He decided to have an auction.
He hired a auctioneer to come into his shop to take an inventory of all his valuable tools.
He told the auctioneer everything is up for auction except one tool.
He walked over to his work table and picked up a hammer he had since he was a young man. He said everything else is up for auction but this old hammer that I have used over the years.
THIS MAKES ME THINK OF A…
Illus: Legend has it that Satan once had an auction. He auctioned off all the weapons he possessed except one; it was the tool of discouragement.
He was asked why he refused to auction off the tool of discouragement.
His answer was “With this one tool I can accomplish everything I want to accomplish.”
The tool of discouragement is the most powerful weapon that Satan has and he is a master at knowing how to use it skillfully!
Some of the greatest men who ever lived have become discouraged with life.
• We are told that President Abraham Lincoln had severe problems with discouragement.
• Martin Luther, the reformer, had severe problems with discouragement.
We are told that he got so discouraged one time that his wife dressed up in black. He asked her where was she going and she told him she was going to a funeral.
He said, “Who died?” She said, “God died!” He said, “God isn’t dead!” She said, “The way you have been acting I thought perhaps He had died!”
As we look in the scriptures we see some of the great saints of God had a difficult time with discouragement.
Men such as…
• Jeremiah
• Jonah
• David
• Elijah
• Solomon
• Abraham
Yes, some of the greatest men and women who ever lived have had to battle discouragement.
It is satan’s greatest weapon that he has used over and over.
Illus: According to the American Psychiatric Association, it is a problem with:
• One of every ten men
• One of every four women
The devil knows that discouragement is a powerful weapon.
HOW IS HE USING THIS POWERFUL WEAPON?
He is busy using it:
• TO DESTROY MARRIAGES
The divorce courts with couples you would have never dreamed they would be there.
Yet this nation are filled with couples waiting for their turn to get a divorce simply because they have become discouraged in their marriage and feel divorce is the solution to their discouragement.
Also the devil is using the tool of discouragement…
• TO DESTROY CHURCHES
There was a time in this nation that families would join a Bible preaching church and remain in that church their entire life.
But today the devil is using the tool of discouragement to destroy churches and families are jumping from church to church like a bunch of grasshoppers.
Also the devil is using the tool of discouragement…
• TO DESTROY THE YOUTH OF THIS NATION
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people at the age 15 to 24 in the U.S.
Nearly 20% of high school students report serious thoughts of suicide and 9% have made an attempt to take their lives, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Discouragement has always been a problem!!!
When Elijah was here on earth, he was probably one of the greatest servants of the Lord.
Yet this great man got so discouraged that he almost had a nervous breakdown. S
In fact some believed he did have a nervous breakdown because of the symptoms he displayed in the scriptures.
Before satan attacked him he was mightily used of God.
But notice WHEN Satan tried to stop this servant of God.
We need to consider two things
I. It was WHEN HE WAS ON A ROLL!
Why?
One thing we can count on in this life, no matter how good things might be today, not too far down the road bad times will be coming.
With every hill a valley is to follow.
DID YOU KNOW THERE IS SUCH A SEASON OF THE YEAR THAT IS CALLED POST HOLIDAY DEPRESSION?
WHAT IS THE CAUSE FOR POST HOLIDAY DEPRESSION?
The holidays are exciting and a busy time that last from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.
This period might include:
• Celebrations
• Parties
• Family get-togethers
• Thanksgiving,
• Christmas,
• New Year’s Eve.
That’s a long period of time of excitement.
EMOTIONALLY YOU MIGHT SAY WE ARE ON A ROLL!!!
After this period of an EMOTIONAL HIGH we have to come down to facing the routine of life.
Illus: You might say thr HONEYMOON IS OVER and realities set in.
Illus: Have you ever been on vacation and you had the most wonderful time of your life. You came back home and you had to face the routine of life.
Life is filled with EMOTIONAL HIGHS AND EMOTIONAL LOWS.
We have this in:
? Our marriages
? Our churches
? Our businesses
? Our families
The point I am trying to make we cannot always live on the HIGH emotionally.
Illus: Praise God for the mountain tops but the valleys will soon follow.
For example:
• A BUSINESS might be booming, and it would be great if it continued to do well, but in the business world, all good things come to an end eventually.
• A CHURCH might be booming today, and it would be great if it continued to boom, but you can rest assured that bad times will eventually come.
• A person might enjoy GOOD HEALTH today, and it would be great if that good health would continue, but you can rest assured that bad health will eventually be coming.
• A person might enjoy the new car they have but that same car will be in a garage one day for repairs.
The point I want to make Just because things are going great now does not mean they will always be that way!
Illus: Many times when a church is constructing a new church building the excitement is high. But once they move into the new facilities and the newness wears off, if they are not careful they can easily get discouraged.
Why? Because the EXCITEMENT OF THE NEW BUILDING is no longer there, and now the routine of life can become discouraging in comparison to the high times.
WHY DID LIFE TURN SOUR ON THIS GREAT MAN OF GOD ELIJAH?
Satan knew he had to stop this man, and the best way to do this was to use his weapon of DISCOURAGEMENT.
Notice when he used this weapon of discouragement against Elijah WHEN HE WAS ON A ROLL.
We need to remember life is filled with EMOTIONAL HIGHS AND EMOTIONAL LOWS.
It was also…
II. WHEN HE TOOK A STAND FOR GOD
Look at 1 Kings 18:21-42, we read that Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest in who serve the LIVING GOD!!!
The God that answered by fire would be declared to be the true and living God.
He allowed them to go first but nothing happened.
But when it came his turn, God sent the fire down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice before their eyes.
• Elijah was definitely on a ROLL
• Elijah was definitely taking a stand
But notice Elijah’s severe problems came when he took a stand for God.
It never fails. You can go along with the ungodly and they will:
• Laugh at your jokes
• Pat you on your back
• Smile to your face
But when you take a stand for godliness, they will rise up against you every time.
God’s Word confirms that!!!
We read 2 Timothy 3:12-17: "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
It does not say MAYBE OR PERHAPS IT SAYS SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION.
Many who have taken a stand for the Lord were shocked when the devil jumped on them with both feet and tried to destroy them.
You see when we are faithfully serving the Lord we are beating up on the devil and he want to stop us.
Illus: Make me think of this man who ran a stop sign and a highway patrolman pulled him over.
• He said to the patrolman I looked both ways that is why I did not stop.
• The patrolman said you are suppose to stop!
• He said I slowed down.
• The patrolman said you are suppose to stop!
• He continued to write him a ticket.
• The driver got mad and started cursing the patrolman.
• The patrolman said you are suppose to stop!
Evidently you do not know the difference between slowing down and stopping.
Let me show you and he grabbed the driver around his head and started beating him over the head with his club.
He said to the driver as he did this you want me to STOP OR SLOW DOWN!
The devil does not want us to slow down in serving the Lord he want to STOP US!!!
• Why is it that we think we can take a stand for the Lord and the devil is not going to do everything he can do to try and stop us?
• He is not worried about people sitting in the pews who are not taking a godly stand.
• The people he is concerned about are those that are faithful serving the Lord.
Satan knows that if he does not stop this crowd, they will stop him!
Elijah was a threat to the devil and he wanted to stop him.
Elijah was greatly outnumbered but that did not stop him.
Look at the courage of this man of God.
Illus: This man of God WAS ON A ROLL AS HE TOOK A STAND FOR THE LORD. He took on 450 prophets of Baal face to face.
What a stand!!!
A man or woman of God should not allow numbers to intimidate them.
• A person might be the only member of his family that is saved, but if he is a man of God, he will take a stand.
• A person might be the only one on his job that is saved, but if he is a man of God, he will not back down because he is outnumbered.
• A pastor might have the only church in his city that is still preaching the Word of God, but a man of God does not back down because he is outnumbered.
• A student might be the only Christian in his class but as a child of God they do not back down.
• Elijah was outnumbered by the prophets of Baal 450 to 1.
He called upon his God and He answered by fire.
Look at II Kings 1:10-12 we read, And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
This was one of the most exciting times in the life of Elijah…HE WAS ON A ROLL!!!
• Elijah had just had a “mountaintop experience” in defeating the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel.
• Fire had descended from heaven, the people of Israel acknowledged the Lord, and the false prophets were all put to death.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
Queen Jezebel got word what had happened on Mt. Carmel.
Look at 1 Kings 19:1–2: “Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.’”
This was no empty threat!!! She meant every word she spoke and Elijah knew it.
SHE WAS SAYING ELIJAH YOU ARE A DEAD MAN!!!
Now we see a different Elijah.
• When He STOOD, God stood with him
• When he RAN, he STOOD with his fears
The devil wanted to discourage this man of God.
When he allowed Jezebel to become bigger than the God he served, he had a problem!
• This is the same man in 1 Kings 18:21 that stood before God’s people and said, “…How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him….”
• This is the same man that God used to bring Judgment by fire in 2 Kings 1:12. We read, “And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”
• This is the same man that God used to raised the dead in 1 Kings 17:21, “And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.”
• This is the same man that prayed for rain in 1 Kings 18:45, “And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.”
All these wonderful things had happened in the life of this man. But now it is as if he forgot how God had blessed him and used him.
Now this same man is scared to death!
Everything was going great in the Life of Elijah until we come to 1 Kings Chapter 19.
• Up to chapter 18, all Elijah could hear was the voice of God.
• After chapter 18, all Elijah could hear were the voice of Jezebel.
Something that Christians fail to realize on a daily basis
1) GOD SPEAKS TO US
2) SATAN SPEAK TO US DAILY
It is important that we recognize who is talking to us.
This great man of God could no longer see how God had blessed him in the past, all he could hear were the words from Jezebel, threatening to kill him.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Illus: But many in our society have gotten discouraged and wished they could be like the people on this television program that is called “Star Trek”, and when the times start to get rough they could say, “Scotty Beam Me Up!”
This is exactly the way Elijah felt.
Look at 1 Kings 19:4 “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”
Illus: I do not know why he asked God to kill him all he had to do was to wait on Jezebel she was going take care of that!!!
This is one depressed man. He WANTED TO DIE!
Did you know that sometimes the pain in life can be so severe that death looks good?
• There are people who suffer so much physical pain that they literally beg God to kill them
• There are people who suffer so much emotional pain that they literally beg God to kill them
He was praying for God to kill him.
Aren’t you glad God does not answer all the DUMB prayers we pray?
Especially when we are discouraged and we want some relief.
Again some think with the symptoms he was displaying at this time he was having a nervous breakdown!!!
Now Elijah was not STANDING, he was LAYING DOWN UNDER A JUNIPER TREE.
Look at what the Bible tells us he had to do before he could get back on his feet again.
(1) HE NEEDED SOME SLEEP
Look at 1 Kings 19:5 “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, arise and eat.”
Many good men and women of God have become discouraged because they did not get the amount of rest they needed.
A lack of rest:
1. Affects the smartest children in school
2. Affects the best employees on their jobs
3. Affects the most talented in their performance
4. Affects the best athletes
5. Affect the best employees.
6. And it affects Christians also.
Listen, when we:
• Sit down and go to sleep, our body is telling us that we need some rest
• When we are driving down the road and can hardly keep our eyes open, our body is telling us that we need some rest
Illus: I am not really convinced that Thomas Edison did us a favor when he invented the electric light bulb.
Illus: Before we had the electric light, when the Lord let the sun go down people went to bed. But today with the electric light, people will stay up into the early hours of the morning before they go to sleep.
Then to keep from getting sleepy:
• They will take “No Doze” tablets
• They will drink anything with caffeine
• They will stay as active as they can so they will not doze off
Then after years and years of this physical abuse, they wonder why they are tired, sleepy and discouraged.
LET ME TELL YOU WHY!
It is because some people are too dumb to know when to go to sleep.
Elijah needed some REST!
Also…
(2) HE NEEDED SOME NUTRITION
Look at verses 6-8, we read, “And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”
It is not enough to eat something, it is essential that you eat something that will supply your body the nutrition it needs.
Illus: There are breakfast cereals that we can buy, and the package they are wrapped in has more nutrition than the cereal we are eating.
Elijah was very discouraged. The Bible says, “And he did eat and drink, and laid down again…”
(3) HE NEEDED SOME SPIRITUAL FOOD
He needed the Lord to speak to him.
Look at verse 9, “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him….”
The reason that some Christians today are so discouraged is because:
• They allow their neighbors to talk to them
• Their friends talk to them
• The people on television talk to them
And when all these people get done talking to them, not one thing has been said to build them up. NOT ONE THING!
But when we come to church and allow God to talk to us through His Word, we will leave a different person.
Illus: I cannot tell you the times I have heard people come to church discouraged and when they left they said “Preacher, when I came to church this morning I was so discouraged, but now as I leave I feel like a new man!”
WHAT HAPPENED?
I will tell you what happened. They allowed God to talk to them and when God was finished talking they realized:
• God can take care of their problems
• They do not need drugs and alcohol to solve their problems they have a God that cares about them
God talked to him and he got the spiritual food he needed.
(4) HE NEEDED SOME SYMPATHY
1 Kings 19:10, “And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
Elijah was having his own little pity party - “…I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
Listen, I am not advocating a pity party. I do not believe there is a place in the Christian life for a pity party.
Illus: I agree with Bruce Larson who said, “Jesus never gave people sympathy. He wept with those who wept; He laughed with those who laughed. But He never said, ‘Oh, you poor thing. Isn't it awful the way you are be treating!”
He went on to say “We are not to encourage people who are feeling sorry for themselves. Rather, we are to help them examine the possibilities for changing their situation or their attitude.” (In Faith for the Journey. Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 2.)
There are times when we get the stuffings beat out of us and the last thing we need is for some one to tell us - QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF!
We need someone who will come along who is ON OUR SIDE and can feel the pain we are suffering.
Illus: Chuck Swindoll said, “Discouraged people don't need critics. They hurt enough already. They don't need more guilt or piled-on distress. They need encouragement. They need a refuge. A willing, caring, available someone.”
Illus: Someone said, “Instead of putting others in their place, try putting yourself in their place.”
Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
After Elijah got some rest, nutrition, spiritual food, and sympathy, and God told Elijah it was time to get over this discouragement and get back into service.
Look at Verse 15, “And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.”
Listen, we all get knocked down, but the secret is to NOT STAY DOWN!
Illus: An ice skater caused people to look at him in pure amazement as he performed before them.
• A lady asked him one day, “How did you ever learn to skate like that?”
• “She said do you ever fall?”
• He said, “Lady, I learned to skate like this, not because I have not fallen, I learned to skate this way because every time I fell I got up!”
Conclusion:
Discouragement is a choice we make.
• Some people have decided they are going to go through life having a PITY PARTY wanting everyone to feel sorry for them.
• But there are some people who have made a choice they are not going to bow down to discouragement.
Illus: A man was sitting on his porch in Kentucky. He only recently had retired from the post office, and he's sitting there when his first Social Security check is delivered.
He's very, very discouraged. He thinks to himself, "Is this what life is going to be from now on -- sitting on the porch waiting for my check to arrive?"
He decided he wouldn't settle for that, and so he made a list of all of the things he had going for him, all the blessings and the unique things that were in him.
The list was long because he listed everything he could think of, and in the list was the fact that he was the only person on earth who knew his mother's recipe for fried chicken. It used eleven different herbs and spices.
So he went to a nearby restaurant, and asked if he could cook the chicken, and they said yes. It soon became the most popular item on the menu.
Then he opened his own restaurant, and then others, and a string of restaurants. Eventually Harland Sanders sold the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise across all of America.
He finally retired a second time (all this happened, you remember, after he had retired from the postal service), and he continued in the service of the company as a public relations representative for a quarter of a million dollars a year until his death.
Now here was a man who did not allow himself to be defeated by discouragement. ("Dealing with Discouragement," Preaching Today, Tape No. 48. )
If you are discouraged today spend some time before the Lord and…
• Get rested up,
• Filled up,
• Encouraged up
And get back doing what God has called you to do!
I titled this sermon a sermon the apostle Paul would preach.
The reason I named it that was because if the apostle Paul was preaching this sermon he probably would close it with these verses of scripture found in Ephesians 6:10-15.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Let’s do what the Word of God tells us to do?
Elijah became discouraged when…
I. IT WAS WHEN HE WAS ON A ROLL
II. IT WAS WHEN HE TOOK A STAND
