You're Not Alone
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
I mentioned this morning that as I was reading through Genesis this week, I was reminded when getting there around Genesis 18 where Abraham and God are going back and forth over saving Sodom and Gomorra of something that Ruth Graham had stated…I found this online written by Billy Graham in 2012:
"Some years ago, my wife, Ruth, was reading the draft of a book I was writing. When she finished a section describing the terrible downward spiral of our nation’s moral standards and the idolatry of worshiping false gods such as technology and sex, she startled me by exclaiming, “If God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
She was probably thinking of a passage in Ezekiel where God tells why He brought those cities to ruin.
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
I wonder what Ruth would think of America if she were alive today. In the years since she made that remark, millions of babies have been aborted and our nation seems largely unconcerned. Self-centered indulgence, pride, and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle."
Now, as I thought about this - it hit me. I understand what Ruth Graham meant, but when we back up and look at the whole picture, we can see something else concerning the contrast between Sodom and Gomorra and America and that is where I was reading in Genesis 18 - Here it is: there some righteous people left!
It’s not all about how wicked the nation is, but also the righteous that make up that nation, and in Sodom and Gomorra, we know that God would have spared them if there were only 10 righteous, but there weren’t. I want you to understand today the only reason America is still here is because of the righteous few that’s left...
It’s easy though to think we are it though isn’t it? It’s easy to think we are alone in this, but we aren’t, and that’s why found myself reading over in 1 Kings, because the best example in the Bible of this, is Elijah...
Let’s look at how Elijah is seen throughout 1 Kings 19...
Elijah is Wanted
Elijah is Wanted
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
Elijah had just experienced a great victory - called fire down from heaven and defeated the false prophets here, and now the evil queen Jezebel was on his trail.
Elijah is Wandering
Elijah is Wandering
And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
He wandered because of the problems he was looking at - I’ve often thought, and I’ve never been in this situation, and I’m not going to be too hard on Elijah here, but after seeing what he had with the false prophets and the fire falling from Heaven, you have thought that he would have stood up to Jezebel. He got his eyes off on his problems and it made him wander.
He wandered because of the servant he left - Elijah had a great help in all of this, but we find him leaving the servant behind - I’m sure if the servant had been with him, he could have been a help to him, he sure had been a help up to this point.
Elijah is Wishing
Elijah is Wishing
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
He prays an awful crazy prayer right here in this verse. How many times have we prayed some dumb prayers? I for one am glad that God doesn’t answer all my prayers! I’d be a mess!
Elijah prays that he would die! Why did he pray this? For the same reason we pray dumb prayers...
He was tired…We say things we don’t mean when we are tired.
He was troubled....We say things we don’t mean when we are troubled. Ain’t no way Elijah really wanted to die. There was a woman he was running from that would have gladly took care of that for him! But he was running! He didn’t really want to die.
Elijah is Weak
Elijah is Weak
And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
Hey, no matter how great men or women of God we might become, we still have our weak moments throughout life.
Elijah is Waited Upon
Elijah is Waited Upon
And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
Notice here that:
The angel touched him and took care of him…I’m glad that God will take care of us!
Elijah is Warned
Elijah is Warned
And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
God knew what laid ahead for Elijah and God knew that Elijah would never make it without His help.
There’s a powerful truth in this verse...When we experience God’s blessing on our life, it’s not always because we’re so close to God that He’s decided to bless us, but many times, it’s because He knows we need it in order to survive!
Sometimes God blesses us, not because we are so strong, but because we are so weak!
Elijah is Worried
Elijah is Worried
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
Notice, God says “What doest thou here, Elijah?”
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake 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:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
Look at the wind - Elijah, it’s not what you feel!
Look at the Earthquake - Elijah, it’s not in what you fear!
Look at the Fire - Elijah, it’s not in what you see!
Look at the Voice - Elijah, it’s in what you hear!
And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
God sends Elijah here, but doesn’t just send him, but sends him with a promise…He sends him with a promise that “You’re Not Alone!”
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
Look back at
And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
Why do you think that Elijah felt like he was all alone?
Because He was Scared
Because He was Scared
And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
He was looking with his physical eyes! I already mentioned that he was stuck on his problems!
He was allowing his emotions to lead him instead of facts! Ya’ll we have got to place facts over feelings! We might feel alone sometimes, but the fact is we aren’t!
Because He was Secluded
Because He was Secluded
1 Kings 19:4 “But he himself...”
He was alone as far as he could see with his physical eye…And you know why? He had pushed everyone out of his life. He had made more of the problem than it deserved! Isn’t that just like us? When discouraged, the first thing we do is separate from everyone, and then as the problem we have gets bigger and bigger, we talk about how we are in this thing by ourselves!
Because He was Soaking
Because He was Soaking
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
Ya’ll ever get under one of those juniper trees and just sit for a while?
When we become so self-conscious that it dominates our thinking, we are in trouble spiritually. When we get to the place where everything is about “me”, we need to check up. Someone is in trouble and on the verge of a time of discouragement and depression. We must always strive to be God-conscious.
Because He was Struggling
Because He was Struggling
James 5:17 says Elijah “…was a man subject to like passions as we are...”
He didn’t understand God’s plan.
He couldn’t put it all together.
He couldn’t figure it all out.
Here’s a question - How could Elijah feel like he was along after all God had just done for him?
Here’s the answer - The same way we do…All he had to do is look back and he could see what God had done in his life - Just like us.
Think about this and I’ll be done...
God had found him.
God had found him.
Can you imagine how hard it would be to find someone in the middle of the wilderness? It wasn’t a problem for God!
God had fed him.
God had fed him.
Think about it, what a miracle, what mercy, God could have let him die out there, but He chose to help him!
God had followed him.
God had followed him.
God was already there…God was with him every step of the journey!
God wanted Elijah to not go on what he saw, but on what he heard...
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Just like with Elijah, God wants us to trust in His will and His Word - If you don’t want to feel like you’re in this thing by yourself, then get in His will and His Word!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Elijah’s mentality changed in the wilderness, under a tree, and in a cave...
We see one more place where Elijah had a different attitude and he’s back on course and that’s a field…By the way, it’s the field of service…and look at what he finds:
So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
He finds a friend in the field, not just any friend either, but one who will labor with him…When Elijah met Elisha in the field of service, he never again felt like he was alone.
God knew all along what Elijah felt, where Elijah would be found, and what Elijah would face; and He does you too!