What Are You Doing Here? Series

What Are You Doing Here?

 God intends for every believer to walk in freedom

 Psa 22:5 "Those who trust in the Lord will not be confound

 If you are being victimized by a spirit of fear, lust, despondency or depression, you are not walking in freedom

 Feelings of worthlessness or thoughts of giving up are bondage

 Not just young Christians are subject to these attacks

 Even one of the most powerful, godly men in the Bible lost his freedom in the Lord for a season

SUMMARY OF ELIJAH: (1 KINGS 18)

 God told Elijah to call together the 450 priests of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah

 Elijah asked the people, "How long will you waver between two opinions?"

 Holy Ghost fire came down from heaven, consuming the sacrifice on Elijah’s altar

 When all the middle-of-the-road believers saw this, they all fell on their faces and worshiped the Lord!

 The people then realized they had been duped

 Their exposure to the worthless idolatry had kept them under bondage

 So they took those 850 heathen priests and slew them all!

 Then Elijah told King Ahab, "Get ready for rain!"

 He went up on the mountain and prayed down a mighty thunderstorm, ending the drought.

 Then the Spirit of God fell upon him - and Elijah outran Ahab’s chariot for sixteen miles, back to the palace in Jezreel!

 1 Kings 18:46 "And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah"

MAIN TEXT:

1 Kings 19:1-15

19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

 Look at Elijah, to this point he was "the man"

 But all of a sudden this totally changes because of one word of adversity

 You would think after all the Lord had just used him to do, Elijah would not have flinched

 But this was an especially evil attack - spirit of Jezebel

 Jezebel represents a wicked spirit, a spirit of control, manipulation, intimidation and rebellion

 Jezebel represents bondage and destruction

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"

 Easy for us to say, "what a wimp, what a winer!"

 Have any of us called fire down from Heaven, or outran horses for 16 miles?

 No matter how long you have walked with God, you are still subject to attack

 Even Elijah had a breaking point

 Perhaps Elijah expected God to fully purge idolatry from the land

 He thought that Jezebel would flee after she heard what happened to all the false prophets

5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.

 Thank God! He meets us at our point of weakness

 Without condemnation, without frustration, without anger, without disgust – just pure compassion

 God always ministers encouragement to His people

7 And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

 Again, He fasts and travels 40 days and nights

 The Spirit of Lord was on Him even if he didn’t "feel" like it

9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."

 This may sound complainy and whiny but I am glad that My God wants to "reason together"