Servants Persevere!
Notes
Transcript
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went 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 prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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.
So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Intro
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.
THE WICKED
Killed the prophets of the LORD
For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)
MURDERESS
But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?”
He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ”
Then Jezebel his wife said to him, “You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth. She wrote in the letters, saying,
Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, You have blasphemed God and the king. Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.
So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them. They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the people. And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has blasphemed God and the king!” Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died.
MANIPULATIVE
But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.
SHE WAS Rotten, nasty, depraved, naughty, wretched, fallen
Look at what she said
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
WHEN LIVING FOR THE LORD PEOPLE MAY GIVE YOU EVIL FOR GOOD
WHEN LIVING FOR THE LORD PEOPLE MAY GIVE YOU EVIL FOR GOOD
They reward me evil for good, To the sorrow of my soul.
Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT
My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.
(NKJV) My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
ELIJAH ASKED GOD TO TAKE HIM
IN ELIJAH’S MIND HE HAD ENOUGH
HE LISTENED TO THE WICKED
HE LISTENED TO THE WICKED
Elijah became discouraged due to rejection of the LORD God
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise [and] eat.”
WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
HOW DO YOU RESPOND?
ELIJAH LOST FOCUS. HE FOCUS ON THE SITUATION RATHER THAN ON GOD
ELIJAH FORGOT THAT HIS LIFE IS IN THE HAND OF GOD NOT JEZEBEL
HE LOOKED AT THE WAYWARD
HE LOOKED AT THE WAYWARD
And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
ZEALOUS OR PASSIONATE ABOUT A CAUSE OR PERSON (INTENSE)
ABANDON YOUR COVENANT
DUMPED YOUR DEMANDS
LEFT YOUR LAW
STRAYED FROM YOUR STATUES
JUNKED YOUR JUDGMENTS
TRASHED YOUR TESTIMONIES
WALKED AWAY FROM YOUR WORD
ISOLATED
Elijah became discouraged due to rejection of the LORD God
They wanted His provision but not His precepts
They wanted His security but not His statues
They wanted His comfort but not His commands
WHO ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
WHO ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
HAVE THE situations to shake YOU..,
…trials to terminate YOU…
..challenges to crush YOU…
…obstacles to overcome YOU…
…difficulties to destroy YOU…
…problems to paralyze YOU…
Psalm 42:5 (NKJV)
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and [why] art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him [for] the help of his countenance.
Pursue Him
Pursue Him
And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
(NKJV)
10 The name of the LORD [is] a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
ILL: 1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV) Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
WHAT DID HE SAY TO STRENGTHEN HIMSELF? MAY HE SAID
Psalm 27:1-3 (NKJV)
1 [[[A Psalm] of David.]] The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, [even] mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this [will] I [be] confident.
Psalm 18:6 (NKJV)
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears.
Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Isaiah 40:29-31 (NKJV)
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.
Pay attention to Him
1 Kings 19:11-18 (NKJV) 11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard [it,] that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice [came] to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.
(NKJV)
11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
Perform His instructions
Perform His instructions
Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Psalm 34:1-8 (NKJV)
1 [[[A Psalm] of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.]] I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise [shall] continually [be] in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear [thereof], and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard [him], and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 8 O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.
There is not a sorrow too deep to remove
There is not a mountain too steep to climb
There is not a foe too fearful to conquer
There is not a problem too big to solve
There is not a circumstance too difficult to change
your brokenness to blessed
Change your trials to thanksgiving
Change your adversity to appreciation
Change your alteration to adoration
Change your misfortune to magnification
Change your problems to praise
Change your grim days to gratitude
Change your disasters to deliverance
I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO SAY
Psalm 40:1-2 (NKJV)
1 [[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, [and] established my goings.
I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO SAY
Psalm 56:3-4 (NKJV)
3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO SAY
I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS
situations to shake ME..,
…trials to terminate ME…
..challenges to crush ME…
…obstacles to overcome ME…
…difficulties to destroy ME…
…problems to paralyze ME…