- INTRO: We’re coming off of the sermon series of Chasing Convenience and I believe the Lord has laid upon my heart to ask and challenge the question WHAT NOW? Our circumstances are not so tighty and clean. Many of us are struggling with this idea of leaning into the inconvenience in our lives and allowing God to grow us but we may lack understanding as well as biblical principles examples of what that really looks like in my situation. We see this in Elijah…
Our WHAT NOWS…
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- Physical
- Emotional
- Mental
- Financial
- Setup and History. Ahab & Jezebel
- Elijah’s name means “The Lord is my God”.
- Was sent to oppose the worship of Baal.
- Jezebel had as many as 450 priests of Baal eating at her table.
- Suffered defeating circumstances in his ministry but persevered and was steadfast in his mission.
- We see highs and lows of his ministry.
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PRAY
1 Kings 17:1 NKJV 1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
- LESSONS FROM ELIJAH: There are several characteristics we can see from Elijah which gives us insight into our own circumstances and how we too face them.
1 Kings 17:2-4
2 And the word of the LORD came to him: 3“Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
- CHARACTERISTIC #1 OBEDIENCE TO MIRACLE:
- Obedience is the key to miracles. Elijah’s experiences teach us that when we act in faith and obedience God miraculously provides.
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- Does your what now look confusing? Do you not understand what to do and how to proceed?
- Confusion
- Lack of understanding
- Unknown
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1 Kings 17:5-7 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
Thought: God’s miraculous power is manifested when we trust in His ways. He provided in ways that only he could.
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- This provision for Elijah is a stark contrast to the fate of Israel at the same time. Famine gripping the nation.
- The natural or common supply of water eventually dried up due to the drought. But the miraculous supply of food and provision from God did not falter.
Question: In our WHAT NOW circumstances we must ask ourselves, “Are we being obedient to what the Lord is calling us to”? Or “Are we attempting to manipulate the situation in order to have a natural solution”? Our lack of understanding or known outcomes can cripple us from stepping out in faith and obeying what God has for us.
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Let’s see what happens as we read on:
1 Kings 17:8-9 NKJV 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
SUMMARIZE: 10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
1 KINGS 17:12 12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
- THOUGHT: PRIORITY TO PROVISION: A second characteristic of Elijah that we see exhibited is priority. Let’s read about this:
1 Kings 17:13-14 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”
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- Elijah knew exactly what God can do and his confidence in the Lord’s provision is again in his statement of priority.
- Fear grips us when we have our priorities wrong
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Thought: Elijah’s statement is not one of greed or lack of compassion towards the widow and her son. But it is a statement of priority. He says ”Don’t be afraid”, “The Lord promised to provide for you until the drought ends”.
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- It was a request that the widow could give. She had the means IF HER PRIORITIES WERE IN ALIGNMENT.
- God asks us to do only what we are able to do in the natural world to allow his supernatural to be manifested.
Question: In my WHAT NOW circumstance, are my priorities good? Are they in alignment with God where we recognize our cakes per say and ask what God is asking from me?
- THOUGHT: CONVICTION TO CONVERSION
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1 KINGS 18:1
1 After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”
1 KINGS 18: 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. 19Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
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- Confronting the evil of the nation..
- Feeling alone and being accused…
1 Kings 18:20-24 ESV
20So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
SUMMARIZE:
22Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
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- The prophets of Baal called upon Baal and exhibited fanatical devotion which included self-mutilation.
- His conviction gave him the ability to confront both Ahab and the followers of Baal as well as the Nation of Israel.
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30Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
1 KINGS 18: 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
- Building off of his obedience and the right priorities Elijah shows his conviction towards the Lord and the outcome that ONLY the Lord can do by confronting Ahab and Israel who was following Baal.
- Contrast the prophets of Baal’s prayers and devotion versus the simple conviction and prayer of Elijah.
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1 KINGS 18: 36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
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- Conviction was displayed by Elijah who was the only prophet of God while 450 prophets of Baal were against him. This
Thought: Conviction brings assurance that we are not alone and that God has us in our WHAT NOW circumstances.
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- Conviction of following God righteously.
- Conviction that God would display His power
- Conviction through His word and His Spirit brings authority
- His prayer is simple and contrasted by the prophets of Baal’s frantic shouts and self-mutilation.
- It was this conviction that manifested God’s miraculous power and therefore turned the hearts of men back towards God.
- Conviction to Conversion
- Israel
- Drought to Rain
1 Kings 18:41-45 ESV 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” 42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. 44And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”
1 KINGS 18: 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain…
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- To display God’s power, Elijah exhibits his conviction that God will show up and do only what the Lord can do.
Thought: The conviction to PERSEVERE and ENDURE the trial with CONFIDENCE.
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Question: I need to ask in my WHAT NOW circumstance where my conviction is? How does my actions speak of my conviction and whether it is to confront, endure and persevere?
1 Kings 19:1-3 ESV 1Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
Why is this so important???
1 Kings 19:4-8 ESV 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
- BROKENNESS TO REFRESHMENT:
THOUGHT: Elijah did not hide his brokenness, depression, suicidal thoughts from God! He stated it, admitted it and was honest in his desperation for the Lord even to the point of asking the Lord to take his life.
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- We need to have this same honesty, not a false sense of humility or strength but rather to be broken before him.
- Rest and self care is essential for believers in Christ. He chose to accept God’s supernatural provision even in the darkest place He may have ever experienced.
- He chose to let go and allow God to provide him rest and sustenance.
1 Kings 19:9-15 ESV 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in 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. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.a 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, 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.” 15 And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
THOUGHT: GOD’S REFRESHING HOLY SPIRIT IS WHAT WE NEED TO FACE OUR WHAT NOW TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS.
Can we receive HIS rain this morning in your life and WHAT NOW circumstance!!!
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