PASSION of ELIJAH
Text: Ephesians 5:16 thru 18
We serve a great and mighty God. He has given us so much. And yet, we seem to have so little to give Him in return. I have been impressed over the years that He wants us to give Him more of ourselves while (at the same time) learn to give to one another.
God has created us to have a great deal of love for Him and others. This is often called PASSION. It is what we all must have for our lives.
PASSION involves each of us giving to God. Jesus told us that is more blessed to give than to receive.
Actually, all of ourselves. All of our love.
Not just a portion, and not just most of our love.
God expects all of our love, with PASSION.
When this happens, we will (in turn) have a greater love, a greater PASSION, to give one another.
There is an excellent story in I Kings 17 (we will look at in a moment) that can help us to better understand how to love God while loving others.
Let me speak first to the visitors we have today.
Each of us here today needs to be encouraged and strengthened by God’s Word and His Spirit.
If you have come here today and you are not sure if you have God’s PASSION in your life, you have come to the right place.
Before this service is over, my hope is for you to touch God, talk to God, and to listen carefully to what His Word tells us. God is the only hope any of us have.
Before we read this story, let me say that the life we live in today is in many ways, very similar to the life of this man Elijah. Allow me to first set the stage and share with you a few of the facts I discovered in studying the era of time recorded in this passage.
IN ELIJAH’S DAY -
1. The standards of living were not good. There was unlawful rebellion and wickedness from the pauper to the king of Judah.
2. For decades the ruling kings were in total disregard to anything that even seemed righteous. The kings were promoting corruption and deceit to the people they governed.
3. The king now on the throne was King Ahab. He was considered by everyone to be the worst king to ever rule over Judah.
4. The few that considered themselves to be the children of God knew they were living in shame and without dignity. Many of them were also living in willful disobedience to the laws of God, and Moses.
5. The children of God had forgotten how to pray, or how to make the necessary sacrifices for sin.
6. Many had fallen into idolatry and false religions.
7. Most people were more concerned with earthly pleasures than even their own families.
8. It was a time (in which) it was difficult for most people to make ends meet.
9. Starvation and violence was on every street corner.
Folks, God had no choice but to remove Himself, His blessings, and His hand of protection from the people.
The prophet Elijah went to King Ahab because something had to change (for these people)!
Likewise, something has to change to save the people living in our day!
TEXT: I Kings 17:1 thru 6
Prayer:
As in the days of Elijah, God is (today) desperately trying to reach His people. God’s heart was broken. There just had to be a better way for the people!
When all hope seemed to be lost, there came a man. His name was Elijah. Many Bible scholars have associated a type of Christ in Elijah.
Elijah was more than just a passionate kind of guy!
Elijah had PASSION for God to change things.
God chose Elijah for many reasons to be His prophet and His servant. God loved this passion Elijah had for wanting to see things change for God’s people.
Well, what do we know about PASSION in our day?
PASSION is when you feel very strongly about something. Like Elijah, you will become obsessed with the desire for things to change for the better.
Folks, God is in the moving business. He moves for people like Elijah. God can and will move for you.
Are you living with PASSION for God this morning?
Is your heart pounding for a change?
Or, is your heart just beating a steady/regular pulse?
God’s desire is for each of us to be “hot or cold”.
I am convinced (by what I see in our world today) that most people are either on the fringes of complacency, or they are absolutely turned on with what God is doing in their lives.
Perhaps you have been a Christian for years, but lately you find yourself becoming lethargic with what your life is about. Maybe things are going good for you. Or, maybe things aren’t so good.
Have you given up on there ever being a change to take place in your life, or situation?
On the other hand, perhaps you are not a Christian. Perhaps you have it good and things seem to be in reasonable order in your life.
My friend, without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Bible says you are dying on the inside.
You may have been able to cover up that pain and emptiness with a lot of the pleasures of this lifetime.
But I am here to tell you there is coming a time in your life when all of your belongings will be worthless.
All of the possessions and money this world has to offer will not bring you happiness. Nor will those things save your soul. All that stuff you have will never bring the real joy and peace that only can come from a satisfying relationship with Jesus Christ.
You sir, you maam’, whether you are young or old, you need to have a burning PASSION FOR GOD! God would have you to be absolutely consumed with love for Him.
On the other hand, perhaps you are here and things don’t look so good for you. You have spent a lifetime struggling with everything you have ever tried to do right for yourself and/or your family.
You may think that life has dealt you a bad hand of cards. (Nothing but spades and clubs.) Lots of jokers, but there hasn’t been any hearts or diamonds.
Life just doesn’t seem to be fair. You have blamed everyone else for your problems until you don’t have anyone else to blame.
There may be someone here today who has (from time to time) blamed God for their problems.
If that someone is you, you need to know that blaming God won’t help you either.
What you need is PASSION FOR GOD! You need to become obsessed and consumed with the unending love of God, and the uncompromising love for God.
You see, any of us can have our lives and circumstances change for the better.
Simply by our having a PASSION for God.
Let me show you what happened with the life of Elijah.
As a result of this PASSION, God gave to Elijah two important things he needed to see change in his life:
AUTHORITY
As a result of Elijah’s PASSION FOR GOD, he was given authority over everything. There was not any other man since Adam himself that had the kind of authority and power that Elijah had. In order to bring about conviction on the ruthless heart of King Ahab, God empowered Elijah to stop the rain for 3 years.
God can and will empower with you His authority.
He will enable you to overcome any kind of evil in your life.
REST
God also spared Elijah from the 3 year drought by sending him to the brook called Kee-rith. My friend, that is where God will send you to in the worst of your droughts. No matter what your circumstance, God has a brook for you where He will meet all your needs.
God has promised each of us (in Phil. 4:19) all of His blessings “according to His riches in Glory.”
Elijah didn’t even have to ask God for the brook. In fact, normally in a drought this brook would have been bone dry. But God knew Elijah needed the miraculous rest he found at the brook called Cherith.
Jesus has promised you and I in Matt. 6:8, “the Father knows what you have need of before you ask...”
As well, in the book of Acts, we can find,
“times of refreshing shall come…from being in the presence of the Lord.”
Now look again (in today’s text) in verse 4.
We find that God told Elijah, “and it shall be, that you will drink of the brook.”
My friend, are you thirsty this morning? Are you parched? Has life left you dry? When you have PASSION for God, He will plan for you a brook for your rest. Like Elijah you’ll need that time alone with God. Elijah was exhausted and needed God to plan things out for him, and where Elijah needed to go.
This is about being in God’s presence at God’s house on Sunday, not fishing down at the creek bank.
Getting refreshed is what coming to church and being with God’s people should be about.
In the spiritual sense of things, it is very dry out there. You won’t find a good supply of refreshing water, other than going and being in God’s presence.
A PASSION for God will make the difference in your life.
This is not the PASSION the world has tried to convince you need. Genuine PASSION is not:
· An uncontrollable need to be with someone else
· About a worthy cause to save the whale, the rain forest or some rare salamander (on the extinction list).
· Enjoying your favorite sport or hobby
· Going to leave you dry and empty
WHAT CAN GOD’S PASSION DO FOR YOU?
1. God’s Passion is the purest EXPRESSION of our heart for God.
Without the genuine PASSION of God-
You can state your mind, but it will be very difficult for you to ever express your heart.
2. God’s Passion provides the INSPIRATION for action to do great things for God.
Without the genuine PASSION of God –
You will often do things only out of obligation.
3. God’s Passion will give you specific DIRECTION for serving Him.
Without the genuine PASSION of God –
You may never experience a clear focus for your
dreams, much less any real vision for your life.
4. God’s Passion will create a renewed DETERMINATION for Him.
Without the genuine PASSION of God –
You will have only your own “will power” to rely
on for your toughest of problems.
Prov 10:24 … the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
For some today, your PASSION for God has already begun to:
Shape the PRIORITIES in your life.
Phil 3:7
· But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Adjust your SCHEDULE to align with His.
Luke 9:23
· Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Cause you to do the UNEXPECTED for God.
Judges 7:4 – Gideon’s army was over 32,000, but the enemy, the Midianites, were even greater in number. So, God did the unexpected. And chose only 300 of Gideon’s men to accomplish the unexpected for His people.
Mark 11:24 Jesus said, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
COMPASSION FOR PEOPLE
Here is something for those that were here this morning. Listen carefully:
Passion is Contagious!
Text: I Kings 17:8 through 24
Prayer:
