Sermon Nuggets Mon March 8
Theme Facing Depression
Verses- 1 Kings 19:1-4 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
Last week we noticed Elijah was the victor in a conflict between the powers of God and he antics of the prophets of Baal and Asherah. He called upon the Lord to send fire from heaven which consumed the sacrifice as well as he altar and sopped up the water around it. Then Elijah prayed that there would be rain in the land and he waited and prayed 7 times until the clouds started forming. Elijah runs into Jezebel and she gets news of the death of her prophets of the false god and is filled with anger and hatred toward Elijah. She sent him a message that she will kill him in the next day. What does he do?
You would expect that he would run up to her and proclaim the knowledge of the Living God or cause the fire to come and consume her. That’s what I think. I admired Elijah’s forthright courage and boldness. But the passage tells us that Elijah feared and wished he could die he was so discouraged. He ran so far south that he completely left the kingdom if Israel and was in the Land of Judah under the protection of King Jehoshaphat.
Discouragement, depression, despondency, and despair are all related to low feelings that hamper our outlook and keep us from activity. Personally I’m glad that Elijah was depressed. It shows how someone who is a saint and within the will of God can still fight discouragement. I’m glad these chapters are in the Bible. It seems everyone has problems of one sort or another. Yet God can still use them.
This story helps me feel more understanding of the verse in James that says Elijah had passions just like we do. Up to this point I hadn’t found much of a point of personal connection with Elijah yet. But at the point of discouragement and depression I can relate to him.
Jay Kesler president of Taylor University, and formerly of Youth for Christ, talked of being a college student and going on a summer missions experience to Venezuela. He had read the biographies of great evangelists and missionaries, and their lives seemed to be without spiritual flaws. He wanted to pattern himself after David Brainerd or John Knox, whose impact had been so great. They lives reflect the way we are suppose to be, but Kesler admitred that his mediocrity could never allows God to use him effectively.
He remembered being so defeated that his sincere desire to do something dramatic and special for the Lord was met with seemingly failure and discouragement.
When he visited with a friend about his discouragement his friend said, "Just because the books did not record their flaws doesn't mean the men you admire did not have them. You can be sure each of those Christian greats struggled too. Did you ever realize what would happen if the Lord insisted on perfect men and women to carry out His work? Nothing would ever get done, because none of us would ever measure up. We are all flawed instruments. Isn't it wonderful that Jesus Christ can use us in spite of our imperfections? If we wait to be good enough to serve Him, we will never serve Him."
Early in the pastorate I made a rule for myself. “never quit on a Monday or during the month of February.” Many times I felt like it but followed that rule and Tuesdays and March seemed a bit more encouraging.
I've read the biography of Charles Spurgeon. I admired the way God used him at 25 years old he as preaching over a 100 years ago to a weekly congregation of over 5,000 people. Even then without a microphone. Spurgeon was plagued with discouragement, doubt, and depression. Once he felt so unworthy that he was going to quit and ran away up in Scotland. When he walked into a small Methodist Church and a tiny group of people came and listened to the pastor, the Lord spoke to his heart. He introduced himself afterwards to he minster and said that the sermon was just the thing he needed. The preacher turned beet red and said, "I'm so sorry, I preached one of your own sermons. "
Spurgeon answered," I know and it is just God's way of confirming through you that he is using me to speak to hearts even after my sermon is preached. He wants me back in the pulpit."
There are practical lessons about depression that I think we can learn this week from Elijah’s experience. Don’t be sidelined by your feelings.
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Tues March 9, 2010
Verses- 1 Kings 19: 1-4 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
Contributing Factors-
I want to look at five contributing factors I think are exemplified with Elijah then some sensible solutions. This morning let’s look at three things.
The first is unfulfilled expectations. When someone has this sense that there is a real or imagined threat on their safety or life one can have a variety of feelings, most certainly anxiety, nervousness, and worry. But the depression came to Elijah because this outcome was not what he expected. After having this great experience up on Carmel and rains come and some people come to the Lord Elijah not only expected a revival but this change of heart would come to the whole land and the people and the king would turn back to God. Ahab went back to his house and told queen Jezebel what God had done. Instead of turning to God her reaction was anger and public threat on the life of Elijah. How could someone be so blind as to the power of God and the consequences of opposing Him and His servants? Yet that is what happened.
Now how would you respond if you discovered someone was threatening your life? Wouldn’t that be a little bit discouraging? But in addition to personal threat the heaviness of his heart was what he hoped for didn’t come about in terms of long lasting and wide spread revival.
I experience depression when I expected a large number of people to come to a special event at the church and the attendance is very small. I experience down feelings when I pray for salvation and not many come to Christ. I question, not the power of God, but my own limitations and inabilities. I get down when my hopes for the church are not realized and there isn’t much more I can do about it. I can’t make other people change, only myself.
The rejection Elijah experienced by those in leadership was not personal rejection, it was rejection of the Lord. Jesus told us in Matt 5:11-12 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Things did not turn out according to Elijah’s plan. The Lord wanted us to see it is an attack against Him.
A second factor is the emotional drain and stress. He felt so low he wanted to die. He felt sorry for himself. Of course he really didn’t want to go through with death or he could have stayed there and Jezebel would have done the job for him. The problem was with all the confrontation and experiences of the last few years it is easy to see the stress which instead of coming to an end was not stopping. He was still being sought after for his life.
I learned in counseling one of the contributing causes of depression is anger that is turned inward and can result in self pity. Anger it is hard to admit for many Christians. When things do not turn out how we want it is easy to be angry, but at whom? Ourselves, others, God, circumstances? IT is easy to think, “This just isn’t fair.” When it is stifled it can go inward. It begins to eat away and when we begin to strip away the layers we see that is not unlike Elijah’s situation. Self pity.
Jump ahead to verse 14 for Elijah’s further explanation and insight. “I am the only one serving you.” It isn’t fair lord. Here after I did this tremendous thing. All the people were suppose to turn to you and they didn’t do it. Poor me. Isn’t it a shame I might as well die. He had experienced a lot of psychological and emotional stress. Depression followed.
The third factor to be mentioned today is physical exhaustion. We are told the when Elijah ran for his life he came to Beersheba in Judah. Now Beersheba is about 120 miles away. Remember the passage last week Elijah ran ahead or before Ahab. That is 17 miles. You talk about a jogger. He is a super jock. I can imagine the physical drain that must have been. He was just plain exhausted!
He didn’t eat properly either. Doctors have noticed that when various women are on diet they are more susceptible to depression. Not because of weight loss but because of chemical changes in their bodies. And the lack of food to their cells that provide energy supply and affect one’s general outlook. I was attended a seminar taught by Clyde Narramore and the couple of years ago and one of the things he stressed as a Christian psychologist was the importance of how much one’s physical health affects their spiritual and psychological health and vice versa.
Burnout hit Elijah hard. He was tired, lack of sleep, over stressing his body and mind, and not refueling what the body needs. No wonder these things coming together add to depression.
How would you evaluate your life and circumstances right now? Where is God in it?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds March 10-
Verses- 1 Kings 19 : 14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
Contributing Factors- Continued
Yesterday we looked at three contributing factors to Elijah’s depression- unfulfilled expectations, emotional Strain, Physical exhaustion. Today I want to address two more thoughts.
I believe social isolation contributes to depression. Elijah was basically a loner. Except for the time at the widow’s house he had been in hiding for 3 ½ years by himself next to a brook and even when he returned to the King’s land Obadiah was a fellow believer but he used him only to get this task done.
Of course not everything that happens in someone’s life is recorded in the Bible, but we know enough about Elijah being on the go there was no place for friendships. Notice Elijah admitted to feeling all alone.
One of the most important psychological needs we have is to love and be loved. Eliah did not feel anyone loved him. He did not have anyone else to love or care for. Sometimes there are people who have no one they can relate to. There are many people that nobody loves or cares about. There is no companionship to share their joys and sorrows. I am not talking about those who are single instead of married but friendships that are healthy with whom one can visit and laugh and be accountable. In order to have a friend one must be a friend.
I have campaigned in the ministry for pastors to have a group with whom they can pray, share, dream, and be accountable. Most solo pastors feel as if they have no one they can truly share with. Sometimes folks do not want to be vulnerable because it is risky. It also seems easier for women to share with one another than men. We need others with whom to carry a burden. The best friend is one who accept and listens to us. Not necessarily having an answer, but just listens and be there for us. And it is important for us to feel that way toward another.
But when you are depressed you think that no one understand what you are going through. That heightens the sad feelings.
A fifth contributing factor to Elijah’s despair is a spiritual one. That seems surprising since Elijah was on a spiritual high. It must have been an unbelievable experience to have the spiritual awareness and alertness that was exemplified by Elijah’s faith. But remember God uses people and people are not always strong. Remember that of others and remember that of ourselves. When Elijah’s fears got bigger than his God, he ran. Victory makes us vulnerable and takes one off their guard against Satan’s attacks. There are too many incidents of Christians who experience success in great ways only to fall into temptations of various sorts.
How common it is to focus on the problems instead of the Lord. It can wear us down. I know that my head and my heart are in conflict with each other. I know the passages about Peter walking on water and having fear when the winds and waves get rough. I believe them. But practicing that is hard and when I am overwhelmed with circumstance I feel defeated and guilty and more depressed. How common for the negative part of life to take over one’s thoughts and fail to put life in balance and get the picture from a heavenly view.
Each day we start right over in our need to focus on the Lord and His strength and promises. Yesterdays victories are gone. Today is another battle against Satan.
Elijah was not where the Lord wanted him to be. He took off on his own out of his own feelings instead of seeking the Lord’s direction for his new day. He was not only running from Jezebel, he was running from the Lord. If God seems far away who moved?
Many discouraged Christians get caught up in the ideal of what a Christian should be and honesty reveals our shortcomings. As much as we try not to sin we do. As much as we want to focus on the Lord we don’t. Our works haunt is in ways one can feel hypocritical. Instead of living by faith and in the freedom of grace we fall into the performance of what others expect of us and we ourselves with little patience toward ourselves for failures.
Sin will always bring us down. So where do we go but to the Lord? As Paul writes in Romans 7 the very things I want to do I do not, and the very things I do not want to do those are the things I do. Rom 7:24-8:2 “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Refocusing on the Lord and doing daily battle with truth to stand against the lies we tell ourselves by the Word of God is the call for victory. Or at least if we do not feel victorious becomes those small steps that leads us on the right path.
How is your relationship with others? Is it pure and holy and important to you? How is your relationship with the Lord? Are there things that get in the way of maturing in your spiritual growth and love for Him above all else?
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Thurs March 11, 2010
Verses- 1 Kings 19: 5-13 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."
8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
Practical Solutions
We looked at come contributing factors to depression and now God meets with Elijah an provide some practical solutions. There are some complex issue that are met with wise and godly counselors when segments of a person’s past might best be evaluated. There are situations where someone’s body is chemically out of whack and they profit from a medical examination, but in many cases depression on the short term can be dealt with in a few ways.
The first thing we see God doing for Elijah is giving him physical refreshment and rest.
Elijah is burned out and must take care of the physical need. He sleeps.
Sleeping is not a sin. God invented it. Resting is so important he said set a whole day aside for me and rest. Do not work. The concept of the Sabbath was not only setting time aside for God but stop working and rest. It is good for the body and the soul. Relaxing can be a spiritual experience. Vacations are needed some times are important to get away from the routine and reevaluate and re store ones joy
Further the angel of the Lord comes to tell him to eat. There is an idea. Get the right kind of food and nourishment that helps you function better and go back to bed.
One person said his mother begins on a diet again and as usual family and friends suffered silently through those first few days of grouchiness that always seemed to accompany her efforts. She was telling the friend about the merits of her diet when she was asked how much she was expected to lose. Her son quickly replied, “I’d say about 2 friends a week.”
The second important issue to address is his spirit. Elijah needed spiritual renewal again and refocusing. Elijah had journeyed ending up at Mt. Horeb traveled 40 days and nights. That is way down over 350 miles where Moses was when he met God.
Mt Horeb and Mt Sinai are the same mountain. It was there that God met with Moses and now it will be their God is going to meet with Elijah. Sometimes we need to get away to quiet places not only to rest but have a meeting with God without the interruptions and busyness of our lives.
God asks Elijah “what are you doing here?” God didn’t send him there. You can’t hide from God. Maybe we are in situations that we know are not God’s will for our lives and that same question can be asked of us. What in the world are you doing there in that mess? You haven’t consulted me have you?”
Spiritual refocusing is realizing what we are trying to do on our own wisdom and power and come to the conclusion that is God’s responsibility for believers. Consult Him. Pray. Read the Word. He knows far better than we on rest as well as responsibility.
What we see on the Mountain a tremendous display of power. A great and powerful wind tore the Mountains apart. But the Lord was not in the wind. It was in a whirlwind that Job heard the voice of the Lord telling about the wonders of creation and how puny and little mankind is in understanding and in power. It was in the tremendous wind that parted the sea in the wilderness and allowed the people to cross over after being under attack by the Egyptian soldiers. But now Elijah watches but there was no voice from God.
Next there was an earthquake. Our world has watched repeated earthquakes killing 100,000s of people in this year. When the whole ground begins to shake and move and nothing to hold onto is a scary situation to be in. The earth quaked and the people feared when Moses received the 10 commandments, but Elijah listens and looks but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
Again there is a claps of thunder and there came fire. Sometimes fire signifies judgment as it ultimate will for those who are outside of Christ. It was fire that God spoke to Moses and called him into the ministry in the burning bush. The Lord was not in the fire and all is silent
There came a gentle whisper. A still small voice and Elijah heard and pulled his mantle over his face and went out and stood at the cave. There is the voice of God in the quietness not in the mighty exhibitions we expect.
Let us not forget how God does use miracles and power but it is equally significant that He speaks quietly when we listen even without those exciting experiences. Many times along the route and we look for the grand and glorious, but God calls us to the mundane and sometimes slow plodding and we see victory is small ways. But it is the presence of God and renewal of listening to His voice that begins inner renewal.
Are you listening to that still small voice of the Lord? What is He saying? Often it comes when we are quiet, expectant, and listening.
Pastor Dale.
Sermon nuggets Fri March 12
Verses- 1 Kings 19: 15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-- all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."
Practical Solutions continued
When God met with Elijah it was apparent Elijah needed rest and needed to refocus on the Lord for physical and spiritual renewal. In addition there are some other things that help with depression.
God asks Elijah straight forward questions and Elijah is talking about his feelings, his anger, and his frustration. Feelings are real although not always based on truth perceptions. He is not the only one who is serving the Lord. There are at least 7,000 who have not bowed down to Baal. Depression allows us to focus on an imbalanced view of life. Face the facts while expressing the feelings. Tell yourself the truth. There is more to life and more than God wants Elijah to do. God allows him to see what HE Is doing in lives around and He is not done yet.
The sensible solutions include getting back into the tasks at hand. God is not done with him yet either. Often when I feel down I am faced with the fact it cannot last too long because there are other things that need to accomplished. Praying for strength for the day is realizing that God will give the resources to do what he expects and not necessarily with my agenda but His agenda.
Elijah was not to have any more mountain top experiences that we know of, except to meet with Jesus on the Mountain of Transfiguration. But God called him to do great things down in the valley. He gave him jobs to do.
“Go and anoint a king, over Aram and over Israel anoint Elisha to succeed you as a prophet.” Elijah was to go on with God’s business.
Why is it we like the dramatic? We center on the miraculous and ignore the tasks at hand. We desire the extra ordinary without realizing God is also in the ordinary which is as much as his plan as the other. He made us to work. He made us to take care of the earth the animal to feed our families, to worship, to study, to rest and so forth. We wants us to be lights in our everyday world. Jesus calls us to occupy until he comes.
When I would feel down as a chaplain in Nursing Homes at times I still had a job to do. So I went out of my office and was diligent to the tasks at hand. I visited with residents even if I didn’t feel like it. Soon the cloud of heaviness would lift as I would center on others and their needs instead of mine. I would pray with them and seek to encourage them in the Word. It is as Jesus said. In giving I received. My attitude changed.
Another practical resource was a to develop a friend and fellow minister to disciple. Elisha is the one person that becomes his special trainee. There are others you need and others who need you in God’s plan of discipleship. I have heard it said and agree that there are three important relationships in your life next to your family. You do well to have a mentor, a peer, and someone to disciple. We still have things to learn from others, to share with others, and to teach others. Pray for such people and seek them out.
Elijah obeys the Lord and is faithful once again to the tasks and responsibilities. It is right to grow from our experiences. Confess whatever sins need to be confessed and if it is self pity then see it as the enemy of God’s will. If it is spiritual attack realize that discouragement is not from God. He gives encouragement. Develop a thankful heart by looking every day at the graces and mercies of God in your life. God is at work in your life right now. Recognize it and thank Him for it.
And be confident of the future. PBPGIFWMY. Please be patient. God isn’t finished with me yet. That’s good news.
Pastor Dale
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Prayer 1 Kings 18:40-46
Sermon nuggets Week of March 1 1 Kings 18:40-46
Sermon Nuggets Mon March 1 –
Theme- Prayer
Verses 1 Kings 18:40-46
Prayer
One minister who came to a country pastorate from the city was approached by farmers asking him to pray for rain. They held a church meeting and insisted he pray. That night it rained and hailed, and blew down trees, and caused more crop damage than before. The next Sunday one elderly lady commented that it serves them right. That’s what they get for asking a preacher to pray who is not accustomed with agriculture.
I think more often than not we have agriculturalists not accustomed to prayer. Or any field for that matter. Pray is a topic that is like maturity- we never arrive just grow in our understanding by experience. The more we pray and desire to know God and commune with Him the more we understand about prayer. It is a heart relationship that falls more in love, more in fear, more in need, more in devotion as we engage more.
The passage this week deals with one who is acquainted with agriculture but more than that, he is acquainted with God who keeps His promises. Elijah was told to go to the King Ahab and pronounce the warning that it would not rain until Elijah would pray for rain.
Now 3 ½ years passed as judgment on the nation of Israel for their idolatry. God would have no other gods before Him. They were not to worship idols. There was only one God and none like Him. He was going to show them His power again.
We talked last week about the tremendous contest between the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah verses one lone prophet of Jehovah. “The Lord he is God and there is no other” was the theme of the contest. Elijah asked for fire to come down from heaven to consume the sacrifice and it came thundering down in power. The people in fear fell on their faces and cried, “The Lord, he is God, the Lord, He is God.”
What do you think of a man like Elijah that has such power in his prayers? We recognize that he does not have the power, but the power comes from the Lord. He has the ear of the Lord, however. God heard his prayers. When He prayed about the weather it didn’t rain for 3 ½ years. When he prayed about a boy coming to life again, God answered. He prayed for the fire to descend from above and it came as prove of Gods’ power. Now he prays for rain. The storm clouds start to form.
We remind ourselves again what James 5:17-18 says, “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective. We will continue to learn more about prayer by the example of Elijah’s praying for rain. It begins with God, then continues to evaluate our own hearts and life. Could it be said of you and me, “that is a righteous person?” What is it that stands out in such a man or woman?
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Tues- March 2, 2010
Verses- I Kings18:39-46 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD-- he is God! The LORD-- he is God!
40 Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
"41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain."
42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."
44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'"
45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. (NIV)
The Preparation
We have talked before why some prayers so unanswered. Although we need to understand by God’s sovereignty He does what He wills. So part of pray is the preparation of our own hearts to receive His truth, love and understand more fully to the best of our abilities His purposes. God delights in His glory more than in our temporary comfort.
I believe powerful prayer must have a preparation of the heart. We realize that Elijah was spending those 3 years hiding really in preparation for the conflict on the Mount Carmel. He had to learn to trust God completely in normal experience of life and in supernatural experience. He needed to learn and act on the knowledge that God is faithful as he was obedient. The heart that obedient is open to the will of God. Such a person more readily finds power and peace that allows them to face even the most difficult of circumstances. As we have been studying Elijah went through the experience of the ravens and the brook as a means of getting his daily food supplied. He found the faithfulness of God through the generosity of a poor widow and son and saw how God provided flour and oil, just a little bit day by day. He knew the reassurance of the Almighty when he prayed and the widow’s son came back to life. He proved the power of prayer as the fire consumed and devoured the bull, the wood, the water, the stones. But the promise of rain didn’t come until after the sacrifice. Until the sin was paid, until it was first acknowledged, and then confessed by the people there was no power.
I am aware how God is ready to forgive, but obstructed by our lack of desire to be forgiven. He desires to free us, but we love our sin too much. There is more involved that just admitted we fall short of God’s glory, it comes with a desire to change and draw upon His strength to do so. Learning to obey without a reason will help him to trust God later when the Holy Spirit directs him to do things he cannot understand. When the people so acknowledged the Lord as God they gave up their idol worship. They didn’t just add Him to their life and continue in their former ways.
The false prophets were put to death according to the law in the theocracy of Israel.
Deut 17:2-5 If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the LORD gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God in violation of his covenant, and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky, and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,
take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.”
Preparation to prayer is not only the sacrifice for sin, but the confession of sin and the repentance of sin. Turn from it. Purge it from your life. The prophets of Baal must be slain as a punishment of God for their apostasy and for turning the people away into that pagan worship. So likewise, the NT tells us having nothing to do with fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery , enmity, strife, jealousy, wrath, factions, division, heresies, envying, drunkenness, raveling and the like.
Prov 28:9 “If anyone turns a deaf ear to the Law even his prayers are detestable.” Does that verse surprise you? We like to think on the popular song, “God hears everything prayer.” Yes, he knows all things, but he doesn’t “listen”. Ps 66:18 “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart the Lord would not have listened.”
The wonderful news of grace is God is like the father of the prodigal son, watching, waiting and running toward us when we come to Him.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds March 3, 2010
Verses- I King 18:42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees
Posture
When I was a child in Sunday school we were taught to pray by closing our eyes and folding our hands.
Before I went to bed it was the custom to say evening prayers by additionally kneeling beside the bed with closed hands. My mother would tell me that we close our eyes so we would not be distracted by looking at things around the house. We were told to fold our hands so we would play with things or do other activities while prayer was going on. The reason for kneeling was to develop a sense of humility before God Sometimes in the evening when my dad had devotions we would go into the living room, listen to him read the Bible and kneel at our furniture with eyes closed. I peeked only to see my brother with his eyes wide open playing with someone. Being a typical younger sibling I would stop whatever conversation mom or dad had going with God to bring out the unrighteous character of my brother by yelling, “Roger has his eyes open and is playing.” Thinking I had accomplished some good deed similar to the arrest of the bad guys on the Lone Ranger, I was also rebuked for having my eyes opened to see his eyes open. I tried to justify my actions by the amount of time each had his eyes open because I wasn’t as bad as he was.
The posture of our bodies became more important that talking with God. Although there may be good reasons to close eyes, the position of prayer does not refer the posture of our bodies when we pray. It is humbling to get on our knees before God but far more is the attitude.
Theodore Roosevelt said, “A man is always taller when he is on his knees”. The point of course is that the wisdom of man is greatest when he realizes God the source of all wisdom. We sense our need when we humble ourselves.
The custom of praying in my youth was also punctuated with King James version language including the Thees and Thous. Many didn’t pray because they couldn’t get that formal phraseology down. But in Matthew 6 Jesus talks about the pride of the Pharisees that dressed a certain way, used certain phrases and would compare themselves with the among of words they used. They were not praying. “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner” is one of the shortest and most profound prayers in the Bible. Real prayer isn’t the words that we say as the heart and the attitude that we have in our conversations with God. God is looking at our heart, our honesty before Him and the humbleness of our souls.
When Elijah observed the fire burning the sacrifice the people fell on their faces before a Holy God. When we see Christ on the throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords every knee shall bow and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. This posture is one of humility and homage before an Almighty and Righteous God.
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman once wrote to a friend, telling of Praying Hyde's influence on him. He had been holding meetings in England, but the attendance had been disappointingly small. Then he received word that Praying Hyde was going to pray down God's blessing upon him and his work. As a result of Hyde's powerful praying, the tide soon turned and the meeting hall became packed with people. At Chapman's first public invitation, fifty men received Christ as their Savior.
Chapman said: “As we were leaving I said, ‘Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me.’ He came to my room, turned the key in the door, and dropped to his knees, and waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from him lips. I could hear my own heart thumping, and his beating. I felt hot tears running down my face. I knew I was with God. Then with upturned face, down which the tears were streaming, he said, "O God." Then for five minutes at least he was still again; and then, when he knew that he was talking with God, there came from the depths of his heart such petitions for me as I had never heard before. I rose from my knees to know what real prayer was."
Elijah bowed and knelt, and with a humble heart and face not worthy to look upon the power of God, got into the right posture- one of humility and expectation of his heart.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thur March 4, 2010
Verses- I King 18:42-44
42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."
44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'"
Perseverance
Friendships develop with time. The more time you spend with someone the better you know them. It is the same with the Lord. The more time you spend with the Lord in prayer and His word the closer you become in your love. I read a slogan “If God seems far away, who moved?”.
In our study on Elijah we have seen he was a man of prayer. He prayed on three occasions before the Lord brought the son back to life again. In this passage we read he prayed and then sent the messenger servant out to see if he could see any signs of rain. When he returned and there was no change in the sky. I think it is implied that Elijah prayed again and send the messenger out again. He kept this up 7 times until he saw the answer to the prayer.
There may be things in that story that I do not understanding. I know that 7 is a perfect number in the Bible, Maybe that has some significance. But what I do understand is that Elijah was persistent. He didn’t pray and sit back and said, “O why didn’t the Lord answer? I guess it didn’t work.”
Don’t give up in your praying when you know you are praying according the will of the Lord. Keep on keeping on.
We are such an impatient people. Yet time means little to the Lord, for whom one day is as a 1,000 years and a 1,000 years as a day. We have a God who is eternal and our standards are set to the minute. His timing is right and good. We need to be patient and persistent. Daniel followed the practice of faithful praying to the Lord 3 times a day- morning, noon, and night by his window. Then of course, small prayers are uttered during the day.
Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. How does one become versed in that? All around us is the answer.
A musician learns from a master and spend hours practicing and perfecting his skill. An art student studies under a great artist and tries and tries again copying his methods until he branches out on his own new discoveries. An athlete, like in the Olympics, has a coach who instructs and sees ways to improve his or her performance. They practice and persist.
We begin to learn about prayer from others also. As we grow from simple childhood prayers we see something in the depth of love from men and women who pray fervently.
It is told of George Mueller about a man who came to him and said, “I was an intensely worldly man, yet I never found satisfaction. When my father passed away, who was a delightful Christian, I looked over his papers and saw he had given large sums of money to Mueller’s orphanages. I said, “I am sure my father would like me to help that work.
I went there while a revival was being held for boys and girls so I listened to the message. God saved me.
Mueller responded, “I am not surprised for at this home for 38 years your father and I never ceased to pray for you.”
By the authority of Scriptures, as a child of God and in faith keep praying. Be persistent. Persevere. And then let God be God and marvel in what He chooses to do.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri March 5, 2010
Verses- I Kings 18:42-46 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.o and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."
The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'"
Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Power
Elijah was interceding for the nation of Israel. He wasn’t asking personally for a bigger, better house, or fancy clothes, or annual income because he’s been good. He is praying for rain so people will know that he is the servant to Almighty God. The sound of rain was salvation to them. As sign of the grace of God and of spiritual blessing, the servant looks up and reports that the cloud is developing. The blackness is coming. The people needed the rain to save their crops and lives. Literally hundreds and thousands have died and hundreds and thousands more were about to. They needed water and the grace of God is seen even in the formations of clouds in the heavens. Elijah knows it is time and with the supernatural power begins his run.
Isa 55:10-12 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
The water that is purifying refreshes vitalizes, and sets forth energy. The renewal and restoration reminds us that God is still on his throne and we are his people. Revival comes.
Notice the concluding verse of this chapter. “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” That is a 17 mile distance. I wish I knew how old he was then, but the power of God and Spirit of God within him gave him further strength to run and run and run ahead of Ahab for all that distanced, as the skies blackened with the promises of God.
While sitting at Bethel Seminary coffee chop one day a pastor was talking to a student who attended his church. The student was bemoaning various things going wrong in his life and didn’t feel God was answering his prayers. The response of the pastor surprised him and me too. “What have you done for the Lord to receive any of His blessings? Why in the world should he give you the answer to your prayers?”
The expression the students face changed and said “I haven’t done anything for God recently”, and he was silent.
Grace is receiving undeserved gifts, but too often we think the power from God is a right we all should have and deserve. None one of our prayers deserves to be answered. All of us want rain for our crops. We want blessing in our lives. We think sometimes flippantly that we just sent in our request and if there aren’t too many ahead of us we will get an answer.
“God is in his Holy Temple let all the earth keep silence before him” He wants our worship and our availability. He found one who was willing to obey and follow him even if it meant death. That one was willing to sacrifice and give himself that the blessings and power from God might again fall on the nation for no goodness or reasons of his own.
Why do you and I receive blessing so undeserved? It is because of a servant named Jesus Christ who was not concerned about his own desires, but willing to pray and to put himself as our sacrifice and to die unjustly and to rise up again to reign with the father and to continue to pray on our behalf. May we as Christians never take the privilege of prayer lightly.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Mon March 1 –
Theme- Prayer
Verses 1 Kings 18:40-46
Prayer
One minister who came to a country pastorate from the city was approached by farmers asking him to pray for rain. They held a church meeting and insisted he pray. That night it rained and hailed, and blew down trees, and caused more crop damage than before. The next Sunday one elderly lady commented that it serves them right. That’s what they get for asking a preacher to pray who is not accustomed with agriculture.
I think more often than not we have agriculturalists not accustomed to prayer. Or any field for that matter. Pray is a topic that is like maturity- we never arrive just grow in our understanding by experience. The more we pray and desire to know God and commune with Him the more we understand about prayer. It is a heart relationship that falls more in love, more in fear, more in need, more in devotion as we engage more.
The passage this week deals with one who is acquainted with agriculture but more than that, he is acquainted with God who keeps His promises. Elijah was told to go to the King Ahab and pronounce the warning that it would not rain until Elijah would pray for rain.
Now 3 ½ years passed as judgment on the nation of Israel for their idolatry. God would have no other gods before Him. They were not to worship idols. There was only one God and none like Him. He was going to show them His power again.
We talked last week about the tremendous contest between the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah verses one lone prophet of Jehovah. “The Lord he is God and there is no other” was the theme of the contest. Elijah asked for fire to come down from heaven to consume the sacrifice and it came thundering down in power. The people in fear fell on their faces and cried, “The Lord, he is God, the Lord, He is God.”
What do you think of a man like Elijah that has such power in his prayers? We recognize that he does not have the power, but the power comes from the Lord. He has the ear of the Lord, however. God heard his prayers. When He prayed about the weather it didn’t rain for 3 ½ years. When he prayed about a boy coming to life again, God answered. He prayed for the fire to descend from above and it came as prove of Gods’ power. Now he prays for rain. The storm clouds start to form.
We remind ourselves again what James 5:17-18 says, “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective. We will continue to learn more about prayer by the example of Elijah’s praying for rain. It begins with God, then continues to evaluate our own hearts and life. Could it be said of you and me, “that is a righteous person?” What is it that stands out in such a man or woman?
Pastor Dale
Sermon nuggets Tues- March 2, 2010
Verses- I Kings18:39-46 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD-- he is God! The LORD-- he is God!
40 Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
"41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain."
42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."
44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'"
45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. (NIV)
The Preparation
We have talked before why some prayers so unanswered. Although we need to understand by God’s sovereignty He does what He wills. So part of pray is the preparation of our own hearts to receive His truth, love and understand more fully to the best of our abilities His purposes. God delights in His glory more than in our temporary comfort.
I believe powerful prayer must have a preparation of the heart. We realize that Elijah was spending those 3 years hiding really in preparation for the conflict on the Mount Carmel. He had to learn to trust God completely in normal experience of life and in supernatural experience. He needed to learn and act on the knowledge that God is faithful as he was obedient. The heart that obedient is open to the will of God. Such a person more readily finds power and peace that allows them to face even the most difficult of circumstances. As we have been studying Elijah went through the experience of the ravens and the brook as a means of getting his daily food supplied. He found the faithfulness of God through the generosity of a poor widow and son and saw how God provided flour and oil, just a little bit day by day. He knew the reassurance of the Almighty when he prayed and the widow’s son came back to life. He proved the power of prayer as the fire consumed and devoured the bull, the wood, the water, the stones. But the promise of rain didn’t come until after the sacrifice. Until the sin was paid, until it was first acknowledged, and then confessed by the people there was no power.
I am aware how God is ready to forgive, but obstructed by our lack of desire to be forgiven. He desires to free us, but we love our sin too much. There is more involved that just admitted we fall short of God’s glory, it comes with a desire to change and draw upon His strength to do so. Learning to obey without a reason will help him to trust God later when the Holy Spirit directs him to do things he cannot understand. When the people so acknowledged the Lord as God they gave up their idol worship. They didn’t just add Him to their life and continue in their former ways.
The false prophets were put to death according to the law in the theocracy of Israel.
Deut 17:2-5 If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the LORD gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God in violation of his covenant, and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky, and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,
take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.”
Preparation to prayer is not only the sacrifice for sin, but the confession of sin and the repentance of sin. Turn from it. Purge it from your life. The prophets of Baal must be slain as a punishment of God for their apostasy and for turning the people away into that pagan worship. So likewise, the NT tells us having nothing to do with fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery , enmity, strife, jealousy, wrath, factions, division, heresies, envying, drunkenness, raveling and the like.
Prov 28:9 “If anyone turns a deaf ear to the Law even his prayers are detestable.” Does that verse surprise you? We like to think on the popular song, “God hears everything prayer.” Yes, he knows all things, but he doesn’t “listen”. Ps 66:18 “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart the Lord would not have listened.”
The wonderful news of grace is God is like the father of the prodigal son, watching, waiting and running toward us when we come to Him.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds March 3, 2010
Verses- I King 18:42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees
Posture
When I was a child in Sunday school we were taught to pray by closing our eyes and folding our hands.
Before I went to bed it was the custom to say evening prayers by additionally kneeling beside the bed with closed hands. My mother would tell me that we close our eyes so we would not be distracted by looking at things around the house. We were told to fold our hands so we would play with things or do other activities while prayer was going on. The reason for kneeling was to develop a sense of humility before God Sometimes in the evening when my dad had devotions we would go into the living room, listen to him read the Bible and kneel at our furniture with eyes closed. I peeked only to see my brother with his eyes wide open playing with someone. Being a typical younger sibling I would stop whatever conversation mom or dad had going with God to bring out the unrighteous character of my brother by yelling, “Roger has his eyes open and is playing.” Thinking I had accomplished some good deed similar to the arrest of the bad guys on the Lone Ranger, I was also rebuked for having my eyes opened to see his eyes open. I tried to justify my actions by the amount of time each had his eyes open because I wasn’t as bad as he was.
The posture of our bodies became more important that talking with God. Although there may be good reasons to close eyes, the position of prayer does not refer the posture of our bodies when we pray. It is humbling to get on our knees before God but far more is the attitude.
Theodore Roosevelt said, “A man is always taller when he is on his knees”. The point of course is that the wisdom of man is greatest when he realizes God the source of all wisdom. We sense our need when we humble ourselves.
The custom of praying in my youth was also punctuated with King James version language including the Thees and Thous. Many didn’t pray because they couldn’t get that formal phraseology down. But in Matthew 6 Jesus talks about the pride of the Pharisees that dressed a certain way, used certain phrases and would compare themselves with the among of words they used. They were not praying. “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner” is one of the shortest and most profound prayers in the Bible. Real prayer isn’t the words that we say as the heart and the attitude that we have in our conversations with God. God is looking at our heart, our honesty before Him and the humbleness of our souls.
When Elijah observed the fire burning the sacrifice the people fell on their faces before a Holy God. When we see Christ on the throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords every knee shall bow and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. This posture is one of humility and homage before an Almighty and Righteous God.
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman once wrote to a friend, telling of Praying Hyde's influence on him. He had been holding meetings in England, but the attendance had been disappointingly small. Then he received word that Praying Hyde was going to pray down God's blessing upon him and his work. As a result of Hyde's powerful praying, the tide soon turned and the meeting hall became packed with people. At Chapman's first public invitation, fifty men received Christ as their Savior.
Chapman said: “As we were leaving I said, ‘Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me.’ He came to my room, turned the key in the door, and dropped to his knees, and waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from him lips. I could hear my own heart thumping, and his beating. I felt hot tears running down my face. I knew I was with God. Then with upturned face, down which the tears were streaming, he said, "O God." Then for five minutes at least he was still again; and then, when he knew that he was talking with God, there came from the depths of his heart such petitions for me as I had never heard before. I rose from my knees to know what real prayer was."
Elijah bowed and knelt, and with a humble heart and face not worthy to look upon the power of God, got into the right posture- one of humility and expectation of his heart.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thur March 4, 2010
Verses- I King 18:42-44
42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."
44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'"
Perseverance
Friendships develop with time. The more time you spend with someone the better you know them. It is the same with the Lord. The more time you spend with the Lord in prayer and His word the closer you become in your love. I read a slogan “If God seems far away, who moved?”.
In our study on Elijah we have seen he was a man of prayer. He prayed on three occasions before the Lord brought the son back to life again. In this passage we read he prayed and then sent the messenger servant out to see if he could see any signs of rain. When he returned and there was no change in the sky. I think it is implied that Elijah prayed again and send the messenger out again. He kept this up 7 times until he saw the answer to the prayer.
There may be things in that story that I do not understanding. I know that 7 is a perfect number in the Bible, Maybe that has some significance. But what I do understand is that Elijah was persistent. He didn’t pray and sit back and said, “O why didn’t the Lord answer? I guess it didn’t work.”
Don’t give up in your praying when you know you are praying according the will of the Lord. Keep on keeping on.
We are such an impatient people. Yet time means little to the Lord, for whom one day is as a 1,000 years and a 1,000 years as a day. We have a God who is eternal and our standards are set to the minute. His timing is right and good. We need to be patient and persistent. Daniel followed the practice of faithful praying to the Lord 3 times a day- morning, noon, and night by his window. Then of course, small prayers are uttered during the day.
Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. How does one become versed in that? All around us is the answer.
A musician learns from a master and spend hours practicing and perfecting his skill. An art student studies under a great artist and tries and tries again copying his methods until he branches out on his own new discoveries. An athlete, like in the Olympics, has a coach who instructs and sees ways to improve his or her performance. They practice and persist.
We begin to learn about prayer from others also. As we grow from simple childhood prayers we see something in the depth of love from men and women who pray fervently.
It is told of George Mueller about a man who came to him and said, “I was an intensely worldly man, yet I never found satisfaction. When my father passed away, who was a delightful Christian, I looked over his papers and saw he had given large sums of money to Mueller’s orphanages. I said, “I am sure my father would like me to help that work.
I went there while a revival was being held for boys and girls so I listened to the message. God saved me.
Mueller responded, “I am not surprised for at this home for 38 years your father and I never ceased to pray for you.”
By the authority of Scriptures, as a child of God and in faith keep praying. Be persistent. Persevere. And then let God be God and marvel in what He chooses to do.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri March 5, 2010
Verses- I Kings 18:42-46 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.o and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."
The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'"
Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Power
Elijah was interceding for the nation of Israel. He wasn’t asking personally for a bigger, better house, or fancy clothes, or annual income because he’s been good. He is praying for rain so people will know that he is the servant to Almighty God. The sound of rain was salvation to them. As sign of the grace of God and of spiritual blessing, the servant looks up and reports that the cloud is developing. The blackness is coming. The people needed the rain to save their crops and lives. Literally hundreds and thousands have died and hundreds and thousands more were about to. They needed water and the grace of God is seen even in the formations of clouds in the heavens. Elijah knows it is time and with the supernatural power begins his run.
Isa 55:10-12 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
The water that is purifying refreshes vitalizes, and sets forth energy. The renewal and restoration reminds us that God is still on his throne and we are his people. Revival comes.
Notice the concluding verse of this chapter. “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” That is a 17 mile distance. I wish I knew how old he was then, but the power of God and Spirit of God within him gave him further strength to run and run and run ahead of Ahab for all that distanced, as the skies blackened with the promises of God.
While sitting at Bethel Seminary coffee chop one day a pastor was talking to a student who attended his church. The student was bemoaning various things going wrong in his life and didn’t feel God was answering his prayers. The response of the pastor surprised him and me too. “What have you done for the Lord to receive any of His blessings? Why in the world should he give you the answer to your prayers?”
The expression the students face changed and said “I haven’t done anything for God recently”, and he was silent.
Grace is receiving undeserved gifts, but too often we think the power from God is a right we all should have and deserve. None one of our prayers deserves to be answered. All of us want rain for our crops. We want blessing in our lives. We think sometimes flippantly that we just sent in our request and if there aren’t too many ahead of us we will get an answer.
“God is in his Holy Temple let all the earth keep silence before him” He wants our worship and our availability. He found one who was willing to obey and follow him even if it meant death. That one was willing to sacrifice and give himself that the blessings and power from God might again fall on the nation for no goodness or reasons of his own.
Why do you and I receive blessing so undeserved? It is because of a servant named Jesus Christ who was not concerned about his own desires, but willing to pray and to put himself as our sacrifice and to die unjustly and to rise up again to reign with the father and to continue to pray on our behalf. May we as Christians never take the privilege of prayer lightly.
Pastor Dale
Friday, February 26, 2010
Preparing for Revival -1 Kings 18:16-40
Sermon Nuggets Mon Feb 22
Theme – Preparing for Revival
Verses- I King 18:16-40 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals.
Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
Preparing for Revival-
This month we have experienced international Winter Olympics where there has been competition among the best athletes in the world in the sporting field. It has been awesome to see those who accomplish individual feats as well as those who work together whether it be bobsledding, hockey, couples ice skating or relays.
I too often think, however, of the time, effort, sacrifice and money put into these events and folks who commit their whole lives to win an award. It is a great achievement from a worldly view and I don’t want to minimize that, for the lessons they learn in competition are noteworthy for the rest of their lives. It is a positive way to exercise commitment, excellence and disciple.
Unfortunately we usually hear stories of cheating, political pressures, and drug use where rules are not followed, but the desire to win at all costs overrides the purpose of the sport. But what about eternal things?
Today we begin looking at the passage of the conflict between God and the false gods. Elijah is used to call out Ahab and the nation to revival. The power of God is going to be demonstrated in a most dramatic fashion. The goals are far more important than gold, silver or bronze. It relates to eternal life of their souls. It is not enough to be declared a winner, but after is said and done the only thing that lasts for eternity is the spiritual preparations we make now! The conflict isn’t with men it is with Satan and God.
Revival begins by exposing sin.
After Obadiah ran into Elijah he feared for his life for it was king Ahab, his master who wanted to kill anyone who still worshiped Jehovah. Although Obadiah was feeding and hiding true prophets, he knew anyone who knew of Elijah’s whereabouts could suffering death also.
Elijah was more concerned for God’s glory than he was for his own life. He had no fear and when he presented himself to Ahab the king begins his verbal attack. “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” But Elijah counters with confronting him with his real sin. "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals.’
All the trouble was on the head of Ahab ( and Jezebel). Most will blame other people for their own shortcomings and sins. Ahab did not want to own up to his evil.
Yet we all need to have sin exposed to have the power of the Lord revealed. We have all sinned and unless we face our sin we are limited to see the power of God. We cannot make God into our image or our ideas; we cannot replace him with anything else.
Ahab abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed false gods. He led others astray. Political power and pleasures kept him from taking God seriously. We don’t worship idols of stone and wood, but whatever comes before God in our lives is an idol.
Even though his sin is exposes he does not repent. So Elijah set down the requirement for the contest. If they wanted rain so badly, lets see who it is that can bring the rain. Since Elijah was the only one who God appointed to pray for the return of rain, Ahab agreed to this contest. He followed the instructions by calling the prophets of Baal and Asherah, over 850 who eat at the table of Jezebel.
People easily extinguish the fire from God by being pressured by the crowd. They compromise their faith commitments and ignore the truth for worldly things. Soon evil is thought of as good and God’s voice is harder to hear. His word is ignored. Fellowship of other Christians are lacking. Sin has a slow, but powerful way to dimming our eyes to the Lord. We need revival.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Feb 23- Choices
Verses- 1 Kings 18:21-25 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.
23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.
24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire-- he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good."
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire."
Call to Commitment
Elijah went up before the people and must face them now too with their sin. “How long will you totter between two opinions?” The problem is you cannot live two lives with God. Elijah knew where he stood. The false prophets knew where they stood. But many of the people were fickle. They were going along with the crowd, doing what was easy.
Elijah was calling them to make a choice- either serve the Lord God Jehovah with all your heart, or follow the falsehood of Baals and Asherah, wood and stone. For revival to come in power our hearts need to come clean with the place we give the Lord in our hearts and lives. The call to commitment is to be devoted to the Lord or not. Make a choice as to whom you will serve.
Many will try to have God in their live along with other things that are not consistent with a godly heart. I am not talking about falling short, I am talking about making conscientious choices. Many will have Jesus in their lives, but other things that go against His will and word and think that is OK. Today the choice seems more with Jesus or the world.
I talked to fellow in the Twin Cities that was into the occult practices. He told me he does white magic, not black magic. He told me he believed in God and Christ and he will also use Ouija boards and taro cards and séances to get direction for his life and others around him. He felt good about that since he doesn’t want to hurt anyone but help them. He failed to see the inconsistency of using “spiritual” powers that the Bible calls the enemy.
Even in Hinduism most have no problem making Jesus a god along with the cow, a monkey or a piece of stone or wood. He is one among many gods they worship. But that is not the Jesus of the Bible. That is not the God of the Bible who declares “I will have no other gods before me.” With God there is nothing else. He is not the one among many. He is the only one to wants our hearts. A choice has to be made. Who are you going to serve?
It is so easy to go along with the crowd. It is so easy to be uncommitted and be neutral. So many want both worlds; they want to be in the world and carry on in sinful deeds and be involved with lord as well.
We see it in the church, where homosexuals are forcing denominations to perform same sex marriages (blessing services) or risk losing those adherents to a church that will. When Elijah came to Mount Carmel that day, the middle ground disappeared. Lets expose the false gods once and for all. The contest of which “gods” would consume the fire was to be a determining factor which people needed to see God’s power.
If you chose God you are blessed with the refreshing rain of heaven, if not your heart becomes hardened and you wind up committing sins you would have never dreamed possible. To be a Christian in the days ahead will continue to expose the choices we make if Jesus is our Lord or not. It will be revealed those who refuse to bow to public pressure and political correctness when it comes to faith matters.
For it has already been written in the book of Revelations- "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Feb 24
Verses- 1 Kings 18:26-35 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened."
So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.
Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins.
Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel."
With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."
"Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time.
The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.”
Call to Truth
Lies need to be exposed before revival can occur. Satan is the father of lies. It is so easy to slip into the mold of little white lies, gossip, to outright believing lies because we fail to look at truth. We have been blinded. False cults grow upon lies. They ignore the truth of God and follow their own schemes ideas and delusions. Elijah proposes the contest to expose the lies to all. If God is the true God then follow Him. If Baal and Asherah are true then follow them. Let’s see where the true power lies? Which ever deities can consume the sacrifice with fire reveals true power.
I think the reason Baal worshippers accept the conditions is they believed Baal controlled the weather and he was the sun God. Who can better send fire than the sun god? They cut the sacrifice open and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “O Baal, answer us”, they shouted, But there was no response. And they danced around the altar they made.
How can people believe in gods made from stone and wood? How is it people will fall for Horoscopes or read tea leaves? Spiritual powers of Satan are real, but they are liars. Most of what pagans fall for are not even real, but their own imagination.
Some people are told the lie that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. Baloney! It makes a difference that you believe. A mother may be very sincere in her belief that when her child is sick she goes into the medicine cabinet and pulls outs Tylenol. Only it is dark and she mistakenly pulls out another bottle of medicine that does the child damage. She sincerely believed it would help but the child almost died because she was sincerely wrong.
These people dance and to prove their sincerely even put up the bodies and tortured themselves trying to appease the god of Baal with blood.
Elijah gets in some wise cracks now. He mocked them, out of a righteous anger. He is upset with the extremes of their charade. The Hebrew phrases are rather strong in the original language. One person told me the actual phrase “your gods must be busy”, means “your gods must be on the toilet.’ Elijah is literally blaspheming the false apostate religion. With all their actions there was no fire.
People may sincerely believe their religious rituals and practices will save them. Sincerely believe that going to church will get them into heaven. They may go through all the motions, but there is only one way, it is turning your life and heart over to Jesus Christ, admitting that you are a sinner and confess it, repent of it and accept Christ to come into your life and make you a new creature.
Recognizing the lies also requires the truth of who God is and what He wants of us. It is not wanting God to do what we want, but accepting and following what He wants. There is a need to rebuild the altars.
Altars symbolize prayer, fellowship with God. They point to dying to self, and yielding to the will of God. The fact that the altar was in a state of disrepair was a powerful symbol in and of itself of how far the people had gotten from God. Our text says the altar was broken down, and I believe there were two reasons for this people have ignored God and they have created what appeals to their own pleasures and wants.
Prayer is a key to keep God on His throne and us on our knees. Our society has done what it can to eliminate true prayer from any public arena. As it was in Elijah’s day so it is in our own. The national prayer altar has been broken down. The foundations of Christian principles have been removed.
This week I see that the chapels built in hospitals in the Twin Cities, which were central to health care as people would come and pray and services were held. Now all religions symbols are being removed even from chapels so as not to offend anyone. The altars are being broken down.
What is happening in the churches? Man made programs are replacing prayer. "My house shall be called a house of prayer", was Jesus’ declaration, but of how many churches is that true? The personal altar has also been heavily under attack. I wonder if a snapshot could be taken from heaven’s point of view, what would most people’s personal prayer altar look like? I think to our shame the word "broken" would be an accurate description of the state of affairs.
The first thing Elijah does as a man of prayer is repair the altar of the Lord that was broken down. The text also states that he took 12 stones, one for each tribe of Israel. I believe that he did that to say that individually they have a call from God to the place of prayer and communion with God.
The call to truth is exposing the lies and rebuilding prayer to the only true God. The Psalms could pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Ps 139:23-24
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Feb 25
Verses- 1 Kings 28: 36-38 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.
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."
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.
Praying for Power
Now Elijah calls the crowd to come to him. They watched while he repaired the altar of God that as significant for it was dedicate and devoted for sacrifice to the Lord God Jehovah. And Jezebel and Ahab and the prophets of Baal had torn it down and left it for ruin. The stones represented the whole nation of Israel and the sons of Jacob. An animal was sacrificed for the sins of the people.
Since the nation was divided into two kingdoms the altar helped them realize that they were brothers. God did not desire two Kingdoms, but one. Spiritual unity is found in the worship of the only God.
Furthermore, Elijah makes sure no one can accused him of trickery. He had jars filled with water poured over the altar, animal, and wood. Ironic, isn’t it that water was the very thing they were praying for and now it was used on the altar. It wasn’t just one dowsing it was done three times.
That is when Elijah came before God in powerful praying for power from on high.
When Hudson Taylor went to China as a missionary he was sailing between the southern Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, there was a knock on his cabin, “Mr. Taylor, we have no wind. We are drifting toward an island where the people are heathen and I fear they are cannibals.”
“What can I do?” Taylor asked.
“I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for wind.”
“All right Captain. I will, but you must set the sail.”
“Why that is ridiculous there is not even the slightest breeze. Besides the sailors will think I am crazy.” But he agreed.
45 minutes later he returned and found the missionary still on his knees. ‘You can stop praying now we’ve got more wind than what we know to do with.”
Confident praying also prepares for an answer. When God’s will is in it and it pleases Him, His power is seen even in miraculous ways.
Elijah’s prayer was more than anything to glorify God, not himself. He acknowledged himself as a servant, humble and the one obedient through whom God chooses to work. He was pointing the people to the reality of the true God and reminded them of the covenant made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Notice that Jacobs name was changed to Israel and he identifies the name to match the name of the countrymen so they don’t miss it. He is their God, not some stone or wood. Convincing them that God is alive and also that he responds obedience according to the commandment of God.
Compare the length of the prayers. The Baal worshippers started in the morning and they danced and bellowed from morning until noon and continued even cutting themselves until evening. Nothing happened. But after things were in order Elijah prepared for the power of God calmly but distinctly got on his knees and prayed the simple prayer. It didn’t depend on length or works of man, but praying to the right God for the right reason.
Then the fires of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and stones and the soil and also licked up the water in the trench. The dramatic power of the Lord was witnessed by all! It was as if the lightening bolt from heaven streamed down at the target.
The power of God was unleashed at the prayers of Elijah. The sacrifice was accepted. The true God was revealed.
We delight in seeing the extra ordinary power of God displayed. By God grace miracles happen. The greatest miracle of all was when He came to die for our sins and rose again for all to see that there is not God but the Lord God Jehovah.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Feb 26
Verses- 1 Kings 18: 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.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD-- he is God! The LORD-- he is God!"
40 Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
Returning to God
The was the miracle of fire consuming the sacrifice. People saw the power of God and the lies of Baal. They saw truth compared to the falsehood. They were convicted of righteousness and judgment.
The fire fell and there was a purging in the camp. The fire had a direct and dramatic impact on those under its influence - they forsook their sin! The strongholds of Satan broken and their resistance was torn down. What Satan had spent a lifetime building up was pulled down in a few moments through a man who was consecrated to God, and living in holiness.
I am sure today someone would make a movie or TV special of the reenactment of the event full with drama of the uniqueness of Elijah, the evil characters of Ahab and Jezebel. They would delight in the costuming of the 850 prophets and the simple and ruggedness of the one lone prophet of God. We would have movie trailers and with the wonder of pyrotechnics explosions high into the air with fireworks would be astounding.
But there is no entertainment that day. There is the uncovering of the rot and sin of hearts far from God. There is the holy purity of the fire from above. There is a fear of the eternal one whose power in a second is no match for anything mankind can conceive.
The natural disasters of earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, volcanoes are reminders of a glimpse of the one who speaks and sun and moon and stars are formed. WE forgot who He is and who we are.
The sacrifice was required for their sin. The bull was killed and slain to forgive their iniquity. One man and God made the majority that day. WE have seen those odds in the Bible repeatedly. David couldn’t believe people would fear the giants when there was God. So the shepherd boy in faith took those stones and slingshot and toppled Goliath.
Joshua and Caleb the minority report among the 10 spies did not look at the problem but the potential because of their faith in God who said it would happen. Gideon was not strong in the faith. In fact he was full of doubts and low self esteem, but the mighty God convinced him of the success over the multitude of the Midianites. 300 overtook numbers the couldn’t count with no weapons but a torch, a trumpet and a pitcher.
No man, no woman can conceive those miracles. God invades at his will to show us Himself. What is our response? How long before the reality wears off and we return to ruts of doubt, disbelief and sin?
But the revival was a returning to God. It was destroying what they once worshipped at the altars of Baal and destroying those things (and ones) that led to sin and fell on their faces in wonder and worship returning to the Lord God Jehovah. He was gracious to show His presence and the willingness to forgive.
Get rid of what takes first place in your life if it is not the Lord. The time seems short. Satan has had His day. But God is calling hearts to Himself.
We long for the returning to God and His glory to be seen in our land beginning in our life, our homes, our churches, our country. Revival is by the power and presence of God returning to the One to whom we belong.
Pastor Dale
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