0:00 Well, with all of that being said, it's such a joy to see you here tonight. Meet me in the precious, glorious word of God in the book of first Kings chapter 19. Last week, the object of our study was a dejected, downcast prophet of God by the name of Elijah, and he will continue to be the focus of our study tonight. But what was really the frame of our study was considering the factors that caused Elijah to experience and undergo spiritual depression. Not that these things are the only things that can cause us to be driven into despair, but they are pretty significant contributors to it.
0:54 And there were four things that we received from Elijah's story. And I wanna ask you, because it's good to repeat these things and recall these things so that they can be embedded in our memory and in our hearts, don't answer all four, but let's cover all four. Can you tell me one of the four things, and then another person will mention another one, the four things that Elijah experienced that caused them to abandon his post as a prophet and to wander into the wilderness? I'm genuinely asking. This isn't rhetorical.
1:30 He number one, he lost sight of who god was. And, instead, he he looked at Jezebel and heard Jezebel, and and that caused them to obviously crumble. Yes. He lost sight of who god was. Unlike Moses who did not fear the anger of the king because he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
1:52 What a contrast. Yes. Number two. He was discouraged. He was what?
1:57 Discouraged from rejection. Okay. Yes. So he was discouraged. That was you could say a subpoint.
2:04 He was pessimistic. Remember, we that was the third point that he always looked at the negative. At least in this moment, he looked at what wasn't happening. He looked at the worst outcome instead of considering what god had done. And if you have a tendency of being pessimistic, you also will know, frequent cycles of discouragement that can really debilitate you.
2:24 Yes. That's the third point. We have two more. He separated himself from Huge. One that we often don't consider concerning Elijah's testimony of this low point of his life.
2:34 He separated from community. And how did he do that in his case? How did he separate himself from community? Who did he leave behind when he ran away? His servant.
2:43 His servant. He left his servant behind. The spirit included that for a reason. What we're gonna discover today is that God's gonna bring somebody new in Elijah's life. Okay.
2:51 One more. Neglect of the needs. Very good. There was neglect. Neglect of the needs of the body, and and this is talking about sheer exhaustion.
3:03 Him ignoring the basic necessities that would keep anybody going, and that was something that we also agreed, in terms of overlooking what can cause us to be confused and foggy in our minds and, foiled in many cases with our faith. So that's what we looked at. But what we have to also consider is where we ended is that God dealt with that final cause, the one that dealt with Elijah's body. Did he not? And he did so by personally attending to this man's needs by coming with some sort of room service almost.
3:38 He grants him nutrition, hydration, and patiently allows him to sleep with his weary head in that wilderness. But that is not the extent of this mercy that we enjoyed last Friday. God is gonna continue to overflow in his mercies toward his servant by positioning him in a way in which he's gonna receive more relief so that he can know a more complete restoration. Because dealing with the needs of the body is not enough. So you have some people who overemphasize what we need to do with this flesh, and they neglect the spiritual.
4:18 And you have others who are, so consumed with the spiritual that they neglect the fact that they are a body, and this is the vehicle that carries the spiritual activities and experiences that we ought to have. So now the Lord is going to deal with those first three issues that have not been touched on yet in the rest of this chapter. And this is important for us to consider because, it's gonna show God's heart. It's gonna show God's heart for this man and wanting to see him be as efficient as possible, as healed as possible, as restored as possible. And it's all gonna begin here in verse eight.
4:54 Let's look at verse eight together. And he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him and he said to him, what are you doing here Elijah? He said, I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts.
5:21 For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. And I, even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away. And he said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
5:53 And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. Lord, we believe this is your word. And we believe that we cannot unpack and know the fullness of it, lest you help us by the spirit. We invoke the spirit to come to our aid now, and to help us receive all that you have intended to say through this portion of scripture.
6:22 We pray these things in the precious name of the intercessor, the great high priest, the one who is fighting for us every day. Amen and amen. Verse eight. This is in connection to the fact that Elijah received a couple of meals from the angel of the Lord, and we're told the effect of that food. It was able to energize him for forty days and forty nights.
6:50 And we can consider the supernatural ingredients of this. We can look into how that is. But I don't want us to be too focused on what this food was more than I want to connect what this food did in terms of his journey, the length of his journey, and the location of his journey. So we see here that it was forty days and forty nights that he was able to walk into a certain direction, the mount of God, the mount of Horeb. Now if you are a student of the Hebrew scriptures, then those two components should ring a bell.
7:26 Forty in a wilderness, forty days or just a number 40, and, mount of God, namely Horeb. What should come to mind? Moses? Just Moses? The Israelites?
7:44 Give me give me more specific. What about them? You're saying Moses and Hebrews. That's a lot of things. What specifically?
7:49 What other journeys does this connect to, at least thematically? Exodus. The Exodus. Thank you. The Exodus.
7:58 How Horeb was the destination immediately after the Exodus being delivered from Egypt, but not just that, the same mount of God was the place where the people arrived after forty years of wandering in the wilderness because of their disobedience and unbelief. And so this this is supposed to, yes, call to remembrance a different journey, one that was monumental to the history of this people. And it makes you wonder if that crossed Elijah's mind As he was walking on his feet for forty days and forty nights towards the same place in which God manifested his power and his glory, and whether or not it did, we should believe that this was the intent providentially of this journey and the location. What was Elijah's problem at this point? We mentioned it.
8:54 He lost sight of who God was. He lost sight of who God was. And even in this, could it be that the Lord in his providence is leading his servant to retrace retrace the steps of the Lord? That as Elijah is walking day and night for this duration of time, going to where everything really started for the people in terms of their covenant with the Lord. That the same God who delivered Israel from slavery, the same God who is able to faithfully bring a very stubborn people into the promised land is the same God who Elijah is serving today?
9:33 In other words, it's as though Elijah is walking down memory lane and he's supposed to recall, God has dealt with this stiff neck people at one time. And God came out victorious. This is the same God whom I serve. You would hope that's where Elijah would arrive in his thinking and in his belief. And to even add to this theme, what happened during those forty years in terms of the people's sustenance?
10:02 Were they taken care of by God? Did they receive daily food and drink? Yeah. God took care of them supernaturally. Just like Elijah was being taken care of for forty days and forty nights.
10:15 So I'm convinced that this is what providentially the Lord is trying to awaken Elijah to. But on the negative side, here is Elijah reflecting the unbelieving people of Israel by wandering in the wilderness for this duration of time as well. So, yes, God is the God of Israel who is able to bring a very vacillating people to where he wanted them to go, but Elijah also is mirroring the weak faith of the people of Israel. Now individually wandering in the wilderness. And we now continue to read that as he arrives to this location, he makes his home in a cave, in a murky hole.
11:02 And it took him forty days and forty nights to get there. If you actually look at a map of this time, it shouldn't have taken that long. But on a practical note, isn't it amazing? I mean, think about forty days. Imagine, some of us don't enjoy walking for forty minutes.
11:21 Forty days and forty nights. And when he comes to this place, the Lord is gonna counsel him. You know what this duration of time also tells us? It tells us something about the heart of God. God is very patient in restoring us.
11:37 He's very patient in reeling us back in, and instructing us, and teaching us, and chiseling us, and cleansing us. And this is also a reminder that things don't turn over so quickly for us either, that we are slow to get it. And if you think it it was slow in these four it's on Elijah's not gonna get it even in this conversation with god. So he comes and the Lord asked him this very penetrating question, but I believe it was done so gently. He asked them, what are you doing here, Elijah?
12:15 Whenever God asks a question, I am 100% convinced it's not because he lacks an answer. And you should be convinced of that as well. The question was meant for Elijah to arrive to an answer that he has not gotten yet. And so he says, what are you doing here, Elijah? Implying what?
12:36 That Elijah was not supposed to be where he was. What are you doing here? And the Lord wanted his servant to realize that for himself. So you see, Elijah's fear and, you know, these other underlying failures encourage him to abandon his duty as a messenger of God. The hand of the Lord came upon Elijah so he can be driven to Jezreel, and he was not meant to leave there.
13:04 Revival technically just broke out. You would think that a people who have been revived need further instruction and guidance, Certainly. Because of one moment, coupled with many other issues that caused that one moment to be bigger than what it was supposed to be, Elijah left. A people who needed him, and now he's wallowing in self pity. What are you doing here, Elijah?
13:27 What are you doing here, Elijah? And you know what? It would do us all good from time to time to pause and ask ourselves that question. And maybe ask somebody that you love that question. One of my favorite reflections and challenging verses for myself, at least in you're more than welcome to use it for your own walk.
13:52 About where I am in my walk with the Lord is the last verse of Psalm 73. I've mentioned this to you before. I think it's a question that you and I can ask every week. This is what Asaph says about himself in Psalm 73 verse 28. But for me, it is good to be aware.
14:18 He didn't say it's good for me to be in the temple. He didn't say it's good for me to be around believers. Those are all wonderful things. He said, but for me, it is good to be near God. You know what that implies?
14:33 You can believe in God and not be near him. Did Elijah love the Lord? He loved the Lord. He loved the Lord. He's about to answer in a moment saying, I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts.
14:49 But even men of such caliber, Asaph, who wrote this Psalm, was a worship leader in the temple, by the way. Hey, worship team or praise team. You know, it's possible to sing and not be near God. It's possible for me to preach and not be near God. Just because you have a position or a gift does not automatically promise close fellowship with the Lord.
15:14 What are you doing here, Elijah? From time to time, pause and ask yourself, am I near God? And if I'm not near God, you know yourself better than anyone. Why am I not near God? Because that's what God wants to get to with Elijah.
15:33 What are you doing here? Let's let's unpack what brought you to this point point because you're not supposed to be here. So then ask you, why am I not? Why am I not? Why am I finding myself sipping from other cisterns more than the well of life?
15:51 Why am I getting more comfortable warming myself around worldly charcoal fires like Peter did on the night of Christ betrayal? Why? Why? Why am I here? Why why do I find myself at one point this what I'm watching would have been repulsive and offensive, now I'm enjoying?
16:12 Why? Why am I distancing myself where at one point you couldn't convince me otherwise to not go to the house of God on the Lord's day? But why am I more and more now inclined in getting comfortable and even finding excuses to not go why? What am I doing here? And I hope you have friends and I hope you have leaders in your life that are willing from time to time to ask that question when it's necessary.
16:35 What are you doing? Why are you doing what you're doing? Hey, you wanna know God. Here's God. This is the mind of God.
16:47 To ask this question is sanctifying and it's very safe. And he's not gonna just ask it once. So he asked him, what are you doing here Elijah? And here's the answer. I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of host.
17:02 For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword and I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away. So in his confession about his condition notice that Elijah admits his love for the Lord. Says, I have been very not just jealous, very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. So this admission does not showcase that Elijah was weak in terms of how he felt about the Lord necessarily, about his conviction, about who God is and what he deserved. But what it does reveal is that there was disappointment in his love for the Lord.
17:46 It's possible to really love the Lord, give everything to serve the Lord, and no disappointment in that. And that's certainly true for this man of God. And what's really the gist of it? He felt as though his efforts and his stance avail to nothing. Cause he says what?
18:06 I've been jealous and the people have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and guess what? They wanna kill me. They wanna kill me. And listen, although you and I can appreciate Elijah's honesty here and applaud him for spilling out his soul, what he's saying is not entirely true, is it? What are some things that are not true about Elijah's response to the Lord's question?
18:29 Yes. I'm the only servant of God in all of Israel. You know, sometimes it feels like that when you serve God. But that's not true. He's about to discover that it's not the case at all.
18:43 What else? There's one one other thing. The people didn't seem to destroy him. That's right. So he exaggerates the enmity that he was supposedly experiencing.
18:56 It was Ahab, mainly Jezebel who called for his death. But notice how he explains it. It says here, for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets. And I even I only am left for they and they seek my life. Who's the they?
19:12 The people of Israel. Was that the case? The people of Israel weren't seeking for his life. There's one person. You know, one of the common outcomes this is so important to to grab a hold of.
19:29 One of the most common outcomes of entertaining despondency and a downcast spirit is that it has a way of convincingly exaggerating the disappointments that wounded you to begin with. You you hear it all the time and perhaps you don't even realize it. So you have a family who's been hurt by the church or church that they were involved with, served with, served in. And because of that hurt, what happens? All churches now are problems not to be trusted.
20:08 You have one sour experience with a Christian or a few Christians, all Christians disappointment when it simmers has a tendency for us to exaggerate the problem. And if it's not challenged by people in your life who love you enough to say that's not the case of the bride of Christ. That's not the case of how ministry is. That's not the case of how leaders in the church are like. Yes, it might be true of some, but that's not the case as a general description or experience.
20:42 That's not the case. And with that, if you don't have God's objective truth and standard and commands and will be and promises and warnings ever before you, then you will be a victim of this kind of thinking. And it will be even more paralyzing the more you stay there. So we see that with this man of God. It's amazing how the bible unravels the way we think in these stories and what's possible for us in those seasons.
21:10 So we see here that the Lord is gonna counsel him, and the Lord is gonna unpack something for him. And how is he gonna do that? Elijah doesn't entirely answer the question. He just kind of talks about why he is feeling the way he's feeling. But look what the Lord patiently does in verse 11.
21:28 And he said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by. Reread verse 11 with me, the first part, and tell me if it sounds familiar. And he said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. Stand before the Lord.
21:48 That's what he's asking Elijah to do. Elijah, come out and stand before the Lord. By the way, just an interesting I'm just gonna throw this at you, and I'm gonna come right back. Okay? Can I do that?
21:59 Alright. Look again at verse nine. There he came to a cave and lodged it, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him. I just think that's interesting. Okay.
22:11 I'm coming back now. So now you come here to verse 11, and he said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by. Do you remember how Elijah was introduced to us in our study of this man of God? Go back to first king 17 verse one. Now Elijah the Tishbite of Tishbe and Gilead said to Ahab, as the Lord, the God of Israel lives before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except by my word.
22:48 Look at first Kings 18 verse 15. And Elijah said, as the Lord of hosts lives before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today. Elijah loved to say that. Elijah loved to publicly confess, I stand before the Lord. I am constantly and readily available for whatever he asked me to do.
23:13 I live before his face. I stand before the Lord. I stand before the Lord. And now it's as though in this very low point of his life, the Lord is graciously leading back to that place that he walked away from. Verse 11 again, look at it.
23:28 And he said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. Elijah, I want you to rediscover that inner posture that you deserted. I want you to stand before the Lord again. And the aim of him now standing, yes, physically before the Lord, but this was to get his spiritual legs up once more, is that he would remain there. Not just visit that place, but stay there like he was in chapter 17 and chapter 18.
24:02 I want you to park there. Not to hide in a cave, not to hang out under a broom tree. I want you to remain before me, and he's gonna do it by providing a spectacular manifestation of himself. And you and I read it. Where he's gonna whiz through with supernaturally amplified wind, And he's gonna split the earth with an earthquake, and he's going to create flames that make no sense apart from God lighting it on fire.
24:38 But oftentimes, people misunderstand why the Lord's doing this. One can make the case that Elijah needs a fresh revelation of the majesty of God. Right? He lost sight of who God was, so God's okay. Let me just give you a quick panorama of what I am able to do.
24:52 I'm sovereign over all nature. Whether it's wind, earth, fire, anything, rain, you just saw that. I can control all things. I can summon all things. Everything is in subject to me.
25:03 That could be part of it. That could be a perk to this moment. But notice again what the Lord says in his word about each of these things being displayed before Elijah. Whether it was the wind or the earthquake or the fire, different elements, what do they all have in common according to these verses? What are we told repeatedly?
25:27 The Lord wasn't in it. The Lord wasn't in the wind. The Lord wasn't in the earthquake. The Lord wasn't in the fire. And strangely, we're told in the ESV that there was the sound of a low whisper.
25:45 And Elijah with his spiritual sensitivity at that time realized that's where the Lord is. And so in reverence, he covers his face and he goes to the mouth of that cave to meet with the Lord. Why did the Lord do this? You have to remember again what Elijah's problem was. God is providing a very precise prescription to the malady of his soul.
26:11 You know what Elijah felt? That his preaching, that his praying, that his protest were unsuccessful. All in vain. I mean, you gotta kinda have to sympathize with him. If you, with the instrument God used to see fire come down from heaven, and subsequently rain come down from heaven, in the name of the true and living God, and the response of that is the queen wanting to kill you, I'm certain Elijah felt what else can we do here?
26:47 What else can be done? This is a lost cause. That's why he said, it's enough, Lord. Take me. There's nothing else that can be done.
26:53 What other performance, what other exhibition can be made for the stubborn people, namely the leadership, to realize that they're in fault and that they need to repent? You know, some preachers feel that way after they thought they preached a good sermon. Doesn't even come close to what Elijah did. This man saw God do so much and he thought that it would produce so much and it didn't. What does the Lord do now in response to this?
27:20 He comes in supernatural, glorious, stunning manifest power. But each time he shows up, we're told the Lord wasn't in it. The Lord wasn't in it. The Lord wasn't in it. And then this whisper comes.
27:37 Like, there's nothing there's nothing impressive about a whisper. Is there? Whisper. I believe what the Lord is doing here is that he's gonna teach Elijah that God's ways are not limited. More specifically, there are times when he can, like on Mount Carmel, do the unusual, do the spectacular, and perform the extraordinary, he can.
28:01 He did it on Mount Carmel again. But that's not always the case. That's not always the way he moves to stir the hearts of people. Because as we see here, the same Lord who sent fire from heaven, he doesn't do it again. He doesn't come in the mighty wind.
28:19 He doesn't come in the earthquake. He doesn't come in any other way apart from him speaking Softly, gently, personally. And you know what's so remarkable about this? If you look at the sequence of things, when it came to the wind, Elijah didn't move. When it came to the earthquake, Elijah didn't move.
28:46 When it came to the fire, Elijah didn't budge. But read with me again. Look at verse 12. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not on the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper.
28:56 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. It was that small, small voice that pulled Elijah out to meet with the Lord. What an incredible illustration of how God works. Listen, if you're a genuine servant of God serving the Lord in any capacity, especially if you're in a place of leadership and public ministry, you will know the temptation, you will know the discouragement, you will know the lies that will try to persuade you that unless what you do is big, is impressive, is out of the ordinary, surprising, compelling, riveting, it won't be effective. Again, let me remind you that in comparison to the wind, fire, and earthquake, a whisper is nothing.
30:02 But the whisper worked. The whisper was the thing that brought Elijah closer to the Lord. Here's the point, God can use this the incredible stages, he can use large number of things and mountainous resources. You know what this teaches us? No matter what it is, whether it's a Mount Carmel or a Mount Horeb, God has to be in it.
30:28 God has to be in it. So if he wants to move with fire, let him move with fire being shot down from heaven as long as he's behind it. But if he wants to move in a very informal Friday night bible study, there's nothing really we're grateful for this building, but it's not really impressive in terms of other edifices, is it? Are our instrument top notch? My bible cover is getting ripped up.
31:00 Does God need that stuff to touch the heart of those who need a touch? No. You need God behind it. And that's what we see here. God was behind that low whisper.
31:13 He wasn't behind those other things. So don't automatically equate lavish, big, large, impressive, worldwide, international. Don't automatically equate that with God being behind it. Can God be behind it? Yes.
31:27 Because you have other people who are so skeptical, they they have a skewed evaluation of things. If it's big and if it's large and if it's impactful, it can't be of God. It has to be compromised somehow. You're equally wrong. The ultimate thing you and I have to determine is, is God behind it?
31:46 And in this case, he was behind a small whisper. So you don't have a giant personality. You don't have an impressive vocabulary. I know of preachers who fumble and stumble with their words, who don't have incredible grasp on deep philosophical ideas. But you know what they do have?
32:09 The spirit of God behind them. And when they get up and they speak, you might not find them at these grand conferences, but, man, the presence of God shows up when they do. I'll take that over any other empty thing that might be impressive to the flesh. The lesson here is, Elijah, you think that what I did on Mount Carmel was all that I can do? And you think that unless it's visible and mighty and large, nothing else can work?
32:47 Elijah, I reeled you to myself with a whisper. What an encouraging thing to know in here. And so he's drawn out to the Lord. And look at verse 13. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak.
33:05 You know what that is? Reverence. Reverence. And went out and stood at the entrance of the cave, and behold, there came a voice to him and said, what are you doing here, Elijah? You want revelation in the Bible?
33:20 Ask the Bible questions. Have a conversation with the bible. You know you know what my question was? Lord, why did you ask the question again? You already asked them a few verses before.
33:32 Here's what it tells me, that he wasn't satisfied with Elijah's answer. So, yes, again, he unburdened his soul before the law, but it it really didn't explain why he was where he was. It didn't explain why he abandoned his duty. So what are you doing here, Elijah? Now, you would think after the wind and the earthquake and the fire and the gentle whisper that Elijah would be advanced in his thinking a little bit.
34:02 He would have put some pieces together, especially with his recent forty day forty night journey to Mount Hore, Something must have stood together. Something. Right? What are you doing here, Elijah? And here's how he answers in verse 14.
34:14 And he said, I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, throw down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away. Like, copy paste of what he said earlier. Let me reinforce the truth that I opened up with. You know what this tells me?
34:38 It tells me something from God's vantage point and it tells me something from the human standpoint. From God's vantage point as the counselor in this setting, it reminds you and I that, we have to be patient with how people arrive to the truth. We have to be patient. God is patient. You and I do not have the ability to manifest supernatural strength and natural phenomena like God did.
35:06 And yet even though God did do that, his servant still didn't get it and he's still dealing gently with him. There are times where rebuke is necessary. Every person is a different case. In this case, Elijah is not operating in the same way like, let's say, Jonah. Where God had to be a little bit more aggressive with Jonah.
35:29 Right? He had to let him drown in the ocean and let a whale or a big fish swallow him. And then even after all was said and done, he had to let a plant grow, give him shade, and then take that plant away from him. Like, he he had to bruise Jonah a little bit more because Jonah's heart was different than Elijah. Elijah was very jealous for the Lord.
35:48 He he's just broken here. Jonah was annoying. Jonah didn't want God to extend mercy. Here's Elijah seeing God extend mercy and he's just heart stricken because the people didn't receive it. So God knows exactly how to deal with each of his servants and here he's extremely patient and at times you have to be too.
36:14 You have to be too. Is there any wonder why Paul told Timothy, preach the word in season, out of season, and in that same instruction, he says with complete patience? Do you know why he said that? Because when you preach the word regularly, people aren't going to get it right away. When it does, praise the Lord.
36:34 And if it doesn't, be patient. Be patient. Be patient with your spouse. You've had many conversations, I'm sure, about it. And they're they're genuine in in their hearts and wanting to arrive there.
36:45 Be patient. Be patient with your children. They're not rebellious, yes, but they're not getting it as quickly as you would like. Be patient. And so we see here that the Lord is patient, but let's look at it from Elijah's standpoint.
36:56 He's not getting it. He's not getting it. Again, we're slow to learn oftentimes, especially when our emotions are involved in trying to understand and register and arrive to the right place. And so I'm just encouraged that Elijah is is a man with a nature like ours. I'm so glad that the Lord left this part in his word.
37:25 But how is the Lord gonna deal with this now? You asked the same question, you got the same answer. The first time you revealed to Elijah, Elijah I work in many ways, I work in ways that are very obvious and I work in ways that are very hidden, So don't limit to what your past experience was and realize that I am doing a thing that is beyond what you even perceive. But then he comes and now he says, okay, let's see if anything's changed. Nothing's changed.
37:53 Nothing's changed. He's still wallowing in his self pity. He's still contemplating staying in this cave and not returning to his post. So what does the Lord do? This is fascinating.
38:05 Fascinating to me. Notice what he does here in verse 15. And the Lord said to him, go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu, the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel.
38:28 And Elisha, the son of Shephath, of Abel Mehola, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. So he asked the question, he gets the same answer, and what's the remedy now? Get to work. Get to work, Elijah. Enough's enough.
38:50 I included that last part. But that's essentially what's happening here. Elijah before this time, you know what his problem was? He worked himself to the bone, and he needed a couple of meals and a couple of good naps before he can continue. But that's all been dealt with now.
39:11 His body is replenished. He's refueled. So what's the issue now? That if he remains in a state of inactivity, he will continue to introspect to the point where he will torture himself and perhaps never return to ministry again. You know what sometimes the solution is to overcoming spiritual depression, a downcast spirit, dejection, discouragement, taking your eyes off of yourself and place them on others who have needs.
39:41 That's some good counseling. That's some good counseling. There are times where it's you need a break. You're running on fumes, you're gonna destroy yourself, you're gonna destroy your marriage, you're gonna destroy your church, so you need to step away. This is not practical for long term longevity.
39:57 It's not gonna happen. And there are other times where it's, okay, you need to stop reflecting on this. You need to stop grieving. You need to stop being disappointed. There is a great field of opportunity that awaits you to participate in, so get up and go.
40:12 You think that God did this in isolation? No. He doesn't. Go to first Samuel chapter 16 verse one. You remember this when we studied the prophet Samuel.
40:23 Look at verse one. This is after Samuel knew disappointment with another king, not Ahab. Tell me who the king Samuel had to deal with for many years. Saul. Was was he the most impressive king?
40:37 No. Saul stressed me out when I was studying Saul. Can imagine how much he stressed out Samuel. But this is after he says, you're done. You're no longer gonna be king.
40:50 And what's so terrifying about Saul's story is that he had the throne for years after, but he lost the anointing. He lost God's favor and enablement and his near presence that I find out to be one of the scariest realities in the Old Testament story of how God deals with people. That he let Saul keep his throne and his palace, but he removed his spirit from him. I'm not interested in preaching if that's gonna be for me. I'm not interest I don't care about the pulpit.
41:26 I don't if the Lord removes himself, why do you care to sing? Why do you care to do anything for the Lord unless you have his backing? Saul was left to himself. And Samuel is broken. Look at this.
41:41 He was grieving apparently in verse one of chapter 16. The Lord said to Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons. There's a time where mourning has to stop, whether it's the there is a time for grieving, but there there has to be an expiration date on it.
42:09 Whether that mourning is caused by a legitimate loss or from disappointment, there are some people who never return to the local church because they've been hurt by the local church. There are people who never serve in ministry again because they've been burned in ministry. That's not the will of God. And in this case, we see that he was grieving over Saul and the Lord says, okay. The solution is for you to get out of your room now, Samuel, and get your feet going because I still have a purpose for you and my program on the earth hasn't ceased with one man who was unfaithful.
42:44 Get up. Go. It's no different with Elijah. There's a time where counseling has to close and a new pattern in life has to be rediscovered, or an old pattern that was abandoned. So So he tells him it's time to go.
43:05 And and here's what's so encouraging because what he's going to tell him in the remaining verses is what's gonna give him the strength to be able to return to where he he was. Here's the first thing, come back to first Kings 19. We already read it but perhaps you didn't notice it. He tells him to return to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, he says, you shall do three things.
43:27 The first thing was anoint the king over Syria. Syria, Gentile or connected to Israel? Gentile. What is this supposed to say? Elijah, I have a work to do among the Gentiles, and I I want you to play a part in that.
43:50 What's the next thing he tells him to do? Verse 16, and Jehu, the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over, not Judah, over Israel. The northern tribes, the Northern Kingdom. What's that supposed to mean? Elijah, not only do I have a work to do among the Gentiles and you have a a part to play in, but I have a work to do among that apostate rebellious idolatrous people that you are originally frustrated with, Israel.
44:15 Not only that, he says, I also want you to anoint a final person named Elisha. Elisha. And what you're gonna do with Elisha is that you're going to signal him out, and you are going to set him apart as a prophet who's gonna succeed you. You felt like you were the only prophet around. I'm telling you that I already have one prepared who's gonna take your place.
44:38 So even among the specific lane of his service to the Lord, there was something to do. You know what will encourage you to revisit serving the Lord if you have been on a hiatus or been on a pause and keep you in that place of serving the Lord, it's realizing how much the Lord is doing, how much is out there in a harvest, how many opportunities await you and I. He tells Elijah, the Gentiles, Israel, and even among the prophets, I have things to do and I'm inviting you to it. I'm inviting you to it. The Lord looks with those blazing eyes to and fro throughout the whole earth to see whose heart is blameless towards him.
45:25 For what purpose? That he might show strong support to that person. The Lord is always looking for those who are willing to serve him in any capacity. That should excite you. That should excite you.
45:42 But that's not the only thing. Elijah is not just gonna learn that there are people to commission and bless and disciple. Look at verse 17. And the one and the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Why is he telling him this?
46:08 Elijah was fearful and disappointed for the obvious reason. And one that wasn't so obvious was the fact that you had the wicked who were able to continue to prosper despite the rejection of the truth. Despite all that God had done, you still had evil people remaining in their state of evil. And you know what the Lord is telling Elijah? To encourage him, to revisit that place of service, and to endure in that place of service?
46:33 Elijah, there is a day where I will deal with all the evil. Yes, in the world and even what you experience. There are some people who get so knocked out, the wind knocked out of them because of people treating them the way they were treated as servants of God. Elijah was a true genuine prophet. A man of God.
46:56 And and how was he handled? With absolute disdain. And he was crushed by that. And the Lord wants to remind him, I'm going to call every person into account Elijah. There's not one person in what they've done who's gonna escape my wrath.
47:11 And I have also put into consideration everything that somebody has done to you whether good or bad. Let that encourage you knowing that every slanderous word, every maybe physical threat, no matter what has come your way that might have caused you to reconsider honoring the Lord Jesus with your life, God is gonna vindicate you. He's gonna vindicate you. He will stand for you. Though your whole life people are believing lies about you.
47:43 Shouldn't that comfort you? It must comfort you. And Elijah had a fresh revelation of the justice of God. Ahab and Jezebel were not gonna get the final word. Elijah, you do what I've called you to do.
47:57 I will take care of the things that you have no control of and you have no right to interfere with. I will put an end to this apostasy and you will be vindicated because you are my messenger and you have proclaimed my message faithfully. Is that the only thing that encourages this man of God? Is that the only thing that God gives this man so that he can revisit that place of service and remain in that place of service? No.
48:19 Read verse 18. Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed them. So first he said, look there's a lot of work to do, Elijah, and it's time to get to work. It's time to put your hands to the plow again and keep your eyes off of yourself and on others who need you. That's important.
48:47 Secondly, realize that I will make all things right. So whether it's external persecution or internal turmoil, and you are caught in the crossfires, or you are the bull's eye mark of those who profess me but don't really belong to me, I'm going to make everything right. Don't let those things cause you to reconsider serving me. And lastly, Elijah, I always have a remnant. You know what causes a lot of people to not wanna continue with in their boldness, in their courage, in their holiness, in their commitments to ministry?
49:21 When you see other people not doing that. So here you are faithfully serving week after week after week, and you're looking at others and they're fumbling, and they're flirting with the world. And here you are, wherever church you're part of, I pray that you're part of a church that proclaims the truth, but you're proclaiming the truth. Your elders are leading according to the bible. But But what do you realize around you that the churches that are growing and thriving and getting all the attention are the ones who are compromising.
49:51 And if you're not careful, over time when you feel as though you're the only one doing it, it can mess with your head. And what the Lord tells this man of God is something that is universal. You might feel like you're alone, but you're never alone. I always have a set apart people. They may not be large, 7,000 among, who knows?
50:17 Conservatively, hundreds of thousands in the millions, very likely. 7,000 isn't much, but it's still a remnant. And that's something that you would have to always remember. God is not just working in your life. God is not just working in your local church.
50:38 God is doing work across the globe. And you're part of that. Yes. But realize that there are others who are enduring what you're enduring, suffering what you're suffering, and being faithful as you are seeking to be faithful. And from time to time, you know what the Lord will do?
50:54 He'll allow you to cross paths with other people who are part of that remnant. And that's what God's gonna do for this man. He's gonna allow him to meet one of those 7,000. His name is Elisha. His name is Elisha.
51:08 And I just love how the Lord prescribes this need. One of the things that we talked about is how Elijah Elijah rather abandoned himself from community. And what does God do to to rescue him? He brings not just a successor. Listen, if God was just concerned about replacing Elijah when he would go into heaven, he would have just called Elisha himself.
51:30 Right? Okay. Elijah's gone. Let me speak now to Elisha. It's your turn.
51:35 He doesn't do that. He connects Elijah with Elisha. And he allows Elijah to disciple Elisha, not just disciple, but be blessed by Elisha, develop a friendship with Elisha. That's a gift from the Lord. If you feel like you are among those who who you just wanna love the Lord Jesus, You just really wanna obey him.
51:58 That's what you want your existence to be about. But you look at others and they're just giving lip service or they're weak or they're worldly and you're like, am I a minority here? Am I am I not reading this right? Whatever the train of thought may be, realize that God in his great mercy can provide someone else in your life. And all you need yes, you can you need a local church.
52:22 But even one person in your life can be enough to keep you going, to keep you going. But notice here that the same truth that we're being told concerning this remnant is how the apostle Paul uses it in a very unique way concerning how it relates to us in the new covenant. Does anybody know where this passage is found in the new testament? Romans. That's right.
52:50 Extra point if you know the chapter. Romans, but where in Romans? And I hear pages flipping to Romans. That's okay. I'll wait.
53:10 I won't wait too long. Who said it? What did you say? Romans 11. You wanna see how the Holy Spirit uses this exact passage that we've been studying this past hour or so?
53:21 Go to Romans 11 in the first four or five verses, and let's see it as we close. Romans eleven one to five. Paul writes, I ask then has God rejected his people? In this context, who are his people? Israel.
53:44 Israel. Are we reading the Old Testament or the New Testament? People. His people. Israel are his people?
53:54 Wow. I asked that has God rejected his people? By no means. For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. You can't spiritualize that.
54:12 Okay. I've heard some people try to spiritualize Israel in the New Testament, but, you're gonna have some disagreements with Paul because he qualifies what he means by being an Israelite. He's not talking about being a spiritual Israelite. He's talking about being an ethnic real descendant of this people group. Please pay attention.
54:34 We're living in an age where this is debated. Verse two, God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah? How he appeals to God, think of this, against Israel. That's how fed up Elijah was according to this New Testament commentary.
54:59 He's appealing to God against Israel. Like, oh, I'm done with these people. Verse three, Lord, and he quotes the same passage that we studied today. They have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life. But what is God's reply to him?
55:15 I have kept for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Verse five is so important. What's the application of it? So too at the present time, there is a remnant chosen by grace. If you pluck out verse five, you can make it say a lot of things.
55:37 But if you honor the context, then you know exactly what Paul is trying to educate the people in Rome about. He says, listen. I know there's some confusion about the state of Israel and the people of Israel related to where they stand with God because as a nation, did they receive the Messiah or reject the Messiah? They've rejected the Messiah. They've rejected the Messiah.
56:02 And so the confusion is around what is God gonna do with this people group now? Yeah. We heard that Christ, and we believe that truth that he introduced inaugurated a new covenant, but where does Israel fit in this whole thing? And Paul assures them, God hasn't rejected his people. God has made some promises to Israel that transcend and bleed into the new covenant.
56:27 The new covenant didn't nullify certain promises that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their seed. And he says, can I tell you one of the proofs of that? Can I tell you and remind you one of the evidences to why God is not finished with the people of Israel, not spiritual Israel, the ethnic people of Israel? There has always been a remnant of believing Jews. In every generation since the inception of the church, there has always been a people who have believed on the Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
57:04 And there will always be a believing community of Jewish people until it culminates to a a national revival where the entire nation will acknowledge that this Jesus Christ from Nazareth is the Messiah for the Jewish people. That's found in Romans eleven twenty five. That when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, then all Israel shall be saved. You have to do brutal gymnastics to Romans 11 to say that Paul is speaking about a spiritual Israel and that the church is the spiritual Israel. You have to do very crafty origami with the bible to get to that conclusion.
57:46 Because he qualifies in the beginning and if you honor the context then everything really makes sense in Romans 11. In fact, let me ruffle some more theological feathers. Romans nine, ten, and 11 is all about Israel. It's not just Roman 11. So when you look at nine, ten, and 11, that's his that's his essay within a larger essay, which is really the theological trees of the book of Romans, where he's making a case about God's election, his choosing of the people of Israel.
58:20 And it concludes in this chapter. And from a personal perspective, you you can imagine, yes, this is obviously and ultimately inspired by the Holy Spirit, but Paul relates to Elijah, I believe, As a minister, as an apostle, as a messenger of this new covenant, you can see the parallel. Right? You have this man of God, Paul, who is dealing with a stubborn people who have rejected God and you have a remnant of Jewish people who believe while the rest, like Elijah's case, are not believing. And so you you can see how Paul is confiding in Elijah.
58:58 But the difference between Paul and Elijah is this, Elijah succumb to the disappointment of the people around him not believing. Paul didn't. Paul didn't. And I believe the reason why Paul did, at least one reason why he didn't come to the point where he he said, you know, I don't I stayed in Arabia three years. I might go back and stay for a longer while.
59:20 It's because he understood this truth about a remnant. Something that Elijah needed to learn, Paul learned in his case in the new covenant. There is always, God's not done with Israel. God's not done. He's not finished.
59:34 He's gonna prove himself to be faithful. He's gonna prove himself to be true. He's gonna prove himself to be a promise keeper and the savior of this he's gonna do it. That energizes him to continue forth. That energizes him to keep preaching and praying and believing.
59:51 So you see, when you understand these truths as well, which we can summarize in this, Jesus Christ will be victorious. You wanna keep going? Yeah. I know. I know it looks bleak out there.
1:00:05 I know we would wanna see more. But in the end, it's it's all gonna come back to Christ. It's all you're on you're already one in Christ. And all he's asking of you, my beloved brother and sister, all he's asking of you in this time, with whatever time left you have on the earth is just be faithful. Don't give up.
1:00:26 Don't throw in the towel. Don't walk away. There's so much to be done. God will vindicate his church and he'll vindicate you personally and there's always a remnant. So let's end with these final verses in first Kings 19.
1:00:43 Verse 19 of first Kings 19, so he departed from there and found Elisha, the son of Shaphan, who was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. I love Elijah's response. And he said to him, go back again for what have I done to you?
1:01:11 There's a lot of debate about what that means. I think a major reason for why he says he what he says is, look, I'm just the messenger here. This is between you and God. God is the one who's calling you, so you figure that out with the Lord. Go back again for what have I done to you?
1:01:26 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. What a breath of fresh air after so much disappointment in Elijah's life and even in our study. When you had a people who were vacillating between two opinions and yet though they did show some sign of repentance, who knows how long that really lasted. And you have Ahab and Jezebel who just stoneheartedly just rejected all that God did before them.
1:01:59 You have this man who when he received the call of God listen, he was a successful businessman. 12 oxen, that's some that's some pretty good stuff. When he realized that God had called him to be a prophet, he has a goodbye party. He burns everything away and he says, I'm not coming back to this. There's no turning back.
1:02:17 And what does he do? You would think that this is a demotion because the last verse here says that, then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. I rather kiss my business goodbye if it means that God's called me to this kind of a ministry, whereas we learn later on, he washes the hands of Elijah. That's what he that's what he goes down to, that kind of a level, where he will assist Elijah. He doesn't become a prophet right away.
1:02:38 He becomes an assistant. But because he knew it was God's call, he says, that's greater joy to me than any business, any money, any promotion, any expansion. I'll do it. I'll do it. And we are soon coming to the story of Elisha.
1:02:53 Here's how we're closing. Look how many chapters we have left in first Kings. Flip your pages and notice where it ends. Isn't that scary? We're almost done.
1:03:04 We're almost done. And so we're ending our session tonight with many thoughts that have come our way, but let's conclude with this thought. Lord, keep me faithful. Keep me faithful. And if you are drained for whatever reason tonight, I pray that the truths that you heard would animate you more, but I pray that you would have enough faith to speak to the Lord even now and say, Lord, please, I want to serve you in whatever you call me to serve you in.
1:03:35 I want you to help me remember that you will vindicate my cause. I want you to remind me always that I'm not in this alone. That there is a people here and there's a people where that love you and serve you. And though they may not be the majority, God help me believe that these relationships will be enough for me to live another day to serve you with my whole heart. Thank you Lord Jesus for the blessed word of God.
1:04:00 We ask you, oh God, with great thanksgiving and gratitude to chain these golden threads of truth around our hearts. And we do ask, oh Lord, that you would help us not just survive in our service, but thrive with joy and strength and a contagious spirit. So even for those who have been faithfully serving you but they feel as though they are losing energy and desire, Let that change tonight, please, Lord. Let that change tonight. Let us know the vigor of the apostle Paul.
1:04:36 And let us, oh, Lord, realize that what you've started, you can complete and finish in us. Lord, we ask that that would be true. We love you, Lord. We adore you. And we ask that you would do what no man can do.
1:04:48 Revive our hearts and keep them alive. In Jesus name, amen. Amen. Yes, priest team. Thank you.
1:05:09 I've seen a lot of people start, and they didn't live past a decade of serving the Lord where they can't be found. It's easy to start a race, and God describes this faith as a race. How are you running? Are you losing steam? Are you looking left?
1:05:37 Are you looking right? I hope to preach a message on this one day. One of the strangest commands that Jesus gives in all of the New Testament. It's something that I'm convinced most Christians have never done or maybe have done once. Jesus commanded it.
1:05:58 Remember Lot's wife. Is that a suggestion? No. That's actually a command. Remember Lot's wife.
1:06:09 Think about Lot's wife. There's so much to unpack with that. But I remember stumbling upon that truth recently and meditating. Lot's wife. Jesus said, remember her.
1:06:22 Her ultimate crime was that she looked back when she wasn't supposed to. So I wanna admonish you tonight. You can only know strength to keep running if you stay abiding in the vine. Stand with me, please, and let's ask the lord to help us keep running this race.
