Sermon Tone Analysis

Good Morning, it sure is good to be here this morning.

Turn with me in your Bibles this morning to want to speak on this subject ARE YOU THERE?

I want you to notice in this passage that word, THERE.

When you read that word in this passage you cant miss it its there.

This is why the average person never knows the will of God for their life.

When God calls, He commands, When God calls He commands.

So he calls you to do something, and your trying to figure out how you can do it.

As a result most people never are THERE because instead of simply trusting and obeying what God has asked of you to do, you have paralysis by analysis.

In David says “Teach me your statutes oh Lord and I will do them.”

But He didnt nkow what they were yet!

You dont have to, in the Christian life you say yes before you know what the command is, because you trust the One who is calling.

So God calls but when God calls He commands.

Let’s figure out whats going on in this passage this morning.

It’s the darkest days in Israels history.

Elijah the prophet of the living God is raised up, right now in our nation the question is this.

Is it really as dark as it seems in America or is there really just that much of an absence of light.

Elijah comes on to the scene to serve the Lord, by coming against the evils of the day.

The people were worshipping false gods such as baal.

This was a vile sensual cruel religion where they would make immorral sexual acts part of their religious duty.

Baal was a pagan false god.

What was his major attribute?

To those who followed him he was supposed to control the rain and the fertility.

In this account today Elijah is going to tell them its not going to rain for years but its not going to bother the people of the day why? because baal is in charge of the rain.

SO THEY THINK.

So Elijahs message to King Ahab demonstrated great faith in the Lord I mean God had to speak to him to go to such a wicked force with such boldness, and were going to talk about that and what it means for you and me.

Before King ahab the other kings before him were all wicked men.

Jezebel was one of the major leaders in turning people away from the true and living God.

Public worship had all but vanished idolatry was widespread.

Apparently the people believed that Baal lived and God was dead.

With all of this in mind, God raises up the prophet Elijah.

So please read along with me in .

1 Kings 17:1

“before whom I stand”

HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT IN THIS LIFE WHAT MATTERS IS NOT REALLY YOUR LOCATION, BUT YOUR POSITION.

He was aware that he was aided by God, and that He was in Gods presence.

Proverbs

The word boldness is really interesting in the Hebrew and the Greek it means freedom of speech.

LEt me say something, we live in a where they call evil good and good evil.

There are many people who wonder well if the church is supposed to be loving does the church need to address the moral evil of the day?

Should we speak up about the sin that congress is saying is legal? to that I’ll only say one thing: ONLY IF YOU WANT TO BE BIBLICAL!

It is our duty to expose the deeds of darkness and shine the light of Gods truth on them.

That wont win you many fans but it will help you be in the will of God.

Let me tell you something, when God calls HE commands we dont get to choose where God sends us or what we will do He created us with a purpose and He wants us to know what it is.

When He calls He commands you where to go!

I’m telling you I never spoke publically in Highschool I worked every angle I could not to, made it through school skipping speech class, did all kind of bonus work in order to pass with a D in the class.

I graduated 74 out of 74 and I swore I would do anything in this world so long as I didnt have to speak in public.

Fast forward 9 years and I speak publically for a living 3 times a week and do special services for people, the majority of what I do is speaking in public, if you wanna hear God laugh tell him your plans.

I graduated 74 out of 74 and now I am tasked with teaching the word of God to Sunday School teachers who have been in church longer than I have been saved and teachers and professors who are much smarter than I am.

GOD CALLS AND GOD EQUIPS, AND GOD COMMANDS.

As God as my witness even after I surrenderd to Gods call on my life to become a minister I did not want to come to a church that was already established let alone a traditional Southern Baptist church.

I was gonna plant a church from the ground up it was really a passion of mine and then that one faithful night in Graceville Florida as I prepared to move my family to Texas to pursue my masters in church planting.

god woke me up in the middle of the night and informed me that I would be pastoring UHBC which I didnt understand but 3 days after that Rob Lightsey who was the pastor called me into his office along with another young man named Ryan Ayala and it was there he informed me that he was going to be stepping down.

GODS GOT A PLAN, AND ITS SCARY AND OFTEN TIMES IT AINT COMFORTABLE BUT IF YOU EVER GET THERE in your walk with the Lord then it wont matter where He calls youll go, whatever He says do youll do because you love Him and you want nothing more but to be obedient to Him amen?

This is what I love about my Bible, here God tells him when to go and hide but in He tells him to show himself.

Now just follow me for a minute.

You need to get sensitive enough to Jesus, that you know when its time to hide and yuo know whenits time to show up.

you start hiding when its time to show up and you dont experience Gods protection.

Did you see that anytime, that god calls God commands.

WHEN GOD CALLS HE COMMANDS

WHERE GOD GUIDES, GOD PROVIDES

So God called Elijah and He commanded the ravens to feed him there.

They brought him flesh and bread.

God says He is going to deliver flesh, meat, to the man of God and He gives it to of all birds the raven.

The raven is a flesh eating animal....

I have a question to ask...

HAS GOD EVER GIVEN YOU SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE AN APPETITE FOR THATS NOT FOR YOU!

If we FAIL TO FUND THE GREAT COMMISSION, IT WONT BE BECAUSE GOD DIDNT GIVE THE RESOURCES.

BUT WE KEPT WHAT WE LOVED INSTEAD OF DELIVERING IT TO THE PERSON GOD WANTS US TO GIVE IT TO.

God can trust a BIRD A RAVEN, TO DELIVER FOOD, GOD CAN COMMAND A ROOSTER TO CROW, A DONKEY TO SPEAK, A BUSH TO BURN....

But the crown of his creation HUMANS WE ARE STINGY WITH OUR OFFERINGS, BOTH TO GOD AND OTHERS.

Let me tell you something, I was sitting in my back yard the other night and I was looking at our new house.

I was thinking about this place and thanking God for bringing us here.

Many of you are not our friends you are our kids grandparents, and uncles and aunts.

You are our family.

I stood there looking at our new house and thanking god for providing the ability for us to own a home.

something I never thought I would own.

As I was sitting there just a having a praise session, something happened…

Just a clearly as if He were sitting next to me God spoke and He said.... Would you sell it, if I told you to?

I was shocked and taken back, well yes Lord you know I would, if thats what you wanted… but I just got it… prayed for so long and now I have it.

The Lord said again, would you sell it if I told you to.... and again I replied yes Lord you know my heart if thats what you wanted I would do it.

No response after that.

It alarmed me and I began asking the Lord what He meant by that, honestly I think He was just trying to tell me.

Don’t hold with a closed fist something that I require you to hold with an open hand.

You see in life there are some things we are supposed to hold with a closed fist…meaning we are never to let go of them.

the promises of God for example, who God says we are in Christ as another, but material things we are to hold with an open hand ready to give them up if that is what the Lord requires.

THIS IS THE POINT OF THE SERMON

HOLD ON LOOSELY TO THE WORLD, BUT HOLD ON TIGHTLY TO THE LORD.

thats what you see the prophet doing, where He lived made no difference, where He went made no difference, what He was going to do with his life all depended upon the guidance of the Lord.

There is no safer place than the will of God.

But it doesnt always mean that the will of God will carry you to a safe place.

You will never know the will of God until you get THERE… WHERE Kyle???

You will never know the will of God for your life until you get to the place where it doesnt matter what the Lord asks of you, you ready to go, give, serve, surrender, whatever He commands of you.

Some of you are Ravens.... you have money but if the Lord asks you to give it away you give it freely, if you have dreams you are willing to lay them down in order to walk with God, some of you want so badly to live a better life and to experience the Lord, and you need to know God is waiting on you THERE.

At the place of complete surrender where you lay all that you are into the palm of his hand and say wherever He leads I’ll go, wherever He leads I’ll go, I’ll follow my Christ that loves me so.

Wherever He leads I’ll go.

Simple obedience

Let me tell you why the average person will never be THERE.

They really think they can do a better job managing their life than He can.

Now let me ask you a question, have you ever been following the Lord and you were certain that the Lord sent you there, whether it be a job, or a situation, or even a church, and it became a really dry place?

I guarantee you there is someone this morning in this room whose life is dry, and parched and withered and all you have tried to do is be obedient the the Lord, and you going through a brook drying experience.