THE STILL SMALL VOICE
1 Kgs. 19:1-18
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. I’ve found that it pays to get along with your wife. As an example of this, a man was tired of living with his wife.
2. There seemed to be no way he could get away from her verbal harangues. At last he got so desperate that he decided that he would be happier in jail. He thought, “I’ll rob a bank and they’ll put me in jail.”
3. So he robbed a bank, was captured by the police, and the Judge gave him 6 months of “House Arrest!”
4. We’re going to read about a man this morning who might have been better if he’d been in jail.
B. TEXT
1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
C. THESIS
1. We are in a spiritual battle. In Hebrews 12:3, the writer expressed his concern about the early Christians "lest you be weary and faint in your minds." The word translated ‘faint’ means "to unloose," as of a bowstring. He was worried about people giving up their spiritual fight. Like unloading your gun in battle!
2. Paul never lost his “fight”-- "the disposition or power to continue in the struggle." Paul wrote, "Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life." 1 Tim. 6:12.
3. What kind of spiritual fight have you been putting up in the last year? Have you become weak, passive, discouraged, wounded, perplexed?
4. We're going to look at a great believer who became discouraged and see how God restored his fight!
5. Title: “The Still Small Voice.”
I. ELIJAH’S DISCOURAGEMENT
A. ELIJAH’S GREAT FEATS
1. Stopped the rain for 3 1/2 years.
2. Was supernaturally provided for during the famine.
3. Call down fire from heaven on the sacrifice.
4. Killed the 450 prophets of Baal.
5. Prayed down the rain again.
B. BUT ELIJAH LOST HIS “FIGHT”
1. ELIJAH HAD HOPED FOR REVIVAL
a. Elijah had given his all at Mt. Carmel & expected the nation would give up idolatry, turn to God and experience a revival.
b. But Jezebel controlled Ahab, and Ahab the nation. So the idols would safely sit on their pedestals.
c. He felt like the only person still left serving the Lord! “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (Vs. 14).
2. YOU MAY FELL LIKE THE ONLY ONE:
a. Stress/pressures can rob us of our will power.
b. We may be the only Christian in our family or on our job. Our efforts to win others or change the environment may seem fruitless.
c. Our prayers may seem to go unanswered for a long time, causing us to lose faith and feel like giving up the fight.
3. What did Elijah do when he felt like this?
II. ELIJAH SOUGHT GOD IN HIS TROUBLES
A. TO THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD!
WHAT HAD HAPPENED THERE:
1. PLACE WHERE GOD MET WITH MOSES
a. Burning Bush -- Exodus 3:1.
b. Rock Smitten & water poured out – Ex. 17:6.
c. Law/ 10 Commands Given – Ex. 20:1-.
2. Where do we go when we’re in trouble?
a. When we are depressed, do we reach for the Pill Bottle or for the Bible? Many eat food to combat stress.
b. You call the prayer chain, but do YOU pray?
c. It’s Good to get your Pastor -- but there's no substitute for getting alone with God yourself!
3. GO BACK TO THE PLACE OF YOUR ORIGINAL REVELATION OF JESUS! God is the same God. Go back to the Book of Acts, go back to the FUNDAMENTALS: prayer, Bible reading, worship, regular meeting with other
believers in church, witnessing, etc.
B. “And Behold, the Lord passed by…”
1. God came on the scene! God manifests Himself when we seek Him.
2. “Seek and you shall find; knock…”
3. God promises: Jer. 29:13, “You shall seek Me & find Me when you search for Me with all your hearts.”
4. This may have been the same cave that Moses was sheltered in when God's glory passed by (Ex. 33:20-22). Here the great Law-Giver and the most preeminent O.T. Prophet saw God's glory. And they finally got to see God's face together on the Mount of Transfiguration!
C. WHAT GOD’S SPEAKING IS NOT:
1. A Hurricane swept down – it tore great masses of granite from the Peaks; Great columns of rock exploded with force and came crashing down.
2. The Mountain began rumbling with an earthquake until nothing seemed stable.
3. Fire roared around the mountains -- burning all before them. All 3 were reminiscent of God purifying power and wrath, BUT GOD WASN'T IN THEM!
4. NOT EVERYTHING WE THINK IS GOD, IS GOD!
a. God's not in the Christian show, the Razzle-Dazzle, the Hype, the Popular, the highly trodden paths.
b. You’re not going to find Him in the crowds, but in the solitary places -- alone and secluded.
5. ILLUSTRATION
a. Lincoln, was in counsel with Stanton, his Secretary of War. The civil war was going badly. Lincoln said, "Gen. Burnside must be removed. There's not a replacement. I can't see one ray of light!" Stanton couldn't either.
b. Two Quaker ladies, Rachel Grellet and Elizabeth Comstock, waited in the vestibule of the Oval Office. They were invited in.
c. "Abraham, we believe we have a message from the Lord for you. He has laid a great burden upon you, and you can't bear it alone. It is too much for you. He says, “Be of good courage and I will be with you. You shall prevail, only be of good courage.” The destiny of this great nation is upon Him. Your shoulders are too narrow;
cast all your cares upon Him. Do not carry it yourself. He will guide you and you shall prevail."
d. The ladies then prayed for President Lincoln and when they left, it was as if all his problems were solved, because he remembered that God was the one in charge!
D. WHAT GOD’S SPEAKING IS:
1. The Still Small Voice, vss. 12 & 13. "Elijah covered his face" -- "This is God!" It wasn't the Burning Bush which caused Moses to kneel, but the Voice coming from the Bush.
2. Others who heard that Voice:
a. Adam heard the Voice of the Lord walking in the Garden;
b. Samuel heard that Voice calling him at the tabernacle;
c. Isaiah heard the Voice of the Lord when he saw a vision of heaven and his lips had been cleansed;
d. Jesus' disciples heard that Voice at the Mt. of Transfiguration -- "a voice out of the cloud which said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him" Matthew 17:5.
3. We need to hear from God! You must get past all the rushing and crashing of outside pressures and your own inside pressures, before you will get quiet enough to hear the Holy Spirit.
4. ILLUSTRATION
a. In the days before widespread refrigeration, when ice blocks were distributed to people's homes to keep their food cool, there were large warehouses in which ice was stored, packed in hay.
b. One of the men working there had a very fine pocket watch, which fell out of his pocket and ended up lost in the hay. Several of the men searched for half an hour, but could never find it. They gave it up & went to lunch.
c. When the men came back from lunch, a young man stood at the door holding the pocket watch. "How in the world did you find it?" said its owner.
d. "Easy. I waited until everyone left and it was quiet. Then I laid down in the hay and listened for the ticking. The sound led me right to it."
e. That's how it is when we get quiet before God; then we can hear the still small voice of the Lord speaking to us!
III. WHAT RESTORED ELIJAH’S WALK WITH GOD?
A. A NEW EXPERIENCE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD
1. I don’t know how long it’s been since you experienced God’s presence in a supernatural way – but it’s revolutionary, transforming, and renewing!
2. It will make you cry and make you laugh all at the same time – it’s the greatest thing to ever happen to a person.
3. It’s symbolized by the Angel’s bread that gave him supernatural strength for 40 days. “It is the Spirit that quickens.” The Presence of God is life-giving. "In His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures for evermore" Psalm 16:11.
4. Hearing God’s voice restored Elijah’s soul. “It's not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts" Zech. 4:6.
B. A NEW VISION OF GOD
1. Elijah got a new vision of God -- His grandeur, power, the assurance of His control over the world and the future.
2. We need a new vision of God. Your life will never be greater than your vision of God. God still holds the world in the palm of His hand; nothing is too hard for Him!
C. A NEW MISSION FROM GOD
1. Elijah was given three new things to do. His purpose was renewed; he had a mission to accomplish.
2. We need something to do for God. "Idle hands are the devil’s workshop."
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION:
1. Singer/Songwriter Robert Hamlet wrote, “Lady Who Prays For Me” as a tribute to his mother who made a point of praying for her boys each morning before they went to the bus stop.
2. After a young Mom heard Hamlet sing his song, she committed to praying with her own little boy. Just before her son set out for the bus stop, she prayed for his protection and blessing. He was so excited to know God would be with him because she prayed.
3. Five minutes later he returned…bringing kids from
the bus stop with him! She was shocked and asked “What’s going on?”
4. He said, “Mom, I told them how you began my day with God by praying with me. Their moms didn’t pray with them, so they asked if you might do it!” Of course, she did. [Daily Bread, Sept. 21, 2017]
5. POEM:
a. I got up early one morning, and rushed right into the day; I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. “Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered. He answered, “You didn’t ask.”
b. I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak; I wondered why God didn’t show me. He said, “But you didn’t seek.” I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.”
c. I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day; I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.
B. THE CALL
1. We need to hear the still, small Voice of God. He is speaking to us today.
a. To some He is speaking of salvation; "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone here My voice..." Revelation 3:20.
b. To others he is speaking to about your commitments.
c. To still others -- your busy-ness -- like Martha; "Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" Mark 6:31.
2. Do you need a new Presence of God? Vision of God? Mission from God?
3. Open altars for general prayer.
