Overcoming Defeat

October 27th 2024

Series: Days of Elijah

Sermon Title: Elijah – Overcoming Defeat

Topic:Journey through the life of Elijah to learn how he became an incredible man of God.

Key Passages: 1 Kings 19: 1-18

Topic: Elijah, Idols, Miracle

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we will see how to never step into a season of defeat and how to get out if you are in one. Depression, anxiety, and so on could also be present.

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Sermon:

Hello Family Church!

Family Moment –

Start with something personal from your family life recently to help people get to know you.

Celebrate salvation / re-dedications / baptisms last week.

Welcome back to week #3 in our study of the prophet Elijah in the Bible.

Three weeks ago, we saw how God had prepared Elijah to become a man of God.

Two weeks ago, we saw Elijah confront idol worship.

Last week we saw how to pray with POWER like Elijah…

And this week we will see how to overcome defeat.

Open your Bibles to

1 Kings 19

, and we will pick up where we left off.

New Person Bible Connection:

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Today, we sadly wrap up our study of the prophet Elijah in the Bible.

As you are turning there, I’ll tell you my cheesy opening joke. One time a professor had a class full of freshmen from all over the world, and he asked them, he said, “Hey, what is the opposite of joy?” And one gal from China raised her hand and she said, “The opposite of joy is, it is sadness,” and the professor said, “Right. You are absolutely right.”

And then he said, “What is the opposite of defeat?” And the guy from France raised his hand. He said, “Uh, the opposite of defeat, is victory?” And the professor said, “You are absolutely right.”

Then he asked the question, “What is the opposite of woe?” And the guy from Texas said, “Well, I suppose the opposite of woe would be giddy up.” Giddy up, giddy up.

Defeated is what I feel right now, because you did not laugh at my cheesy opening joke as loudly as I had hoped!

PAUSE

Today, we are going to talk about how to overcome defeat.

Too many of us walk through life feeling defeated.

One thing that may shock you is even men and women of God feel defeated from time to time.

I know plenty of people in ministry who struggle with depression.

So today, we are going to look at Elijah's life and the period of defeat that he experienced.

Now let’s keep this in context…

A few weeks ago, we read about Elijah having one of the greatest victories ever on Mount Carmel, where he saw God work in a supernatural way.

Elijah had a standoff with 450 prophets of these false gods and he didn’t just win….he slaughtered them…quite literally..

Then he prayed for rain…and after 3+ years of a drought a MANSOON pours down!!!

He has had some AMAZING victories in life!!!

PAUSE

But after that time he slid into a very low point in his life.

So, we will pick up the story of Elijah in I Kings 19, starting in verse 1.

1 Kings 19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he killed all the prophets with the sword.

Now, let’s backtrack a little for those that are new.

If you remember, Ahab was an evil king.

He was the nineteenth consecutive evil king in Israel, and scripture tells us he had done more evil in the eyes of God than any of those before him.

On Mount Carmel Elijah faced off against ALL the kings EVIL prophets and won!

And right after that, he told all the people now, “KILL all the false prophets,” and they did.

And the King didn’t do anything about it.

In fact, right after all the false prophets were killed, he went and feasted!

Then he went home and told his wife what happened; and let’s see how she responded.

“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 one of them.’ "

In other words, “I’m going to kill you.

You are going to be a dead man of God by tomorrow.”

Then the Bible says in verse 3,

“Elijah was afraid and, he, ran for his life.”

Now, now, now, wait a minute.

When we read this, this is very confusing.

If you think back to all that God had done in Elijah’s life why did he run?

Let me take a minute and recap all the amazing things God did in Elijah’s life so you can see why this is confusing.

In week number one, Elijah told the king, “It’s not going to rain until I pray to God and ask Him to send rain.”

And it doesn’t rain for 3 years.

Then, God takes him to this place called Karith Ravine, where God miraculously provides food by bird morning and night!!!

While there is no rain he has a brook with all the water he needs.

Then God sent him to a place called Zarephath, where he met a widow, who had just a little bit of oil, a little bit of flour..

She thought she was going to die, and God miraculously multiplied that flour and oil, so that it was enough to sustain the widow, her family and Elijah.

God showed up again.

Then, one day, the widow’s son died, and for the first time ever recorded in scripture, Elijah prays and God raises this boy from the dead!

In week 2 we saw God call Elijah back to go confront the king, and he says, “Get the four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah.

Bring them up to Mount Carmel, and we are going to see who serves the real God.”

Long story short…Only our God, Elijah’s God shows up!

Last week, Elijah prays, “God, send rain.” And sure enough, heavy rain comes!

And to cap off the miracle’s Elijah shows us how I could even out run my wife; and if you don’t know what that means listen to the sermon from last week!

Miraculous provision, miraculous protection, miraculous God.

Over and over and over again, for years, Elijah has seen the faithfulness of God.

And then one day, this evil queen says, “I am going to kill you,” and he freaks out.

He panics, and he runs for his life.

PAUSE

Why is he afraid of this queen?

This is a real issue!

It is so easy to slip into this mentality of defeat when….

when a doctor tells us something we don’t want to hear

when we lose our job,

when we lose a loved one,

when we don’t make a sports team,

when we don’t get a promotion….

Studies show at almost 10% of Americans struggle with depression!

That means in this room; ADD NUMBER people are most likely struggling with depression right now.

One thing that I found interesting when studying depression; is that I never found a study that showed people do ANYTHING to prevent getting depressed the first time.

I think that is because we NEVER expect it will happen to us.

So, we don’t put any safe guards in place to make sure it doesn’t.

So that is what we are going to do today!

We are going to look at the life of Elijah and see 4 places that he missed some safe guards that would have kept him from getting to the place where he was defeated and depressed potentially.

And I believe this message if we REALLY apply it in our lives will RADICALLY change the lives of those feeling defeated in the room today.

And maybe this will SAVE others from ever getting there.

PAUSE

Let’s start by looking at four ways we can walk ourselves into a season of feeling defeated…

Or depressed…

Or anxious…

Then, we will look at ways to keep us from ever getting there!

I Kings 19, When Elijah 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 he prayed that he might die.”

Here is a picture of a broom tree.

I never knew what one looked like till I prepared for this sermon.

Think about this…..Elijah just had this great victory, and now because of this one person threating him; he is praying that his life would end. Doesn’t that remind you of the widow we discussed in week 2? She said the same thing: I am going to make this meal and then DIE!

But back then Elijah spoke life into her and said, “No you’re not!”

Now it seems Elijah has slipped into defeat and maybe depression!

He, he prays,

"I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.”

How do you slip into defeat in four easy steps? If you are taking notes,

Step 1: do what Elijah did.

How to slip into defeat, depression, anxiety: Step 1: Wear yourself out.

Wear yourself out.

Look at this MAP

He couldn’t have run any farther than he did.

The place that he ran was the very southern tip.

Then he leaves his servant and runs another day’s journey out into the desert.

He went as far as he could, and he was totally and physically exhausted… much like many of you.

And then we wonder why…

“Why am I depressed?”

“Why do I feel like a loser.”

“Why do I feel so defeated in life.”

Well, you’ve worn yourself out.

Some of you moms, you’re working a full-time job, taking care of the house, putting dinner on the table, carting kids all over the world, involved in PTA, involved in the church, and you’re wondering why you feel like you can’t keep up.

Some of you, you dads leave for work before the sun rises. You get home when the sun is going down. You just want to crash when your home. You don’t want to invest in your kids. You don’t want to pamper your spouse. You just want to crash.

You’re wearing yourself out.

Some of you, it’s not just a physical exertion, but it’s all up here.

It’s mental.

You are always thinking, “I’ve got to be there for them, and I’ve to make sure that, that they’re covered. And I’ve got to be strong for everybody. And I’ve got to be the provider. And so on….” and it’s all this stuff going in your head. You’re totally exhausted.

You’ve worn yourself out.

Step number 1 to entering into a season of defeat is to wear yourself out.

Step 2: Shut people out.

That’s exactly what Elijah did.

He abandoned his closest follower, his servant.

He said, “You stay here, and I’m going on.”

And quite honestly, that’s what a lot of us do when we get overwhelmed.

We say, “I’m not going to let you in.

I’m not going to tell you what I’m going through.

If I did, you wouldn’t understand, anyway.”

So, we wall up, and we start to push people away.

I’m going to deal with this myself.

I can get through with it.

You wouldn’t even understand what I’m going through, anyway.

We start to stiff-arm people.

Do you want to get depressed or defeated?

Wear yourself out.

Shut people out.

Step 3: Focus on the negative.

This is exactly what our hero, the man of God in great faith, did.

What did he say?

He said, “I’ve had enough. I’m, I’m no better than my ancestors.”

What’s funny is, nobody was asking if he was!!!!

His self-pity started to take over.

And what self-pity d???

It exaggerates.

Doesn’t it?

Self-pity exaggerates.

“I’m never going to be any good.

I’m always going to be stuck in this life.

My life’s never going to get any better.

I’m never going to get into that college anyway.

I’m never going to get the promotion.

My kids are never going to come to Christ.

After that ice cream I just ate, I will never fit in these jeans again.”

Right? You know, it’s just an exaggeration, and it focuses on the negative.

It’s all the bad things, and none of the good things.

But if you want pain just wear yourself out like many of you have.

You shut others out.

You don’t let them in.

You focus on the negative, and then

Step 4: Forget God.

This is exactly what so many of us do.

I mean, imagine this. Everything we saw God do in the life of Elijah.

Supernatural protection!

Food delivery birds!

Raising the dead!

Fire from Heaven!

Raising the dead!

And so much more….

Elijah is just like us….

We go from seeing God show up in our life and being devoted to him.

To…doubting if God will be there when we are scared.

And here is what I have learned working with depressed people.

We can look from the outside and say LOOK BACK ELIJAH!

Look back at the faithfulness of God in your life.

God was there.

He provided.

He comforted.

He was your strength.

He was everything you needed!

Don’t let this one little thing drag you down!

You know better than that!

But when we are in that moment…

When I am defeated.

When I’m down.

I simply forget the faithfulness of God.

PAUSE

How to get defeated in four easy steps:

Wear yourself out.

Shut people out.

Focus on the negative.

And forget God.

PAUSE

Now, if you’re new today, you must be thinking you have shown up at the MOST DEPRESSING church ever!

Why would a church teach me how to get more depressed? This is the WORST!!!

PAUSE

So, let me cut to the chase.

Let me just give you a number you can call today if you have any issues and they will help you:

1-800-GodAnswers

When you call this is what you will hear

Welcome to God’s Hotline.

If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.

If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2.

If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5, and 6.

If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.

If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are depressed, it doesn't matter which number you press. No one will answer.

If you are delusional and occasionally hallucinate, please be aware that the thing you are holding on the side of your head is alive and about to bite off your ear.

I am just kidding….

So, let’s talk about the answer.

Once we get into this head space…how do we get out of it?

Let’s dive back into the Bible, and we will find what I call God’s prescription for overcoming defeat, depression, and anxiety.

The stories continues with this…verse 5….

5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. At once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”

Elijah, he didn’t have any hope.

He’s hiding.

He wants to die.

And I want you to notice what happens.

God sends an angel.

And I want you to notice what God does NOT do through this angel.

The angel does NOT preach to him.

The angels does NOT rebuke him.

The angel does NOT shame him.

The angel does not say…

“Oh, if you only had more faith.

If you only memorized more Bible verses.

If you just quoted the Bible you wouldn’t be here.

If you were a real man you wouldn’t be depressed…”

There is no rebuke, nothing negative.

The first thing that the angel of God does is say, “Let’s Eat.”

The first part of the prescription to overcome defeat, depression, anxiety…fill in what you struggle with…..

God’s Prescription to Overcome Defeat, Depression, Anxiety Prescription Part 1: Rest, Eat and then Go.

Verses 5 and 7 say the same thing, “Get up and eat.”

And I just say, I love the way God provides food all the time in Elijah’s life!

I mean, I’m a big fan of food, and that just makes me thankful.

This is the third time God has provided Elijah the food he needed right when he needed it!

Let’s keep reading….

6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

Scripture says, “He ate and drank and then lay down again.”

Eat and rest.

Some of you the most spiritually nourishing thing you could do today is eat & rest.

In fact, perhaps one of the most disobeyed commandments of God in the world we live in is rest.

God calls us to honor him and take one day off a week and rest.

Yet how few people give God one FULL day of rest?

We just shake that off like it, like it’s nothing.

God calls ALL of us to take ONE day a week and REST.

Perhaps the most spiritual thing some of you can do is learn to rest.

And I know what you are thinking because I’m thinking the same thing.

But, I have to do this and I have to do that!

But I believe God would say to you:

It does not matter if the clothes are dirty.

It doesn’t matter if the house is not clean.

It does not matter if the yard is not mowed.

It doesn’t matter if a few things go undone,

God would say rest…..

PAUSE

The angel of the Lord provides food, and lets him take a nap…then…

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.

Do you see it again?

Rest, eat.

Eat, rest.

Why…because I am preparing you to get back into the game!

God’s prescription: for defeat, for depression, for anxiety: Eat and rest, and go to the place where you will experience God.

The first thing he does. He says, “Rest, Eat and Go.”

Then…write this down….

Prescription Part 2: Replace the devils lies with God’s truth.

Repeat

This is going to speak to some of you.

Let God replace the lies that we are believing with His truth.

Let’s see this happen…..verse 9

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?”

Now, let’s just pause there and acknowledge that God already knew what Elijah was doing there.

What God wanted Elijah to do was to voice his problem.

To verbalize the lies he believes.

So, God could correct the lies.

Verse 10…

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.

The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”

Can’t you hear him……

He sounds like Eor from Poop Bear to me…

USE EOR voice….

No one cares like me.

Everybody’s depending on me.

I’m all alone.

Nobody understands how hard my life is.”

If you read the rest of this chapter, you will see at the end, God says, “Nope, there’s seven thousand other Israelites.

Seven thousand others have not bowed down to the false gods of Baal and Asherah.

There are seven thousand others still seeking Me and praying.

Don’t believe the lies.

You’re not the only one.”

God is saying the same thing to many of you today!

DON’T believe the lies!

You might think….

“Oh, my marriage could never be healed.”

With God, all things are possible.

Replace the lie with the truth.

“My kids, oh, they’re never going to come back to Christ.”

With the faith as small as a mustard seed, God can remove mountains.

“Oh, I got this bad medical report.”

God can do miracles!

Stop thinking….

My life’s never going to be any better.

I’m never going to have an intimate relationship.

I’m going to be all alone for the rest of my life.

I’m stuck in this dead end job.

I can’t make a difference.

My husband’s never going to believe in Christ.

I’m always going to be alone.

God says takes those LIES and replaces them with God’s TRUTH.

The Bible says….“Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.”

Stop listening to those lies!

Don’t believe the lies.

God’s prescription take rest, then eat some GOOD food, then replace the lies that you are believing with the truth of God.

And then…write this down…

Prescription Part 3: Listen to the still, small voice.

Repeat

Now, remember Elijah has seen God show up in some BIG ways….

Raising people from the dead, raining down fire, providing never ending food supplies.

So, he goes to meet with God and he’s probably thinking, “God’s going to show up with something BIG again!”

But watch what the Bible says. Verse 11,

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.

Sometimes, when we are at our lowest, God seems to speak the softest.

Sometimes, it’s just a word.

It may not be much.

It may not be loud.

God can and will speak to you.

If you listen closely enough, you may just hear that still, small voice.

Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you could do is eat & rest.

Other times, you have to capture those lies and replace them with truth.

Sometimes you just need to sit and listen for the voice of God.

And lastly….

Prescription Part 4: Go back to your calling.

To overcome depression, God says, “Eat and rest.

Replace the lies with truth.

Listen for my small voice.

And now watch him call Elijah back to his calling.

Let’s keep reading the rest of verse 13.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.

The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”

There is something I want you to notice right here.

We are at step 4 of our prescription and God asks him the same question he did a few verses earlier he still replies the same!

If you are here today and you are struggling with defeat; hear me….victory does not come overnight!

And sometimes we choose to stay defeated!

God sent him an Angel!

God sent him food.

God sent him food again.

God spoke to him!

And Elijah is still acting like eor!

Sometimes it is a LONG battle but we have to keep pressing into God!

Sometimes the key to victory is following where God is calling us to go but we might not want to go!

Verse 15:

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.

In other words, “Go back to doing what you’re called to do.

Go back to your life’s work.

God back to what I designed you to do!”

I believe the Spirit of the Lord will speak too many of you today and say,

“There is something yet for you to do.”

You, you feel down.

You feel blue.

You feel hopeless.

You feel afraid.

You’re unsure.

You’ve lost your confidence.

GOD says, “You’re still alive, you are not done!”

If you are still here, it is because God has something to do.

God says to Elijah, “Go back to doing what prophets do!”

You may say, “Well, I am not a prophet.” Well, what are you?

You’re a mom, go back to doing what moms do.

Are you a business person? Go back to doing what a business person do

Are, are you a person of prayer? Go back to praying like people of God pray.

Do you have the gift of serving? Go back and serve someone.

Do you have the gift of giving? Go and give something.

Go back and do what God called you to do, and watch as He brings life back out of you!

Go back, MAN OF GOD.

Go back, WOMAN of GOD!

If you want to overcome defeat!

Eat, rest and Go.

Let God replace those lies with His truth.

Listen to the still, small voice.

Go back to your calling.

Church we do not have to walk into defeat; and if you will apply the things from the beginning of the sermon you will never have to!

PAUSE

So here we are….at the end of the series on Elijah.

Does anyone want to see how his life ends?

Or would you rather I left this series as a cliff hanger and you never know how it ends?

Any preferences?

Anyone want to finish it out or should I just pray?

Finished based on the crowd!

Check this out.

God gave Elijah a great gift in the end of his life.

God, God gave him someone who believed in him.

God gave him someone to train.

God gave him someone to teach.

God gave him someone to craft into the next man of God.

The next prophet.

God gave him Elisha.

Elijah goes on to become one of ONLY two people in all of the Bible recorded, as never, ever dying.

God sent a chariot of fire from the sky, and swept him up and took him on to heaven!

So, church, here is our life application for this week.

Life Application: Is there an area of your life that is overcoming you? Try God’s method for Elijah and see what happens! As a result of today’s message, I will _________________________.

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