Elijah Lesson 7

Elijah

Lesson 7

Will the real God send rain!

Me:

1. Wednesdays Quiet Time

CHOOSE HIS PEACE

i. John 14:27 (NIV) — 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27 NLT

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

ii. When you focus on what you can accomplish

1. Every self-help book worth its weight will tell you that you have the power to be anything you want to be.

iii. Instead of God’s power

1. E.g., How to be a good communicator. Know your subject, know your audience, passion, humor.

2. The power of God trumps it all.

3. E.g., How to have a good marriage. Give and take. Love. Forgiveness. Don’t bring up the past.

4. But the power of God trumps it all.

iv. Your life will be characterized by defeat and frustration…

1. We Christians live very defeated lives.

2. The world doesn’t look at us and see lives of hope.

v. …rather than victory, peace, and joy.

1. Who doesn’t want that?

vi. Perhaps you are discouraged right now. Maybe you’ve been disillusioned by unmanageable circumstances and delayed dreams. But this is a sure indicator that you’re relying on the wrong foundation for your hope and security.

vii. There is only one source of true peace _____________________________

b. It has me thinking about my own life.

i. Am I relying on the power of God?

We:

A lesson we must learn.

a. The Lord alone can meet our desperate needs.

i. The Lord alone can comfort the agonizing cries of the human heart.

ii. The Lord alone can “Shepherd” us through the dark valleys of a terrible crisis.

b. Medical doctors can help.

i. They can ease the pain.

ii. Their help only delays the inevitable.

c. Counselors and friends help.

i. We can get advice.

ii. We can get encouragement.

iii. When we face difficulties a shoulder to cry on is a wonderful thing.

iv. But counselors and friends can never bridge the gap of alienation between man and God.

v. Friends will never give you the peace and assurance the Lord can.

d. Only God can meet this need.

i. Only God can meet the cry of the human heart for meaning and purpose and for a sense of security and fulfillment.

ii. A conquering, victorious spirit that triumphs over all the hardships, misfortunes, and temptations of this life can come only from the Lord.

God:

Let it rain!

a. Present yourself to the King.

i. 1 Kings 18:1 (NLT) — 1 Later on, in the third year of the drought, the LORD said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!”

1 Kings 18:1 NLT

Later on, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!”

ii. NO RAIN FOR THREE YEARS.

iii. Severe drought

iv. People are starving to death.

v. Baal was no help.

b. You would think.

i. Why wouldn’t the people turn back to God?

ii. They were depending on their own accomplishments.

iii. Think about it.

iv. Even when Elijah had his showdown.

v. They kept quiet.

God alone!

i. When we face the desperate situations of life, the Lord alone can help us.

ii. Here’s the message: The Lord will help us in our time of need.

You:

God’s promise

a. God is not slack concerning his promises.

i. John 6:35 (NLT) — 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

ii. Romans 8:28–29 (NLT) — 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

iii. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) — 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

iv. 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT) — 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

v. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) — 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

vi. James 4:7 (NLT) — 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We:

What Israel missed.

a. James 4:7 sums it up.

i. Humble yourselves before the Lord.