Two Weeks Notice (1 Kings 19)

Joshua Kehler: Hey guys, we are Doing a little series before we jump into

another book of the Bible, just on scriptures that have flipped the script.

passage, a story in the Bible, a scripture that is like, maybe you've read it a

hundred times, but there was one point in your life where it just came with fire.

and changed your life.

It was just like, Whoa, I'm different for having encountered this.

I can't be the same anymore.

so it's been amazing hearing you guys share.

So I want to go to first Kings chapter 19 and Tom, would you be so kind as

1 Kings 19 · chapter mention

to read our passage this morning?

So it's going to be, 19.

it's Elijah and the running to the cave.

nine to 18.

Okay.

I'm reading from the, the Good News Bible.

He lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

Suddenly an angel touched him and said, Wake up and eat.

He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head.

He ate and drank, and he lay down again.

The Lord's angel returned and woke him up a second time saying, Get up and eat,

or the trip will be too much for you.

Elijah got up.

Elijah ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty

days to Sinai, the holy mountain.

There he went into a cave and spent the night.

Suddenly the Lord spoke to him, Elijah, what are you doing here?

He answered, Lord God Almighty, I have always served you, you alone.

But the people of Israel, they've broken your covenant

with you, torn down your altars.

Killed all your prophets I'm the only one left and they're trying to kill me Go out

and stand before me on top of the mountain the lord said to him Then the lord passed

by and sent a furious man that split the hills and shattered the rock But the

lord was not in the wind The wind stopped blowing and then there was an earthquake

But the Lord was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake, there was a fire.

But the Lord was not in the fire.

And after the fire, there was the soft whisper of a voice.

When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and

stood at the entrance of the cave.

A voice said to him, Elijah!

What are you doing here?

He answered, Lord God Almighty, I've always served you, you alone.

But the people of Israel broke in their covenant with you, tore down your altars,

killed all your prophets, and I'm the only one left and they're trying to kill me.

Lord said, return to the wilderness near Damascus.

Then enter the city, and anoint Haziel as king.

of Syria, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint

Elisha son of Shephtah from Abel Meholah to succeed you as a prophet.

Anyone who escapes being put to death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and anyone

who escapes Jehu will be killed by Elisha.

Yet I will leave 7, 000 people alive in Israel, all those who are loyal to me

and not bound to bail or kiss his idol.

Amen.

Word of God.

Yes.

Thanks be to God.

All right, let's pray.

Father, we thank you for these lives that you put on display and recorded for us.

Amen.

The ups and the downs of human life and even beyond that Lord following you.

Lord, rescue us from us.

Rescue us from even our visions and dreams are the great grandiose

things that we're gonna do for you.

And may we be set free this morning to just have you.

yes.

The everlasting, almighty, beautiful, transcendent I am that

I am, the Alpha and the Omega.

And so Lord, be strong.

We confess our weakness.

We humble ourselves before your mighty hand Lord.

We ask for your spirit, Lord, to teach us now and to open our eyes and our hearts.

Lord, it would be applied, that we would be equipped, bones would be put

right, fishing nets would be mended, and that Lord, we would be about your

business for your glory and our joy.

Lord.

Oh, how we want to bring you glory.

You're so good.

We just talked about salvation how you raised the dead Man, there's so

many dead out there Lord, would you hallow your name in the city lord?

Would you lift it up?

would you draw all men unto yourself lord we say that Jesus, you are the answer, not

Jesus plus anything else, but Jesus alone.

So Lord, we just beg you Lord, that you would pour out your grace and kindness

and your glory upon the city Lord.

And that you'd begin to, save.

and then Lord, we remind ourselves that, yeah, you've been doing that all.

You have a remnant.

You always have a remnant.

we love you.

we praise you this morning.

Thank you for the other churches, Lord.

Our fellow brothers and sisters, what a beautiful family you've made.

And, we thank you for the different personalities.

the different, passions, the different missions that you call us unto,

Lord, we thank you for the diversity and the body of Christ, Lord.

We praise you for our brothers and sisters.

Love on them today, Lord.

May they know the tangible attributes, would you wrap your arms

around them in a mighty way today.

so we thank you for this in Jesus name.

Amen.

Amen.

So I might come off, pretty like.

You see me, we'll do a work project together.

We see each other cooking a meal, studying, we're

fellowshipping, we're talking.

Sometimes what you don't see is every once in a while, I quit.

I completely quit.

I'm done.

I'm done with church.

I'm done with God's people.

I'm done with house church.

I'm done with being tired.

I'm, I quit.

You can ask Andrea.

She's like my anchor.

She just lets me like rant a little bit.

And go off, and I'm like, I think I'm done, let's just move to the beach,

I'm gonna surf, She's you don't surf, you don't even take off your shirt,

And I'm like, whatever, I quit.

And then it's like this slow, God's kindness, that shows up.

So many times in my life and a still small voice and this decision We're gonna read

a passage in Jeremiah 2 that rolls into this passage has helped me So much number

one not just to get back on the horse, but to realize it's okay to fall off the

horse like to be okay With not being okay because it's really exciting to be part

of something when you see tremendous fruit you're part of a ministry and people are

getting saved and you're baptizing, 15, 20 people a week and it's just it's if spit

a watermelon seed and the watermelon plant grows right in front of you, I've been a

part of ministries and works like that.

And then there's the harder, the more dry you're in the desert place,

you're just, waiting for it to rain.

Is it ever going to rain?

I just want to, you're like, what we need is a lake.

When the rain comes, we're gonna have a lake.

We're gonna build condos around it.

We're gonna water ski and boat.

We'll load it with fish pretty soon.

A couple years go by and you're like, I just want to drop water.

I just wanted to fill my thimble.

I'll settle for a drop, and, and ministry can feel like that

at times, ministry and mission.

and I'm not just talking about being a pastor, please.

But as a follower of Christ to make Christ known, like that's why we're here, right?

That, that God has put us strategically in the times and places in which we exist.

That people might reach for him and find him and that he's actually closer.

And so he has you in these specific places.

Do you like, we're going to get, we'll see it, but like you are tailor made

down to your DNA and your personality to exist in the time and place that God has

put you with your idiosyncrasies, your personality, and then the Holy Spirit

coming into that and filling that for his glory, to be a light to, to shine before.

men and women, a city on a hill whose light can't be

hid, man, he's got you here.

But for me, and for maybe some of us, sometimes it can feel

like you are going to a fire, and the whole building's on fire.

And you're trying to put it out with a squirt gun.

And that's about as effective as you feel as you're just, you're doing

something, but man, is there any impact?

Is there any long term, what's going on?

And so this story is amazing at rescuing our hearts and, bringing us back into sync

and equipping us, relocate us back onto the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

whose mission it is anyway.

So I want to give you some background because it's pivotal to

understanding where Elijah is at.

Elijah actually wants to die, but like a good Hebrew, he can't do the deed himself.

So he wants God to do the deed.

He's so discouraged in his soul that he's I'm done.

And maybe we don't go that far, but we do I don't know.

I've said things like, Andrea said things like, I just want to go to heaven.

Like I want it to be over.

I just want to go to heaven.

I just, I'm done.

I'm done with the pain.

I'm done with the hardship.

I'm done with the thorns and the thistles and the brokenness and the heartbreak

and the, I just want to go to heaven.

I'm done.

I'm done here.

have I run my course?

Have I stayed the past?

Can I just finish, And, I don't know if you've said something like that

before or felt that way or like me.

Maybe you occasionally put in your two weeks notice, and you say, I'm out.

And part of that's good because we're, like we talked about with

evil and suffering, we shouldn't be okay with the world as it is.

And our groaning is actually a yearning for, it's pointing out things aren't the

way they are and that we long for that.

But in the midst of that brokenness, we can feel choked out.

We can feel overwhelmed by the brokenness.

Like you're falling in quicksand, and it just keeps, the more you move, The

more you sink, and so the more you're trying, Lord, I'm about doing no, we

need more energy, more activity, more programs, more things, more outreach.

It's like you're sinking and sinking.

so let's go.

Background.

The background's amazing.

Ahab, the king of Israel at that time, had married a Gentile

queen who was very wicked.

In fact, not a lot of people name their daughters Jezebel

because of the queen in the Bible.

she, when she came into power, changed the religion in Israel.

Which is a pretty crazy accomplishment to come in and in

one generation, change the worship.

The, she changed it to the worship of Baal, she installed new

priests, new temples, new rituals.

And it was this very pagan, humanistic religion.

Israel was in a crazy state.

In Kings 1821, it says, And Elijah came near to all the people and

said, so he's calling everybody out.

How long will you go?

And I love this limping between two different opinions.

If the Lord is God, this is like what you were talking about, Tom, follow him.

But if Baal, then follow him.

And the people did not answer him a word.

So Elijah directed by God sets up a challenge on top of Mount Carmel, right?

And, when we went to Israel, we got to be there.

And at the top of Mount Carmel, it overlooks the Valley of Megiddo.

and it's just this crazy view of basically all, the surrounding nations.

it's insane.

so he, at the top of it, he's going to set up this challenge, which I love God.

I love that he is let's do a challenge, what the challenge is, is that there's

going to be two sacrifices in two altars.

So the priests of Baal, 450 of them are going to have, the day to call out to

their God and to call fire down from heaven and to consume their sacrifice.

And this is the challenge.

And so whoever's God sends fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice,

then we'll know he's the true God, right?

The 450 prophets of bell tried to no effect.

They spend hours and hours, they begin to cut themselves, trying to

appeal, and that's what religion does, religion destroys you.

you, more, I need more of your blood, I need more of your blood, And, and so

they begin to cut themselves, and they're dancing, they're singing, and throwing

themselves, and painting themselves, and hurting themselves, calling out to Baal.

And I love Elijah.

he goes, Hey, maybe you need to call louder.

Maybe Baal's in the bathroom having a Baal movement, and, he literally says like

that maybe he's indisposed, maybe you need to crowd louder and louder and finally

blood covered dirt, dust everywhere, no effect, no fire, not even warmth, nothing.

And so Elijah says, Hey, it's my turn.

And so he says, dig a moat around it and pour water all over the sacrifice.

Let's get this thing.

I want you to know this isn't some trickery.

It's not some illusion.

This is going to be the fire of God.

And he prays the simple.

I love it.

Take note of it.

First Kings 18, 36 to 37.

He says, and at the time of the offering of ablation, Elijah, the

prophet came near and said, Oh Lord.

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in

Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all these things at your word.

Answer me, O Lord, answer me that this people may know that you

Oh Lord, our God, and that you have churned their hearts back.

And as soon as he says that, the fire falls and it consumes the sacrifice, it

licks up the water, it burns all the wood, it burns up the stones, which is crazy.

And it says it licks up the dust.

So undeniable.

They're like, And so then all the people, the prophets of Baal are killed.

then to top it off, Elijah goes off and he prays for rain.

It hadn't rained in three years as a way to wake the people of Israel up

to where their distance was in their relationship with God to bring them back.

And so Elijah's yes, it's time.

He just prays for rain.

It hadn't rained in three years and rain comes.

He keeps sending his servant, and he's Do you see any clouds?

Do you see any clouds?

He keeps praying.

No.

Do you see any clouds?

And he's I see a cloud like a man's hand.

He's Run!

We gotta run!

The rain's coming!

The heavens are gonna pour!

And they're booking it, down as the chariots of the royalty

are getting stuck in the mud.

What's fascinating as he runs to Jezreel where Ahab and Jezebel

live, he thinks, all right, Lord's going to take these fools out.

time I'm going, the fire just came down from heaven and, the

prophets of Baal were put to death.

the religions dying, Lord's brought rain, not only fire, but rain,

which is a beautiful symmetry.

And now he's running to the city where they live.

And he's like, all right, here we go.

Revival.

new change in tenets, new king and queen.

What happens?

Not what he thought was going to happen.

Remember his prayer, that this people may know that you, O Lord our God, and

that you have churned their hearts back.

But Ahab and Jezebel were not repenting.

They were not like, oh wow, we've been wrong all this time.

Wow, your God is actually powerful and our God is not powerful.

No, they were angry and they wanted to kill him.

the power structure wasn't repenting.

The fire.

Wasn't coming down to judge them.

The people were not rallying for the true God.

In fact, there wasn't even a handful of protesters.

Backfire.

The rain was back, but it seemed the drought hadn't taught anybody anything.

Nothing changed.

The status quo didn't change.

And Jezebel, she sends a message and says, you're dead.

And she takes out a hit on his life.

And then in chapter 19, verse three, it says, then he was afraid and he

rose and ran for his life and came to bear Sheba, which belongs to Judah.

And left his servant there, he runs, not just beyond the borders of Northern

Kingdom of Israel, but also, beyond the Southern Kingdom of Judah, he goes

far, he takes off into a whole nother territory and he goes to Mount Horeb.

Why?

This mountain is also called Sinai.

A lot of things happened on this mountain, right?

It's the same place that God appeared to Moses in the fire in Exodus 3,

the burning bush to commission him.

The same place that the law was given to the people of Israel as they had been

brought out and liberated out of their bondage in Egypt in Exodus 19 and 20.

He wants to meet with God.

In fact, in verse 9, it's very similar in the Hebrew from Exodus,

the story he would know about Moses.

In Exodus 33, 21 to 22, and the Lord said, behold, there's a place by me

where you shall stand on the rock.

And while my glory passes by, I will put you in the cleft of the

rock and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

So it was like, that's what I need.

Almost like a job, Hey.

I need to go have a meeting, about what's going on here, how God's running

things, what in the world is happening.

So he gets to the meeting with God in verse 10.

He said, I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts.

What does that mean?

It's my whole life.

It consumes me like I've done nothing else.

I don't have a hobby.

I like, this is it like this whole life.

My whole life has been.

lived to make God known, to make the miraculous wonders of this God.

We worship and serve that he's the true God.

I've spent my life showing this to Israel and proclaiming the

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I have been very just for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the people of

Israel have forsaken your covenant.

They've thrown down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword.

And I.

Even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away.

I'm, this whole thing's going extinct, Lord.

I'm the only one.

I'm holding it, I'm holding on by a thread, Lord.

like this whole mission of God in the world.

Nobody's gonna know you.

Everybody's gonna forget you.

I am the only one who is actually dedicating my life and trying to go at

all hinges, at all ways on my shoulders.

I'm holding this whole thing up.

And I'm the only one, right?

We look at that and we go, Wow, that's, wow, that is ridiculous, Elijah.

That is, I can't tell you how many times they bought similar things.

I was just saying that, somebody Hearing about another pastor falling,

and it seems like it's a dominoes, I'm like, do any make it do any make

it, and it's one thing to ask and be like, but it's another thing that, of

course, because he would be getting good work will be faithful to complete it.

If we're trusting in ourselves, that's not a good, that's not a

good thing to put your weight in.

That's using toothpicks as your foundation.

Yeah, not good.

but that there's this sense and there's this attitude that can happen.

This self righteousness that wants to justify itself.

and say, hey, I'm not the problem, I'm there, something's wrong upstairs.

what are you doing?

I'm giving my life for you.

Why aren't you doing anything with it, with the fruits?

And then you start to think, am I wasting my life?

I see people, it's the psalmist, right?

who looked and said, I'm Like, why do the godly perish while the wicked prosper?

He said, my foot almost slipped, I'm like losing it.

I am, everybody out there who is living their own life and their best life and

living for themselves, the, pride is their garment, selfishness is their

flag, they're prospering, they're flourishing, and here we are, we're

trying to follow you, we're doing our best, and we're the ones who perish.

Doesn't doesn't seem like a good deal.

Fine.

I'm here and you can see how that self righteousness and that pride

because what are we starting to do?

We're starting to tell God here's the plan and you're not following it

We're starting to say I'm the captain now we're starting to say you know what unless

I'm seeing something You know, out of my labors and my efforts, unless I'm seeing

a return on my investment, God, I quit, which puts us in his place instead of in

his resting in his sovereign wise hand.

I posted that quote to signal, that I found this week and

I just really liked it.

It, if God gave me his inhibitants for a day, There would see all the things

I would change in the course of a day.

But then he said, but if he also gave me his wisdom, I

would leave things as they are.

And so here, Elijah, I'm the only one left.

I'm the only one following you.

I'm the only one who gets the gospel.

I'm the only one preaching the gospel.

Nobody else talks about grace.

like we start to get in this self righteousness isolation,

even with the truth, right?

Even like where we're We've got it.

We're the ones we're dedicated.

And then we begin to look down on even other fellow believers.

Because, man, they're just not on mission, they're just, this, and they're just

spending their lives for themselves.

They go on vacation.

They're not here every week.

They're not dedicated.

Man, I can't, that is like the language of church leadership.

and it's terrible because you're talking about God's precious blood.

bought bride.

That fellow Christian has been covered by the blood of Jesus, which is more

precious than all the elements of the universe combined and is more effective

in cleansing and preserving and securing a righteousness and a eternity for them.

They are royalty.

They are princes and princesses of the universe.

that is the Christian you want to look down on.

They're just not And guess what?

It's not your job to fix them.

They are God's precious, beautiful work, and He's doing something

wonderful in their lives.

And we've just got to be careful that even with the truth, we can,

I do, I'm the only one, Lord.

where are the others?

Where are they?

that is just self righteous.

And we talked about pride last week.

and remember, God loves a heart that is surrendered to him, but God also

writes straight with crooked pencils.

He takes our mess, and he brings beautiful things.

He brings beauty out of ashes.

God will not touch pride with a ten foot pole.

He resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.

A haughty look God despises.

Pride is so offensive in the presence of God, because it puts, you're

trying to say, no, I think I got this.

I think we can co pilot.

I think we can, I got this.

Set me up, Lord, I'll spike the ball.

it's just, whew!

Yeah, in Proverbs.

Yeah, yep.

And a lot of them are actually rooted in pride.

They're the fruit of pride.

Pride is, whew!

It's rotten.

My dad used to call, the proud, he'd call them the peewee men, they stink,

So I always had this visual growing up, pride is just, I picture you've

just got flies buzzing around you.

It's like you're a walking outhouse, sorry, in construction

that's the image I have.

It's just so foul that human beings would boast in anything other

than the cross of Jesus Christ.

Who has made them royalty 100%.

I assume pride is always knocking at my door.

I don't just wait.

for it to appear and rear its ugly head.

I assume every day I wake up because I've known myself long enough

that pride is right there saying, Hey, you want to partner up today?

it's so subtle.

It comes in again in such a subtle way that can take a truth.

Oh, we really love grace and elevate you above the one who gives you grace, right?

Till now where you are this, the, I get it.

Like it's pride is insidious and it's Satan's great tactic to keep

us from fellow brothers and sisters and to, unite marriage, your kids.

If you can't repent to your kids, holy moly.

Every day you gotta repent to your kids.

that's another model of showing them the rhythm of what life is.

in marriage, if you can't say I'm wrong, I was wrong, oof, yeah, that's,

you're gonna have some rough bumps.

All rooted in pride, man, our flesh really, really, really, really,

really, really hates humility.

Does not like walking that road.

okay.

So I am only a left.

He says, I've done my part.

And why are not, why are you not doing your part, God?

The plan was perfect, God.

There was fire from heaven.

If you would have just come through on your end, Israel would have been changed.

They would follow you, but they have forsaken you.

They've thrown down your altars.

I am the only one who is faithful.

This can happen to our hearts.

I'm the only one on mission.

I'm the only one enduring this.

He thinks the success of God's mission is in some way dependent on him.

That is a burden you are not meant to carry.

That the mission of God is dependent on you.

Gosh, I hope not.

Oh, man.

What the Lord Chosen.

This is beautiful.

And he said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.

And behold, the Lord passed by in a great strong wind, tore the mountain

in broken pieces, the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.

And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in a fire.

And after the fire, the sound of a low

I can't tell you how much this image has saved.

And you will see it because he's gonna give Elijah application about, The thunder

and the lightning and the fire God calls him to come out of the cleft to stand

before him to be in his Presence, but he doesn't budge as you see in verse 13.

So the wind tears the rocks in pieces What kind of wind was that just starts

tearing a mountain apart, right?

Again, the lord went in the wind the earthquake the lord was in the earthquake

the fire The Lord wasn't in the fire.

God had brought these, but God wanted to communicate something very important

to Elijah, the gentle whisper.

You think that the, it is the spectacular that will change Israel, the fire from

heaven will bring overnight revival.

The miraculous will change people and how we can think this way.

And again, God can do what he wants to do.

God can send revival any way he wants to send revival.

God can, he is, it is his mission and he loves variety.

So I don't even want to put them in a box that way.

But what he's teaching Elijah, because Elijah thought, man, this is what

we need a battle on the mountaintop.

people would watch this on TV.

This was like better than, cage matches and UFC fighting.

the battle between the prophets of God, and the prophets of Baal, who will be the

prayer from heaven, people gathered around to see this, man, if God shows up and he

just puts himself on such a spectacular display of raw power, that even the dust

and the water and the rocks are consumed in his blazing glory, people will have

to fall down and worship him and follow.

we can think this way.

God, if you just, boom, did this, or you did it like this, if you just

moved this way, if you just answered this prayer, if God did something

amazing, this city would change.

Finally, Stockton, this, finally, if you did some spectacular event.

But what brought Elijah out of the cave and into the presence of the Lord, verse

13, and when Elijah heard it, He wrapped his face in his cloak and he went and

stood at the entrance of the cave and behold There came a voice to him and

said What are you doing here Elijah?

The quiet whisper, the still small voice, that's what penetrated

his heart, calling that out.

You remember in Lazarus and the rich man, the rich man says, can

you please send Lazarus to tell my brothers that there's an afterlife?

this sucks.

I, tell them, warn them.

And, what does Abraham in the story say?

He said, the rich man says no father Abraham, but if someone goes to them

from the dead, they will repent.

They can't deny, he's raising up and he's gonna, he said to them,

if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, the scripture that they

had, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.

so man this big display do it, you know So many people I've talked to

have said if the Lord would just do a miracle then I would believe and I'm

like probably not You know the same logic and reasoning you're using right

now to stay away from God and trying to rationalize that This amazing creation

has no designer, you know the same Energy that you use to justify I that this

is a pointless world that came about.

out of sheer, chance, you're gonna apply the same to a miracle, even

if one would rise from the dead.

It's scripture.

So what's he to do?

He, he says, God says, I have a plan, and it's beyond anything that you can imagine.

Proverbs 16, 9, The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

We talked about this last week.

Isaiah 55, 8 11, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways

my ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher

than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts for as the rain and the

snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth making

it bring forth, and sprout giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.

So shall my word be that goes out of my mouth.

It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which

I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

And this is what's mind blowing.

I love this.

Okay.

so Elijah's it's gotta be the light.

It's gotta be the fire.

And God's it's I'm not in the fire.

Okay.

It's gotta be the earthquake.

The shaking things up.

I'm not in the earthquake.

Okay.

it's gotta be the wind.

That's, ripping the rocks apart.

No, I'm not in the wind.

I'm in the still small voice.

And here's what the still small voice tells him.

Go anoint Haziel over King of Syria.

Okay, a little background.

Haziel is a pagan king who never turns to God.

mission one, application, Elijah.

I want you to go anoint a bad king.

Who doesn't know me, who doesn't love me.

Because that's part of my plan.

Okay.

I'm sure Elijah didn't see that one coming.

He's what we need is we need a good politician.

That will be the answer.

And he's No, here's how I'm going to move the chessboard.

And then this is, Then he says, God says I have 7, 000 who haven't bowed the

knee, haven't kissed, out of loyalty.

like Elijah, I've got more than you know.

I've got a lot of saints in the land, who don't bow to bow, they

bow to me and they worship me.

And They're serving me.

They're on mission.

they're actually in Israel.

They're at their post.

What are you doing here?

Elijah?

God keeps asking him that.

What are you doing here?

he's I got these 7, 000.

They're actually where they're supposed to be.

Where are you?

What are you doing here, buddy?

Man your post.

What has God called you to do in this city?

He used to anoint Jehu as king of Israel.

And then here's the main thing he's called to do.

Drum roll.

And this is so powerful for at least this.

So this is one of those moments.

okay.

I like the moment I had quitting.

okay.

Okay.

The still small voice.

It's the thunder that I want, the fire from heaven, the big thing.

Honestly, a lot of the fruit I want is to validate myself as a minister before God.

To be perfectly honest.

Not because I want to see God's glory.

Yeah.

I just want to go, Yay, God, I'm good.

Because I'm not finding my validation in the gospel of Jesus Christ that

says, I am approved before the bar of heaven, and I am a trophy of grace

that he shows about and is treasure.

When I'm not secure in that, then I feel I have to get that some other way.

And as a minister, the easiest way to get that is in doing something for God that

people can pat you on the back about.

And, It's not really for God.

It's for you.

You're serving yourself.

So God rescues us rescued me constantly out of a heart like that.

but here's the main thing, drum roll.

Here's what I want you to do.

Here's what's going to change Israel.

Is it to set up another Mount Carmel, another show off?

Nope.

A showdown?

Nope.

Pray for another drought?

A longer one this time?

No, here it is.

I want you to pour into someone for the next 18 years of your life.

I want you to make Elisha your successor.

I want you to disciple this guy.

I want you to find one person, and I want you to find a receptive heart.

And this guy's receptive.

In fact, he's really eager.

He's gonna want double of what you want.

But here's what I want you to do.

I want you to faithfully communicate who I am to this young

man for the rest of your life.

Guys, isn't that so beautiful?

How is Israel?

What is God's plan for Elijah?

This miracle worker to simply just pour into this young man in

the next 18 years of his life.

I just, when I read that, I like threw my Bible down.

I was like, wait, what?

When it clicked, it was like, holy moly, Oh, isn't that what he tells us to do?

Is to tell others, about Jesus?

To, really pour into their lives?

To be patient and faithful and to endure and to stick

with and to just be alongside?

Like this little guy?

Hi baby.

How you doing?

Good.

there's a verse where, I think it's Paul, this is off the top of my

head, but he says, you have many teachers, but not many fathers.

And, Our fellowship on Sunday is not enough for what God's calling as we

become older Saints to come alongside younger Saints and to pour into their

lives about how God is faithful and good in every circumstance in every situation.

And I just want to encourage us, do we have that one?

That we are just, keeping tabs on, we're praying for, that we're, telling

the goodness of God, and there's people out there who are hungry who want that.

They're like, I remember some of my favorite and this has happened in

house church is, you get together with pastors and you fellowship and it

devolves into theological shenanigans, and, oh, this person believes this

and you sit with a new believer.

And it's the greatest thing, not only for them, but for you.

It energizes your soul because they're like, God said that?

And you're like, yeah, you want to hear something else?

He said, yeah.

And you're just like, Oh yeah, this is exciting.

This is amazing to pour into a life is incredible to tell somebody of the

wonders of God, of how God has come through and your life and other lives.

when we joined CASA, they always tell the story.

I've been through a couple of their trainings.

And and it's, a kid, or a guy's walking along a beach, right?

and thousands upon thousands of starfish have washed up on the beach.

And he sees off in the distance this kid picking up a starfish and chucking it in.

the guy, kids, walks over to him and he's What are you doing?

And he's I'm throwing these starfish back.

He's there's no way.

That you're going to get all these starfish back, it's

going to make no difference.

And the kid picks up a starfish and throws it in.

And he says, it will make difference to this one.

It'll make a difference to this one.

And it's sometimes we're waiting for the grand we're waiting.

And we're okay.

Things are kicking off.

Let's go.

We're all going to get involved.

We're all going to do.

and I just think, man, this has rescued my heart so much to not, you

think of the story of David, David wasn't even called in to be anointed

king because he's so dismissed, he's so small and non consequential.

Of course it's not David.

Until Samuel gets through all of them and he's is there anybody else?

I'm sure God called me to this address.

David, but of course you don't mean David.

And that's the one because God.

It doesn't see as man sees.

And we're judging things all the time the way man sees things.

Is there fruit?

Is there this?

Is it big?

Is it successful?

Is it vibrant?

And God's no, I just want you to take a life and tell

them about the wonders of me.

Just pour into and be faithfully consistent with this life.

don't abandon when they go sideways.

Like the story of John the Beloved, who rides a horse into a thief's camp, right?

to rescue that wayward Christian, who had gone back to his old way of life.

there's a guy, He's 90 something and he's riding a horse into a bandit camp.

He gets off his horse He's like my life for yours my life for yours

my life for yours Until the guy repents he has to and comes back.

What kind of love is that?

that's what god's calling us to be in relationship with people Where we can

love them through the good times and the bad times where we can show them

god's grace and guess what god will?

create opportunities To show grace, which means they'll need grace.

They'll need love.

They'll need affirmation They'll need all the things that we have learned

Growing in grace and in the knowledge of him and God calls you alongside

Someone to tell them of the wonders of God and God is stoked on that.

God is yes Elijah.

Guess what?

Do you know why?

Was, Elisha gets raptured or picked up in chariots of fire?

It's not because of Mount Carmel.

It's not because of the miracle.

It's, it, I think it's this faithfulness to Elisha to the very end.

And God's yes, good job.

You poured into this life.

You told them of my wonders.

And now my story continues.

Like the storyline of the Bible and redemption continues.

I just, man, what a beautiful thing that, God loves the little.

I, because again, if Elijah has to go to Mount Carmel, from Mount Carmel to

Mount Carmel to Mount Carmel, like these big, like God just goes, no, it's just,

here's a life I want you to pour into.

the mission get to, I get to hang out and talk about the good news with somebody.

Like the pressure of you pulling off or you be, man, it just, it, it lifts that

and it elevates, it can elevate that discouragement, I want to close with

just, one guy and I'll make it quick.

his name's Jeremiah who did not have a successful ministry in his eyes.

He kept speaking for God and he'd get like thrown in jail and and he's I quit.

He literally says in Jeremiah 20, he says, verse nine, he says, finally I

told the Lord I'm not speaking anymore.

I'm done.

I'm done being your prophet and getting tossed.

I'm tired of the difficulty.

nobody's repenting.

Nobody's coming to you.

I speak and I just get, I get myself in trouble over and over.

And, and so he quits.

Another quit.

Another guy who quits.

I love the Bible.

Just Jeremiah quits.

And I love, because in 20 verse 9, yes, in 20 verse 9, and God knows, it's

it's when he puts his spirit in you.

Jeremiah says His word became unto me like a fire shut up in my bones.

I boiled on the inside, out of zeal, I could not help but speak.

I had to open my mouth to give vent to the glory and the wonder of the God we serve.

So what a beautiful call back from quitting, from the edge of quitting.

God's just yeah, just let it stew, Just you're like I quit and you're like, but

we say the disciples where else do we go?

You alone have the words of eternal life.

We can't not follow you no matter what so let's go to my

this one who was prone to quit.

I just want to read you a couple verses that just It's so

beautiful and the sovereignty of God that we're talking about.

verse four, chapter Jeremiah one, verse four.

Now, the word of the Lord came to me saying, okay, so here's the first thing.

He speaks to Jeremiah.

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I

consecrated you, I set you apart, and I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

So beautiful.

He's just Hey, before I called you, I knew you, I formed you in your mother's womb.

And then in verse four or five, he says, then I said, Oh Lord God, behold, I do not

know how to speak for I'm only a youth.

But the Lord said to me, do not say I'm only a youth for to all

to whom I send you, you shall go.

And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Do not be afraid of them.

Why?

For I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord, even in the pit he's delivered.

And what is he delivered from when he quits?

He's delivered from himself and his own understanding and

his limited way of thinking.

God delivers us so much of the time from our own selves.

Which is so beautiful.

Then the Lord put out his hand, verse nine, and touched my mouth,

and the Lord said to me, behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

See, I have set you this day over nations and kingdoms to pluck up

and to break down, to destroy and overthrow, to build in to plant.

So this beautiful call that he is like, Hey, I know you.

I made you before you were even a thought in your father's eye, or whatever it is.

I got you.

I wanted you.

I have so orchestrated the universe that your parents would meet, or probably

be betrothed, as the day was, because they met, Halel and Jael, and they,

met their parent and grandparent, and I orchestrated it in such a way.

that you would be born.

I shaped you.

You're fearfully and wonderfully made.

You were adored before you even did anything for me.

And I'm calling you to a hard calling where you're going

to tear down and destroy.

Not so much build up.

Not so much, you're not going to see a lot of fruit.

You're setting, you're like the guy who goes in and tills the field.

It's going to be hard.

You're going to see the harvest that I'm going to bring about, but the

role is important and I am with you.

I've chosen you for this.

find your identity in that and not in what you do or the success you think you have.

Which he wrestles with.

Through Jeremiah, he quits, right?

What's amazing about first Kings 19, the wind, the earthquake, the

fire, their symbols of God's judgment

and wonder of wonders, the rock of ages, the everlasting foundation,

the anchor for our souls.

Jesus was ripped apart by God's storm, by the fire of his wrath in Matthew 27, 51.

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn into pop.

To bottom and the earth shook and the rocks were split

so we could get the still small voice.

So it wouldn't be judgment, it wouldn't be earthquake, it wouldn't be thunderings

and lightnings like it was at Sinai.

It wouldn't be the fire coming down and destroying, but that it would be

always and forever for the rest of time.

The still, small voice, the kindness, the voice of a friend to a friend.

And that's what Jesus won for us.

And that's why Jesus went to the cross.

Because there was a barrier, His holiness and our sinfulness.

And so what did He do?

He said, How excited was God?

you know how excited we are to open a present?

We know that's awesome.

Because we've snuck and we've seen it and you can buy the stuff that, makes

your, wrapping paper transparent for a second, on, but anyways, so you know,

and you're just so excited and you're just, pshh, and God just takes that,

that, that fabric, that temple, the veil that separated the holy of holies, his

presence in the temple from the rest of mankind, and he just goes, boom, I'm out!

It's done!

It's finished!

No barrier.

No barrier.

I've made the way I've done everything that needed to be done.

So now I can come alongside you as a friend, the still small voice so

that we can know each other face to face, Adam and Eve walking in

the garden in the cool of the day.

It all goes back to that.

That's what I made you for.

And that's what I came to do at great cost to myself.

So let's pray.

Father, we thank you for your word.

We thank you for this, these amazing stories.

we thank you for just this beautiful picture of you being

okay when we're not okay.

That you know what it's like.

even as we see in Gethsemane, Lord, if there be any other way, you're

like, I don't want to do this.

But you did it for us.

We thank you that, you did it.

As beautiful as the displays of power are, the thundering, the lightning,

the wind, God, I am so grateful that I have the voice that says from heaven

right now, not to some future version of me, but right now you are my

beloved son in whom I'm well pleased

because you were well pleased in Jesus.

And I just lean into him.

I hide myself in him.

I hide myself.

Then you wrap your arms around my weakness and you make me whole.

Thank you that you're telling an amazing story.

I look back at the word of God, the Bible, and what an incredible story.

Ups and downs, twists and turns, drama.

Miracles, and quietness, and thunderings, and lightnings, and

roarings, and meetings, and drama, and,

and Emmanuel, God with us, coming as a baby, living perfect and going to the

cross, and dying the death that I deserve, so you're telling an amazing story of

mission, and rescuing, and seeking, and saving the lost, leaving the 99 to get

the one, and You're willing that none should perish, but that all should come

to repentance, and that you're drawing mankind unto yourself, that you're

reconciling people who were enemies, not only with each other, but with you, and

you're telling such a beautiful story, to which we see in Revelation, we get

a glimpse that we will just worship you because you're amazing, because

the Lamb of God does all things well.

So we just say thank you.

Thank you that we get to, you.

to walk along with you in this mission.

Thank you for the privilege, Lord, of getting to boast about you.

And Lord, we just pray you just rescue us right now.

We love you.

We praise you in Jesus name.

Amen.