How many of you have ever gotten a new car or new car to you? and then the very next day after you’ve gotten this new car
to you you see 100 of them just like yours - know what I’m talking about - there’s one, there’s one. they’re everywhere!
They were there before but didn’t see them.
Once you have eyes to see you can actually see some things that were there all the time but never really acknowledged them.
The color collage pictures that just look like a bunch of different colors swirled together, but if you look through them you’ll actually see an image w/in the collage. ( I was one of those guys you passed by at mall staring at the picture, after you had shopped for a few hours you passed by me again b/c I just couldn’t get it)
Once I saw the image in the collage I began to praise God I did it! and in that I slightly moved and lost it...
As we have been studying the life of Elijah this summer and looking at how we too could implement all these different Elijah Elements into our lives... what has happened in me and I believe has happened in us all is that we began to look beyond or look through ourselves and could now see, b/c of God’s Word all these elements that in reality may have always been right there but we missed them... we’re to distracted, to overloaded, maybe too busy, or just caught up in ourselves to the extent that we have been blinded a bit.
We have covered a whole lot in this study this summer and learned how much we could apply to our lives that Elijah lived out day by day - so that being the case today I wanted to revisit Elijah - quickly summarize some of the major elements that we can implement in our lives.
Try to crunch this down into 1 outline for us to keep or if you misplaced some along the way - we typically podcast every message but we’re not perfect and for different reasons we lose recordings so let’s jump back to the beginning.
1 Kings 17... Elijah jumps onto the scene out of nowhere to confront Ahab, the king of Israel - Ahab has been leading the people of Israel down an ungodly and idolatrous path.
and what we discovered was the immense contrast of one who was walking with the Lord, and one who simply lived for self.
To sum up the life of Ahab we could say,
Completely ignoring God and living for self.
We've seen people like this in our world. We know folks who fit this description don't we?
Completely ignoring God and living for self.
I think if we look really close, I think we'll see we all have a little Ahab in us. Not nearly to the extreme he took it, but something there. Ahab walked his own path, did what he wanted to do - we do that from time to time. “Aahhh it’s not that big of deal is it? I live under God’s grace”
Ahab choose to serve and worship other gods - we don’t do anything like that do we? That sounds so harsh. I don’t worship other gods! Really?
I do everytime I place something above God or at a higher priority than Him, or things I even choose to spend more time in or with - we have so many interests, hobbies, things we love to do,
watch on TV, and submerge ourselves totally in to. There are 1000's of things that fit this description.
In every instance, if not done in balance and with the proper priority in order w/ God, we too serve these other gods - we think they’re serving us, giving us great pleasure, but how naive we are. And soo... the 1st Elijah Element we saw was that Elijah was.. the polar opposite - a true follower of the Most High God.
One with a heart after God.
then we studied The Beatitudes which gives us a great picture of one who’s heart is running after God. Matthew 5:3-12
and we broke that scrip. down of how to be a man or woman who is ‘Going after God’ - more details on blog.
Then we saw that Elijah was a man of faith (vid)
We are to live by faith.
That means in it’s simplest form - obedience.
When we live by faith, walk in faith great things happen.
When we walk in obedience to God, in what His Word already says it is not only going to make a huge impact on our own lives, but a significant impact on the lives of others around us.
How cool is that! God’s Word will not return void/empty - the promises are true. All we have to do is live by them,
walk in them - what are wanting to see happen? what are you dreaming of? what do you want to see happen that is much bigger than you alone can make happen?
Simply live by faith - and watch the Creator of the Universe work
This is exactly what we see in the life of Elijah
Look at how often scripture shows us Elijah walking, moving in obedience -
17:2-5; 8-10; 18:1-2; 19:5-6; 7-8; 11-13; 15-19; 2 Kings 1:3-4; 15
in every command of God, Elijah moved in obedience, w/out hesitation (oh... im not sure about that God.. that doesn’t make any sense.. really, you want me to do that?)
Elijah went for it - w/ a heart completely in line w/ God - it was easy for him to live by faith.
As we kept reading the next element each of need to understand is that:
Where God Guides, He Provides
God told Elijah to run to Kerith Ravine - a desolate place - but God provided water from a dried up brook and ravens brought him food! Then from there God tells Eli. to go to Zarephath where you’ll meet up w/ a widow - 1 Kings 17:10-16
“So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."
"As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.
For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.
Where God leads, He feeds, Where God guides, He provides.
God has help where we least expect it. He provides for us in ways that go beyond our limited imaginations or expectations.
No matter how difficult life becomes or how hopeless our situation may appear we can count on God to pull us through.
Where God leads, He feeds, Where God guides, He provides
So we said - If we want to receive from God, we must be in God's will.
The first area in which we need to be in the will of God is our relationship with Jesus Christ. This is our first priority. Maintain that love relationship with Jesus Christ.
Another area in which we need to make sure we are in the will of God is our relationship to the church. If we neglect our fellowship with one another then we will find ourselves out of the will of God
A final area of obedience is obedience in giving. So many people take themselves out of a position where they can receive from God because they will not be obedient in this vital matter.
God has promised that if we bring His tithes into the storehouse, He will pour out blessings upon us. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Malachi 3:10
v.13-14 -
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "
Give to God 1st and He will provide!
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
So we must be obedient to God in terms of our relationship with Jesus Christ and with His church, and in terms of our giving.
When we walk in obed. putting God 1st - He will provide.
Where God guides, He provides
The next element we need to implement into our lives is PUSH
in 1 Kings 17:17-24 we see that the widows son becomes ill and eventually dies - so Eli. takes the child and begins to pray: 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" 21 “Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"
Look at how Elijah prayed 3 times here.
Don’t stop after one prayer. Elijah prays once for child, we’ll geez I tried, sorry lady.
Our tendency is to quit to soon - we pray once, don’t get an answer, “well must not have been God’s timing or will - I quit”
(it can happen... marriage... relat.... job.. school)
If you call someone, let it ring once, didn’t answer, I guess they’re not available, go over to friends house
go up to door, knock once, they don’t answer - you leave.
Why would our prayer life be any different - God is teaching us to persevere in our praying - He wants to answer, He wants our lives full of joy & happiness to so don’t stop.
The element we discovered is that
We all play a part
each of us have a mission, each of us play a part. In 1 Kings 18:1-8
Elijah connects w/ Obadiah and we saw the different ways each of them played their part in the Kingdom of God.
Ob. was more of a behind the scenes player while Eli. was front and center. We discovered that we have been shaped to serve -
we are shaped for significance. We have been created on purpose for a purpose - all of us have a mission, all of us play a part - we were not born to E.B.Ts & D. that God has bigger & better things in store for us all - so the ? is: what’s your part?
The next element we discovered was that Eli. was not only a man of faith, but
he was a man of Integrity.
in ch. 18 Eli. tells Ob. that he wants to see the king, but Ob. is not real sure about telling the king b/c others have told the king where Eli. was and when Eli. wasn’t where they said he was - they were killed! So Ob. is a little reluctant about losing his life.
But Eli. says, hey, you can bank on it, I’m gonna be here!
and that alone was enough for Ob.
You see “Our character is more caught than taught” and
it appears in - life of Integrity - and in that manner living this life of integrity is what gives us the credibility to impact others around us for the kingdom of God.
Then we read about the clash on Mt. Carmel. (vid)
Where Elijah basically takes on 850 pagan prophets - the prophets of Baal set up an altar and Eli. sets up an altar and whichever God answers by fire, He is God.
The prophets of Baal go 1st and they rave all morning, & all afternoon into the evening hrs. and get nothin.
Then Eli. gets ready and he tells his helpers to totally drench the wood w/ water and let the trenches overflow - basically saying I couldn’t even get a spark to land on this thing - Totally drown the thing man - like a typhoon
b/c I don’t want there to be any doubt, I don’t want a single
person questioning what’s really happening here.
Something similar ever happen to you?
Just as Elijah doused the altar w/ water basically saying, there’s no way I could even get a spark to land on this much less have it consumed in fire. Only God, the true living God will be able to.
as for us...
I mean you’ve hit rock bottom or you’re at your wits end - there is absolutely nothing more you can do - you’re out of options - if anything is going happen it’s gonna be God - only God can pull this off.
Welcome to God's Waiting Room. It’s that place in your life where there are things beyond your control that you can’t speed up—an answer to prayer, a miracle, a change in a situation—you want it to happen, and happen quickly, but it is totally out of your control and you have to wait on God. Have you been there? Are you there now?
We need to remember what God CAN do and not only what we can do
we must be patient and faithful.
and as he prays here’s what happens - 1 Kings 18:37,38
37 Answer 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." (check this out)
38 Then 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.
Sometimes we put our great big God in a little-bity box.
How big is your God? The God I know and love is HUGE, beyond my comprehension.
Then the funny thing was right after this amazing miracle that God displays His mighty power - He’s the man!
King Ahab tells his wife Jezebel and she’s so mad that she threatens Elijah’s life and get this, he runs... he runs out of fear.
We said, what is fear anyway? False Evidence Appearing Real
That’s exactly what was happening here to Elijah.
Then we discussed What should we do w/ FEAR?
don’t look inward or outward - look upward.
Trust in God. Instead of listening to others or ourselves, listen to God. “but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:33
Elijah was lone., scared, discouraged, and depressed - he was mess. As we read thru ch. 19 God showed us what to do when life gets us down - Rest, Renew, Refocus.
most spiritual thing take a nap, feel beaten down we need to be renewed in the PofL, then God told Eli. to refocus, back to the mission at hand.
then God showed Elijah how to deal with the loneliness he was experiencing by telling him as you refocus and get back to your mission connect with other godly men and women who will encourage, support, stretch, and urge you forward.
Another Elijah element for us is to:
Get Connected
We looked at Hebrews 10:24-25 that describes that we have been created for community. That each of us have these different needs that can only be met in true community w/ other believers, other people who share the same values as we do.
We finished our study in 2 Kings ch. 2 where we learned of 2 more elements to implement into our lives:
Investing in other’s spiritual development and...
Walk in Purpose and Progress
As Elijah’s life came to an end here on earth a couple more elements became very clear - He lived w/ a sense of purpose up to his very last day which included pouring himself into younger, up and coming leaders.
He took it as his personal responsibility to encourage and train disciples to continue God’s work.
As is the case w/ us... Jesus Christ gave the Church (that’s every believer, every Christ follower) the great commission
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Each of us are to be walking in purpose and progress for the kingdom of God, investing in and pouring ourselves into so that we can advance God’s agenda of reaching the world.
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