On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand

Illus: Makes me think of an elderly man lay dying in his bed, close to his last breathe...but suddenly he smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookies floating up the stairs.

He gathered all his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.

Finally arriving at the kitchen he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. He thought he might already be in heaven: there, spread out upon newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.

Was it heaven or was it one final act of love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table.

He could already taste of the cookie in his mouth; just the aroma seemingly was bringing him back to life.

His hand slowly made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife. She said "Stay out of those cookies they’re for your funeral!”

Did you know that many times we find ourselves like this. WE FEEL LIKE WE CANNOT GO ANY FURTHER. We are SMACKED WITH HOPELESSNESS!

We can understand why the SINNERS are this way!

• Every day they live without Christ knowing they are only one heartbeat, one breathe away from spending eternity in a Devil’s hell.

Without Christ they have NO HOPE WHATSOEVER!!!

• They have to turn to DRUGS AND ALCOHOL just to COPE WITH LIFE!!!

But there are many SAVED people who also have lost all hope.

In this sermon I want to show you THREE things….

First, we need to consider-

I. WHEN HOPE IS LOST

A good example HOPELESSNESS we need to look at the life of Elijah. WHAT A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOPELESSNESS!!!

Let me explain…

Look at 1 Kings 19:1-5, we read, “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.”

This great man of God is talking about wanting to die!

When?

Before this happened, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest to see who was serving the TRUE GOD.

The God that answered by fire would prove to be the true and living God.

Elijah’s God won the contest overwhelmingly!

But later, after Jezebel heard what had taken place on Mt. Carmel and her false prophets had been killed this wicked woman threatened to kill him the next day.

She stated very angrily she was going to kill him!

Evidently she convinced him she meant what she said and we find him under a juniper tree saying that he wished he was dead.

But he really did not wish he was dead, because if he had stayed there, Jezebel would have been glad to accommodate him.

But he was so discouraged that this man of God wished he was dead!!!

When it comes to WISHING…

Illus: Did you hear about the couple that came upon a wishing well?

• The husband leaned over, made a wish and threw in a penny.

• The wife decided to make a wish too.

• But she leaned over too far, and fell into the well and drowned.

• The husband was stunned, but he smiled and said, "This wishing well it really works!"

Illus: Did you hear about the family in their car on their way to a dog race?

A frog crosses the road, and the husband, who is driving, is able to stop the car before running over him. The husband gets out and takes the frog and carries him to the side of the road for his safety.

The frog is grateful thanks the man and tells him that he will grant him a wish.

• The man says, "Please make my dog win the next dog race."