A different antidote when it gets too much
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intro and Tension
intro and Tension
Jeremiah 31:31-34
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah...declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people... for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
time of doom and gloom - Exile - Sin - isreal Failed God’s Commands and yet God saying; I have the antitode - a different Antidote -not here - coming,
Ever been in a time Doom and Gloom? Ever said “It’s just all too much”
This message for anyone with that cloud over them | God is here | Offering a different antidote on the table.
Title: A different antidote when it gets too much.
Hope: Today is the day you’re going to make a decision to cast your worries on Jesus
*Prayer* - Be seated.
Sermon Series; Built Different.
Last week we spoke about Different Priorities for a Different Calling.
May have noticed - This world, not your home - Called to be Different.
since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
What I love about our Church - Allow me to be real | not the message | About to walk through Change - I know what ‘they’ say when leading through change - “When there is change, make the ship strong, give people something concrete to follow” - Well, God has a diff plan. don’t do= vulnurble.
People ask; how write sermons? Start praying week before for Seed | Mon-Bit of discovery | Tuesday = Heavy study, prayer, worship - Really wrestling and sending Emma panic messages - Maybe Outline - Thurs write it.
This week = Cruisy - Then God said no - Only happened couple of times - tried to mash it together - Thurs night - Nope.
this is for someone - It’s not my messsage - It’s God’s Message that I am stewarding, but it is FOR Someone. I don’t really want to preach it, but I really want to be obedient to Christ.
OT Story | Truths | Home.
Today - Speak to people who have cloud - You know “The Cloud” - “The Cloud” could be anything:
A loved one has dissapointed you | loss | trying to plug in can’t | You are just riped with Anxiety | Condemnation | Things are just hard - get to the point “It’s all too much” If this is you, you’re not alone ,if i’t’s not you , it may be coming -
What’s amazing, Many times in Bible - some of God’s most amazing warriors also felt this way. God did something diff.
Elijah - Confronted evil king Ahab - Prophesies drought - 3 years hiding - Elijah did heaps of cool stuff in this time - Stood down 450 false prophets | Called fire from Heaven |
Then, after all that Miracle, after Miracle - One grumpy Woman get’s up in his Grill, and he falls completely apart.
Story - Ahab was bad - Wife worse | Jezebel said she was going to kill Elijah - and it just gets too much for Elijah - Let’s have a look.
I want you to notice what Elijah did;
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. 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.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
Notice Irrational = “Take my life” - His fear was dying - Some of you may be here; I can’t take it anymore.
*Death* *Overwhelm* *Anxiety* *lust* *Waiting*
What did Elijah do?
He shut people out - Isolated - It got too much, and he left his best friend behind.
He made his problem bigger than God - I’ve had enough
He forgot God - More so, He forgot what God had done through him.
I’ve been there - can I get vulnruble? - Here because of Christ | I want to see others set free | it’s my hearts desire, it’s my calling, it’s my life | Stepped into day 1 and into Fire | I stepped into one of hardest seasons of my life | It came at me like a steam train, I didn’t expect it and I fell into a hole, I felt like the walls where closing in | I remember sitting at my desk, texting my wife this very scripture and saying “I am Elijah, under the tree” - You might think that’s dramatic, but it’s true. And I can tell you, I made the same mistakes as Elijah
I shut people people out | I focued on the seed that Satan had planted | I forgot God was bigger than the situation
What we tend to do is turn- Face our Problems and forget our God. I have 2 big messages for you if you are under the tree;
You’re not Crazy 2. You’re going to get through it with the grace of God.
but it’s not a HOW - it’s a WHO and it’s a Different Antidote.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
We get in our mind about who Jesus is - Shepherd in painting - but Jesus says- I am the good shepherd
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Listen;
4 things we can do instead of what Elijah Did;
Get to know Jesus as who He truly is
He is Shepherd - staff in one hand, rod in other - He is your PROTECTOR - He has a ROD and Staff - not mild and one dimensional - He protects you - (Sheep isnt a big compliment)
Pulls you out of water with staff, and protects you with Rod.
God has got your back
God almighty is inviting you to let him be your shepherd.
2nd thing;
Keep Jesus First.
I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
I am going to set the Lord before me - He will be first. Cloud, you’re there, but you’re not First in my life. Jesus is First. Yes Anxiety, I am battling you, but you’re not as powerful as Jesus.
Not minimising Anxiety- not a simple formula, may not resolve by end of sermon - but you have a choice, to put Him First Anyway.
HIghschool with my brother
3rd thing = not revolitutionary here - Remember who your God is
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
What a prayer - Lord, you are my God” - you might say “I don’t want to be a fake” ok let’s be real - the tomb is empy and Jesus is alive!! The tomb is empty, and JESUS IS ALIVE.
When you finish the story, you know how it ends -
Number 4 - Sing the praise of the one who is greater
Jesus is greater than your situation - Greater than what is causing you to be afraid, geater than what ever is keeping you up at night.
His ways are different - but His ways are good.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the Undefeated Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and that is YOU JESUS, and that is not ME - and so I am going to Worship You in EVERY Situation.
Worship and Worry can’t come out of your mouth at the same time.
When I had this cloud - I was on my desk - I got this phone call - There are some people I’ll always answer | Well, this is the situation, you know, when Elijah was under tree - He said - Yep, keep going - I said What? - The story doesn’t end there.
What’s crazy Elijah name means EL = Elohim = I = My = JAH = Yaweh = My God is my Breath - My God is my Sutainer _ Strength -
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.
Where was God?
And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.
God was not in the Remarkable - God was in the Ordinary - Why when we are hurting, God doesn’t speak loud?
Get Emma Up - Whisper in Ear
God Whispers so that you know, he is close. The Lord is Near. In Elijah’s running, In Elijah’s isolation - The Lord was Near. and The Lord is Near to you.
Inspo and Close
Inspo and Close
Back in Jeremiah - God had a plan, he has the antitode.
Right here, right now, for your Cloud over your Head, God has the antitode. not a what - It’s a who. When you are at the valley - When you are in the dark - It may look like God is not there - but He has never left - He is just working.
So what to do?
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
400 years between OT and NT it went dark.
Get to know Jesus | Keep Him First | Remember who your God is | Sing the praise
And if you’ve been there for a long time I want to remind you - God kept His promise in Jeremiah for a New Covenant
that was an antidote, and he has an antidote for this entire world. It will resolve
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Sounds like Jeremiah’s promise - but with a bit of a difference.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
You’re not crazy - You will get through it with the Grace of God - The Lord is Near. It’s going to end in spectacular fashion, in eternity, with Him, Forever
prayer