt his own name and secure his position. He has done what millions are doing today. That is, many are willfully hiding their faith in God and the biblical convictions to please a world that does not know God. They do this for the same reason that Obadiah did it.

            When Jesus is addressing the churches in the book of Revelation, the third church was the church in Pergamos. This church could be and should be called the Compromising Church for they tolerated evil doctrine in their midst by trying to coexist with paganism.  It is interesting to note that the root meaning of the word "Pergamous" is "married".  The bride of Christ, having left her first love, was married to the world.  The world has gotten too churchy and the church has gotten too worldly.  

Many Christians do not want to stand out from the crowd and be labeled different. Even when Christians aren't guilty of committing sins with their bodies, they sin by not abstaining from the very appearance of evil.

                        1^st Thessalonians 5:22

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

            This sin is a wicked as any that can be committed by the believer. We must give this world no reason to doubt your faith in God.

            We must have the Lord help us show all to realize that we are different. We are peculiar. We are not supposed to fit in because this is not our world. We are merely pilgrims and strangers passing through on our way to Heaven. We must never, never, never be guilty of concealing our faith in God. We must boldly stand beneath the blood stained banner of the Lord Jesus Christ and boldly declare our faith in and allegiance to Him, without fear and without compromise. Not everyone will appreciate you if you take a stand for God, but God will honor your obedience to Him. After all, who would you rather please; a few people that you spend a few years with, or God with whom you will spend eternity?

                  C.  His Service  Vs. 5-6

“And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.”

      In these two verses, we find Obadiah actively involved in service to Ahab. Basically, Obadiah is guilty of two great errors. First, he is employed by the wrong people. He is in a job that requires him to compromise his beliefs so that he can keep it. Secondly, he is engaged in the wrong activity. Notice that Ahab and Obadiah seem to have no concern for the starving people of the land. They are out looking for grass to feed some horses. That shows a lack of compassion.

      Obadiah's actions stand in marked contrast to those of Elijah. Obadiah was busy looking for grass to save a bunch of nags; Elijah was looking for God to save a nation.

      The whole point of these verses is this: God's command to His people is crystal clear. He demands that we separate from the world, and from all things that are evil.

                        2^nd Corinthians 6:17

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you”

      Surely Obadiah thought that he was doing the right thing. He thought he could serve God in that position. However, what ended up happening is that Obadiah found he was pulled into a life of compromise and powerlessness before God. That is always the case. You might think you can lift the world around you by being involved in it. The opposite is true. You will not improve the world, but the world will eventually drag you down to its level. 1^st Corinthians 15:33

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

      It is wise to remember the lesson of Lot. He did not improve Sodom, but he was sucked into its web and he lost his family as a result. Obadiah found himself in a position where he was in direct disobedience to the Lord. He was guilty of helping sinners commit sin against God and he was reduced to the place of a hireling. He may have known God, but he knew nothing of the power of God. 

Conclusion: Next time we will be looking at the selfish service of Obadiah.  But let me give these closing remarks.

1. Being a friend of the world really makes us an enemy of God.  You can be friendly to those folks we are around.  But we must not compromise to try to fit in.  This is one of the seeker friendly movement that many churches and Christians are trying to do is so wrong.  Old-fashioned Christianity is the way God requires to hold and stand.

2. We must make sure our lives are transparent so that we are not being hypocrites when we are saying we are serving God.

3. We are to make sure that are true to the Word of God always.

      This list of lessons could go on and on.