How to Recover from a Mistake

We examined how God used the widow woman to supply Elijah’s need, as well as how Elijah supplied her need. Reminding us of Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

How the Fire Falls (1Ki. 18)

During a Feeble time w/ Depraved leadership & Divided people

God provided a Faithful man, who challenged his people; chastised false worship; Corrected the Basis of Worship; who had Confidence in God & Called upon the same

A Falling Fire

Came Powerfully; Sufficiently; Convincingly & Effectively.

How to Get Back in the Saddle

I. The Immorality of the Enemy (v1-4)

Unmistakable; Unconverted; Unsettling

II. The Indulgence of the LORD (v5-8)

Elijah Retreated; God allowed him Rest (v5-6b); God provided Refreshment for the Moment (v5b-6a); God gave Resources for the Journey (v7)

III. The Insight of the LORD (v9-12)

A Prophet Disheartened; God’s Power was Demonstrated; God’s Presence was Discovered

IV. The Instruction of the LORD (v13-18)

Get Back Where you Belong (v15a); Bless the Next Generation (v15b-16)

Be Encouraged

I Have a Plan (v17)

You are Not Alone (v18)

How to Have Peace Under Fire

I. The Reason for the Fire

For Following the Spirit’s Lead (v3); For Declaring the Word of the LORD (v4); For Having a Familiar a Description (v7-8)

II. The Right Way to Handle It

Be Situated Properly (v9b); Stand Fast in your Heritage (v10a); Stay Firm in Your Position (v9-12); Be Perceptive to the Spirit (v13-15)

III. The Rest of the Story

God Protected (v15); God’s Word was Proclaimed (v16); God’s Will was Performed (v17)

How to be Faithful in Times of Trouble

I. A Troubled Time

The Burden of Loss

The Opportunities it Presented;

Reviving of the Brethren; Remembering of the Past; The Resolve to Continue the Work

II. A Testimony of Faithfulness

Through the Pressures of the Known; Through the Pressures of the Unknown; Through the Voices of Discouragement

III. A Transformative Result

Because He was Faithful…

His Prayer was Answered; He Performed Miracles; He Proved His Calling

How to Set the Tone

I. The Waters were Cured

A Pitiful Land (v19); A Pristine Vessel and a Powerful Agent (v20); A Pronouncement Made (v21); A Purification Provided (v22)

II. The Mockers were Cursed

A Fallen City (v23a); A Faithless Generation (v23b); A Fury Unleashed (v24a); A Future Altered (v24b)

How to Solve a Problem

I. The Problem (v1a)

A Lack of Plan / Preparation; A Passing; A Pledge Unfulfilled

II. The Petition (v1b)

He had the Right Standing; She had the Right Source

III. The Plan (v2-6)

Was Faith Based; Faith in Procuring; Faith in Pouring

IV. The Providence (v7)

A Debt Settled; A Future Supplied

How to Bear Children

I. Our Conduct Unto Men

Her Description (v8a); Her Disposition (v8b); Her Duration (v8c)

II. Our Countenance Toward God

Her Discernment (v9); Her Devotion (v10); Her Deference (v13)

III. Children will be Born

Her Child was Born (v13)

How to Make the Dead Live

I. A Mediating Force

Her Care for him (v20); Her Commitment of him to God (v21); It was Crucial to Her (v22); Her Confidence (v23); Her Clarity (v24); Her Conviction (v27); Her Continuance (v30)

II. A Miracle-Working God

An Intervention (v30b); An Intimate Encounter (v32-34); An Indwelling & Expelling (v35)

Tonight, we're going to look at this short passage of scripture. In turn, I believe I have a shorter message for you tonight, but an interesting one that I think can be most helpful to you and I.

As we saw in our text, one of the sons of the prophets had made a bad mistake, but by the end of the story, the mistake was fixed, and they were able to find nourishment and continue on their way.

Tonight I hope that we can see some principles that we can apply to our hearts and lives when we make mistakes in this life and how we can move forward.

First we see there was a Responsibility Given

I. There was a Responsibility Given

A Naked Land

Our text opens up speaking about a dearth in the land. This is a time of famine for the children of Israel.

It is most certainly a time of famine physically and somewhat, you would say, spiritually.

You had a great man of God such as Elisha on the scene, and also many "sons of the prophets" that studied under him, who were doing their best to spread the true religion throughout the land. Wicked rulers in power for the children of Israel, for the northern kingdom where they're at.

Ecclesiastes 1:9–10 “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.”

The way it was is the way it is, save we have no real hunger in this country. But Spiritually speaking, you have some standing for truth, many standing amiss & wickedness in high places.

We see a Naked Land

A Noble Mission

Elijah would send his servant on a mission to feed the sons of the prophets. He would then, in turn, send others out to gather herbs for the pottage.

Why I say this is a noble mission because everything that they were doing was right. There was nothing wrong with the plan.

It was a noble mission, for a needy people

A Needy People

Lastly, here I just want to mention that food was something that everyone needs at some point or other. There was a famine in the land, and these people needed food.

APPLICATION

You and I as Christians have been placed in a naked land.

As I said, we have no shortage of food in this country, but we surely have a shortage of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It didn't used to always be this way, but it is now, and it's growing increasingly worse.

You and I have also been given a noble mission.

It's our job to try our best to feed people in this naked land. Our Lord told us upon His Ascension: Matthew 28:19–20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

We have a most noble mission. The noblest of all.

In church, there is a very needy people.

There are people that don't know the Lord and need to know.

There are people who know the plan of salvation but reject it.

There are people who are worshiping a false Christ; that needs the truth.

There are people who are under a false sense of security, who have a profession with no possession.

You and I have been given this great responsibility, this great noble mission unto a needy people in a naked land.

There’s a Responsibility Given

II. There was Rot in the Pot

In the midst of them going about doing this business, we see next that there is rot in the pot. Something has gone wrong with the mission and their execution thereof.

Was Placed by Accident

Those who went out had good intentions. They just had poor execution. For whatever reason, they picked wild gourds, thought that it would be a good thing, but yet it turned out to be harmful.

This was not intentional; it was accidental.

Was Polluting the People

This mistake, though well-intentioned, ended up polluting the people. It was poisoning the very people that they had sought to give nourishment to.

It's not just that it wasn't helpful, but it was harmful. It's not just that it didn't have a neutral effect, but a negative one.

Therefore, it brought more Peril than Plenitude

It Brought more Peril than Plenitude

Plentitude (def) fulness; abundance

In other words, it brought more harm than good.

APPLICATION

It's here where the application narrows. For in order for this message to help you, you must have either had or will make a mistake in your Christian ministry. Some of you may have never made a mistake. If that’s you, then God bless, but it’s not me.

(Ill.) Back when I used to sell farm equipment, I sold a round baler to a fella. Every month, the manufacturer would release an incentive schedule to calculate your true cost of the unit. On this particular deal, I miscalculated and ended up not making any money at all on it. When I went to the owner of the company with my tail tucked between my legs, he taught me a very valuable lesson. He told me, "If you're not making mistakes, you're not doing anything."

So maybe it is that if you're not making mistakes, maybe you're just not doing anything for the cause of Christ.

But sometimes we'll make mistakes, whether it's our interactions with lost people or interactions with saved people. But we'll make a mistake. It's not done maliciously, but it's harmful nonetheless.

And it pollutes people. It changes their mind about something, maybe in a negative way. What you meant for good, to help, actually ended up hurting.

I know I've done this, and (Ill.) there's a particular man that I've known in the past that offended in this manner often. They didn't mean to. What they meant to do was something good, but what they did actually brought more harm than good by the way they went about it.

Now, I want to make clear what I am saying and what I am not saying:

I'm saying that sometimes we can mess up.

I'm not saying that every time someone is offended by what we say, it's our fault.

As I have said on many occasions, the Word of God is offensive by itself. And I have not and will not ever apologize for what God has said. And if someone is offended by that, that is not what I'm talking about. That's not rot in the pot. That is a rot in the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”

(About Stephen) Acts 7:54 “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.”

Sometimes though WE make a mess of something - Inadvertently. - and cause more harm than good

There’s a Responsibility Given; There was Rot in the Pot

III. There was a Remedy Administered

So if there is rot in the pot and you caused it, let's see how to fix that mistake.

It was by Intervention of Man

We noticed that Elijah had to step in and do something. He told him to cast meal into the pot.

The first thing you need to do when you make a mistake is address it.

You do not gain anything by ignoring it. It's best to approach a problem head-on.

This truth goes both ways:

If you make the mistake, you should own up to it & address it

(Ill.) I remember years ago, I was teaching, and I inadvertently taught something that was wrong. It was a week or two later when I realized my mistake, and I had to address the church. I told the church I was wrong about that.

I could have ignored it. In all likelihood, most people would have never caught it. But I knew, and God knew. And the best remedy was to intervene.

If there is one that has offended you, you should address them about it as well.

As a pastor, periodically I have to address problems with people within the church. These are never fun conversations. But the alternative is far worse. (The alternative being ignoring it and hoping it goes away.)

Problems don't tend to be solved like that; they only fester.

The remedy for the situation when you find that you've messed up or made a mistake is first an intervention by man. You need to step up, take ownership, and address the situation.

It was by Intercession of God

Interposition (Def) A being placing or coming between

In other words, God steps in.

There was nothing miraculous in that meal, and the meal alone could not have taken the poison out of the pottage. The meal was simply a tool for God to act in the situation.

You see, when we intervene in the situation, when we face it head-on, then we're trusting God to move in that circumstance in what is being done.

For there to be true healing, God must step in.

(Ill.) And let me just say that unless God steps in, the healing will most likely not take place. I have been in a situation where when you have confrontation because of mistakes made, and the hardness of men's hearts has prevented healing, and the poison just lingers.

So you're counting on and praying for God to intervene and set things right in the hearts of men. That the poison will be stifled, and healing will begin.

In was by Interposition by God

It Caused a Transformation & Continuation

When man Intervened

When God Interceded

A transformation took place. The pottage was healed.

Not only was the pottage healed, it was used to strengthen the people that partook of it. It was food; it was sustenance for them.

You see, good things can come out of bad situations. God can use our mistakes for our good in his glory. And they can become food for us, things to strengthen us and to grow us as Christians.

These men were able to move forward because of the intervention of man and the intercession of God, even though a bad mistake was made.

Let this be a lesson to you and me, that we might not ignore our mistakes or problems, but might do all we can to mend them and grow from them.

Conclusion

I pray that tonight was able to give you some help on how to move forward when a mistake is made.

Maybe you're looking at your life, and you can name a few that you've made but have not addressed. Maybe this is God's way of telling you it's time to address it.

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