Elijah
Opening Video Illustration: “I love Sunday’s video!” Bank Robbery
Reference the door in the corner! We need to enter the battle – the fight for the souls of others by inviting people back to church- it starts by going to peoples doors – the doors of their hearts – to introduce them to Jesus.
Thesis: Elijah stepped up for the fight. He stepped out in faith. He fell after a victory because of death threats. He got back up after hearing the gentle whisper of God and eventually flew away with God. He gave all to serve God and to be His prophet to a lost generation. His story reminds us of how adversity drives us deeper into God and develops us into the man or women God wants us to be.
Outline: 4 F’s of Elijah’s life
1. Fight
2. Faith
3. Failure
4. Flight
Scripture texts: 1 Kings 16, 17, 18, 19; 2 Kings 1, 2
Key verses:
1 Kings 16:29-33: Ahab Becomes King of Israel
29In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.
1 Kings 17:1-6: Elijah prophecies no rain to Ahab and he is led by the Lord to a place where he is fed by Ravens
1Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” 2Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3“Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.” 5So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
1 Kings 17: 7-24: The widow of Zarephath and her son (summary)
22The LORD heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.
23Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.”
1 Kings 18:1, 2: Elijah returns with another word from the Lord for Ahab and confronts the sins of the nation and the problem of drought.
1After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
1 Kings 18:16-46: Elijah on Mount Carmel
16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” 18“I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the LORD’s commands and have followed the Baals. 19Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 20So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. 22Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the LORD’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” 25Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “O Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 27At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. 30Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. 31Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” 34“Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 38Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!” 40Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. 41And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” 42So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 43“Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” 44The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’45Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
I Kings 19: 3-5: Elijah afraid of Jezebel’s threat to kill him.
3Elijah was afraid£ and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4while 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.” 5Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
2 Kings 2:1-12: Elijah Taken Up to Heaven
1When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “but do not speak of it.” 4Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “but do not speak of it.” 6Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on. 7Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
10“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not.” 11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more.
Introduction:
Elijah’s ministry is primarily linked to the reign of Ahab and Jezebel in Israel. He is the prophet who God raised up to confront their wickedness. To understand the times in which Elijah lived, we need to know a few more details.
Religion from http://www.becomingcloser.org/elijah/elijah_the_prophet.html
The worship of Baal and Asherah (also Astarte, Astoreth and several other variants) is, for the most part, extinct. (I exclude those radical feminists who now find Astarte so wonderful). Since these are not common in our time, we need a little bit of explanation.
? Baal – is the primary male god of the Canaanite religion, centered around Sidon (from which Jezebel came). Worship of this god included such interesting features as infant sacrifice and cannibalism. Represented by the sun, he is the primary male symbol of fertility. He (and Asherah) give birth to 70 other gods who make up the pantheon of this worship style. The name is generic, and sometimes is applied to other, more particular gods.
? Asherah – is the primary female goddess of this religion. Her worship features temple prostitutes. She is represented by the moon. Lately, worship of this goddess has been revised by certain radical feminists, about whom more later. In her Babylonian guise, she is the root of much of the “New Age” worship. Here, we see her in a cruder form.
Quote: From Book by Kilpatrick - “Chariot of Fire”: “The story of Elijah is the story of Jezebel and the saga of Ahab. Elijah's long fought war, and his spectacular rapture . . . both hinged on his victory over evil, a triumph that had to be personal before it could be national.”
T.S. - For us to win the war against the spiritual decline into wickedness in America hinges on us dealing with our own sins first! It starts with us and the Lord. We need to be the right place with the Lord if we want to see revival come back to the USA.
1. Elijah’s Fight with Ahab
a. He had a willingness and boldness to address sinful behavior as directed by the Lord and to put his life on the line for the cause of revival – and for the proper soul care of Israel.
i. Elijah was called by God to confront Ahab’s sins:
1. 1 Kings 16:33 states, “Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.”
2. I really don’t believe the Lord would have called Elijah if his heart was not in the right place with him!
a. From our few verses it’s obvious e heard and listened to the voice of God when most did not!
b. The prophetic word to King Ahab – not a politically correct message!
i. “You are doing evil and the Lord who I serve is sending judgment on you and the nation for your sin.”
1. Can you believe the message of our prophet: “God is going to judge this nation for sin and the rejection of Him!”
a. Could you imagine what the media today would have done to Elijah?
i. How they would have mocked him!
ii. The news reports – the gossip – the lies?
2. I believe, we in America need to learn that God does judge nations that depart from Him and enter into idolatry with other gods. The USA’s judgment will come if we do not repent of our sins and follow after God’s Word!
a. Listen to Israel’s sins in comparison with America’s national sins:
i. Banning God’s 10 commandments and prayer from public life!
1. No different than Ahab promoting Baal worship and ditching the worship of the true God.
ii. Redefining biblical marriage.
1. A blatant disregard to God’s Word and a redefining of truth.
iii. For Israel Ahab reintroduced -Temple prostitution which was practiced to worship their gods.
1. Sexual Immorality rampant --- Sex outside the context of biblical marriage used for worship of other gods.
a. Are we not doing the same in America:
i. Reference the ring of prostitution in Chicago and America.
ii. No respect for Biblical marriage today and the fidelity of marriage.
iv. Child sacrifice to the gods they worshipped.
1. Abortion on demand today is the same sin.
2. Children are sacrificed up for:
a. Jobs
b. Careers
c. Materialism
d. Money
e. Selfish reasons
v. Cannibalism
1. News Story: The recent comments by the head of Planned Parenthood and the selling of babies body parts and how they kill the babies a certain way to sell their body parts.
ii. Elijah spoke for the Lord when he said: “Drought is coming to this land because of these sins – the water will dry up until the Lord says different!”
1. I believe America will be judged by God for her sins if she does not repent.
a. Drought will come – maybe lack of water like California is experiencing – talk about how water is becoming gold from a recent news report.
b. Maybe the drought for America will be financial?
i. Sept prophetic voices – economic predictions for mid-September?
ii. I don’t know for sure but God keeps His word.
1. He dealt with Israel and I believe he will deal with America too the same way as revealed in Scripture.
iii. Prophetic Words: The role of the prophet from http://www.becomingcloser.org/elijah/elijah_the_prophet.html
1. Prophecy, especially in the Old Testament, has two functions:
a. The prophet is to foretell – not in the sense of predicting the stock market, but in terms of outlining the consequences God intends. Foretelling by a prophet always carries an “if” –“if you don’t repent, …”
b. The prophet is to forthtell – to proclaim wickedness for what it is. In this day when everything is relative and there is no absolute truth, some may think this quaint, at best. But the prophet has no choice; this is God’s work for the prophet.
i. The key to the character of the prophet is this: God does not hide his intentions from the prophet, but rather uses him/her to proclaim those intentions to the world and to His people.
c. Elijah’s approach: It’s instructive to see Elijah’s approach: He did not go to the people and tell them of the impending drought. He is not to be a political rabble-rouser, or form a political party. He went instead to the source of the problem, the king.
i. The one promoting evil in God’s people!
iv. I really think the problem in America is not our godless leaders but our apathetic church!
1. If the church truly followed God’s Word our nation would be in a better spiritual condition.
c. YES we are in a fight: Our fight is with spiritual forces of evil at work in the land driving people from God and righteousness.
i. Our fight is to share the good news of Jesus with lost souls.
ii. This is why we are pushing the Back to Church Sunday on Sept 20th – This is very important if we want to see revival come to our families, ourselves and our nation.
iii. We need to open the door of truth to the lost and let them know what love is and what sin does to people’s lives!
T.S. – Elijah was not afraid to call sin – sin and to confront an evil King with the warning from God. He listened to God and did what he was told to do! Would you do that today if God asked you?
2. Elijah’s faith and trust in God’s provision sustained him through the hardship of life and drought:
a. The calming brook: God led him to a creek: I have pondered this creek – I imagine this spot in my mind - the water is flowing and babbling soft noises of calmness “You are in my hands Elijah – all is well with your soul.” He hears the soothing water and drinks of its fresh taste of life. He is enjoying the beauty of nature being fed by the wild animals – sounds to me like a spiritual and emotional retreat for Elijah.
i. I love nature – I have experienced the calming of a babbling brook and the beauty and serenity of a moment like this!
1. God knew what Elijah needed!
2. Do you need a moment like this with God?
3. Is life so crazy that you need to go to a place and meet with God?
ii. Remember Elijah allowed God to lead him to the brook – this is all about free will and faith!
1. This is faith in action!
a. Allowing yourself to be led by God! Priceless!
2. When your life crashes around you do you allow God to lead you to the calming brook? To a spiritual retreat that calms your soul?
a. Psalm 23: Message
i. God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
ii. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.
iii. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.
iv. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.
v. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.
vi. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.
iii. He does as he is instructed and God provides supernaturally for him!
1. We also need to learn about God’s provision and providence.
a. The ravens brought him no stockpile of food or money; he learned to live from one meal to the next. Trusting in God each day.
i. I believe because we live in the era of credit cards we don’t grow like we should in this way. Instead of just trusting God we grab a credit card and charge it. Missing out on how God wants to provide for us!
1. We need to quit charging and start trusting God!
2. I suspect he also learned the difference between necessity and selfish desire.
a. The prophets of Baal probably dined in elegant style but not Elijah.
b. Elijah was fed as befits a servant of God, not in luxury but in necessity. His soul is replenished in this time and his faith grows strong!
c. We need to be like the Apostle Paul:
i. Phil 4:10-13: I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.
3. Today many in the Christian realm want to live in luxury and forsake the call of God, and the sacrifice for God. They spend everything they have on themselves and never give that way God intended us too.
a. We use God’s money for our luxuries!
b. We also think God is okay with this but he is not!
c. Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God’s!”
b. He is able to hear Gods voice of where to go next – this teaches him to listen for the voice of the Lord.
i. The brook dries up from the drought and he does not panic he instead listens for the voice of the Lord.
1. What do you do when the brook dries up panic? Or step out in faith? Do you reject God or embrace God?
2. Do you get mad at God? Blame God?
3. Demand water?
4. Or do you pray?
ii. In the story of Elijah we notice that he listened for the voice of the Lord!
1. 1 Kings 19:9-18: He even heard the voice of the Lord in a gentle whisper!
a. Verse 11-13:
i. 11The 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. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When 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?”
ii. Do you hear the voice of the Lord over all the rumblings around you?
1. DO you take the time to say, “Lord I am listening speak to me!”
c. The Widow and son: He leaves the dried up brook, follows the leading of the Lord and hitches up with the widow and God provides for all 3 of them!
i. He meets the widow and God provides.
1. He asked for her help to share what little they had left and to trust God to provide – she does it!
a. Would you have done that?
i. Given what little you had left to a stranger?
b. Would you have shared what you have to help another in a time of drought? Or would you have hoarded it?
ii. I find it interesting that in the New Testament the church is to care for the widows of the church and God shows how he desires to do this through men and women of God.
1. Reference Saturday at Southside Christian Center block party!
2. Reference “One Kingdom outreach”
3. Who can you help? Who does God want you to encourage in Him? Is someone popping into your mind right now as I speak?
a. Pause and let the Holy Spirit speak to them.
d. From death to life – The son dies: Elijah and the mom cry out to God and God raises her son to life again.
i. Elijah hears her pain and sorrow and cries out to God.
1. Why God?
2. Why would you do this to the one who is helping me?
3. She asks the same question “Why?”
a. But she has faith!
i. She acknowledges that he is a prophet of truth not lies.
ii. She trusts Elijah and God!
iii. What would you have done in this situation?
ii. His God is the real deal – He is a prophet of truth and life.
1. “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.”
a. Would others say this about you?
2. She believes – her faith is evident in this scenario!
a. How strong is your faith?
i. Do you believe God can raise the dead?
1. Reinhard Bonnke’s story- “Raised From The Dead!”
b. How do you react to life’s trials and tribulations?
i. Corderio states in his book Sifted, “The real question, then, is not whether we will face failure. It is how well we will face it. How we respond to the challenges and trails in our lives and ministries makes all the difference in the world” (page 11).
ii. What do you do when things do not go as you have planned?
iii. Elijah’s faith and trust in God grew through this time of trial. He grew spiritually through the hardship of famine and drought and stepped forward in faith in the midst of a crisis and God raised the dead.
e. Elijah’s courage and showdown with the false prophets and beliefs.
i. He listened to God to go and confront the King again about the nation’s sins.
1. It is obvious through Obadiah’s response that King Ahab wants Elijah’s head.
a. Obadiah is in fear and trembling.
2. The King blames Elijah for the drought but does not take responsibility for his sin.
a. He blames the messenger of God for God’s judgment of sin.
b. I hear many doing this today in our time!
i. He or she is so judgmental!
ii. God does judge sin and he does judge nations who have made a covenant with him.
ii. Elijah wants a showdown with the false prophets of Baal!
1. They meet on Mt Carmel for the showdown – Sounds crazy!
a. The Baal prophets and priests cut themselves and do their rituals but no fire.
i. They do cutting to get their gods attention.
b. Elijah mocks them to show how foolish they are.
i. Where is your so-called God?
1. Maybe he is in the bathroom?
c. Elijah puts water on his sacrifice to make the thing more pronounced.
d. Elijah prays to God – He knows God can do this!
i. Remember the people of Israel are watching to see who is worshipping the real God.
1. God is not afraid to reveal who He is to others!
2. I just think the church is afraid to put their necks on the line and step out in faith.
ii. 36At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 38Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
1. What a sight this would have been!
e. Fire comes down and consumes the sacrifice!
i. Whosh!
f. The people are called on to destroy the false prophets and to return to God!
i. They do – revival comes to the nation!
g. Elijah becomes the victor – Israel’s eyes are opened!
h. Jezebel is mad as a hornet!
T.S. – Elijah reveals that faith and courage are necessary to confront sin and we must have a showdown between truth and lies. To do this we need to call on God and have His presence show up. Could you have imagined seeing this whole thing play out on CNN of FOX?
3. Elijah’s fall – a reaction to death threats and extreme stress but he hears the whispering voice of God!
a. He is afraid and running for his life!
i. God knew his man; Elijah is a man who calls down fire – but just afterwards will run for his life.
1. He is like many of us!
ii. But did he not just do a great miracle and witness the power of God?
1. How soon we all forget the presence and power of God!
iii. He becomes suicidal – fear is distorting his thinking
iv. He runs away out of fear!
b. Notice how God responds to his hero
i. You are exhausted eat some food!
ii. Be encouraged I am in control!
iii. He appears to him a couple times to renew his vision and his faith.
c. He heads to the Mt. Horeb to the mountain of God
i. The Lord appears
ii. Elijah has a visitation from God!
1. How many need a visitation from God?
iii. Elijah hears the whisper of God
1. Bill Hybel’s book: The Power of the Whisper
a. Throughout history God has spoken. For millennia, he has forged his children’s faith by promising parted waters, empowering unlikely leaders, declaring world-changing prophecies-and imparting last-minute sermons to pastors who questioned whether he really would deliver. In short, our God is communicating God. Always has been, and always will be. And if there is one story in Scripture that goes to great lengths to prove this point, it’s the story of Elijah, the prophet described in 1 Kings as a man who was ‘zealous for God.’ There comes a point in Elijah’s remarkable ministry when his zealotry has fizzled to zero. He is ready to call it quits. “I’ve been working my heart out,” he says to God, and for what? “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me. Elijah felt undone, and perhaps the only thing that could improve his mood was a firsthand encounter with God. As the story goes, Elijah trekked into the desert and eventually collapsed from exhaustion under the shade of a tree…but eventually he ended up at Horeb…On Mount Horeb that day, Creator convened with creation, and one man’s life was forever changed. Regardless of what else Elijah might have later told his friends about this encounter-and about God himself-undoubtedly he had been a witness to two attributes at the very core of who God is: he’s relational and he is near. He is all-powerful, yes. He is righteous and holy too. He is sovereign, he majestic, he is magnificent, he is just. But what stunned Elijah on the side of the mountain-and what will stun you somebody if it hasn’t already-is that the same God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all everything, yearns to be in relationship with us. The God of the Scriptures is irrepressibly communal, hopelessly familial, and his whispers are still ours to hear” (Hybels, page 40-42).
iv. Have you ever heard the whisper of God?
1. That still quiet voice in the midst of a horrendous day.
a. Life is crashing in all around you but God is there.
i. Have you been there and experienced this?
b. Illustration: On January 17, 1994, 10,000 freight trains seemed to be thundering through our house as the Northridge earthquake hit Los Angeles. When it was over, our family was safe and our home virtually untouched. Yet in the days following the disaster, I was gripped with a fear I had never known. After four days, I desperately sought God in prayer. "Lord, I can't understand myself! I am not afraid for my life, and I am not in doubt of your presence and protection. Is there something wrong with me?" Instantly, I sensed an inner whisper: My son, there is nothing wrong with you. I allowed you to experience the depth of the trauma and fear that has gripped multitudes so that you might comfort them beyond their fears. It was the words of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. God uses his children who have endured difficulty to become strength to others experiencing the same trial. We comfort others not from the foundation of our superior faith, but from the commonality of our mutual struggles. From Preaching Today - Comforting Others Through Mutual Struggles
Jack Hayford, How to Live Through a Bad Day: Powerful Insights from Christ's Words on the Cross (Thomas Nelson) | posted 11/11/2002
2. That quiet whisper in the midst of despair that says “I am here!”
a. Just rest and I will take care of you!
3. In the midst of overwhelming grief that quiet voice blows into your ears and into your hearts and says “I love you, it will be okay!”
4. Maybe you hear it in the midst of a busy street with all the traffic rushing by.
a. You walk by countless people with faces expressing, stress, tiredness, happiness, hurriedness, fear, hopelessness, business like, emotionless and the like.
5. Maybe it’s in the moment of praise and worship on a Sunday morning.
6. I remember some of the times when God whispered to me and it resonated in my heart and life.
a. In my pickup truck on my way home from work.
b. The times in my office when all is quiet.
7. God’s whispers have they come to you in the middle of the night?
a. Like,
b. “I am calling you Mike home to pastor again!” “Don’t be afraid – preach my word with boldness and clarity.”
d. Elijah falls from the pressure and the stress of the calling but God renews his strength and comes to him in a gentle whisper.
4. Elijah’s flight home
a. Elijah follows God’s call to get back in the fight and to raise up the next generation of warriors. He leaves the cave and the safety of isolation and he secures the captains of the Lord’s army for battle.
i. He did fall – had a pity party but in the end heard the voice of God that he was to go.
b. The trust factor in God is restored as he follows the words of the Lord and does his kingdom work.
i. He does not run and hide he steps to the plate.
ii. He completes his divine assignment and God sends a firy chariot for him to come home in.
c. The time to go home
i. The whirlwind
ii. The passing of the baton to Elisha
iii. The blessing of serving and living for God!
iv. The great reward in the end!
Conclusion:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5-6)
Elijah (Greek: Elias) was a prophet in Israel in the 9th century BC who raised the dead, called fire from heaven, preached against idolatry, and ascended into heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah's successor, Elisha, was given a double portion of his spirit, and raised the dead, healed the sick, and revealed the secrets of people's hearts. The prophet Malachi prophesied of Elijah's return before the "great and dreadful day of the LORD" (Malachi 4:5b) with a specific mission to "turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:6a). This return is a sign that many Jews and Christians await as an indication of the soon coming of the Messiah.
God throughout the life of this prophet is shaping the man Elijah to do great things, and he is doing so by adversity and Elijah completes the call and perseveres to the end.
When you become a spiritual leader you give your whole life to him, the cost is everything, when you say “Yes” you say everything I have is yours Lord. Tithing are you kidding it all belongs to Him. When you give everything then you get all of Jesus.
What do we need to know from the message on Elijah?
1. We have to get in the fight for the Lord!
2. We have to step out in faith and take the risk to follow his directives in our life and in the fight!
3. We have to understand that we will fall – fail – but the key is we have to get back up and fail forward – not quit!
4. We have to understand that we too have a personal flight coming our way from the Lord when we finish the tasks he has assigned to us in the life.
Why do we need to know these 4 things?
1. We need to know that God wants us involved in the fight for truth in a society filled lies. God wants to use us to change lives.
2. We can no longer be the silent majority – we need to be courageous and stand for truth even if we get the back lash from this increasingly hostile culture to God and His truth – this is biblical faith – the God kind of faith He rewards!
3. We need to be reminded that we will fail but that does mean we are done if we get back up and press forward listening to the gentle voice of the Lord lead us back into the fight for life.
4. We need to be reminded that God will send a flaming chariot for us in the end and we will have a first class flight to Heaven.
What do we need to do?
1. We need to fight for the Kingdom of Heaven:
a. Which means Bring hope – remember fear is contagious and stand for truth in a loving way.
b. Be humble – respectful and cordial in the fight.
c. We have a choice choose the idol of comfort of the work of truth!
d. What cause do you serve?
2. We need to live by faith and not by sight.
a. We need to be reminded God is in control – His word is truth – What He says will come to pass – that what matters – His word has outlasted many hostile cultures in the past and it will in the future too. We are living in the last days and God says, “I am coming soon!”
3. We need to get up from our personal failures – other people’s lives hinge on it – we need to know God picks us back up when we ask for forgiveness.
a. Everyone fails – it’s the truth – the key is what do you do after you have failed!
b. Corderio: The real question, then, is not whether we will face failure. It is how well we will face it!
4. Why do we need to do these things?
a. I believe we will see our nation return to God!
b. I believe truth will overpower lies!
c. I believe the Holy Spirit will transform lives!
d. I believe we too can see national repentance!
e. I believe we all can become game changers for the Kingdom!
