Facing Life's Ups And Downs

Facing Life’s Ups and Downs

1 Kings 19:1-18

Good morning,

One day in a philosophy class, the professor decided to talk with his students about the emotional extremes people go through.

The professor asked the class, “What’s the opposite of sadness?”, and one of the students answered, “Joy”.

The professor asked, “What’s the opposite of depression?” and one of the students answered, “Elation”.

Finally, the professor asked, “What’s the opposite of woe?” and a student from Texas answered, “That’s easy, its giddy up!”

Please open your Bibles to 1 Kings 19, as we continue with our break from our Gospel of Mark series.

Many define depression as a condition marked by feelings of dejection or guilt, which results in hopelessness.

However, even with the overwhelming amount of depression within people today, scientists still do not understand all of the causes of depression.

When it comes to Christians dealing with depression within the church, the advice is all over the map. You may hear, “If you really trusted the Lord, you would not experience depression”.

Or the complete opposite of that advice is…

“Just go get medication and face the fact that you can never get over the chemical imbalance that causes depression in you”.

Both extremes can be dangerous, so let’s look to God’s Word and try and discover, how times of depression can happen, but how we can be more than conquerors through Christ as well.

According to Minirth and Meier Christian counselors, the majority of Americans at some point of their lives, will suffer from clinical depression.

As a backdrop to our passage this morning, allow me to give you a history of the prophet Elijah and how the Lord did extraordinary miracles through him.

• Elijah prayed and the rain ceased for 3 ½ years and then he prayed again, and the rain returned.

• When in need, the Lord fed Elijah by ravens.

• We read of the story of the widow and the miracle of the flour and oil feeding them.

• Elijah prayed and the widow’s son was raised to life.

• Elijah called down fire and fifty soldiers died.

• Just before our narrative this morning, Elijah called down fire from heaven and burned up the altar and sacrifice.

• Elijah correctly prophesied Jezebel would be eaten by dogs.

• Elijah was caught up to heaven in a whirlwind.

Elijah was a mighty servant of the Lord, but we should also keep in mind, who we are in Christ.

James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. NKJV

Elijah, just like us, suffered discouragement and depression even after the Lord had worked incredible miracles in his life.

I have battled depression at times as well so, I need to guard my heart and mind in Christ and allow Him to heal me as well.

I. Being tired and worn, Elijah was in total despair.

Read 1 Kings 19:1-4

Notice how Ahab told his wicked wife all that had happened through Elijah.

Ahab had been wanting Elijah killed for telling him and his wife how evil their behavior had been.

It came to a head in 1 Kings 18, when Elijah challenged the false prophets to a contest to reveal whether the God of heaven was truly God over creation, or their false gods had the power.

Elijah offered two bulls to be sacrificed to see whether their false gods, or the God of heaven would consume the offering.

He invited the false prophets to go first, and they prayed until noon, danced before their gods, and even cut themselves, as Elijah watched and mocked from the sidelines.

When they finally gave up, Elijah set up an altar to sacrifice to the Lord, placed the bull on the altar, and loaded it with wood.

In order to demonstrate the awesome power of the Lord God, Elijah ordered the sacrifice to be soaked with water three times, making it almost impossible to be set on fire.

1 Kings 18:36 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 Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.

The Lord consumed the offering, the water, the altar, and even burned up the stones. After the Lord consumed the offering…

1 Kings 18:40 And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So, they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. NKJV