Sunday, December 20, 2009 Message to the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

God's Christmas Gift: The Lamb of God

I wonder what Christmas means to a mother who has lost her husband, who must take care of 3 or 4 children, working every day, never quite getting everything done, never making ends meet? What does Christmas mean to her?

I wonder what Christmas means to the little man in Zimbabwe, 80 years old, living in a hut, who knows nothing of shopping malls or Christmas trees? What does Christmas mean to him?

I wonder what it means to little Korean children with smudges on their cheeks, & sparkling eyes that look up in wonder as you walk past? What does Christmas mean to them?

I wonder what it means to missionaries who are half a world away from families & friends, who are sacrificing so much to take the precious gospel message to others who have never heard? What does it mean to them?

I'm sure that it means different things to different people. To merchants it is the busiest time of the year. Stores stay open longer, & hire extra people to accommodate all the shoppers. It means more profit, hopefully enough profit to see them through lean times ahead. Even though the weather has hindered the 2^nd and 3^rd business days of shopping I'm sure there are those who braved the elements so they could shop.

For some employees it means a Christmas bonus, a little more money in their pockets to do things that they want to do.

For many teen-agers & adults it is a time of fun & parties. For children it is a time of impatience, with time seeming to pass so slowly, as they wait for Christmas morning.

But sometimes I get the feeling that we are like the folks who decided to throw a party to honor a very special friend. They sent out invitations, decorated the hall, & had the food catered. All the people came together at the designated time, but to their surprise, the guest of honor was not there. Finally, they made the embarrassing discovery that no one had ever invited the guest of honor.

I wonder if that happens at Christmas time? Do we go through all the decorating, & buying presents, & preparing elaborate meals, but somehow forget whose birthday it really is?

One family tried to overcome that by putting an extra place at their Christmas table for Jesus, & calling Christmas, "His birthday party." When one of their daughters was asked if she got everything she wanted for Christmas, she answered by saying, "No, but then it's not my birthday."

It isn't our birthday, is it? It's the Lord's birthday & it's a time to remember His birth & what it is supposed to mean to us. So let's turn to Luke 2:1-20. Listen as I read.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. (Luke 2:1-3 NKJV)

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. (Luke 2:4-6 NKJV)

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. (Luke 2:7-9 NKJV)

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10-12 NKJV)

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." (Luke 2:13-15 NKJV)

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. (Luke 2:16-18 NKJV)

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. (Luke 2:19-20 NKJV)

Introduction: 

When man fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, God made a promise that a Redeemer would one day come.  This Redeemer would come as the Savior of sinners.  All through the Old Testament, God worked to bring this event to pass.  Every sacrifice, every ritual of Jewish worship, everything God did was moving steadily toward the moment when the Lamb of God would enter this world and pay the price to save men from their sins. 

I think of one occasion when a broken hearted father named Abraham walked up a mountain side with his only son Isaac.  He was taking that son to the top of that mountain to offer him to the Lord as a burnt offering.  On the way up that mountain, Isaac asked his father Abraham about what they were doing.  Here is what was said that day:

(Genesis 22:6-8 NKJV) So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.

Our text from Luke tells us about the night that father's promise was ultimately fulfilled.  It was also the moment when God's promise to send His Redeemer into the world was fulfilled. As we look in on the events of that special night over 2,000 years ago, we can learn something about how God provided His Lamb.

As the Lord gives liberty this morning, I want to preach on the subject, God's Christmas Gift: The Lamb of God.  I want to tell you how and why God sent His Son Jesus into this world and what His birth can and does mean for you.  Allow me to share three aspects of the Lamb's provision.

 I. v. 1-7   THE PLACE INVOLVED IN THE LAMB'S PROVISION

A. v. 4  The Planning Of That Place – The fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem was no accident.  It was predicted years before it came to pass, Micah 5:2.  This was common knowledge among those who studied and knew the Scriptures, Matt. 2:1-6.

B. v. 1-6  The Providence Of That Place – While it should not surprise us that Jesus was born where the Bible says He would be, the events surrounding His arrival there are amazing.  Verse 4 tells us that Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth.  This city is some 70 miles north of Bethlehem.

For the Messiah to be born in the right location, a series of events worked together to bring that to pass.  A pagan emperor name Caesar Augustus living thousands of miles away issues a decree that all his subjects be registered and taxed.  This order for a census is sent out far and wide.  The call is issued in Israel and Joseph takes Mary and returns to the ancestral city of his family, Bethlehem.

This does teach us that Caesar may have been ruling, but God was overruling!  God, in His providence, worked out all the details necessary so that Jesus might be born where the prophets said that He would be!  By the way, if He can do that, then surely He can take care of our needs regardless of how big or small!

C. v. 7  The Poverty Of That Place – We are told that the Savior's entrance into this world was anything but glorious.  When the young couple arrived in Bethlehem, they discovered that there was no place for them to stay.  They found refuge in a stable used to house animals.  When Mary delivered Jesus, she placed the Baby in a feed trough.

You and I cannot even begin to comprehend the enormity of the truth contained here. God Himself came into this world.  The same God Who made the universe and all the treasures found within that universe.  He came in to this world as a little Baby.  But, He was not born into the lap of luxury.  He was born in poverty.  He humbled Himself, and entered into this world in the "form of a servant," Phil. 2:5-8.

His humble birth signified the kind of life Jesus would live all the time He was here on this earth.  At one point in His ministry, He had no place to call home, Matt. 8:20.  When He died, others provided the place and the things necessary for His burial, John 19:38-42

The God Who made everything and Who could have had anything, chose to live a life of poverty.  Why?  There is just one answer: because He loves us! 

(2 Corinthians 8:9) For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (NKJV)

He did it so that He might understand our burdens, Heb. 4:15-16. 

(Hebrews 4:15-16) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (NKJV)

He did it so that He might enter into our suffering, die in our place and lift us out of our circumstances when we call on Him by faith!  Thank God for the poverty of that place!

D. v. 7  The Picture Of That Place – We are told that Mary took her baby and wrapped Him in "swaddling clothes."  People sometimes wrapped their infant children in strips of cloth in that time period to help strengthen the limbs and to provide protection for the child.  However, those strips of cloth were the same kind used to wrap dead bodies and prepare them for the burial.  Even in His birth, there is a picture of His death.  Another reason Jesus was wrapped this way was because those swaddling clothes were to serve as a sign to some seeking shepherds, v. 12.  Again, the providence of God is on display! 

Then, we are told that she took the Baby and placed Him in a "manger."  This word refers to a feeding trough where animals would find their food.  I do not believe that it was an accident that the "Bread of life" (John 6:35) was placed in a feed trough!  He came to satisfy the hungry souls of dying men.  Therefore, it was appropriate that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means "The house of bread" and that He was laid in a manger!

Have you tasted Heaven's Bread?  Has the Lord Jesus entered your life and satisfied your hungry soul?  If you will come to Him, you will find that He satisfies the hungry soul, Psalm 107:9; and that He is the Bread of Life, John 6:35;
1 John 5:12.)

(Psalms 107:9) For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (NKJV)

(John 6:35) And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (NKJV)

(1 John 5:12) He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (NKJV)

E. v. 7  The Promise Of That Place – I am sad but also glad that Jesus was born in a manger and not a palace.  I am glad that He was born into humble surroundings and not into the opulence of wealth.  Why?  If He had been born in a palace, the shepherds we will talk about in a moment would not have had access to Him.  But, because He was born in poverty and in humble surroundings, He is more approachable to the common man.  You and I would feel uncomfortable approaching a Savior reared in the lap of luxury; but we have less trouble coming to a Lord Who has walked some of the same hard paths we walk.

II. v. 8, 15-19  THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE LAMB'S PROVISION

The birth of the Savior did not happen in a vacuum.  While the people in Bethlehem were ignorant of the wonderful events happening in their town, God revealed the good news to some poor, humble shepherds who were outside the town on the Judean hillsides.

A. v. 8  The Shepherd's Occupation – The Bible simply calls them "shepherds."  These were men who were responsible for watching over flocks of sheep.  The work was dirty and hard.  It required the men to be away from home for long periods of time as they searched for places to graze their flocks. 

Shepherds were often considered ceremonially unclean because of the duties their occupation required of them.  Also their work prevented them from regular attendance at the Temple where they could be cleansed.  As a result, these men were considered the lowest of the low.  Of course, it may have been these very men who tended the lambs that would one day be used in the temple sacrifices.  Yet, it was these men that heard the glad tidings first.  It was these men who received the message of peace from the angel of the Lord.

What a blessing!  Men may not care about you.  People may look down on you in disgust because of who you are or because of what you have done in life.  But, there is a God in Heaven Who loves you in spite of everything.  There is a God Who desires to save you, if you will only come to Him!  I sure am glad today that the Lord did not hold my past against me!

B. v. 15-16  The Shepherd's Obedience – As soon as these men hear the news of the Savior's birth, they leave their sheep on the hillsides and run into the town of Bethlehem to find the Lord Jesus.  When they arrive, they find everything to be just as the angels had said. What a picture of grace!  Regardless of a person's past or how low they have fallen in life, there is still hope in Jesus for them.  The Lord turns none away, but invites all who will come to meet Him and be saved by the grace of God!  Regardless of your station in life, if you will come to Jesus, He will save your soul!  Don't let some sin, or some situation stand between you and Heaven.  Come to Jesus today, because He will not turn you away, John 6:37.

(John 6:37) "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. (NKJV)

C. v. 17-19  The Shepherd's Obligation – As soon as they realize the magnitude of the things they have experienced, they begin to share the news with all they meet.  They tell everyone about the Baby in the manger Who is Christ the Lord.  Of course, the people who hear them are astonished to hear shepherds talking about such spiritual matters, but I like to think that some heeded the message and went to see for themselves.

One of the blessings of the Gospel of grace is that it is too good to keep quiet about.  As soon as you experience its power, you want others to experience it also.  In fact, those who know the good news of salvation through Jesus are under divine obligation to share that good news with everyone they meet as they pass through life, Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8.  We have a Savior and we have a message worth sharing.  May the Lord help us to get out there and tell a lost world about a redeeming Lord!

III. v. 9-14; 20  THE PRAISE INVOLVED IN THE LAMB'S PROVISION

A. v. 9-14  There Was Heavenly Praise – As those shepherds go about the business of another boring night with their flocks, something astonishing takes place.  There is the appearance of a heavenly entourage, bearing the good news that heaven has invaded earth, and that nothing would ever be the same again.

1.  v. 9 The Heavenly Appearance – Suddenly, the angel of the Lord appears above those shepherds.  No doubt the angel is blazing with the brightness of Heaven itself and like a flash, he lights up the night sky.  The shepherds are instantly terrified by their heavenly visitor.

2. v.10-12 The Heavenly Announcement – The angel does not leave them in fear for long.  He begins to speak, and as he does, he shares with the shepherds a message from Heaven that earth had been waiting to hear for 4,000 years.  He tells them that the Hope of the Ages has been provided.  He tells them that a Savior has been born.  He tells them that the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, for Whom the world has waited since the Lord told Eve He was coming in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15), has arrived.  He tells them that the Lord has been born in Bethlehem!  He also tells them where to find the child and how to recognize Him when they arrived where He was.

What an announcement!  The world had wallowed in the grip of sin for thousands of years; waiting for the appearance of One Who would sever the bonds of sin and deliver men from the curse.  Now, He has come!  The wait is over!  Salvation will be accomplished, just as God had promised it would!  And the announcement was made to those humble shepherds going about the ordinary business of life!  You will notice that the angel made the message personal to the shepherds, "unto you is born," v. 11.  Thank God the message is a personal one!  It was given to those shepherds, but it was made available to all, Rev. 22:17. 

(Revelation 22:17) And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (NKJV)

When God breaks in on the ordinary events of your life, please do not turn Him away!  You never know when God will take the routine and the ordinary and transform it into a supernatural event in your life.  When He does, it is His call for you to receive Him by faith and be saved by His grace!

3. v.13-14 The Heavenly Anthem – As soon as this angel finishes delivering Heaven's message to the shepherds, he is joined by a great multitude of angels who praise God and declare the truth that the message is indeed for all men!  It is interesting that when the angels appear, the content of their statements are designed to praise and magnify the name of the Lord. 

These angels did not sing about Satan Claus.  They did not sing about Frosty or Rudolph.  They lifted their voices and they thundered forth praise to God above.  We could take a lesson from that this Christmas season!

B. v. 20 There Was Human Praise – After the shepherds hear the message and meet the Master, they return to their flocks rejoicing as they go.  Their voices are also lifted up to God in Heaven to praise Him for His glorious gift.  But, notice the difference between their praise and the praise of the angels.  The angels praise the Lord for what He has done for others, v. 11.  The shepherds praise the Lord for what He has done for them, v. 20!  There is a difference.  I am glad you are saved and for all that the Lord has done for you; but I sure am glad the Lord has done something in my heart for which I can praise Him as well!

1.  The Praise Of Convinced Hearts – When they heard the message, no doubt those shepherds were amazed and maybe a little skeptical as well.  But, when they found Jesus, just as the angels said they would; when they met Him for themselves, they could praise Him from a heart that has been convinced of the truth!

I was brought up to believe the Christmas story.  All my life I had heard of Jesus being born in Bethlehem and I believed it was true.  And, that story has always brought joy to my heart.  However, I will never forget the day when I met Him for myself just like the preachers and the Bible said I could.  When I did, I could praise Him because I knew it was real!  I knew He lived!  I knew He was my Redeemer!  I could praise Him because He had become more than a story; He had become my Savior!  Is that your testimony?  It needs to be!

2.  The Praise Of Changed Hearts – It must have been something to watch a group of rough shepherds leave that town rejoicing and praising the name of the Lord.  Now I don't know the spiritual condition of these men but I know this these men were excited about the birth of the Savior. They can't keep their praises in and they return to their flocks while their shouts fill the night air!

That is what meeting Jesus will do for you!  He will change you, 2 Cor. 5:17.  He will give you a new life and new way of life to go with it!  When He comes in, He changes everything!  And when He does, there will be some excitement about it.  There will be some joy.  After all, when He saves your souls, He changes you and fills you with "joy unspeakable and full of glory," 1 Pet. 1:8. When Jesus takes you, saves you and changes you, you will want to praise Him for Who He is and what He has done in your life!

Conclusion:  Wouldn't you agree with me that the Christmas story is a special story?  That God would send His darling Son Jesus into this world to die for sinners is a blessing beyond description.  That He would love us to that level is amazing beyond the power of words to describe.

Of course, it is nothing more than a story until you experience the power of the Lamb of God in a personal way.  You may enjoy hearing the Christmas story and you may love Christmas time, but you have missed the real meaning altogether if you have never trusted Jesus as your Savior.  Until you have received the Lamb of God as your personal Savior and until you know the power of His salvation, you will never really understand Christmas and the wonder of what God did when He provided His Lamb for the sins of the world.

Have you accepted God's Christmas Gift to You by accepting God's Lamb the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you in a personal relationship with Jesus today?  If you are, then you know what I am talking about.  If you are not, you can come to know Him if you will come before Him and trust Him by faith.  Will you do that today?  Will you embrace Heaven's Lamb as the Savior of your soul?  The Lamb was provided for you, but He will do you no good unless you come to Him.

If you know Him as your Savior will you share the good news of Christmas with others?

December 13, 2009 Message to the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

The Biblical Doctrine of Fasting (Part 2)

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good." (Ps. 34:8)

 

I am more excited about fasting that I think I've ever been. Don't get me wrong—I enjoy eating and my flesh recoils at the thought of doing without food. What I'm excited about is that hungering and thirsting for God brings with it a much greater reward than satisfying the temporary hunger I will be experiencing in my body. I'm excited about what God is doing and going to do for me and you and our church family. Let's look today at a few testimonies from Scripture and some from recent times.

 

I. The Testimony of Anna the Prophetess

 

Do you remember Anna? Her story only fills a few lines in Luke's Gospel, but I believe God saw much more in the life of this precious saint. Let's read what the Bible says about her:

 

(Luke 2:36-38) Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. (NKJV)

After Jesus' birth, Joseph and Mary brought their tiny infant boy to the temple to be dedicated as the firstborn Son. I would imagine that young family walked scores of people in the crowded temple that day but only one man and one faithful woman truly recognized the Messiah. Simeon was the first to rejoice in seeing Jesus. Then Anna saw Him and instantly gave thanks to God. She then began telling all who looked for the redemption of Israel about the tiny babe who was the long-awaited Messiah. Imagine that—a new calling on her life at eighty-four years of age. That just goes to show you that you are never too old to fast. Anna had a hunger for God's Word that was greater than her hunger for food, and her faithfulness in fasting prepared her for recognizing the baby Jesus as the Messiah.

Although fasting doesn't get any easier with age, it does get easier with grace.
When the Holy Spirit calls you to fast, He is preparing you for what is ahead. Fasting requires faith. As Jesus said,

(Matthew 5:6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. (NKJV)

II. The Testimony of Enoch

The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews is often referred to as the "hall of faith." It begins with these words, (Hebrews 11:1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV) Some of the most encouraging words in the Bible are found in this book. It is said that after the birth of Seth to Adam and Eve, people began to call on the name of the Lord (Gen. 4:26)

Enoch was born many years later, and he went a step beyond merely calling on the name of the Lord. Thousands of years after his departure from this earth, the writer of the Book of Hebrews said of him:

(Hebrews 11:5) By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (NKJV)

What was it about Enoch that was different from those before him? What about his life was so pleasing to God? The answer is found in the very next verse.

(Hebrews 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (NKJV)

If you want to please God—believe God! Take Him at His Word.
When the Apostle Paul was teaching the Corinthians, a knowledge-seeking society, he told them, "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).

III. The Testimony of Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego

These Hebrew men walked by faith and not by sight. The three of them joined Daniel in the initial fast from the king's delicacies. Think about what they saw on their way into that furnace. It had been heated seven times hotter than normal. The heat was so intense that it killed the guards standing by the doors. If they had walked by sight, they would have said, "Today we shall surely be ashes." Instead, by faith, they walked on saying, (Daniel 3:17) "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. (NKJV) Faith is the evidence of things unseen.

Where does the kind of faith that enables you to look to God and believe His Word no matter how grave your circumstances may appear come from? Your children has strayed away from God; sickness and unpleasant doctor's report; financial difficulties; unbearable conditions on the job or no job at all; betrayal by family member or friends; I could go on but you get the picture. Where does the faith come from to believe God in the midst of difficulties?

(Romans 10:17) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (NKJV)

The Amplified version of this Scripture verse states, "Faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself)."

Faith comes by hearing God's Word; when we are hearing the reading, teaching and preaching of the gospel, and believe our faith increases. Let's believe the Word that we read; let's believe the Word that is preached and taught. Every time we have the opportunity to come together to the house of the Lord is another opportunity for our faith to grow.

IV. The Testimony of Adam and Eve vs. The Testimony of Jesus

Too many Christians find that they are malnourished in the Word but well fed on the world, and they live defeated lives as a result. Remember of the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. The Bible says that Eve saw that the fruit was good for food. God's Word to Adam and Eve was, (Genesis 2:17) "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (NKJV) Yet Eve acted on the word that was spoken by the serpent instead of resisting the serpent's word. She believed the word of the serpent instead of the Word of God.

In contrast, as Jesus fasted in the desert, He was tempted by the same voice that had so cunningly whispered to Eve. Yet Jesus responded, (Matthew 4:4) But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" (NKJV)

What had Jesus heard just before beginning that time of fasting? (Matthew 3:17)
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (NKJV) The Word of God sustained Him through forty days and nights without food.

My desire and prayer is that we have that same kind of hunger for God's Word. We need to understand Jesus' words when He said, (Mark 13:31) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (NKJV)

What did young David possess in the natural that made him believe he would be successful against the giant Philistine? Nothing! He was small; he was young; he was not yet a soldier—merely a keeper of sheep. Yet, he walked with God, he knew God, and he sought after God. His faith in God was all he needed to know that Goliath would fall before him just as the lion and the bear had fallen (1 Samuel 17:34-35).

V. The Diligent Pursuit of God and His Word

We must diligently feed on God's Word. Sometimes the best thing we can do is starve our flesh and feed our spirits through a fast. Fasting helps you separate what you want from what you need. It causes you to focus on those things that really matter.

Fasting allows you many opportunities to diligently seek the Lord! Instead of the time spent preparing or eating bacon, eggs, pancakes, maple syrup, grits, hash browns, and fried sausage you choose to spend time with God. Well okay! Maybe this is more realistic; Instead of getting a bowl or cereal and milk; or going through the drive-through at McDonald's you spend that time with God.

Or instead of preparing and taking a bagged lunch to work or going to a restaurant you decide to feast upon the Lord and His Word. And after your time at work when all you have had is water or juices you once again separate yourself from the dinner table to feed on the presence of the Lord and His Word.

Instead of getting into your favorite chair and watching your favorite TV program you once again continue feeding your spiritual man with good, wholesome, encouraging literature and once again the Word of God.

To be diligent is to be persistent. It means continuing even though at times it's difficult—you refuse to stop. God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh's slavery. He parted the Red Sea so they could cross on dry ground. But once the children of Israel were in the wilderness they started complaining. After all God had done for them, they were not diligent about seeking the Lord and believing God. As a result that older generation never entered into the reward that He had for them.

Faith is progressive. Faith never says, "I'm just going to give up." When you in the horrible pit and the miry clay you do some Cross-Training with Jesus and some of those Spiritual Pull-Ups. You don't drown in your misery you move on with Jesus. When you get in a wilderness, you keep walking; you keep going forward even if you are only making an inch of progress with each step.

VI. God's Promised Rewards

When a reward is offered for someone's capture, the reward is provided before it is claimed. The money is placed into an account to be held until the offender is captured. "God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). This means He has already laid up rewards for you in heaven. You know that when you seek Him you will find. It isn't an uncertain seeking wondering if you'll find what you're looking for. The Bible says that if we seek we will find.

Sometime in 2008 I saw Jentezen Franklin on TV talking about the corporate fast that he and his church did the first 21 days of January each year. So it was in fall of last year that I felt the Lord directing me to fast and calling on you to join me. After I made the decision I then discovered that our General Overseer was calling on us to do the same thing. I ordered Billy Wilson's book "Fasting Forward"
and Franklin's book, Fasting."

Let me share a few testimonies from the congregation where Franklin pastors as a result of their fasting and seeking the Lord.

• I have been fasting for my family and my children to get saved, and I've gone seven days with no food, just liquids. I was trying to decide whether to start on the Daniel fast today or not. Well, I'm not going to debate it any longer because after two years of running from the Lord, my daughter got saved this very morning—and I want more miracles in my family.
  
• Pastor, we were behind on our house payment, facing foreclosure. Friday, my company bought pizza for everyone. I sat in my office and ate tomato soup instead. I got home that afternoon to discover that the bank had rearranged the whole mortgage. We're caught up! We're current! And we don't have a house payment until the first of April!
  
• We've been praying for my daughter-in-law for a year and a half. She has recently gone into a drug program from church. She's been on drugs since she was fourteen. She was up here at the altar this morning on her face, crying out to God. It's a miracle. It's a miracle!
  
• I've been attending Free Chapel for three years, but last year my mother told me, "They're starting a fast." I thought, "Twenty-one days? I don't know if I can do that." Then I remembered that when you put God first, the year will be prosperous. At that time, my wife and I had just one car, and we were living in an apartment. Over the course of the year, I got another car. We moved into a house. I'm a musician, and the artist I have worked with just got a deal with one of the biggest labels in the world. So my family and I will be on the fast again this year—and who know!
  
• My father is in CCU at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. He has a hernia that had enclosed his colon, which basically killed the colon, the bowel and everything. Five times he has been given up for dead. Right now he is off life-support. He is breathing on his own. And they're talking about moving him to a room.
  
• Pastor, this week we had a major mess-up in our bank account. Some people had stolen our debit card and some money, and we started bouncing checks. But praise God, we started fasting. You know, God just came down! We got all the money back for the bounced checks, and the bank reimbursed the money that was stolen from us, too.
  
• Pastor Franklin gave this testimony: One year, at the end of the twenty-one day fast, a couple walked up to me and handed me a bundle of official papers. Puzzled, I opened them up to see the word DISMISSED stamped in bold black letters. After that, I read the words, "The Superior Court of Gwinnett County, State of Georgia, Final Judgment and Decree of Divorce." The couple standing before me had been struggling in their marriage for a year, but during that fast, the season of setting everything else aside and diligently seeking God, a miracle happened! Unity replaced division and the divorce was dismissed. The devil thought he'd racked up another statistic for Christian divorces—but God is a Rewarder!
  

VII. What Will Be Your Testimony?

(John 10:10) "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (NKJV)

There are many things that Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection provide for us. While all of these blessings are available, none are automatic.
God is no respecter of persons. He rewards those who diligently seek Him in faith, because faith is what pleases Him.

It was not mere coincident that I preached on fasting last Sunday. It was not mere coincident that Bro. Robby and the youth presented the skit, "Cross-training with Jesus" and the wonderful message Robby preached following the skit. If you remember I mentioned that fasting is abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose and that fasting is to be united with prayer and the Word. The skit and message Sunday evening did a wonderful job showing the importance of these spiritual disciplines.

During the time of the altar service after I finished my season of prayer I was sitting on the front beach, praying, meditating and observing. Someone needed my seat so I moved to where I normally sit, continuing praying, rejoicing and meditating on the Lord. This pastor was blessed as I saw body ministry taking place--young people and adults alike praying for one another and being blessed by the presence of the Lord.

The Word came to my mind, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good." This verse just kept repeating over and over in my spirit. I even said that verse in a loud voice a couple of times. Then the Lord spoke this to me, "This is just a taste of what I want to do."

I asked Sister Ruth to place the message I gave you from the Lord last Sunday as an insert in your bulletin. I want you to place it on your refrigerator or a prominent place. Let the Lord's promises sustain you during the twenty-one days of fasting and prayer. Let's believe His Words.

This is the message: "Come to Me with prayer and fasting and see the rewards I will give you. I will heal you; I will grant you deliverance; I will give you victory; I will bless and multiply you; I will restore that you have lost; I will bring redemption and salvation; Seek Me with tears and weeping and feast upon Me; Make Me your chief desire and I will grant you the desires of your heart for I am the Lord."

As I mentioned, the Lord spoke to my spirit last Sunday evening and said, "This is just a taste of what I want to do."
I believe God granted us that taste to strengthen our faith and to whet our spiritual appetites for more of Him. The question is: Will we respond to this season of fasting and prayer the first twenty-days of January? Will we diligent seek the Lord? Are you praying about how God will have you to fast? Will you go on a water/juice fast combination? Or it not that, will you go on a Daniel fast where you basically eat fruit and vegetables for twenty-one days. Remember, if how you fast does not mean anything to you it will not mean anything to God.

Last year I did not consume anything that I had to chew. That is what I am planning to do this year also. I am also going to give up my favorite beverage—coffee. In addition I don't plan on turning on the TV for 21 days. This is what I feel God will have me to do. By His grace and strength I'm going to answer His call to seek Him in prayer and fasting January 1-21.

Will you also make a commitment to answer His call in whatever way you feel directed by the Lord?

 

 

 

 

December 6, 2009 Sunday Morning Message to the Winston-Salem COGOP

The Biblical Discipline of Fasting

 

There is a picture that I have on the wall of a beautiful sunset scene with a caption that reads, To have found God is not the end of your search but the beginning. Once again I am calling our church to 21 days of fasting and prayer beginning on January 1 and continuing through January 21. I know this spiritual discipline blessed and drew me and you closer to the Lord last year and this year I'm expecting even greater blessings.

 

(Psalms 42:1-3) As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, "Where is your God?" (NKJV)

I. What is fasting?

 

Since there are so many misconceptions about it, I first want to clarify what fasting—biblical fasting—is not. Fasting is not merely going without food for a period of time. That is dieting but fasting it is not. Fasting is not something done only by fanatics or religious monks. The practice of fasting is not limited to ministers or to special occasions.

 

Stated simply, biblical fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose. Fasting has always been a normal part of a relationship with God. As expressed by the impassioned plea of the Psalmist, fasting brings one into a deeper, more intimate and powerful relationship with the Lord.

 

When you eliminate food from your diet for a number of days, your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God. As the Psalmist stated, "Deep calls unto deep" (Ps. 42:7). The Psalmist was fasting. His hunger and thirst for God were greater than his natural desire for food. As a result, he reached a place where he could cry out from the depths of his spirit to the depths of God, even in the midst of his trial. Once you've experienced even a glimpse of that kind of intimacy with our God and the countless rewards and blessings that follow, your whole perspective will change. You will soon realize that fasting is a secret source of power that is overlooked by many.

 

Notice this scripture found in Ecclesiastes 4:12: A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

 

During the years that Jesus walked this earth, He devoted time to teaching His disciples the principles of the kingdom of God, principles that conflict with those of this world. In the Sermon on the Mount, specifically in Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus provided the pattern by which each of us is to live as a child of God. That pattern addressed specific duties of a Christian: giving, praying, and fasting.

 

Jesus said:

• When you give…..
  
• When you pray….
  
• When you fast….
  

 

He made it clear that fasting, like giving and praying, was a normal part of the Christian life. As much attention should be given to fasting as it given to giving and to praying.

 

Solomon, when writing the books of wisdom for Israel, made the point that a cord, or rope, braided with three strands is not easily broken. Likewise, when giving, praying, and fasting are practiced together in the life of a believer, it creates a type of threefold cord that is not easily broken. In fact, as I'll show you in a moment, Jesus took it even further by saying, "Nothing will be impossible" (Matt. 17:20)

 

Could we be missing our greatest breakthroughs because we fail to fast? Remember the thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold return Jesus spoke of in Mark 4:8, 20? Jentezen Franklin suggested in his book on fasting the following: Look at it this way: when you pray, you can release that thirtyfold return, but when both prayer and giving are part of your life, I believe that releases the sixtyfold blessing. But when all three—giving, praying, and fasting—are part of your life, that hundredfold return can be released!

 

If that is true, you have to wonder what blessings are not being released. What answers to prayer are not getting through? What bondages are not being broken because we fail to fast?

 

Matthew tells the story of a father who had a demon-possessed son. For years he watched helplessly as his son suffered with severe convulsions. As he grew older, the attacks became so severe that the boy would often throw himself into an open fire or trench of water. A suicidal spirit tormented him constantly; the situation became life-threatening.

 

Having exhausted every attempt to cure the boy—even taking him to the disciples with no avail—the father's plight seemed impossible. Then he heard that Jesus was near. Going to the Master, he cried,

 

(Matthew 17:15-16) "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. "So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." (NKJV)

When the boy was brought to Jesus, the Bible says in (Matthew 17:18) And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. (NKJV)

But what made the difference? After all, Matthew 10:1 records that Jesus had already given the disciples power to cast out evil spirits and to heal every disease. So why couldn't the disciples cast out the demon and cure the boy?

That's what the disciples wanted to know, too, so later that night, when they were alone with Jesus, they asked Him. Jesus replied in (Matthew 17:20-21) So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." (NKJV)

Jesus let his disciples know that because of their unbelief they failed and told them that faith as a mustard seed will cause the impossible to become possible. But notice that little word, "However."
It's the key that unlocks our faith. Long before this incident, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where He spent forty days and forty nights, taking no food. For Jesus, casting out that stubborn demon wasn't impossible.

If Jesus could have accomplished all that He came to do without fasting, why would He fast? The Son of God fasted because He knew there were supernatural things that could only be released that way. How much more should fasting be a common practice in our lives?

II. Fasting is for Every Christian

Perhaps you're thinking, "I still don't see the need for me to fast." According to the words of Jesus, it should be the practice of every believer to fast. When addressing the Pharisees as to why His disciples did not fast, Jesus replied….

(Luke 5:34-35) And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? "But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days." (NKJV)

Then they will fast. Jesus didn't expect His disciples to do something He hadn't done as well. Jesus fasted, and according to the words of Peter, Jesus is our example in all things (1 Peter 2:21)

(Luke 6:40) "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. (NKJV)

There's another vital point that I want you to see in Matthew 6: God delights in giving rewards. Not only that, but He says that when giving, praying, and fasting are practiced in your life with the right motives, He will "reward you openly."

A good example of such open reward can be found in Daniel. While in Babylonian captivity, his fasting—even partial fasting eliminating certain foods—brought about the open reward of God, who blessed Daniel with wisdom beyond that of anyone else in that empire.

Later, in chapter 10, Daniel was grieved and burdened with the revelation he had received for Israel. He ate no choice breads or meats and drank no wine for three weeks. Then he describes the angel that was sent to him—which had been delayed by the prince of Persia for twenty-one days—with the answers Daniel sought. His fast broke the power of the delayer and released the angels of God so that God's purposes could be revealed and served.

(Job 23:12) I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food. (NKJV)

God's Word is full of marvelous testimonies of those who had answers to prayer and supernatural inventions in conjunction with their fasting.

• It was during a forty-day fast that Moses received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:27-28).
  
• When Haman ordered the annihilation and plunder of all Jews, Esther called for all the Jews of her city to join her on a three-day fast from all food and water. As a result, the Jews were spared, Haman's vile plan was exposed, and he was hanged on the very gallows he built to hang Mordecai and the Jews(See Ester 4-7).
  
• Hannah, greatly distressed over not being able to bear a child, wept and did not eat," as recorded in 1 Samuel 1:7. God heard her plea, and the prophet Samuel was soon born.
  
• Judah, Ezra, the people of Nineveh, Nehemiah, David, and Anna are also among those whose fasts are noted in the Word along with many others.
  

III. Types of Fasts

The Bible records many different circumstances, types, and lengths of fasts. In addition to those I just mentioned, Joshua fasted forty days, and Daniel partially fasted twenty-one days. It is recorded that the apostle Paul was in "fastings often." Peter fasted and of course we know that Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness.

The three types of fasts found in Scripture are the absolute fast, the normal fast, and the partial fast.

• The Absolute Fast: In this fast you eat or drink nothing—no food or water. Depending on your health, this fast should only be attempted only when explicitly directed by God and with medical consultation and supervision.
  
• The Normal Fast: On a normal fast, you typically go without food of any kind for a certain number of days. You do drink water, and plenty of it! Depending on the length of the normal fast, you may also chose to take clear broth and juices in order to maintain your strength. Basically you eat no solid foods which would be considered a modified normal fast.
  
• The Partial Fast: A partial fast can be interpreted many ways. The way it cannot be interpreted is to count the time between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.—when you're sleeping! A partial fast usually involves giving up particular foods and drink for an extended period of time.
  

The most commonly used example of a partial fast is found in the Book of Daniel. I mentioned this fast earlier. In the beginning of his captivity in Babylon, Daniel and his three companions refused to eat the choice meats and sweets from the king's table, asking instead to have only vegetables and water. They did this for ten days to prove that they would be just as healthy as the king's men. Later, in chapter 10, grieved over the plight of Israel, Daniel began another partial fast, taking no pleasant food which most likely meant sweets and breads, no meat, and no wine for three weeks, during which time he was focused in prayer. At the end, his prayer was answered by an angel.

The duration of fasts can vary. There are significant numbers we find in the Bible, which include three days, seven days, twenty-one days, and forty days. But there are also references to half-day fasts and twenty-four hour fasts.

As I mentioned earlier I'm requesting that you fast a period of twenty-one days. The type of fast is up to you. However, a "Daniel fast" of eliminating meat, bread, and sweets for twenty-one days is a fast that everyone in this room could handle. Some may think eliminating only those three food groups from your diet for three weeks is no big deal. But if it means something to you, it will mean something to God. After all, when was the last time an angel were released to speak mysteries to you like the angel did to Daniel?

Last year, I ate no solid food for twenty-one days. I did drink juices; usually 3 to 4 smalls can of V-8 juice a day along with other beverages or juices. Some gave up sweets or chocolate or varying things. One couple did not eat sweets and didn't watch TV for 21 days. I'm asking you to consider doing a least a Daniel fast which would be basically eating nothing but fruits and vegetables. That means you wouldn't eat any meat, breads or sweets. Of course that decision is between you and God.

IV. Practical Tips

I want to give you a few tips on fasting that I believe you will find helpful. When you begin a fast, remember If it doesn't mean anything to you, it won't mean anything to God.

Also without being combined with prayer and the Word, fasting is little more than dieting. But also remember fasting itself is a continual prayer before God.

There may be days when heaven opens and your heart is prompted to deep times of prayer. But there will other days when your energy is sapped and you just cannot seem to focus in prayer at all. Don't condemn yourself. God sees your sacrifice. Perhaps instead of sitting in front of the TV torturing yourself with all those food commercials it would be more beneficial to spend time in the Word, meditation, prayer and study. I am also making a challenge that you will read the Bible through in 2010. Reading four chapter a day and you will accomplish this goal.

When you begin your fast drink plenty of filtered or purified water. This will help to flush out the toxins and the poison out of your system, which will help you get off to a good start. It also makes you feel full! Water is the faster's best friend, so continue to drink plenty throughout the fast.

You may have a headache for the first two or three days as your body rids itself of toxins and that is a sign you needed to fast. On a fast in which you eat no solid food it's like spring cleaning for your body! It gives your whole digestive system a break, and medically speaking is very healthy. Without eating any solid food the digestive system begins to shut down and to be honest it's not always pleasant. Some feel sluggish, can't sleep and let's face it you're going to get hungry.

But once you get through those first few days, and you drink plenty of water and juice, those toxins that poison your body will get flushed out, and you will find what can only be described as a sweet place in the fast! Last year at the end of the twenty-one days I could have actually went for several more days.

V. Physical Benefits of Fasting

In his book 101 Reasons to Fast,
Pastor Bob Rodgers cites many statements from Hippocrates and others who discovered the many medical benefits fasting can have on the body. Fasting cleanses your body. As you begin a normal fast, you will notice a sort of coating on your tongue for a few days. It is a sign that the fast is helping your body eliminate toxins.

Tests have proven that the average American consumes and assimilates four pounds of chemical preservatives, coloring, stabilizers, flavorings, and other additives each year. These build up in our bodies and cause illness and disease. Periodic fasts are necessary to flush out the poison. Fasting gives your body time to heal itself. It relieves nervousness and tension and gives your digestive system a rest. Fasting lowers your blood pressure and can lower your cholesterol.

Dr. Oda H.F. Birchinger, who supervised more than seventy thousand fasts, stated, "Fasting is a royal road to healing, for anyone who agrees to take it, for recovery and regeneration of the body, mind, and spirit. Fasting can heal and help rheumatism in the joints and muscles, diseases of the heart, circulation, blood vessels, stress-related exhaustion, skin diseases—including pimples and complexion problems, disease of respiratory organs, allergies such as hay fever and other eye diseases."

VI. Spiritual Benefits of Fasting

In many ways, fasting helps us focus on our primary goal. It trains our heart to turn away from the distractions of the world and press toward the reward before us. God promises that He will reward those who diligently seek Him:

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

 

What is the reward? Certainly, answered prayer is part of the reward. Supernatural peace, divine love and earthly blessings in a variety of forms all qualify as reward material. Besides the heavenly crowns, streets of gold, angelic choirs and eternal life, Scripture assures us that the greatest reward is the Lord himself. Jesus is our gold medal at the end of the race. He is our reward, our portion in the land of the living.

 

During times of extended fasting and immediately after breaking a fast the fellowship with our Lord becomes so sweet.

• His voice becomes clearer
  
• His Word comes alive
  
• His heart is revealed
  
• His people become more precious
  
• His presence becomes everything.
  

 

During times of great physical weakness during times of an extended fast one can identify with the Psalmist when he stated:

 

(Psalms 73:26) My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (NKJV)

Records and testimonies offered by those who have engaged in extended fasts include multitudes saved, hundreds baptized in the Spirit, blinded eyes have been opened, deaf ears unstopped, lame people have made to walk, church problems solved, financial miracles released and physical health restored, visions of angels and even visions of the Lord himself. Yet the greatest reward is experiencing His presence, His glory and His person.

God's promises to Abram can be claimed as our own. He becomes our great reward.

(Genesis 15:1) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." (NKJV)

The apostle Paul consistently made his relationship with Jesus Christ the focus of his journey and the goal of his spiritual race. Near the end of his life when the missionary journeys had ended, the moments of public oratory had ceased, and the exciting days of groundbreaking ministry were behind him, Paul was isolated in relative obscurity in a Roman prison. Paul was still in the race. With his eyes focused, he pressed forward not propelled toward his next preaching moment, but toward Jesus Christ. Paul knew that the real prize, the real gold medal at the end of life's race, was to know Jesus:

 

(Philippians 3:10-12) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. (NKJV)

(Philippians 3:13-14) Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

VII. The Lord's Message To You

Early Thursday morning as I was meditating and preparing for this message the Holy Spirit came upon me and I began speaking in tongues. This is the message I feel the Lord gave me to give to you this morning.

"Come to me with prayer and fasting and see the rewards I will give you. I will heal you; I will grant you deliverance; I will give you victory; I will bless and multiply you; I will restore that you have lost; I will bring redemption and salvation; Seek Me with tears and weeping and feast upon Me; Make Me your chief desire and I will grant you the desires of your heart for I am the Lord."

I intend to answer this call during the first twenty-one days of the New Year. Will you join with me?

 

 

 

Sunday, November 29, 2009 Sermon to the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

Am I Giving God Gold or Brass Substitutes?

 

(2 Chronicles 12:1-3) Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him. And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD, with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt-the Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. (NKJV)

 

(2 Chronicles 12:4-6) And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD: 'You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.'" So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, "The LORD is righteous." (NKJV)

 

(2 Chronicles 12:7-8) Now when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. "Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations."

 

(2 Chronicles 12:9)So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made. (NKJV)

 

(2 Chronicles 12:10-12) Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king's house. And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guard would go and bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom. When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah. (NKJV)

 

    Introduction: The historical context of this passage. When Solomon died, he left a kingdom that was filled with splendor, power and the presence of God. When he died, he left his kingdom to his son Rehoboam. Unlike his father Solomon, Rehoboam was a very foolish and wicked man. He refused to acknowledge the good of the people of Israel, and as a result, ten of the tribes rebelled against Rehoboam, divided Israel into two kingdoms and formed the Northern Kingdom. They chose a man named Jeroboam to be their king and the Northern Kingdom left the worship of Jehovah and fell into idolatry.

 

    Rehoboam, who was still king of Judah, or the southern kingdom, had an opportunity to walk with God and enjoy the blessings of the Lord. After all, Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord were in his kingdom. Even the priests and the Levites left the Northern Kingdom and moved to Judah to serve the Lord, 2 Chron. 11:13-17. Yet, Rehoboam squandered the opportunities that he was given and walked away from God, refusing to serve the Lord like David and Solomon had done.

 

    As you study of the life of Rehoboam, you quickly learn that his life is a lesson in privilege, pride and the judgment of God. One of the main problems with Rehoboam was that he simply refused to give God his absolute best. As a result, Rehoboam and his people paid a terribly high price.

 

    I just want to remind you that God is worthy of our very best. Look at Romans 12:1-2.

 

    (Romans 12:1-2) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

 

    Verse 1 says that total surrender to the Lord is "your reasonable service." The phrase "reasonable service" literally means "spiritual service of worship." In other words, the least we can do for the Lord, in light of all that He has done for us, is to give Him the best we have. Literally, we are to give Him everything! He deserves our best; does He have it? If He does, then we can enjoy His presence and blessing. If He does not, then we can expect His chastisement and His judgment.

 

    Today, I want to take a look at the life of King Rehoboam. I want to point out some problems in Rehoboam's life that prove he was giving God less than his very best. As we look at this wayward king and see the shortcomings that marked his life, I want you to look at your own life today. I want you to ask yourself this question: Am I giving God Gold or Brass Substitutes?

    

     I think you would agree with me that God deserves the gold of our lives or stated another way, the best that we can give to Him. I think you would also agree that He often receives far less from your life and mine. Let's see about changing that today. Let's notice the problems that marked the life of Rehoboam.

 

I. v. 1 THE PROBLEM OF REHOBOAM'S CHARACTER

 

    A. Verse one is a real eye-opener regarding the character of this man named Rehoboam.

• We are told that he operated in pride;
  
• that he disregarded the Word of God,
  
• and that he led others astray from God as well.
  

 

    The problem that affected Rehoboam was a problem in the heart. He believed that neither he, nor his nation, needed the Lord; the Lord's directions; or the Lord's involvement! He seems to be saying, "Thanks for bringing me this far Lord. I think I can handle it from here."

 

    B. This is the perfect example of a life that God cannot bless nor use for His glory! God is looking for people who are the exact opposite of Rehoboam.

 

    God is looking for people who:

 

• Realize their dependence upon Him – John 15:5; Phil. 4:13     Jesus – John 5:19-20.
  
• Desire to walk in obedience to Him – John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-6.
  
• Long to see others come to know the Lord – Matt. 5:16. Eph. 2:10
  

 

    The Lord saved us both to work and to be a statement to others that what He has done in our life can be accomplished also in them. He sets us forth as trophies of His great grace!

 

C. Are you giving God your very best in the area of your character?

 

II. v. 2-9 THE PROBLEM OF REHOBOAM'S CHASTISEMENT

 

    A. These verses tell us that the transgressions of Rehoboam result in the chastisement of the Lord upon him and his people. Rehoboam and Israel sinned and God used Shishak and Egypt as his method of punishment.

 

    Isn't it interesting to compare verse 9 with Exodus 12:35-36? In Exodus, we are told that when the Israelites left Egypt after the plagues that they "spoiled the Egyptians." Now, God sends the Egyptians to take away all their gold and their valuables. God used the world to chasten His people.

 

    What we learn here is that a life that must be chastened by God is a life that cannot simultaneously be blessed by God. Because he would not walk in the will of God, Rehoboam was guilty of giving God less than his best.

 

    B. When God saved you and me, He did so to deliver us from our sins, Rom. 6:7. He did it to make us a new creature, 2 Cor. 5:17. He did it to transform us into children of God, Rom. 8:15; Col. 1:13; 1 John 3:1-2. God saved us so that we might "walk in newness of life," Rom. 6:4; and so that He might use us for His glory, Eph. 2:10; 2 Cor. 4:7.

 

    In other words, God saved us for blessing and not for blistering!

 

    But, when you are His child and you refuse to walk in His will; He will not hesitate to send chastisement into your life, Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:5-11. Just as He did in Israel, God will often use this world as His rod. He will use sickness, financial trouble, etc. to speak to your heart.

 

    C. If God has to send chastisement into your life, then it is clear that He does not have your very best! Examine your life right now: Is God blessing you or does He have to discipline your life?

 

III. v. 1-14 THE PROBLEM OF REHOBOAM'S CONFUSION

 

    A. Watching Rehoboam is like watching a schizophrenic squirrel running here and there. In verse 1, he walks away from the Lord. In verse 6, he repents. In verse 12, he humbles himself. In verse 14 we are told that "he did evil." This is a picture of a life that is up and down; in and out; hot and cold; and on and off. It is the picture of a confused person who does not have a clear direction or focus in his life. Again, this is a person who is giving God less than his very best.

 

    B. That same kind of confusion often characterizes our own lives. We are up and down. We are hot and cold. We are on fire today and cold as a hammer tomorrow. Paul seems to describe the dilemma we all face in Romans 7:14-25. Every day we live, we are engaged in battle with the relentless enemies of the world, the flesh and the devil. The world seeks to press us into its mold, Rom. 12:2. The flesh seeks to dominate us and keep us in bondage to its foolish and sinful desires, Gal. 5:16-17. The devil is also looking for an inroad into our lives from which he can attack us and devour all the good in our life and testimony, 1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 4:27; James 1:14.

 

    God is looking for stability in your life and mine, Eph. 4:11-16. God is looking for people who will sell out to Him totally. He is looking for people who are tired of the roller coaster and who want to live a stable, focused life for His glory. Thank God, there is victory in Jesus for those who will look to Him for the help they need, 1 Cor. 15:57; 1 Cor. 10:13.

 

    C. Look at your life right now. Is it stable and constantly growing closer to the Lord? Or, is it filled with stops, starts, reversals, etc. Does He have your very best; or is it one step forward and two steps back?

 

IV. v. 9-11 THE PROBLEM OF REHOBOAM'S COMPROMISES

 

    A. We are told that Shishak and the Egyptians took the three hundred shields that Solomon had made back in 2 Chron. 9:15-16. These shields weighed three pounds each. These shields were worth $56,000.00 each in today's gold prices. All three hundred of them were worth close to 17 million dollars. These shields hung in the king's palace. 2 Chron. 9:16 and they were taken down by the king's guard when he went to the Temple to worship. The guards would line the avenue leading up to the Temple; 150 guards per side, each holding a solid gold shield. Imagine the gleam that went up from those shields as Solomon and Rehoboam made their way into the Temple to worship.

 

    When the shields are taken, Rehoboam commissions the metal workers to fashion three hundred new shields of brass. When polished, these brass shields would gleam like gold, but when the king passed between the rows of these shields, he knew and the guards knew that they were inferior and that they were poor substitute for the missing shields of gold.

 

    B. Gold spoke of power, prosperity and glory. It was expensive and hard to acquire. Gold was tempered and durable. Gold never had to be polished, for it was pure and did not tarnish. It was a symbol of deity and it spoke of the glory and presence of God in the midst of Israel.

        

    Brass, or bronze, is not pure. It is an alloy of copper and zinc. It is far cheaper; far easier to acquire and far more common than gold. Unlike gold, brass must be polished constantly because it tends to tarnish. Whereas gold was tempered and durable, brass was cheap and flimsy.

 

    C. Instead of facing the people of Israel and telling them that the golden shields were gone, King Rehoboam tried to deceive them by preparing an inferior substitute. Instead of amassing his army to go and recover what the enemy had taken, King Rehoboam chose the pathway of hypocrisy and compromise. Rehoboam compromised to save face before the eyes of the people of Israel! Again, Rehoboam gave God less than his best.

 

    D. Before we come down too hard on King Rehoboam, perhaps we need to examine our own hearts for a moment. I would submit to you that we are often guilty of giving God brass instead of gold. We offer Him and inferior substitute for our very best. How do we do this? There are several ways. (Note: The phrase "Instead of…" We are guilty of offering God some "instead of" things as well.)

 

    We Offer God Brass Instead of Gold….

    

    1. When we operate in human effort instead of divine power – That is pride and we are often guilty of acting and living like we do not need God or His help.

 

    2. When we live carnal lives instead of committed lives – When we run with the world; live like the world; talk, walk and act like the world; dress like the world; seek our entertainment in the world; etc; we are offering God brass instead of gold.

 

    3. When we live in compromise instead of total commitment – When we do less than our best for God, we are compromising His standards of excellence and we are guilty of giving Him brass for gold. No preacher should ever come into this pulpit unless he is filled with the Spirit and prepared to preach! No teacher should take their place before their class unless they have prepared both heart and mind for the task of teaching.

    4. When we are satisfied with the substitute instead of the genuine – When we accept the substitutes this world offers in place of God's presence and power in our church, we are living a compromised live. And that is giving God brass for gold!

 

    5. When we offer up excuses instead of humble obedience – When we say, "Well, I would do this or that but…" you are offering God brass in place of your gold. You are offering Him less than your best!

 

    6. When we try to keep up appearances instead of humbling ourselves before the Lord in repentance – When we know we are not where the lord wants us to be with Him; and we pretend all is well, we are giving Him brass for gold.

 

    7. When we habitually come in late to the house of God instead of being on time – Doesn't our God deserve that we be prompt in coming to His house to worship Him. If were going to a job we wouldn't be habitually late or we would soon find ourselves without a job to go to.

 

    E. Does God really have your very best? Does He have the real gold of your true devotion, or the fool's gold of your "instead of" devotion? Does God have your very best? Or, does He have less than your best?

 

    Conclusion: Brass or gold? Which best describes your life today? Is you life pure, worthwhile and precious? Or is it a cheap alloy, where the spiritual is mingled with the fleshly, until both are made worthless? Be honest with yourself and with your God today: Does God have your very best? Or does He have your cheap imitation of the best? If there are needs, the place to have them taken care of is at His feet.

November 22, 2009 Sermon to the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

 

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV)

    Introduction: Rudyard Kipling was a great British poet whose writings have been enjoyed by many. He was a very famous writer even before he died, and made a great deal of money at his trade.

 

    A newspaper reporter came up to him once and said, "Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to over $100 a word." He raised his eyebrows and said, "Really, I certainly wasn't aware of that." The reporter cynically reached into his pocket and pulled out a $100 bill and gave it to Kipling and said, "Here's a $100 bill Mr. Kipling. Now you give me one of your $100 words."

 

    Rudyard Kipling looked at that $100 bill for a moment, took it and folded it up and put it in his pocket and said, "Thanks."

 

    Well the word "thanks" is certainly a $100 word. In fact, I would say it is more like a million dollar word. This is one word that should be heard very frequently but with some individuals it is a word that is too seldom heard, too rarely spoken, and too often forgotten.

 

    If any nation ought to be thankful to God and grateful for His goodness, it ought to be America. If any people in America ought to be thankful to God and grateful for His goodness, it ought to be Christians. If any group of Christians ought to be thankful to God and grateful for His goodness, it ought to be the Christians in this fellowship. We ought to have an attitude of gratitude.

 

    In this wonderful profound verse of Scripture Paul gives us three principles concerning this attitude of gratitude that every child of God ought to have.

 

I. GRATITUDE IS ALWAYS TO BE EXPRESSED

 

    We are commanded to "give thanks." Now that is excellent advice because a grateful person will be a happier person; a grateful person will be a healthier person; a grateful person will be a holier person.

 

    But this is more than just good advice. It is a command. Gratitude is not an option, it is an obligation. You are just as obligated to give God your thanks as you are to give God your tithe. It is a sin to be ungrateful.

 

    Shakespeare described ingratitude as a "marble-hearted fiend." That is, he said that an ingrate had the heart of solid marble. Shakespeare also said, "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." I know of nothing that stings the heart of a parent as a child that is ungrateful for what the parent does for him.

 

    The blind poet Milton said this: "He that is ungrateful has no guilt but one; all other crimes may pass for virtues in him." That is, he said every other fault in a man is a virtue compared to the vice of ingratitude.

 

    Someone else has written these words: "The thief may have some streaks of honesty in him, the deadbeat spots of honor, the liar hours when he loves the truth, the libertine occasions when he has impulses to be pure; but there is nothing redemptive in the ingrate."

 

    Finally, listen to this blistering indictment of the ungrateful soul. "Trust the ungrateful soul with money-and he will steal it; with honor-and he will betray it; with virtue-and he will violate it; with love- he will transmute it into lust; with your good name-and he will besmirch it."

 

    Ingratitude is a mark of worldliness. It is the mark of an unbeliever. It is the character of an infidel to be ungrateful. Paul, in describing a lost world, said in Romans 1:21, "Because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful." You are never more like a lost man, an unbeliever, than when you are ungrateful.

 

    That is why I say that gratitude is always to be expressed. We are to give thanks. Have you ever thanked that person who led you to Jesus Christ? Have you ever thanked that Sunday School teacher who so faithfully taught you the word of God as a child? Have you ever thanked your Mother and Father for loving you and giving you a good home? Have you ever thanked your wife for being the good mother and homemaker that she is? Have you ever thanked your husband for providing for your material needs and working hard to provide a house to live in and food to eat and clothes to wear?

    

    It is better to say "thank you" and not mean it, than to mean it and not say it. Gratitude is always to be expressed.

 

II.    GRATITUDE IS ALWAYS TO BE EXPANSIVE

 

    We are told to give thanks "in everything." Those two words are the words that make this verse so very difficult. If we were told to thank God in "most things" we could live with it. If we were told to thank God in "good things" we would find the verse a lot easier to accept and obey. But Paul says we are to thank God in "everything."

 

Now a caution here is in order. Nowhere in the word of God are we commanded to "feel grateful." Feelings come and feelings go. Feelings can be affected by the weather, by the temperature, by the function of your liver, by how much rest you got the night before. Thanksgiving has nothing to do with feelings. We are not commanded to "feel grateful." It doesn't matter whether things are good or whether things are bad, we are to be grateful.

 

    Now lest you are thinking, "Well, that may be easy for Paul to say," let me tell you that it was not easy for Paul to say. Paul had been run out of Thessalonica at the threat of losing his life. He had been beaten numerous times, whipped, imprisoned, shipwrecked, stoned, and left for dead. Yet he said, "In everything give thanks."

 

    In Acts 16 we are told of the story of how Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and then whipped and scourged and then thrown into a Philippian prison. But rather than sighing they began singing. I don't know what songs they sang, but I know a old chorus that would be a good one:

 

Thank you Lord for saving my soul

Thank you Lord for making me whole.

Thank you Lord for giving to me

Thy great salvation so rich and free.

 

    Yes, we are indeed to thank God for everything. I believe this "everything" would cover at least three things that is a part of everyday living:

 

A.    We Are To Be Grateful For The Blessings Of Life

 

    Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and he adds no sorrow with it." According to this verse, if you are a Christian you have been blessed by God; you are rich. I like one definition of a Christian that said, "A Christian is someone that does not have to consult his bankbook to see how wealthy he really is."

 

    Do you thank God for the blessings of life; just the simple everyday blessings? For example, food; do you thank God for your daily bread? Three billion people lives on $2.50 a day. Did you know that two-thirds of the world goes to bed hungry every night. One-third of the world is underfed and one-third of the world is starving. In fact, thirty people starve to death every minute, and we complain about dirty dishes. Why not instead thank God that we have dirty dishes to wash. They have a tale to tell; while others may go hungry we've eaten very well. With home, health, and happiness I shouldn't want to complain. By the stack of evidence God's been very good to us!

 

     There are too many individuals who sit down to a meal in a restaurant and begin eating, never thanking God for their food. Do you realize your daily bread comes from the hand of your Heavenly Father? You should never sit down to a meal without bowing your head and humbly thanking God for the food He has provided for you.

 

    I made it a practice that once I thank God for my food I never complain is something is wrong. Why would we express thanks to God and then grumble because it wasn't to our liking?

 

    We all ought to have the attitude of that little girl whose father was a disc jockey, a radio announcer. She was invited to a friend's house for dinner. When she arrived the mother asked the little girl if she would honor them by saying the blessing.

    

    It delighted the little girl. She cleared her throat and said, "This food, friends, is coming to you through the courtesy of Almighty God." Well, she was right; all food that we eat comes through the courtesy of Almighty God.

    We thank God for food, but do you ever thank God for water?

Did you know that only 3% of the water in this world is fit to drink? That only one-third of one percent of the world's water is available to drink, and most of that clean water is right here in the United States of America? Over one-half of the world has no access to pure drinking water. Oh how grateful we ought to be for the blessings of God, especially the small blessings. "Be grateful for venetian blinds. If it weren't for them, it would be curtains for all of us."

 

    In fact, I believe that God's greatest blessings are oftentimes found in the smallest things. I heard about an elderly lady in a testimony meeting who got up and said, "There's always something to be thankful for. I only have two teeth, but thank God they both meet."

 

B.    We Are To Be Grateful For The Burdens Of Life

 

    We are told "in everything we are to give thanks." Notice it is in everything, not necessarily for everything. We are not to be thankful for trouble, but we are to be thankful in the midst of trouble. Indeed, one of the purposes of the trials, troubles, and tribulations that come to us in life is to move us to thanksgiving.

 

    (2 Corinthians 4:15) For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. (NKJV)

    Everything that happens to you also happens for you. That is why you are to always give thanks in every situation. Regardless of how bad it may seem to you, God wants to use it in your life to move you to thanksgiving.

 

    Matthew Henry, the famous Bible teacher and author who wrote, Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Whole Bible, was once accosted by thieves and robbed of all of his money. He wrote these words in his diary: "I am so very thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life. Third, because although they took everything I had, it wasn't very much. Fourth, it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."

 

    Do you thank God in the bad times as well as in the good? Do you thank Him in the midst of trouble as you do in the midst of triumph?

 

We thank Him for sun

Do you thank Him for rain?

We thank Him for joy

Do we thank Him for pain?

We thank Him for gains

Do we thank Him for losses?

We thank Him for blessings

Do we thank Him for crosses?

 

C. We Are To Be Grateful For The Benefits Of Life

 

    Psalm 103:2 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." Do you ever thank God for just the benefits of being one of His children and one of His creatures; just for the benefit of living on God's green earth? Aren't you glad that you don't have to pay taxes on sunlight?

 

    If you ever go over to England you will discover that many of the English houses of the Eighteenth Century are very small in size and they have many small windows in the house. The reason for this was because of the "window tax"; one of the most senseless taxes ever levied by a ruling power. The government was charging houses for the use of the sun when they had more than six windows in the house! When I think about the cost of electricity I shudder to think what would happen if God were to start charging for sunlight.

 

    Aren't you grateful that the air that we breathe is free; that we don't have to pay an admission to see a sunset or to hear a bird sing or to smell a rose? What on earth would we do if God, all of a sudden, went on strike and wiped out all of these benefits?

 

How good it is that God above

Has never gone on strike;

Because He was not treated fair

And things He didn't like.

If only once he'd given up and said,

"That's it, I'm through.

I've had enough of those on earth

So this is what I'll do.

I'll give my orders to the sun -

Turn off the heat supply!

And to the moon - give no more light

And run the oceans dry.

Then just to make things really tough

And put the pressure on,

Turn off the vital oxygen till every

breath is gone."

You know He would be justified if

fairness was the game,

For no one has been more abused

or met with more disdain than God

And yet He carries on supplying you and me

with all the favors of His grace and everything for free.

Men say they want a better deal and

so on strike they go,

But what a deal we've given God

to whom all things we owe.

We don't care whom we hurt to gain the things we like;

But what a mess we'd all be in

if God should go on strike.

 

    Have you ever thanked God for the benefits of just living in America? You know, so often so many Americans gripe about going to work, fighting the traffic, having to put up with a nasty boss, having to pay taxes. I'm concerned as to where this country is headed but I'm so thankful that I'm an American!

 

    Oh, don't you forget the benefits of God. We ought to give God thanks in all things. We ought to give God thanks always. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 5:20 "Give thanks always for all things to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

In 1789 George Washington declared the fourth Thursday of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day in America. I say to you that the Word of God declares that every day ought to be a day of thanksgiving in the heart of every Christian.

 

III.    GRATITUDE IS ALWAYS TO BE EXPECTED

 

    We are to give thanks in all things for "this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." It makes now difference what you are going through right now. No matter what burdens you may be bearing or what trouble you might be in, if right now there is not a wellspring of thanksgiving boiling up out of your heart, you are out of the will of God. The only way to please God is to be obedient to His will. Now why does gratitude please our Lord so much?

 

A.    Gratitude Is The Mark Of A Growing Christian

 

    You see, gratitude is a real test of your character. For example, a baby is ungrateful. You can take a little baby when he has the colic and walk the floor with him for seven hours, and then when you put that little baby down he won't look up at you and say, "Much obliged." He'll just yell a little louder. Now we don't blame him because he's a baby.

 

    You take a little child. Did you know that you have to teach a child to be grateful? Gratitude is not something that naturally comes. It's something you have to learn. You have to almost force children at times to say "thank you." One lady gave her little grandson a piece of cake, and the little boy said, "Thank you." She said, "I love to hear little boys say thank you." He said, "Well, if you'll put ice cream on this cake I'll say it again." We expect that out of small children.

 

    But friend, to continue to be ungrateful is to continue to be a baby. If you have no gratitude in your heart today, you simply show where you are spiritually. You may have the body of a giant and the mind of a genius, but you have the soul of a pygmy if you're not grateful.

 

B.    Gratitude Is The Mark Of A Giving Christian

 

    If for no other reason than gratitude a Christian ought to give to the work of God. He ought to tithe his income to the Lord just out of gratitude of what God has given to him. I believe it is the height of ingratitude to a loving, giving God to refuse to give at least a tenth of your income back to Him.

 

    Everything you have is a gift from God. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17 NKJV) If you are a grateful Christian, you will be a giving Christian.

    Someone has well said, "Thanksgiving, to be truly thanksgiving, is first thanks, then giving." You can give without being thankful, but you cannot be thankful without giving. When you give, you are not only acknowledging that everything you have has been given to you by the Lord, but you are expressing your gratitude to Him.

 

Must I keep on giving

again and again,

"O no," said the angel

And his glance pierced me through

Just give until the Master

Stops giving to you.

 

C.    Gratitude Is The Mark Of A Glowing Christian

 

    It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; (Psalms 92:1 NKJV)

It is good to give thanks to the Lord. An attitude of gratitude will change your life. It will shield you from cynicism. It will keep you from criticism. It will protect you from pessimism. It will draw you close to God, and it will draw God close to you.

 

    If you are unsaved, the best way to express your gratitude to the God who made you is to be saved. The Psalmist said, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits?" Then he answers his own question, "I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord." If you will give your life to Jesus Christ you will be eternally grateful that you did.

 

D. Gratitude is the Mark of a Glorifying Christian

 

    An attitude of gratitude leads us into the presence of our great God.

 

<<A Psalm of Thanksgiving.>> Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. (Psalms 100:1-5 NKJV)

Sunday, November 15, 2009 Message to the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

Praise the Key to Victory

 

(Psalms 34:1) I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (NKJV)

 

(Hebrews 13:15) Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. (NKJV)

 

(Acts 16:22-26) Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. (NKJV)

 

2Ch 20:1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar" (which is En Gedi).

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

6 and said: "O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

7 "Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

8 "And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,

9 'If disaster comes upon us-sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine-we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.'

10 "And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir-whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them-

11 "here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.

12 "O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.

14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.

15 And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.

16 'Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.

17 'You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you."

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.

19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.

20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper."

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever."

22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.

28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.

29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

 

Mr 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

(NKJV)

November 1, 2009 Message to the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

OH, HOW I LOVED JESUS!

Introduction: Someone has suggested songs for the lukewarm Christian:

• "Take My Life And Let Me Be"
  
• "Sit UP, Sit Up for Jesus"
  
• "I Surrender Some"
  
• "Oh How I Like Jesus" or as I suggest in my sermon title, "Oh, How I Loved Jesus"
  

Our text for today is the first of seven letters written to seven different churches that existed in Asia Minor in the First Century. These letters to these seven churches can be considered from three different perspectives.

1. They can be viewed Prophetically – These churches represent different stages of the church over the last 2,000 years. The church at Ephesus represents the time period between the Day of Pentecost and 100 AD. This was a time of great expansion for the early church. It was also a time when some began to lose their zeal and fervency.

2. They can be viewed Practically – These letters were sent to literal, real congregations that were actually functioning at the close of the First Century. While they were written to real churches existing in that day, they still speak to every church in existence today. God has a word for our local church in these verses!

3. They can be viewed Personally – These letters speak to congregations, but we should also be mindful that the Lord has a word for the individual in these letters as well. He has something to say to you and to me about our relationship with Him.

As Jesus begins to write to this church, He does so in glowing terms, commending them for their works and their doctrinal purity. It appears that this was a very busy congregation. They were active with many ministries occupying the time of the members of the congregation. Let's read out text from Revelation 2:1-7

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: (Revelation 2:1-2 KJV)

And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Revelation 2:3-5 KJV)

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:6-7 KJV)

In verse 2, Jesus uses three words to describe the business of this church. The word "works" refers to their "accomplishments". This was a church that had been used of the Lord to do great things in the community. The word "labor" speaks of "intense work involving toil and pain". The word "patience" reminds us that they carried out their works for the Lord in the midst of great "persecution". The city around them hated them and the message they preached. This was a busy, working church.

Verses 2-3 and verse 6 also tell us that this church was doctrinally pure. They stood for the truth and against evil. They publically exposed false prophets. They were not allowing the world to influence their worship or their walk. Anyone looking in from the outside would have concluded that they were a rock solid congregation. Anyone attending their services would have been in awe of their work and their calendar of activities.

While those around them were looking at them, Someone far more important had His eye on this church. The Lord Jesus Christ was walking in their midst, verse 1, While they had much to commend them, there were problems in the church of Ephesus.

The Lord knew what the people around them did not know. The Lord knew what the church itself did not know. The Lord knew that they did not love Him like they had once loved Him.

If this church had been honest about their condition, their favorite hymn would have been "Oh, How I Loved Jesus!" I want to consider the Lord's letter to this ancient congregation. What He said to them, then, is relevant to us today.

As it was in Ephesus, many in our day are merely going through the motions. Many simply do not love Jesus like they once did, and it shows.

I want to point out some simple facts that present themselves in this text. I want to preach on the subject: Oh, How I Loved Jesus! I want you to let the Lord speak to your heart today, and ask yourself a couple of questions.

· Do you love Him with all of your heart, your soul and your mind?

· Are you serving Him because it is what you do, or do you serve Him because you are consumed with love for the Lord Jesus?

Let's focus in on verses 4-5 today. I pray that God will speak to our hearts and help us to fall more in love with Jesus that ever before!

I. v. 4
THE LORD'S CASE AGAINST THIS CHURCH

After commending them for their works, Jesus condemns them for their lack of love for Him. He tells them that there is a real problem in their hearts. Let's notice the nature of this problem.

A. It Is A Personal Problem – "I have somewhat against thee..." The Ephesians probably thought their biggest problems were the pagans around them and the persecution they faced. Jesus tells them that the biggest problem they faced was a personal problem with the Lord Himself.

This reminds us that the Lord cares about His people. If He did not have His eye on them, He would have been unaware of their problem. In verse 1, we are told that He "walks" among them. In verse 2 He tells them "I know..."

He knows me and you also! He knows us far better than we know ourselves. No one in the church of Ephesus would have guessed that there was a problem between them and Jesus, but there was!

Most of us would look at ourselves and think that we are all right. The problem with our way of gauging our own state of rightness is to compare ourselves with others. Of course, we never compare ourselves with anyone who lives holier than we do; we always compare ourselves with those who live less holy than we do. God's standard of holiness is a bit higher than that. His standard of righteousness is Christ Himself.

We think our biggest problems are society and world in which we live. The truth is, our biggest problem in the modern church is that, like Ephesus, we have offended a holy God! He has a problem with us because we are not where He wants us to be spiritually!

B. It Is A Passion Problem – Jesus tells them exactly what they have done to offend Him. He tells them "thou hast left thy first love". Jesus tells them that they just don't love Him like they used to.

While all the words in that phrase scream for our attention, there are two that demand special notice. They are the words "left" and "first".

The word "left" is an expressive word that means "to sent away". It was used of a husband divorcing his wife. It also means "to expire; to let alone; to omit; to forsake; to abandon; to leave one place to go to another; to disregard." Jesus is talking to a people who have walked away from their love for Him. They have abandoned His love. They have forsaken His love. They have disregarded His love. Like a man divorcing an unwanted wife, they have symbolically sent the Lord away.

The word "first" means "first in rank or importance". They still love their church. They still love their doctrines. They still love their activities. They still love their busy schedules. They still love all they do. They just don't love Jesus more than the other things.

Note: We might think that falling out of love with Jesus is a minor thing. We might think it is something that happens to a lot of people that it's not such a big deal. That it's something we can get fixed up at the next revival, or the next service we decide to attend. Let me show you why I think falling out of love with Jesus is a serious issue.

· When we do not love Jesus as we should, we are in violation of the greatest commandment – Matt. 22:37-38.

This opens us up to great sin! When we do not love Him as we should, we are more likely to break the first four commandments.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

2. Thou shalt not make any graven images.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord Thy God in vain.

4. Thou shalt remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.

· When we do not love Jesus as we should, we are more likely to violate the second commandment – Matt. 22:39. When we are not in love with Him, we will not love others like He wants us to. Love is part of the Fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22. Love for others is the work of God in our hearts, 1 John 4:7-12. This makes it far more likely that we will break the last six commandments.

5. Honor thy father and mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill (murder)

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet.

· When we do not love Jesus as we should, we will not have a desire to be with Him. Do you remember honeymoon love – Always want to be with the object of your affection. That's how it is for a new believer. Over time, the love fades and the desire to be around Jesus and His people fades too. What is the problem? It can all be traced back to a loss of "first love".

· When we do not love Jesus as we should, we will not serve Him as fervently as He wants us to. We may attend church, but we will not be a faithful attendee. We might say we are saved, but we will never share the faith with the lost. We might teach a class, preach a sermon, lead a prayer meeting, lead a Bible study, but there will always be something lacking. Fervent, emotional, extravagant love for Jesus will always manifest itself in active, public service for Him.

· There is much more that could be said about the dangers of not loving Jesus as we should. Many of us have been in that place where we were consumed with love for Him, and many of us have been in that place where the flame of passion became a dying ember. We know the difference and we know which honors Him the most!

II. v. 5a THE LORD'S CALL TO THIS CHURCH

Having addressed their problem, Jesus gives them a plan of action. He tells them how they can go about rekindling the flames of passion for Him that once burned so brightly.

A. He Calls On Them To Remember – They are commanded to "Remember from whence thou art fallen". The Lord's command is for them to look back. They needed to remember a time when their love for Him was powerful, all-consuming and the most important thing in their lives. They were to remember those early days of salvation when the love of God for them was overwhelming.

They were to remember how it felt to be saved and to know that all their sins had been forgiven. They were to remember what it felt like to know that they were no longer dead in sin, but had been made alive in Jesus. They were to remember the excitement that every new revelation from the Word of God brought to their hearts.

I say to you that we need to remember! We need to remember that moment when sin rolled away and Jesus moved in. we need to remember those early days of excitement and joy. We need to recapture the excitement of that early love we felt for Jesus when He first saved us from His sins. Do you remember?

B. He Calls On Them To Repent – Once they remembered what He had done for them, they would see how far they had fallen. When they remembered they would recognize their sins. The word "repent" refers to "a change of mind that leads to a change of action." When they saw the depths of their sin, they were to turn from it and fall in love with Jesus again.

The greatest need of the modern church is for us to fall in love with Jesus once again. Before we can do this, we are going to have to recognize that our lack of love for Him is a sin! We are going to have to understand that all the things we have allowed to come between us and Him are idols; our hobbies & fun, our family, our work, even our church work can come between us and loving Jesus.

The modern church simply needs to fall in love with Jesus once more. When we repent of our sin and turn from a lack of love, He will fill us with His presence, His wonder and His power.

C. He Calls On Them To Repeat – He calls on them to "do the first works". That world "first" is the same as the word "first" in verse 4. It speaks of that which is "first in rank and importance". In other words, Jesus calls them to return to the things that are most important.

What is most important when it comes to our relationship with Him? The Lord's call here is for the Ephesian believers to return to the simple fundamentals of the faith.

• It is a call to return to the altars of prayer.
  
• It is a call to come back to the Word of God.
  
• It is a call to return to a place of worship.
  
• It is a call to obedience to His will.
  
• It is a call for the church to walk in holiness before the Lord.
  

Note: Jesus is still calling the church to return to these basic, fundamental, foundational activities. If we do not seek Him in prayer; if we do not feed on His Word; if we are not active in His worship; if we do not walk in holiness and obedience; then we do not love Him. If we do not do these things, we cannot expect Him to bless us. If we do not do these things, we cannot expect Him to move in power among us when we gather at His house.

If we love, we will do these things! If we love Him, He will respond to our love by manifesting Himself in our lives as individuals and in the life of our church.

• So, do want to see souls saved? Fall in love with Jesus and let that love be seen.
  
• Do you want the power of God on this church? Fall in love with Jesus and let Him live through you every day. If we can recapture fervent, emotional, extravagant, first love for Jesus, that is all we need! It would forever transform the child of God and the Church of God.
  
• Our problem in the modern church, our problem at this church, is that we do not love Jesus like we should. Oh, we love Him, but it isn't the all-consuming love that it needs to be! Oh, we love Him, but there was a time when we loved Him more! If we were to be honest, we would have to sing with the Ephesians, "Oh, How I Loved Jesus!"
  

III. v. 5b THE LORD'S CHALLENGE TO THE EPHESIAN CHURCH

Because the Lord loves His church, He lets them know that their lack of love for Him holds serious consequences down the road. If they stayed the course and refused to repent, they faced certain judgment. The Lord describes this judgment in this verse.

A. They Are Challenged Concerning Abrupt Judgment – The Lord says that He will come "quickly". The word means "without delay". The Lord is telling this church when judgment comes, it will be swift and sure.

We can be sure that the Lord will not tolerate deadness and a lack of love among His people for an extended period of time. Sin will be judged! Of that we can be sure!

B. They Are Challenged Concerning Appalling Judgment – He tells them that He will "remove thy candlestick out of his place". This means that they will cease to exist as a congregation. Jesus is telling the church at Ephesus that their lack of love is so serious that it threatens the very existence of their church.

This prophecy was literally fulfilled in Ephesus. From what I can read, there is nothing where this great city once stood, but a pile of rubble. There is no Christian church there. The land is inhabited by Muslim nomads. There is not Christian witness. There is no light of the Gospel. All of that is the result of a church that failed to stay in love with Jesus.

Look around today. Everywhere you look there are little, struggling churches with a handful of aged believers. That's not the case everywhere, but many churches are in condition. Could it be that somewhere a long time ago, they stopped loving Jesus with a passionate, all-consuming love? Could it be that their worship became lifeless and dead? Could it be their service and their preaching lost its power and its effectiveness? Could it be their young people moved away and their church began to die?

A new Pastor in a small Oklahoma town spent the first four days making personal visits to each of the members, inviting them to come to his first services.

The following Sunday the church was all but empty. Accordingly, the Pastor placed a notice in the local newspapers, stating that, because the church was dead, it was everyone's duty to give it a decent Christian burial. The funeral would be held the following Sunday afternoon, the notice said.

Morbidly curious, a large crowd turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, they saw a closed coffin, smothered in flowers. After the Pastor delivered the eulogy, he opened the coffin and invited his congregation to come forward and pay their final respects to their dead church.

Filled with curiosity as to what would represent the corpse of a "dead church," all the people eagerly lined up to look in the coffin. Each "mourner" peeped into the coffin then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look.

In the coffin, tilted at the correct angle, was a large mirror.

Ask yourself this question: What kind of church would this church be if every member were just like me?

• If every member attended church like you do?
  
• If every member witnessed and invited others to church like you do?
  
• If every member prayed liked you do?
  
• If every member read their Bibles like you do?
  
• If every member tithed and gave like you do?
  
• If every member worked and served in the church like you do?
  

C. They Are Challenged Concerning Avoidable Judgment – I don't want Jesus to take away our candlestick, but He will if our light ceases to shine. The Ephesians are told that they can avoid their fate, if they will repent of their sins. The modern church is dying. She is dying because she doesn't love Jesus like she used to. The only remedy is repentance and restoration.

It is a serious thing when a church ceases to love the Lord. That church might wander off into apostasy, a few do. More likely, that church will simply fade away and cease to exist. According to one report 7,000 churches close their doors each year. Yes it does happen.

Our church is less than a generation away from this very thing taking place right here. You may say, "But Pastor, haven't you and others in the church been saying how you feel the Lord wants to do great and wonderful things for us and through us? How He desires to bless us abundantly?" Absolutely, and I believe it with all my heart. That's what I feel in my spirit. That's what the Lord wishes to do but we must meet His conditions. Listen to these verses from Jeremiah:

"The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, "if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. (Jeremiah 18:7-8 NKJV)

"And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, "if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. (Jeremiah 18:9-10 NKJV)

The blessings of the Lord upon a nation, a church, a family, an individual are contingent upon that nation, church, family or you and me as individuals walking in genuine love and obedience to our Lord.

D. A Personal Challenge To You….

• What about you? If you are honest today, can you sing "Oh, How I Love Jesus?"
  
• Or, would you have to sing "Oh, How I Loved Jesus?"
  

If He has spoken to you, you need to listen to what He is saying. Is it time for you to remember, repent and repeat? If we don't there is no remedy but removal! Let's listen and obey Him!

October 25, 2009 Message preached at the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

LIFE'S TWO ROADS

 

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV)

 

Introduction: I would like to share an observation with you that I have made over the years. Now, this is profound, so hang onto your hats: Where you wind up depends on which road you take! In other words, you cannot go south from here and expect to go to New Your City. You cannot go east from here and wind up at the Mississippi. I realize you could do this if you were to circumnavigate the globe, but using the roads which are in place now, it would be absolutely impossible for you to do that. Just as this is true in the physical realm, it is also true in the spiritual realm. Where you wind up in eternity will be determined by the road you take here on earth.

 

    This life has been described as a brief pause between two very long eternities. Now, that shouldn't take any of us by surprise. After all, we are surrounded by death from the day we born into the world. Loved ones pass away, friends leave this world, and deep inside, we know that it will happen to us someday as well. The fact that you will not live forever is a common theme throughout the Bible. Notice just two of the many passages:

 

(James 4:14) … For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (NKJV)

 

(Job 14:1) "Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble. (NKJV)

 

I would like to take these 2 verses of Matthew 7:13 & 14 and preach for a while around this thought, "Life's Two Roads." As I do, please allow the Lord to speak to your heart. This is a truth that most if not everyone in this room is aware of but you need to know where you are going when you leave this world more than anything else in this world or the one to come. My prayer is that every individual will be able to answer this question before they leave this room today.

 

I. THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS IN LIFE

 

    Jesus tells His audience that there are only two possible roads in which one can walk. Many in our day want to tell us that there are many paths a person can travel through life; however, Jesus limits the choices to just two. Some may feel that this is a narrow view. I guess that they are correct. However, Jesus is correct regardless of what the world thinks, Rom. 3:4: "…let God be true but every man a liar." Let's spend a few moments discussing these two roads in which man can spend his days.    

 

A. There Is A Broad Way - The word broad means "spacious." Jesus says that there is a spacious road upon which a person can walk. What does He mean by this "broad road"? The idea that Jesus is trying to convey is that the broad way is wide open. In other words, anything goes on the broad way. You can do anything you like, you can carry all the baggage of your sins, you can live like you want to live, you can call all the shots and make all the rules!

 

You can be king of the road on the broad way. When you walk the broad way, you can be your own person and not have to answer to anyone. You can live life to the fullest. Go where you will, do what you will and be what you will. It is an easy way to live, because there is no one to please but yourself! That is what the broad way is all about!

 

There is a sinister side to the dark way that the open-minded, pleasure seekers fail to mention to those who travel this road. There are a couple of things you need to know before you decide to live out the rest of your life traveling the broad way.

 

1. You aren't really in control - Eph. 2:1-3

 

(John 8:44) "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do…."

 

2. Sin brings with it pain and sorrow –

 

(Proverbs 13:15) Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard. (KJV)

The way of sinners is rough and uneasy. The way is hard on themselves and it's hard on others. The service of sin is perfect slavery and the way is strewed with the thorns and thistles that are products of the curse.

 

3. God offers a better alternative - God has a plan whereby those who follow Him enjoy the fullest of God's rich blessings day by day. Things like peace, John 14:27; Phil. 4:6; joy, 1 Pet. 1:8; assurance of salvation, 1 John 5:13. There are multitudes of other things which the Lord gives to us.

 

B. There Is A Narrow Way - While the Broad way is wide open and easy, the other way a person can live is called "narrow". This word refers to a "grape press". It has the idea of being constricted; it can also carry the idea of being distressed and difficult.

 

You see, the narrow way is exactly the opposite of the broad way. On the narrow way, you cannot take all your sins with you. If you try, you will find that there isn't enough room for you and them. When you walk the narrow way, you must choose to give up your rights. You can no longer do as you please, but you must do those things that please the Lord. You cannot make the rules, but you are expected to keep the Lord's rules.

 

Some people have the mistaken idea that they can live as they please and that the Lord is obligated to smile down on them and just bless them. In truth, when you walk the narrow way, you should expect some difficulty. After all, these fleshly bodies will resist the confines of the narrow way. The sinful natures will find the narrow way tight and constrictive.

 

How many say they are saved, and yet they try to walk in the broad way nonetheless? No one ever said that living for the Lord would be easy! No one ever said that living a separated Christian life that honors the Lord would be simple and as fun as living a life that gratifies the flesh. However, living for the Lord brings with it certain benefits that cannot be obtained by any other means. Nobody ever said that it was easy, but it the only way to honor the Lord and to be His Disciple.

 

(Matthew 16:24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (NKJV)

It's a life lived in surrender, devotion, dedication and obedience to God. It is a life that He will bless! Sounds tough, but it's worth it!

 

Which road are you walking on this morning?

 

I. There Are Two Possible Directions In Life

 

II. THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE DESTINATIONS IN ETERNITY

 

    All roads end somewhere. There used to be a saying about 2,000 years ago that went, "All roads lead to Rome." Well, all roads lead somewhere and the same is true with the roads we are considering this morning. They lead somewhere and since everyone here is on one or the other, we need to find out where we are going!

 

A. There Is A Place Called Hell - Jesus tells us that the broad road leads to "destruction." When we think of something being destroyed, we usually think about something be annihilated and forever done away with. This word, however, refers to "loss". It speaks of total and absolute ruin. It refers to loss one suffers in the fires of Hell. My friends, the broad road ends in Hell.

 

    Every person who chooses the broad way will eventually find themselves in the fires of Hell. That, to me, is the most awful thought my mind ever tried to understand. What makes it so terrible is that most in the world are headed there right now! Allow me to give you a little insight into this place where the broad way ends.

 

1. Unquenchable fire –

 

(Mark 9:43) "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- (NKJV)

2. Memory and Remorse –

 

(Luke 16:27-28) "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' (NKJV)

3. Unsatisfied Thirst –

 

(Luke 16:24) "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' (NKJV)

4. Frustration and Anger –

 

(Luke 13:28) "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. (NKJV)

 

5. Unspeakable Pain and Misery –

 

(Revelation 21:8) "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (NKJV)

6. Eternal Separation From God

 

(Revelation 20:14-15) Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (NKJV)

(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) ….when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (NKJV)

    Regardless of what men think, Hell is real and every second lost souls drop off into the searing heat of that horrible place. No matter how I tried, I could never adequately describe Hell. If I were to be able to exhaust all the vocabulary of English and paint word pictures that conveyed the truth of that place the half would be told as to the horror that awaits everyone headed to everlasting destruction. A place from which there will never be deliverance…a place to which you will surely go if you choose to follow the broad and easy road through life. Where will you end up?

 

B. There Is A Place Called Heaven - Just as the broad road has its destination, the narrow way does too. This road doesn't end in Hell, but it ends in Heaven above. Jesus promised those who would follow this way life. Not just life down here, but everlasting, glorious life in the realms of light above this wicked, perishing world.

 

If Hell is a place of horror, pain, separation and suffering, then Heaven is a place of joy, rest, peace, unspeakable beauty and glory. Everything that Hell isn't Heaven is! Just a brief glimpse at the glories of that city tell me that that's where I want to end up. Consider these truths about this splendid place.

 

1. No Tears, pain, sorrow, death, etc –

 

(Revelation 21:4) "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (NKJV)

2. No Night –

 

(Revelation 21:25) Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). (NKJV)

 

3. No Curse –

 

(Revelation 22:3) And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. (NKJV)

4. With God and Jesus –

 

(Revelation 21:3) And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. (NKJV)

 

(Revelation 21:22-23) But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. (NKJV)

 

5. Beyond Imagination –

 

(1 Corinthians 2:9) But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (NKJV)

 

The narrow road may be the more costly of the two down here, but the end of the road is worth the price for the child of God.

 

So what if we walked a bit out of step down here? So what if we are misunderstood down here? So what if we did without some things that the rest of the world indulged in and seemed to enjoy? When we get to Heaven, the trials of the road will seem as nothing! The past will be behind us and all the glories of eternity with Jesus will be unfolding before us. The journey will be over and we will be home. Where are you going to end up?

 

I. There Are Two Possible Directions In Life

II. There Are Two Possible Destinations In Eternity

 

III. THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE DECISIONS YOU CAN MAKE

 

Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 7:13 &14 that man must choose which gate he goes through and what kind of life he lives. If man makes these decisions, then he also decides where he spends his eternity. My friends, just as there are only two possible directions and two possible destinations, there are also only two possible decisions you can make. Let's consider these before we take our leave from this place today.

 

A. There Is A Wide Gate Which You Can Choose To Enter - In reality, there is no real choice made in entering the wide gate. When a person is born into this world they are born in sin, Rom. 3:23; Psa. 58:3. As a result, they are already on the broad road. Yet, that little baby knows nothing of sin or of the choice to follow sin. However, as that child grows, there comes a time when he knows right from wrong. We call this time reaching "the age of accountability." At that time the child makes a conscious decision to either do evil or to do good. When that decision is made, the wide gate has been entered and the broad way becomes the course of life. Now we all know where that road will end up!

 

Notice that Jesus said that this was the crowded way. Many, many more will find their way onto the broad road than onto the narrow way. Many, many more will spend in eternity in Hell than will ever be in Heaven. That is a sad thing! But, what's really sad about the whole thing is that men have many chances throughout their lives to change roads. They ignore these opportunities and plunge headlong toward Hell with reckless abandon and without visible concern for their souls! Please do not let this happen in your life. You have the opportunity to change today, take advantage of it and come to Jesus for salvation!

 

B. There Is A Narrow Gate Which You Can Choose To Enter - While the wide gate is easy to find, man is born staring right into it, the straight gate is something that must be sought out. What I mean is this, when God calls the sinner to come to Him for salvation, he must choose to look away from the allurements of the broad way and see that the narrow way offers life and hope while the broad way offers only death, pain and destruction.

 

Please note that this narrow way offers some clear opportunities for those people who decide to enter.

 

1. It is an open gate - Rom. 10:13; Rev. 22:17; John 6:37.

 

2. It offers life to all who will come in- John 10:28; John 6:47.

 

3. It, alone, promises Heaven to those who come this way - John 14:6.)

 

4. It is a small gate - This reminds us that you cannot bring your junk with you. If you are going to come to Jesus for salvation, then you are going to have to be willing to turn your back on the sins and the junk of this world, Luke 13:3. You are fooling no one but yourself if you think you can hang onto the world with one hand and Jesus with the other. The only way into Him is a narrow way and it requires that we lay down everything and cling simply to Jesus and Him alone!

 

"Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling!" What are you holding on to today that is keeping you away from the Lord Jesus Christ? Let me tell you, whatever it is, it isn't worth the price you will have to pay to keep it! Throw it down and cast yourself on Jesus for salvation!

 

Notice that Jesus said that there would be few who found this gate. Man is not, as I said earlier, at a crossroads. He is walking the broad way, until he turns his eyes away from that way and places them on Jesus. Then and then alone does man have the opportunity to be saved. Perhaps few will be saved because few are looking for what God offers through Jesus. Perhaps they are so filled up with the world and their own ways that they have no time for what God offers them. May I remind you that when a man is left to his own way, he will always wind up in Hell? - Pro. 16:25)

 

Conclusion: Have you thought it over? Where will you end up when you leave this world? Will it be Heaven or will it be Hell? Will it be the narrow way of walking with God or the broad way of anything goes? Where will you end up? You say, "Pastor, I sure do want to go to Heaven!" Then come to Jesus and enter into salvation through faith in Him. Be saved today. Be sure today. You had better not wait. As we learned at the outset, life is short and eternity is long. Today is your day to get ready to meet God in Heaven. Will you do it? Will you come and get it nailed down forever? The gate is still open, but the day is coming when it will close for you forever. Where will you end up? It all depends on what you do with the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you come to Him and get it settled forever today?

October 18, 2009 Sunday Morning Message to the Winston-Salem COGOP

IS AMERICA SPIRITUALLY ASLEEP?

 

    Sometimes it is hard to determine just who is telling the truth. There are times when two people, who are for the most part very believable, are telling two different stories. Whom do you believe? How do you really know who is telling the truth? During the last twenty years the lie detector business has been growing. While these tests are not used in court, they are being used more and more by businesses. Companies want to know if their employees are lying and/or stealing while in their employ.

 

    In East India thousands of years ago those who were suspected of committing a crime were taken into a darkened room. There in that room with the suspect were only the person who would question them and a donkey. The suspect was asked to hold the donkey's tail and was told that the donkey would bray if he told a lie. What the suspect did not know was that the donkey's tail was covered with black soot. If the suspect was going to lie when questioned he would never touch the donkey's tail. The liar could always be identified as the one who walked out of the room with clean hands. Source: Paul Harvey, More of Paul Harvey's the Rest of the Story (New York City: William Morrow & Company), p. 68."

 

    There is an old story about the theologian, Karl Barth [pronounced "Bart" with a soft "t"], who was on a speaking tour of the United States. On college campuses all across this country, he was drawing huge crowds to hear his very complex answers to the questions of life. When he was speaking at Princeton University, the great hall was packed with faculty, students, and visitors who came to hear Karl Barth speak. During the question and answer period, one student asked, "Dr. Barth, may I ask you a personal question?"Dr. Barth smiled and said, "Yes, you may ask anything." The student then asked, "Dr. Barth, you are a very educated man. What is the greatest truth you have ever learned?" Dr. Barth bowed his head, thinking for a moment about how he would respond. Then, he raised his head and looked out at the student who asked the question and he said, "The greatest truth I ever learned was at my mother's knee: 'Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.'"

 

    The secret of effective living is to discover the truth about Jesus Christ. When we focus on him, we have discovered that truth is a caring love, truth is the Word becoming flesh. Truth is experiencing his life-giving power. Truth is discovering his love with arms outstretched to embrace us. When we grasp this truth, we have discovered the secret to effective living.

 

    In a letter to the Christians at Thessalonica, Paul speaks of a future event he calls "the day of the Lord." He writes:

 

"We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thes. 2:1-3).

 

    Some theologians believe the "day of the Lord" Paul refers to here is the final judgment. However, I believe with most scholars that Paul is speaking of Christ's second coming in power and great glory. And Paul states that Jesus' return will not take place until two things happen:

 

1. A great apostasy will occur. Many who once knew God will fall away from the truth of the gospel they've known.

2. The Antichrist, or man of sin, will be "revealed."

 

    It should be obvious to every lover of Jesus that a "falling away" is already taking place. Many believers today, as well as Christians throughout the past few decades, have grown cold in their love for God. That being true however, the "falling away" that Paul is speaking of occurs when the Antichrist breaks the covenant he has made with the Jews and takes over their temple that has been rebuilt during the tribulation period. "Falling away" is better translated "great rebellion" as the NIV translates it.

 

    With that in mind, I'd like to focus on Paul's second point - that the day of the Lord won't come until the "man of sin is revealed." What, exactly, does Paul mean by this phrase? Jesus will not return in glory until the "man of sin," the antichrist has been revealed. Of course the rapture of the church may occur before this event takes place. Jesus himself says He'll come when least expected, in the twinkling of an eye.

 

    The Antichrist's plan has already been exposed in Scripture. Paul declares, "The mystery of iniquity doth already work..." (2 Thessalonians 2:7). He's saying that a mysterious form of sin, even now at work, will usher in the Antichrist. Apparently, a spirit of iniquity will fall upon lost humanity, gripping people's hearts so powerfully that the man of sin will ascend to power quickly. Yet there is another meaning to this phrase, "mystery of iniquity, (Satan's evil program)." It comes from a Greek root meaning "silent initiation." Paul is talking about a secret initiation into the cult of the Antichrist - a subtle, demonic influence he saw taking place in his own day.

 

    Right now, this same mysterious spirit is at full seductive power, preparing masses of people to receive the man of sin. Thousands daily are being brainwashed, silently and in secret, to be initiated into his fold. And this satanic work is happening so fast and so efficiently, the man of sin could ascend to power in the not-too-distant future. We don't need to see some physical revelation of the Antichrist before Jesus will come back in the rapture. His satanic spirit is already being manifested in thousands of brainwashed individuals!

 

Paul Fully Explains the "Mystery of Iniquity."

 

Paul says the mystery is simply this: Satan is going to seduce masses into depths of lawlessness! The Greek word Paul uses for iniquity in this passage means, literally, lawlessness. Therefore, the mystery is one of lawlessness - meaning, multitudes are going to act without law or restraint. Yet, this lawlessness is not simply a rebellion against the rule of man. It's not about rebelling against civil authority, or about committing robbery, rape or murder. These things do provoke God's wrath.

 

But the mystery of lawlessness goes much deeper. It is an outright rejection of the truth that is in Christ - a casting aside of God's Holy Word and commands. It is rebellion against the restraints of Holy Scripture! This spirit of lawlessness is rampant in our nation today.

 

    It's the very force behind the legislation and the many lawsuits that seeks to banish God from our society and to give gays "special rights." This is the same spirit that Satan used to deceive Eve. He told her "You shall be as God." Satan's lie is that God is easy - He won't punish you for disobeying. You can eat the fruit and indulge your lust. You won't have to pay for it!" That was a deadly lie from hell.

 

    Satan's lie is the idea that man is his own God and therefore can do whatever he pleases and better himself by his own efforts. And Satan is using the same lie he used on Eve on Christians today to advance his mystery of lawlessness. Day after day, he's convincing masses of individuals they can indulge their sins without paying any penalty. I'm afraid he is convincing some lukewarm believers as well. It's a demonic scheme to pervert Christ's gospel of grace, turning it into a message of corruption!

 

    Tragically, many lukewarm Christians are succumbing to this spirit of lawlessness. Some have already been initiated into the cult of the Antichrist. They're ripe to accept the man of sin when he comes on the scene, working miracles and solving problems. You may think, "I would never be fooled into following the Antichrist." But Paul says the Antichrist will rise to power because people will be blinded and deceived by their own sin:

"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

 

    Satan will deceive masses of people by convincing them of a subtle but powerful lie. Again I'll repeat his lie: He'll convince the world as he convinced Eve: You can be god therefore you determine what's right and wrong. Don't worry about being punished for sin!"

 

     Paul says this deception will come "...with all deceivableness... because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (verse 10). He then adds, "For this cause [reason], God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (verse 11).

 

    The Apostle Paul is saying, "Those who refuse to obey or respect God's word will fall under a powerful delusion. At first they'll wink at their sin. They'll justify it. But soon they'll actively seek out a message of easy grace. They'll invent a grace that is far beyond what God intended. His grace never leads to license to sin. It always leads to repentance!

 

Our Nation Is Right Now Under a Strong Delusion!

 

     America today is under the seductive power of a satanic lie. Yet, before I say anything more, please know I speak here not as a Democrat or a Republican. What I have to say has nothing to do with politics - but everything to do with spiritual truth. I'm thankful for the politicians we do have who are men of integrity and genuine Christians. But I'm afraid that their numbers are in the minority. The fact is, many of our nation's leaders have cast aside God's word completely, showing no respect for biblical truth. I'm afraid the Lord had allowed a deception to fall upon us! The demonic lie blanketing America today is a false peace. It's the idea that we can do whatever we please with no fear of consequences.

 

    Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7-8 KJV)

 

    Pastor Joe Wright of Kansas was asked to lead the Kansas State Senate in prayer. They were expecting the usual formal prayer to open the session but that is not what happened. The pastor used the moment as a confessional and prophetic opportunity. As he prayed there were some senators who got up and walked out. When Paul Harvey (a national known radio news and editorialist) got a hold of the prayer and read it on his program he got more requests for copies of it than any other thing he had ever done.

 

    Here's what Rev. Wright prayed:

 

    "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:

 

•    We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.

•    We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.

•    We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

•    We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

•    We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

•    We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

•    We have killed our unborn and called it a choice.

•    We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

•    We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

•    We have abused power and called it political savvy.

•    We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

•    We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression.

•    We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

 

    Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will....Amen."

 

     We may have already crossed a line in this deception - and if so judgment is inevitable.

 

    Psalm 9:17 declares, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

 

    Paul lays out this divine judgment in Romans 1. He speaks of those who once held to biblical truth but later tried to retain the truth in unrighteousness. In short, they wanted God's word and their lust at the same time. So the Lord turned them over to reprobate minds. They wanted to believe a lie - so he sent a strong delusion upon them! This is the very state our nation is in right now.

 

    A survey says sixty-five percent of college students cheat and think there's nothing wrong with it. People of all ages are treating God's laws casually, thinking, "What I'm doing must be okay, because I'm getting away with it." If we are not careful this very attitude will crept into the church. Multitudes of Christians today watch movies that are totally unsuited for God's children or surf the Internet indulging in pornography. At one time their consciences would have tormented them. But now they reason, "Everybody's doing it. Why can't I?" They've fallen under a demonic delusion!

 

    But please remember, everyone is not doing wrong. There are genuine, born again, blood bought children of God who are truly obeying the Word of God. We must however, hold to the truth of God's Word because Satan is working to deceive. Satan's deceiving power goes far beyond those treacheries and depravity. His big lie is an outpouring from hell against God's people!

 

    Paul warns, "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables [lies]" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

 

    Who are these deceived masses Paul is talking about? Some of them will be deceived Christians! He wrote this letter to the Thessalonica church - to born-again believers! He was addressing people who had sat under biblical teaching and known God's truth. Yet they had held onto their lusts - and now they sought out heresies that would comfort them in their sins!

 

    Could It Be That Deceived Christians (In Name Only) Will Be Among Those Who Pledge the Greatest Allegiance to the Antichrist?

 

    The wicked have always been "destitute" of the truth - despising it, trampling it, mocking it with disdain. One writer in a newspaper confidently declared, "Science has now replaced faith." But Paul's greater concern was always for those who'd known the way of truth, confessing their faith in Christ, yet who flirted with sin. Paul wrote of those who attempt to hold the truth in unrighteousness - an act that enrages God.

 

    "Who changed the truth of God into a lie...for this cause God gave them up unto vile affections..." (Romans 1:25-26).

 

    Others, held in bondage by their lustful pleasures, turned to false teachers to try to find peace. They ended up accepting "... damnable heresies...and many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of" (2 Peter 2:1-2).

 

    All of Paul's messages on apostasy and the Antichrist were aimed at such carnal Christians. They weren't meant for the idolaters of Rome, the heathen of Greece, the pagan tribes in unknown places. Paul's message was one of great importance to the church - and he wrote it to be read in churches, directly to believers!

 

    You see, Paul was calling God's people everywhere to love the truth - to search it out, study it and obey it. He wrote, in essence, "Let the truth be your guide! Don't turn aside from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see it, ears to hear it, and a heart to love it. Otherwise, you'll open yourself to deception - and you'll end up believing a lie. Satan will be able to initiate you into the cult of Antichrist!"

    

    I'm afraid that once a person rejects God's truth that they could listen to a powerful sermon exposing their whole false system of faith - and yet they would never hear a word of it. They'd been given over to a strong delusion - and they believed the devil's lie! Paul called such deluded Christians "...men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith" (2 Timothy 3:8). They knew the truth, but they resented it!

 

    I believe the Antichrist is going to arrive as the greatest prosperity teacher of all time. He'll surely be a religious personality, someone who promises health and wealth. And those who are being brainwashed right now by false teachers will end up being his strongest supporters. They'll accept him as a true man of God. If you don't believe this, simply recall the scriptures. The Bible says that in the days just prior to Jesus' return, Satan will bring such an overwhelming flood of seduction, he'll attempt to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. It won't matter how long a Christian has walked with Jesus; he'll face temptations he's never had in his life. Even the strongest believer will be tempted to doubt God's faithfulness and mistrust His Holy Word.

 

    The Believer in the Greatest Danger of Being Deceived Is the One Who Gladly Hears God's Word - But Won't Obey It!

 

    Paul writes to the Galatians, "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?" (Galatians 5:7). "...who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?" (3:1). The apostle was asking his flock, "What happened to you? You were doing so well. But now you've been brainwashed!" Throughout scripture, God gives us a clear picture of how important it is for us to obey His Word.

 

    We see one such example in the life of King Saul. God gave Saul clear, specific commands through the prophet Samuel. He instructed Saul, "Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass" (1 Samuel 15:3).

    

    Did Saul obey this command from the Lord? Scripture tells us, "Saul smote the Amalekites...and he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive...But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them..." (verses 7-9).

 

     God had given His Word to Saul in crystal-clear terms. Yet after Saul went into battle, he obeyed the Lord only in part. Rather than destroying everyone and everything, he spared king Agag - and he even kept some of the spoils of battle.

 

    Samuel was grief-stricken at this. He told Saul, "And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?" (verses 18-19).

 

    At this point, scripture gives us a grievous, chilling word: Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. (1 Samuel 15:10-11 KJV)

 

    Does this describe your life? Has God told you in no uncertain terms to deal with a certain sin in your life - yet you keep clinging to it, refusing to cut it off? Right now, his Spirit may be speaking to you in a kind, wooing voice, saying, "Your sin stands between us, interrupting our communion. I can no longer bless you while you persist in it. Trust my Spirit to help you. Lay it down now, my child." But soon God may speak to you in anger, saying, "If you won't lay down your sin, I'll expose it - and it will destroy your life!"

 

     God rejected Saul for his disobedience. Samuel told Saul, "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king" (verse 23). That's when God's Spirit left Saul. The king's halfhearted obedience had opened him up to Satan's influence. Soon an evil spirit troubled Saul - and he ended up seeking counsel from a witch!

 

    Perhaps as you read the account of Saul's life, you wonder, "But Saul tried his best. And he didn't do that badly. Why was God so severe on him? Why didn't he forgive Saul?" God is telling us through this passage that he means what he says! He's saying, "I'm showing you how I feel about your obedience to me. I want all your heart, all your love - not just a halfhearted obedience!" Now, if the Lord's message to Saul had been foggy or unclear, we'd be justified in saying he should have made an allowance for Saul. But his direction to Saul was so clear; there was no doubting what he commanded.

 

     Likewise today, we have no doubt about what God has spoken to us. We know what his commandments are, because he has revealed them to us by his word and by his Spirit within our hearts. You may answer, "But what God did to Saul happened under the Old Covenant, under the law. We live in a day of grace now. Surely the Lord won't be as severe on us when we disobey as he was on Saul." Here is God's word on the matter under the New Covenant, a covenant of grace:

 

"(God) will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

 

Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; "But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God" (Romans 2:6-11).

 

    Let me spell out the difference for you between Saul in the Old Testament and all believers under the New Covenant: whenever a person truly has a desire to obey God's commands - when that person loves and respects God's word - the Holy Ghost supplies him with all power and ability to fulfill those commands. That is the blessed provision of the New Covenant.

 

    Saul didn't have that kind of holy desire. But any believer who truly loves the Lord and His Word is able to mortify all lust, bringing down sin's dominion by the power of the Holy Spirit within him.

 

    Paul gives this strong word of warning to the believer: "Thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" (Romans 2:3). He's saying, "Are you testifying that you're a Christian, telling everyone to obey God's laws - yet you're breaking God's laws yourself?"

 

    "Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (verse 4). Paul adds, "God has been merciful to you all this time, dealing with you kindly and lovingly. Don't you realize all His goodness, mercy and grace are meant to lead you to repentance?"

 

    What Is the Point of This Message? I want to say this to you above all else: the Antichrist is going to come on the scene as one of the greatest leaders all of history seemingly having all the answers to the world's problems. And the devil is already picking halfhearted believers to be initiated into his cult. Soon there will be no more restraints on our society, and Christians will be more vulnerable than ever to demonic seductions.

 

    This is just what happened to many German Christians in Hitler's day. When Hitler came to power, with a charismatic personality and promises of the good life, even lukewarm Lutherans and Pentecostals accepted him. And later, as he began to work his evil on society, they looked the other way, rejecting the truth of God's word. Of course, some powerful voices for the gospel rose up in those churches. But a shocking number of believers ended up following Hitler and even praising him, crying, "Heil (or, "Hail!") Hitler!" They bought the lie - and God put them under a strong delusion!

 

    I ask you: When you hear some truth of God's Word that you are not measuring to how do you respond. Do you allow that word to convict you? Or, do you go right back to your disobedience without grieving at all? If you're rejecting the warnings of the restraining Holy Ghost - if you're disobeying God time after time, without any heart-grief - then you're being recruited for the cult of Antichrist. The devil is silently initiating you into his mystery of iniquity. And when the promising, miracle-working Antichrist comes along, you'll be swept up in his lies and given over to a delusion!

 

    Listen to what Paul says about those who refuse to love and obey God's holy word: "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:12). Woe to those who know the truth about their sins, but who don't believe God will judge them!

 

    Here are the ominous results of not believing and acting on God's truth:

 

1. The heart becomes hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

 

2. Satan works on the hardened heart to justify itself, so that it's relieved from all fear of penalty.

 

3. When God sees there is no possibility that this heart will receive and obey truth, He turns the person over to satanic delusion.

 

4. The believer becomes blinded by the lie that says there are no wages for sin and no judgment day, and that he can get away with his lustful pleasure.

 

5. The believer falls prey to doctrines of demons, thinking evil is good and good is evil.

 

6. He eventually drifts so far from Christ and the truth, he becomes blinded to who the Antichrist is - and he ends up worshiping and serving him as a god.

 

7. On judgment day, God will say to such a person, "Depart from me, you worker of iniquity!"

 

8. Beloved, it doesn't have to be this way for any of us.

 

    God has made a covenant promise to remove all delusion from us and give us victory over sin, through the power of Christ's cross.

 

     All He asks is that we declare war on our sin, saying, "I won't make peace with this sin. I refuse to abide it. Deliver me, Father, by Your Spirit!"

 

    When He hears this prayer, He'll send such Holy Ghost power and glory from heaven, the devil won't stand a chance!

 

    Genuine repentance brings forgiveness and deliverance. Pray right now that God implants in you a great reverence for His Word. Ask Him to help you be disciplined in your reading of the Scriptures. And ask the Spirit to help you take to heart what you read - to believe that God means what He says!

 

    Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalms 139:23-24 KJV)

October 11, 2009 Message to the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

Building A Life Based on Love

 

We can become a little callous to the fact that there are people around us who are hurting, who need love, who need care, who need concern. When you are in good times, when things are going good, we tend to think, "I'm invincible." But today, with unemployment at 9.8% nationwide and 10.8 % in NC, the near collapse of our banking system we wonder what's next. We hear some economists saying that a turnaround in our economy is near while others are forecasting continued dark times ahead. Well what's important? What should be the focus of our life?

Jesus told a story about this.

 

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. (Luke 12:16-18 KJV)

 

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:19-21 KJV)

 

This guy was very productive but he only thought of himself. It didn't occur to him that maybe God was blessing him so he could be a blessing to other people. That maybe God had given him things that God wanted him to share with the less fortunate. No, all he thought was "I'll build a bigger barn. I'll put some of my stuff in mini storage. I don't have a place for it myself. I've got so much. I'll just have to go out and rent some more storage. I won't give any of it away. I won't bless anybody else. I'll just keep amassing and say, 'Look how much stuff I've got.' " And God says, "You are missing what matters most in life."

 

So what does matter most to God? The Bible tells us For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6 NIV)

 

God says what matters in life is not your accomplishments or your achievements or your fame or your wealth. All that matters is your faith that makes you love other people. He says if you miss that, you have missed the most important thing in life. It's the kind of faith that makes you love other people.

 

Public speakers use repetition as a means of getting your attention and helping you remember important points. They say something over and over and over. In the first few verses of this passage, God (through the Apostle Paul) says the same thing five different ways. He says it over and over and over. He says, I want you to understand the most important thing in life is not how much or how little you have in your bank account; but what matters most is love. Your relationships – that's what matters most. What does Paul say about the importance of love?

 

1. If I don't live a life of love, nothing I say will matter.

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1 KJV)

 

God says words without love are just noise. Words without love are empty. We're really impressed by great speakers, great communicators. We love eloquence. We love charisma. We love to hear somebody really ring our chimes and really stir us. God says, "That doesn't impress Me at all. I don't care how good of communicator you are. I want to know if you love. Is your life a life of love?" Living a life without love means nothing I say will matter.

 

2. If I don't live a life with love, nothing I know will matter.

 

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge…and have not charity, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2a KJV)

 

You may have graduated Summa Cu Laude, you may be a genius, a walking Bible encyclopedia, have incredible knowledge of science or math or literature or history. But He says if you don't have love in your life, all that you know is worthless. It doesn't really matter. Brilliance without love equals zero.

 

John Maxwell says it well….People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

 

We live in a world where knowledge is exploding. It doubles about every six years in our society. We have more knowledge than any other generation. But we still have the same old problems – war, terrorism, crime, abuse, prejudice, hatred, violence, injustice. Why? Because what the world needs is not simply more knowledge; it needs more love. Without love, nothing I say will matter, and without love, nothing I know will matter. All the knowledge in the world can't compensate for the lack of love.

 

3. If I don't live a life with love, nothing I believe will matter.

 

Being a Christian and true follower of our Lord Jesus Christ is more than just intellectually accepting certain fundamental truths and doctrine of Scripture. It's a life of love.

 

The Bible says, And though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2b KJV)

 

You say, "But wait a minute! I believe in Jesus!" So what? So does the devil. The devil believes that there's a God. The devil believes that Jesus is the Son of God. But you won't find him in heaven. Why? It takes more than an intellectual knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God to make it to heaven. You may agree that He exists but that isn't the issue. The issue is do you love Him. The Bible says, "If I say I love God and hate other people, I'm a liar." The Bible says I can't say that I'm right with God and be out of sorts with other people. Relationships with others affect my relationship with God. If I don't live a life of love, nothing I believe will matter. That's pretty profound.

 

4. If I don't live a life of love, nothing I give will matter.

 

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3 KJV)

 

You may ask, "But isn't giving showing love?" Absolutely if we give with the right motives. But if we give out of selfish motives, or out of guilt or trying to control someone else, or prestige and glory it's of no value to the giver.

 

You can give for a lot of wrong motives, and the Bible says if I'm not giving in love, none of my giving counts. And nothing I give will matter.

 

You cannot show love only by giving. Some may try to buy a spouse or child or friend's love by giving gifts. But that doesn't work. You cannot compensate a lack of time and genuine affection with gifts.

 

5. If I don't live a life of love, nothing I accomplish will matter.

 

Slide

1 Corinthians 13:3 in The Message paraphrase says, "So no matter what I say, what I believe and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love."

 

People can rack up an incredible list of personal achievements…get their picture on the cover of Fortune magazine or Time….win the Nobel Peace Prize, like our President did this week….can have enormous accomplishments, be entrepreneur of the year, build a billion-dollar company, have incredibly great successes in their field of endeavor. But the Bible says it isn't worth anything if they don't love.

 

The Bible says Life is about relationships not accomplishments.

 

Let me summarize it like this. God says I can have the eloquence of an orator, the knowledge of a genius, the faith of a miracle worker, the generosity of a humanitarian, the achievements of a superstar, but if I don't have love in my heart, it is worth zero. It doesn't count. The thing that matters most to God is, "Do I love Him and do I love other people?"

 

One day you're going to stand before God when you die. And God's going to evaluate your life. When He evaluates your life, He's not going to look at your bank account. He's not going to look at your list of accomplishments. He's not going to look at your grades. He's not going to look at all your sports trophies. He's not going to look at your endorsements or your PR list or your resume. God is going to evaluate your life of relationships.

 

Perhaps His first question is going to be, "How much did you love Me and how much did you love other people?" Jesus did say that was the greatest Commandment. Did you love God with all your heart, and did you love your neighbor as yourself? That is what that matters most in God's eyes. All the other stuff is good and important but without love it is useless. Unless that's the motivation behind it, it is useless.

 

The Bible is very clear that love is the primary objective of life and love is the supreme value in life and love is the greatest power in life. If love is that powerful, if it's the primary objective of life, if it's the supreme value of life, if it's what matters most in life, what in the world is it? What is love?

 

Without a doubt, love is the most overused word in the English language. We use it to refer to so many different things, different emotions and feelings of affection. I'll say, "I love Barbara and I love Bethany. I love God. I love my country. I love rib eye steak. I love to hunt and fish." I love a whole lot of different things in varying degree of value. We have love letters, we have love songs, and we have love stories. But nobody stops to define what love is.

 

I went to Dictionary.com to see how they defined love. This is the results.

1. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
   
2. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance.
   
3. 
    
   1. Sexual passion.
      
   2. Sexual intercourse.
      
   3. A love affair.
      
4. An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.
   
5. A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment.
   
6. An expression of one's affection: Send him my love.
   
7. 
    
   1. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language.
      
   2. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.
      
8. Love
   Mythology. Eros or Cupid.
   
9. often Love
   Christianity. Charity.
   
10. Sports. A zero score in tennis.
    

Dictionary.com gives the world's idea of love but not God's idea.

So what is love?

 

1. The Bible says that love is a command.

 

God commands that we love each other. It's not optional. If we don't do it, the Bible says that we are sinning.

 

The Bible says this in 2 John 1:6, "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (2 John 1:6 NIV)

 

 

Because love is commanded it helps us to understand that Love is not a feeling. Did you notice in the definitions from dictionary.com how often the word feeling was used to define love? We know that it isn't a feeling because you can't command a feeling. Have you ever said to a little kid that is upset and crying and really frustrated: "I command you to be happy! I command you to stop crying!" Feelings cannot be commanded.

 

Love is not a feeling. It creates feeling. It produces feelings. Love causes feelings, but love is not an emotion. If you think it is, you have a very shallow understanding of love.

 

God would never command you to do something that He doesn't give you the power and the ability to do. And you can't always control an emotion.

 

2. The Bible says that love is a choice.

We choose to love, and we choose to not love. It's a choice.

 

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:1 Follow after charity. In The Message paraphrase, "Go after a life of love as if your life depended on--it because it does." That means make a choice; decide; choose; a volitional act of the will. Love is a choice. We choose to love or to not love.

 

That destroys another myth that we have about love. We think love is uncontrollable. As if one day I'm just walking along and I'm instantly in love – no control over it. Even the terminology we use is kind of accidental – I fell into love; like it's a big ditch or something. I fell in love; "Help! I've fallen in love, and I can't get up!" As if I have no control over my choice to love or not love.

 

I wonder how many times a man or a woman has said to justify a separation or divorce: "I just don't love him/her anymore." As if that's totally out of your control and now because you don't love her that gives you the right to divorce her or leave her. Let's be honest about this. Love is a choice. You need to rephrase that: "I'm choosing not to love her any more." It is a choice, and you could choose to keep on loving even if they didn't love you. That's your choice. In fact, the truth is, acting in love when you don't feel like it is actually a higher level of love than when you do feel like it.

 

It's one thing to love when the flowers are in bloom and you're on a honeymoon and things are going your way and you've got a lot of money to spend and things are going great. But the real test of love is when things are not going great in your life, when you're out of money and when you're sick and don't feel good, the pressure is on and you've lost your job. You choose to love in spite of how you feel. That's a higher level of love….Loving in spite of your feelings….Loving in spite of your emotions.

 

Have any of you gotten up in the middle of the night with your child that was sick? That's love. Have any of you ever been kind and patient with your mate when they were grumpy and grouchy? That's love.

 

Love is giving a person what they need, not what they deserve. That's what God does. That's how God loves you. God doesn't give you what you deserve. If I got what I deserved from God, I wouldn't even be standing here, and you wouldn't even be alive either.

 

God in His mercy doesn't give you what you do deserve and God in His grace gives you what you do not deserve. That's called love.

 

Love is committing to the well being of another person without any guarantees that they're going to give back to you. That's love. It's a command, and it's a choice. It is not a feeling.

 

3. The Bible says that love is a conduct.

 

It's a behavior. It's an action. It's a way of acting. Love is something you do.

 

The Bible says My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18 KJV)

Love is not something you feel. Love is not something you say. Love is something you do. It's behavior. It's actions. It's an activity. It's more than just talk. It's more than just sentimental feeling. Love is something you do.

 

Did you know that there are opportunities that are presented to you on a regular basis so that you can demonstrate love? The problem is most of the time we're too busy. We're too distracted. We're thinking about achievements, not relationships. So we're looking around and focusing on everything else around us and then the opportunity to demonstrate love passes by and bam! It's over, gone. And it doesn't come back.

 

How many times have you thought: I need to write a letter or send an email to that person. I need to make a call. I need to give a word of encouragement to that person at work. I need to go next door to my neighbor's and do such and such. And you have all these great intentions of loving and showing kindness and showing unselfishness, but you didn't do it. And the opportunity bypassed you. Now it's gone. Over. You're not going to get it back. And you have missed an opportunity to grow in love, missed an opportunity to do that which matters most. Love is a conduct.

 

4. The Bible says that love is a commitment.

 

We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (1 John 4:19-21 NKJV)

 

Our relationship with God is largely affected by our relationship with other people. If we keep on loving others, then we will live in one with God, and He'll live in one with us. God is love. Love keeps on. Love is durable. Love keeps on giving whether you like it or not. Love keeps on keeping on. Kind of like the energizer bunny. It keeps on giving, it keeps on loving, it keeps on going.

 

How do you do it? How do you build a life of real deep love? Let me give you five things that you can do this week that will help you get on the road to becoming a great person of love. Love is what matters most in life.

 

1. Learn how mature love acts and responds.

 

Personal change always begins with a change in perspective. It involves getting God's perspective on what love is really like. Get God's perspective on what love is all about because God is love.

 

2. Start your day with a reminder to love.

 

If you'll get up in the morning and say, "God, I just want to remind myself that the most important thing is love. Loving You and loving other people. What matters more than accomplishments are relationships." Many times in my prayers I'll say, "God give me the grace that I may love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbor as I love myself." If we'll do that in our Morning Prayer time it will remind us what most matters most today!!

 

3. Memorize what God says about love.

 

The Bible is filled with advice, inspiration, truths, and principles on how to become a great loving person. But it is necessary that these truths live in your heart and mind. When you're in a situation and you're tempted to be unloving, to be jealous or envious or angry or impatient or judgmental or critical or any of the other unloving acts we're all tempted to do– when those situations occur, you need to know what God expects of you. If you will memorize a few verses of what God says about love and put them in your mind, then when you're in a situation where you need them, God can bring them to remembrance – "Remember what I said…"

 

It's so important to know the Word. When you get discouraged or when you're depressed or when you're angry or when you're worried or when you're fearful, God to bring His truth to your mind. You need to memorize God's word. The Bible says, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee." We need to reprogram our minds, re-pattern our thought life from selfish thoughts to unselfish thoughts to be more loving in the way God wants us to be.

 

A good verse to memorize is Matthew 7:12: "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12 NKJV)

 

4. Practice acting in unselfish, loving ways.

 

Love is like a muscle. The more you use it, the more it develops. Practice makes perfect. How many of you were expert drivers the first time you sat behind a wheel? Most likely the first time you got in a car to drive, it felt quite awkward. You didn't know how much to push on the accelerator. You didn't know how much to push on the brake. You didn't even know how to adjust your seat probably, adjust the mirrors. When you had to make a major turn, you thought, "How do I do this? How do my hands go?" It felt very awkward and unnatural. So you began to practice driving. The more you practiced, the better you got at it. Now it's second nature. You don't even think about it.

 

As you learn to be a truly loving person, you have to intentionally do some things that seem awkward at first. They don't fit. They don't seem natural. But if you'll practice, the more you practice, the more it becomes second nature and you become a genuinely loving person. By the way, there are no natural lovers. It's all learned through practice.

 

5. Get support from other loving people.

 

This is so important. You'll never learn to love sitting by yourself in your room and reading a book. You only learn to love but interacting with others, in the context of community, in the environment of relationships. That's why it's important to be a part and actively involved in our church family. That aids us in learning to love one another. That's how you develop skills. You never learn to learn just sitting back and listening. You learn to love in relationships with other people. Ask the question, "How can I make changes in my live to live a life of love?"

 

We have a model. Ephesians 5:2 (Mes) says, "Keep company with God and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something back but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that."

 

You say, "Impossible. There's no way that I can love like Jesus Christ." You're right. There is no way that you could possibly love like Jesus Christ and love as much as He loves you on your own power. That's why you need Jesus Christ in your life. That's why you need Him inside of you. If you are not a Christian the first step is to say, "Jesus Christ, put Your love in me. Come inside me. I open my heart to You."

 

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV)

 

Why is love the greatest? Love is going to last forever. When you get to heaven, you're not going to need faith, because you're going to be in the presence of God. When you get to heaven, you're not going to need hope. You're not going to need hope because all your needs will be met. You won't need hope or faith. But when you get to heaven, heaven is filled with love because God is love. The Bible doesn't say God is faith. The Bible doesn't say God is hope. The Bible says God is love. And love is going to go on for the rest of eternity. Do you understand why I say love matters most?

 

What will you do different?

 

A BIBLICAL VIEW OF HUMAN LIFE (Genesis 1:26-28)

Introduction: In recent months & days, the subject of health care has been a hotly contested and debated issue. The President, the House and Senate and just about everyone agrees that health reform is needed. The problem is they are having a difficult time agreeing on what type of reform is best. Some want a public option while others are opposed to a public option; some want ligation reform while others are opposed; some want to make sure that abortion is not funded while others desire abortion to be funded; some want end of life counseling while others believe that such language will lead to assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Sadly, we are living in a world where human life has become a cheap commodity. It has become effortless to throw human life away before it ever appears in our world through abortion. And, it is becoming easier to discard those individuals that are seen as worthless and as being a drain on society.

In the Netherlands, which has a policy of legalized euthanasia, in one year alone there were 8681 euthanasia deaths. These accounted for 7% of the total deaths in the Netherlands that year. In other words, nearly 1 out of every 14 people who died in the Netherlands in 1990 died by euthanasia, at the hands of a doctor, a nurse, or a family member. Of these 8681 deaths, some 4941 were performed without the patient's consent!

There are two countries, Netherlands & Belgium where euthanasia is legal and two states, Oregon and Washington where assisted suicide is legal. In Canada there is a Bill C-384 that if passed would legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. Abortion, Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia is a rejection of the importance and value of human life.

Today, I want to see what God has to say about human life. I think His perspective should be considered as we think about matters like the right to live, the right to die, abortion and euthanasia. In fact, not only should God's perspective be considered, it should be the final say in these matters. So, today, let's examine life from God's perspective. I want to preach for a few minutes on the subject, The Value of Human Life. There are three statements I would like to make regarding this topic.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV)

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28 NKJV)

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

I. GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN THE CREATION OF LIFE

A. Every Human Is A Special Being – Gen. 1:26-28; Gen. 2:7 – One of the primary truths that come from these verses is the fact that man is the product of God's creative power and not the result of random evolution. Man did not evolve from a single-celled organism over the space of millions of years; he is the special creation of God. You will notice that all the other animals were spoken into existence by the Word of God. Man, however, was formed by God out of the dust of the earth and God breathed life into the nostrils of man. The fact that God singled man out for special care in the creation lets us know that there is a vast difference between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom.

Here is one of the greatest dangers in the entire system of evolution, as it is taught to our children in public schools. If people can be convinced that mankind is nothing more than the product of random selection then human life seems to be less valuable. You see, if man simply evolved, then he is no different than a dog or a cat. You kill him and he simply ceases to exist. There is no God. Man does not have a soul or a spirit that live on. There is no heaven to be gained or a hell to be shunned. Man is nothing more than an animal and he can be eliminated if it becomes necessary.

Those who hold to this view of things believe that man should live until his quality of life is over, that he should be "put out of his misery." Once we start down this slippery slope, there will be no turning back. Today, it is babies; tomorrow, it will be the mentally and physically challenged as well as the old and the infirm. That is exactly where our world is headed! There is more than one way to save Social Security and Medicare and contain the rising health costs!

Now, if the evolutionary theory was correct; there would be fewer problems with this view. However, it is a false view of life, death and eternity. We will talk about these matters more in a few minutes. For now, we need to remember that every human is a special being; he or she is here because they are the special creation of God Himself!

B. Every Human Is A Spiritual Being – We are told that man was made "in the image" of God. This does not mean that man looks like God; or that God has a body like we do. It does mean that man was created like God in that man is a tripartite being. In the Godhead, there is the Father, the Son and the Spirit. In a man, there is the body, the soul and the spirit. God is a three part being; man is a three part being. God has intellect, will and emotions, and so does mankind.

This is the primary way in which mankind can be distinguished from the members of the animal kingdom. Every person who ever comes into this world has three parts. They have a body, a soul and a spirit. Let's take just a moment to examine each of these parts.

1. The Body – The body is the vehicle with which we move through and interact with our world. It is the body that provides a home for the soul and the spirit while we are in this world. Both humans and animals have bodies. When we die, our bodies return to the earth, Gen. 3:19; Eccl: 3:20; Job 34:15.

2. The Soul – The soul is the seat of the will, the character, the intellect, the thoughts, and the emotions. The soul is where we reason, love, hate, want, etc. The soul is what we refer to when we speak of the mind. Your soul animates your body and allows you to interact with your world and with other people. In short, your soul is that part of you that makes you who you are. Your soul makes you self-conscious.

3. The Spirit – Here is where the similarities between man and animals end forever. While the soul makes us self-conscious; the spirit allows us to be God-conscious. Every man that is born into this world, is born dead spiritually. (Ephesians 2:1) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (KJV)

When the Spirit of God comes and "quickens", or brings to life, the spirit which is within a man, that person will find his spirit reaching out in faith toward God. After salvation, the new spirit of life within a person begins to transform the soul part of man. These changes within the spirit and the soul demonstrate themselves in the action of the body.

All of that is complicated, but think of it like this: "The "soul" and the "spirit" are similar in the manner in which they are used in the spiritual life of the believer. They are different in their reference. The "soul" is man's horizontal view with the world. The "spirit" is man's vertical view with God. It is important to understand that both refer to the immaterial part of man, but only the "spirit" refers to the man's walk with God. The "soul" refers to man's walk in the world.

• When we leave this world, the soul and spirit return to God to be dealt with accordingly. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
  
• The redeemed to glory, John 14:1-3.
  
• The lost to Hell, Psa. 9:17; 2 Thes. 1:8-9.
  

The fact that man is the special creation of God and that he was made in the image of God and has the capacity to know God proves that man is a unique creature in the eyes of the Lord. This establishes the fact that God is sovereign over the creation of human life.

II. GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN THE CONTINUATION OF LIFE

A. God Determines The Dawn Of Every Life – God is in charge of when life is created within the womb. Notice a few instances of this in the Bible:

• Gen. 29:31; Leah
  
• Rebekah –Gen. 25:21;
  
• Rachel –Gen. 30:12, 22;
  
• Manoah and his wife –Judges 13:2-3;
• Hannah – 1 Sam. 1-2

When we think of childbirth, we think of it being just the product of a physical union between a man and a woman. It is far more than that! There is a sovereign God behind the scenes that determines whether or not that egg is fertilized. He determines whether or not life begins.

I realize that there are often physical issues involved as well. Still, behind it all is the sovereign will of God. He opens the womb and He closes the womb according to His will. He and He alone determines the dawn of human life.

B. God Determines The Design Of Every Life – Not only does God determine whether or not there will be life; He also determines what that life will become. He has a plan for every human that comes into this world. In Jeremiah 1:5, we read that God has his hand on Jeremiah and even had a plan for the prophet's life before he was ever born.

(Jeremiah 1:5) "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (NKJV)

The same was true in the life of John the Baptist. The Bible tells us all about what he would be before he was ever born, Luke 1:13-17. We even read that God was active in John's life while he was still in his mother's womb, Luke 1:44.

What you and I are in this life is not the product of random chance and hapless genetics. What we are in this life is the product of divine sovereignty. We are what we are because God determined it to be the way that it is. This was the conviction of David, Psalm 139:13-16.

(Psalms 139:13-14) For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. (NKJV)

(Psalms 139:15-16) My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. (NKJV)

Job also held this view, Job 10:9-12.

Even modern science, which tries so hard to destroy the very thought of God, confirms for us that we cannot be the product of mere chance. Notice these facts about your body:

1. The average body contains some 7.5 trillion cells. It is far more complex than the most advanced computer.

2. Each cell has 200 trillion tiny groups of atoms called protein molecules.

3. Largest molecule is called DNA which carries hereditary information from the parents to the offspring and genetic code. It determines if you will be a man or a mammoth.

4. DNA in one cell is 6 feet long. Total DNA in body would fill a box the size of an ice cube, but if it were joined together, it would reach to the sun and back 400 times.

5. All our cells contain the information found in all the other cells. Each cell in your body carries all the necessary information for another you.

6. If the coded DNA information and instructions of one human were translated into English, it would fill a 1000 volume encyclopedia.

7. In cell division the cell forms a rotating double helix. It rotates at 75 turns per second. This is equal to straightening out a cathedral full of tangled microphone wire in under a split second.

Note: What I am trying to get us to understand is the fact that every human that is conceived in the womb is special! Every person whether born or unborn is conceived for a purpose. Every human life is precious and none are to be discarded out of hand. Life must be protected and preserved.

That unborn child in the mother's womb is precious! That mentally incapacitated person in an institution is precious! That terminally ill individual is precious! Regardless of their condition, every human life is precious in the sight of God and it must be defended from those who look at it as something that can be thrown away!

III. GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN THE CONCLUSION OF LIFE

Just as surely as the Lord God Almighty is sovereign in the Creation and the Continuation of human life; He is also sovereign in the Conclusion of life. Neither man not Satan has the power to make man a living being. Neither has the ability to continue life apart from the sovereign will of God. And, neither has the right to make the decision to end life. Look at what the Bible says about this matter.

A. God Alone Appoints The Time Of Man's Death – This is the clear teaching of Scripture.

(Psalms 39:4) "LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. (NKJV)

(Hebrews 9:27) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (NKJV)

(Job 14:5) Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass. (NKJV)

There is the evidence from the Old Testament record, Dan. 5:1-13. Belshazzar was told when he would die. Jesus told a parable in the New Testament that illustrates this truth for us, Luke 12:16-20. Just as surely as the Lord has a plan regarding the beginning and the middle of your life; He also has a plan for the end of your life as well. He knows the day, the hour, the minute, even the very second when you will breathe your last and you will go out into the eternity you have chosen.

B. God Alone Appoints The Terms Of Man's Death – Not only does God decide when we die; He also determines where we will breathe our last as well. Regardless of how you leave this world, you will leave it exactly when, where and how the Lord has allowed it to happen.

• It was the Lord that allowed to Moses die alone with God on a mountain, Deut. 34:5-8.
  
• It was God who allowed Jacob to die surrounded by his children, Gen. 49:33.
  
• It was God who allowed Paul to die at the hands of Roman executioners.
  

Sometimes people leave through tragedies. Sometimes people die because of disease. Sometimes they go out of here by way of old age. Sometimes they go suddenly with the bloom of youth still on their cheeks. But, however they leave this world it is God that allows death to come.

We know that we can lengthen and shorten our days on this earth by the choices that we make but God in His foreknowledge and Omniscience know every choice that you and I will make. God also knows how the decisions of others will affect when we die. So God knows the day of our appointment with death.

Yes there are times when a man assumes the place of God and reach out and take their own or another human life through murder, suicide, euthanasia or abortion. Each of these horrible sins ends life prematurely, and each will be judged by God.

C. Advance Directives

That being said it is important that all of us have an end of life discussion with our families. When we get to a certain age and go into the hospital you will be asked the question similar to this: If your heart were to stop would you want to be put on life support? Some folks want everything the doctors can do to keep them alive and others don't want heroic measures and are willing to put it in the hands of the Lord. That's why you should make it clear to your family what you want. You should also designate a family member if you become incapacitated to make your own decision. Let your family know what you desire.

God doesn't give us the right to take our own life but He does allow us to determine the extent of our medical treatment. There are times when families must make tough decisions and instead of doing everything medically possible to keep a love one alive must simply put it in the hands of the Lord and say, "Lord your will be done." They have been cases that a decision was made to take a family member off life support and the person continued to live and to make a full recover. Life and death is ultimately a decision in the hands of God.

When advance directives are utilized, they should be discussed thoroughly and often with your love ones. Often it takes a hefty dose of Christian discernment. The decision for you as a child of God or for your designated family member to seek to avoid a prolonging of the dying process through aggressive attempts at cure must be accompanied with prayer for the discernment to recognize the time when your spirit is commended to the Lord. We must not allow the use of advance directives to lead us down the slippery slope to assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Conclusion: I hope you agree with me that human life is precious! It is so precious that God sent His Son Jesus into this world to save life through His death on the cross.

(John 3:16-17) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (NKJV)

Every one of us will die. For those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior death is simply a doorway to heaven. For those who refuse to acknowledge and repent of their sins death is the doorway to the flames of hell and eventually the second death which is an eternal lake of fire. God allows us to determine our eternal destiny. What's your choice?

For those of us who are Christians, we need to pray for our nation and for our world. Our nation has taken steps down a slippery slope that will lead us farther and farther away from God. We have witnessed the dawn of a new day in our country where, in the long run, no one may be safe from the death merchants. We need to take our stand, cast our votes and lift our voices in favor of life. We can make a difference and we must! God says that life is precious. I say "Amen!" I wonder who will join me at this altar to call upon the Lord in intercession for our nation, our world and the helpless, voiceless people who face death in the name of convenience, money and godless indifference.

September 27, 2009 Sunday Morning Message at the Winston-Salem COGOP

WAITING ON THE WHIRLWIND 2Kings 2:1-14 (Sermon # 11)

Introduction: Welcome all of you to "Family & Friend Day." We're glad that each of you are here. I've been preaching for the last 10 Sundays on the life of Elijah. Today is the final message in this series. Let's begin by reading our text for today found in 2 Kings 2:1-14.

And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they went down to Bethel. (2 Kings 2:1-2 NKJV)

Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent!" Then Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they came to Jericho. (2 Kings 2:3-4 NKJV)

Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?" So he answered, "Yes, I know; keep silent!" Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So the two of them went on. (2 Kings 2:5-6 NKJV)

And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. (2 Kings 2:7-8 NKJV)

And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?" Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." So he said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so." (2 Kings 2:9-10 NKJV)

Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. (2 Kings 2:11-12 NKJV)

He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. (2 Kings 2:13-14 NKJV)

The life of Elijah has been a whirlwind of activity! From the time he stepped out of nowhere to confront the king of Israel, to his adventures of faith at the dry brook and the widow's house, to his great victory on Mount Carmel, his dealing with depression and his restoration into service for God. Elijah's life has been an adventure to say the least! Now, his time on earth is about to end! Verse one of our text makes it clear that God is about to remove the prophet from this earth. He will leave here like he lived here; in a whirlwind!

As Elijah lives out the last days and hours of his life, it is interesting to see how he conducted himself. He did not live like a man who knows his time is short. It is this time just before Elijah is taken into heaven that I want to focus in on this morning.

I believe that Elijah sets a great example for those of us who are waiting on that time when we too will leave this world. Every one of us who have a relationship with our Lord as Savior has a settled peace knowing that one day we will be with the Lord in heaven. But, what are we to be doing here, in the meantime, while we wait? As we read this account, we find there are three ways that Elijah spent his time as he waited on the whirlwind.

One of these days all of our journeys will be over. For those who are saved we will leave this world by way of the cemetery or by way of the rapture. Either way, we will leave here…swept away into the presence of God. Until that day comes, we must live our lives in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and in a way that honors His will. Elijah shows us how to do just that. Let's look in on Elijah and see the ways he spent his time as we think on the subject, Waiting On The Whirlwind.

I. V. 1 IT WAS A TIME OF WATCHING

A. Watching: For A Precious Event - According to this verse, Elijah knew the precious truth that he was going to get to go to Heaven without having to pass through death. This was a privilege that had only been enjoyed by one other person in history. Genesis 5:21-24 tells that story of a man named Enoch. He was a man who lived for and walked with the Lord. When his time here was over, God simply took Enoch to Heaven, without him having to pass through death! This is the precious event that Elijah was anticipating.

As I have mentioned, this is something that could happen to you and me! The Bible teaches us that there will be a future event known as the rapture. When the rapture occurs the Lord Jesus Christ will return in the clouds above this earth and He will call His people home to Heaven, 1 Thes. 4:13-18. This is a precious event that could happen to us at any moment and when it does, we will go to Heaven without having to die to get there.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NKJV)

That excites me! I think I'll just repeat the prayer John prayed on Patmos: "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.", Rev. 22:20.

That is the precious event that Elijah was anticipating. If you are saved, you too should be anticipating that event! Jesus is coming and His coming could take place at any time!

B. Watching: For A Promised Event - As one reads these verses, it quickly becomes apparent that many knew what was coming for Elijah. The sons of the prophets knew (verses 3, 5, & 7.) Elisha knew (verses 2-6.) As I have already said, Elijah knew about it. So, this wasn't a secret event! It was something people had heard about and expecting.

So it is with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not an event that has been hidden from men. Jesus predicted it during His life, John 14:3.

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:3 NKJV)

The New Testament authors predicted it repeatedly. Paul, John and Peter all wrote about it. The Rapture is something that is well documented on the pages of the Bible. Therefore, there is no excuse for it taking anyone by surprise. There is no excuse for not being ready for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ!

If your life isn't the kind that you would want Jesus to find were He to return today, then do something about it! If you are lost and don't want to be left here for the perils of the Tribulation period and the eternity of Hell, then do something about it! The door for you to be saved is wide open this morning! If you will come to Jesus, by faith, He will save your soul and prepare you for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ!

C. Watching: For A Private Event - Even though all these people knew it was coming, no one knew when it would happen! Elijah knew that God was coming for him, but he did not know just when. Therefore, he lived his last days and hours in anticipation of that coming event.

The same is true concerning the return of Jesus for His people. The Bible is clear that Jesus is coming back and the Bible is also clear that we do not know when it will happen.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. (Matthew 24:36 NKJV)

Therefore, we must be certain that we are ready for His coming at all times! If you aren't ready, the time to do so is now! Remember these sobering words from the mouth of the Lord Jesus:

"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:44 NKJV)

So, the question remains: Are you ready for the coming of the Lord. Just like the whirlwind came for Elijah, Jesus is coming for you and me.

I. It Was A Time For Watching

II. V. 2-11 IT WAS A TIME OF WALKING

A. V. 1-6 Walking With Purpose - As Elijah anticipated his departure from this world, he continued to live as he always had. He continued to walk in humble obedience before the Lord God! Notice his statement, "The LORD hath sent me..." (v. 2, 4, 6.) If Elijah had been like many in our day, he would have spent his last days on the earth in retirement from service. He would have spent his time doing all the things he hadn't had time to do while he was active serving the Lord. However, Elijah knew a truth that many people never learn: There is no higher call than that of following the Lord and doing what He bids you to do!

The lesson for us is this: there will never come a day when we can quit serving the Lord. Even though we know we are leaving, and that our leaving could be today, we should still seek to live lives that are filled with surrender to the call of the Lord.

Several years ago, there was a group of people in Texas who became convinced that Jesus was going to return on a given date. As a result, they sold all their possessions, quit their jobs and went to the top of a mountain, sat down and waited for the rapture. That is not what God wants you and me to be doing! He wants us to be busy in His work until He returns to take us home to glory!

This was one problem in Thessalonica, 2 Thes. 3:11-13. These people were looking for Jesus to return at any moment, so they just quit doing anything. That is not God's plan!

If we want to take a biblical example, let us look to the book of Nehemiah. As he and his workers were being threatened by their enemies, they worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other, Neh. 4:17. In other words, they watched and they worked all at the same time!

I will say it again; there will never come a day when we can quit serving the Lord! If you have been guilty of quitting on the Lord, let me encourage you to pick up your tools again! There is work to be done! Let us work until Jesus comes for us, whether it is in the clouds or by the clods. Let us work until we see His face, then we shall enter into our time of perfect rest, Heb. 4:9.

B. V. 1-7 Walking With Progress - As the Lord led Elijah from place to place, God was bringing the prophet to that place from which he intended to remove him from this world. For Elijah, these places he visited allowed him the opportunity to visit the schools of the prophets. He was permitted to speak to the young men who were training to serve the Lord. He was allowed to be an encouragement to them. These places also gave Elijah the opportunity to reminisce about his life and how the Lord had worked in it so powerfully and so wonderfully. Let's take a moment to look at each of these places Elijah visited and note the significance each held for the prophet.

1. Gilgal - v. 1 - Gilgal was the first place Israel camped when they crossed the Jordan and entered the promised land. Gilgal was the place of new beginnings. Here, they were near the battles, but not fighting them yet. They were in a place of safety, of preparation, and of communion with the Lord. Here, they renewed their covenants and grew strong in their relationship with the Lord. For Elijah it was time for him to remember how it all began for him. How the Lord called him and used him for the glory of God.

2. Bethel - v. 2-3 - Bethel was a holy place for the people of Israel. It was at Bethel that the patriarch Jacob had met the Lord God, Gen. 28:11-22. Bethel signified the place of the altar and of total dependence upon the Lord. Bethel was the place of revelation. Bethel was the place where God became known and where His greatness began to be realized by those who worship Him. For Elijah, Bethel was a place to reflect upon all the altars he had experienced in his life. He remembered how his life had been lived in total dependence upon the Lord God!

3. Jericho - v. 4-5 - For the people of Israel, Jericho represented the power of God to give victory in the day of battle. This was the place of their first major conquest in the Promised Land. Jericho was the place of victory and power. For Elijah, Jericho was a place for him to remember all the great victories he had enjoyed in his life. He could reflect back on all the great things God had done form him and through him. Times like the ravens, the barrel of meal, the resuscitated child, and the victory at Carmel, all flooded the prophet's mind. He remembered a life of powerful victories!

4. Jordan - v. 6-8 - For Israel, the river Jordan marked the end of their wilderness wanderings. It was a picture of death. That is, it was the place where the pilgrims died. When they crossed Jordan, they were no longer pilgrims, but they were a people who had arrived home. Jordan was the place of death. For Elijah, it was the perfect place to reflect on all the ways he had died to self during his years as a man of God. There, he could reflect on the fact that he had lived a selfless life, and that he had lived a life to the glory of God!

What does all this mean for us? Well, Elijah's travels show us something of the progression of the normal Christian life.

First, we all must have that Gilgal experience. That is, there must be that time of beginnings, when we meet the Lord Jesus in a personal manner. Jesus Himself said it this way, "Ye must be born again", John 3:7. There, we are safe; we are brought into communion with the Lord. It is a time of spiritual preparation for the battles that surely lie ahead.

Then, as we grow in the Lord and learn to pray, we come to that Bethel time of our walk with Jesus. At Bethel, we learn to walk in dependence upon the Lord. It is the place of maturity.

As we grow and develop in the Lord we experience our Jericho's. This is where we see the Lord give us victories in the battles of life. Here, we will see the flesh, the world and the devil defeated as we live victoriously for the Lord our God.

Eventually, we will face our own Jordan. We will come to the end of our journey just as Elijah did. Of course, Jordan isn't a bad place. It is merely a doorway into the presence and blessings of the Lord.

That leads us to our final step: Glory! One day, we will arrive in that place that Elijah went: Heaven, to live in the very presence of the Lord God!

Do you understand what I am trying to say? The Christian life is not meant to be a life of stagnation. It is meant to be a life of progression. The Lord wants to grow us and fashion us into His image. As He leads us from place to place along the road of life, may we, like Elijah, simply follow in humble obedience to His will for us! After all, the greatest gift we can give the Lord is ourselves, totally surrendered and dedicated to His will.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)

C. V. 2-11 Walking With People - As Elijah traveled his last miles here on the earth, he did not attempt to travel them along. Verses 2, 4, and 6 might lead one to believe that Elijah wanted Elisha to stay behind. However, these statements were merely tests for Elisha. Verses 6, 8-9, and 11 tell the real story. These verses speak of friendship and fellowship.

As Elijah completed his tasks upon the earth, he did not withdraw himself from those who could encourage him and those he could encourage. He continued to walk in fellowship with other believers! This is seen in the fact that he visited the schools of the prophets and in the fact that he walked with his friend and associate Elisha. Apparently, Elijah knew that he needed others in his life!

There are too many Lone Ranger Christians in our day! Far too many believers act as though they need no one else in their life. However, the truth of the matter is, we need one another! We need good, godly fellowship and friendship. We need "Friends & Family." We need the presence and the ministry of the other saints of God!

Even the Lord Jesus longed for that kind of ministry in His own life. Notice Him as He goes to the garden to pray. He takes three special men with Him and asks them to watch and pray with Him. When He returns from prayer, He finds them asleep and is disappointed that they could not stand with Him during that lonely hour, Matt. 26:36-40.

This is the very reason we are commanded to be faithful in attending the house of God and making it a priority in our lives, Heb. 10:24-25. Let's examine our relationship to other believers this morning. If it isn't what it ought to be, then something needs to be done about it.

I. It Was A Time Of Watching

II. It Was A Time Of Walking

III. V. 2-11 IT WAS A TIME OF WORKING

I have already touched on this thought, but this man did not spend his last days sitting on the bench of do nothing. He was busy in the work of the Lord until the instant God called him away. In that, he sets an example that we would all do well to follow! Notice what he is doing as he waits for the whirlwind.

A. V. 8 Working: Trusting His Redeemer - Even at the end of his life, Elijah is still walking by faith. When he and Elisha come to the river Jordan, they need to get across, so Elisha does what he always did, he expected the impossible from God and received it by faith! It appears that Elijah never reached a place in his life where he said, "Well, I've seen God do all that He is able to do!" No, he just kept on walking in faith and dependence until the very end of the road.

My dear friends, no matter how long you may walk with the Lord, no matter what you have seen Him do, no matter what He has done through your life, there will never come a day when you should stop trusting Him.

Just because the years have brought you closer to your crossing, you should not stop walking by faith. Just because the Lord might come at any moment is all the more reason to continue trusting Him to lead us and take care of us. Let us walk by faith until we stand in His image in His presence in His heaven. Nothing less will please Him, Heb. 11:6. Anything less is sin, Rom. 14:23.

B. V. 9-10 Working: Training His Replacement - As they walk together, Elijah spends his last moments with Elisha teaching him about obedience and faithfulness. Elijah doesn't pat Elisha on the shoulder and walk off into the sunset. He knows this man is to take his place some day. He knows that Elisha needs and deserves the best training he can be given. The future depends on Elijah doing his duty today. Before he leaves, he must hand down his ministry to the safe keeping of the next generation.

Friends as we near the end of our own road, there is another generation coming along behind us. What are we teaching them about faith, obedience to God, faithfulness to the Lord's house and work, love for the Bible, etc? What kind of legacy are we leaving behind as we travel toward our crossing? We are here this morning because some people were faithful to hand down their faith to us, 2 Tim. 2:2. Our duty to those who follow is to give them what they need to get the job done for Jesus.

Men, it is our job to teach these young men and boys how men of God are supposed to conduct themselves! They must be taught what a real man is! They need to know how to love their wives, how to treat their children, how to provide for their families and how to live for God in a wicked world. They need to be taught that a man's word is his bond. That one's marriage vows mean something. They need a good, godly example, and you are called to be just that!

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; (Titus 2:1-2 NKJV)

Your influence extends beyond the walls of your own house! You have a responsibility to all the young people of this church to set the right example in faithfulness and holiness!

Ladies, it is your responsibility to teach the young women and girls how to live as godly women before the Lord. The Bible is clear.

(Titus 2:3-5) The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5 NKJV)

The younger generation need to be taught how to act, how to dress at church, how to treat their husbands and children. They need to be shown how to live for God. It is your duty! Many of you are the godly ladies you are today because someone in your past set the right example for you and showed you how a woman of God is to live!

Both men and women have quite a challenge! How are you shaping up?

C. V. 11 Working: Traveling His Road - In this verses, there is the phrase, "as they still went on." Even though he was nearing the end of the life, Elijah found no stopping place. He found no place to unhook and drop out of the journey. Even though the end was near, he still went on. In fact, it was as he was going on that the Lord sent whirlwind to get him and bring him to glory!

What an exit this man had! Can you imagine what it would have been like to see that? Can you imagine what it would have been like to experience that? But, as impressive as all that is, what impresses me more is that while Elijah waited on the whirlwind, he just remained faithful and kept on serving the Lord!

• What a lesson for us! Today the rapture could take place. Today could be the day when we leave this world through death.
  
• You never know when your number will come up. It doesn't really matter!
  Why…because we are called to serve the Lord today and every day.
  
  
• Are you serving Him and if so are you serving Him with the best you have?
  

May we never come to the place where we sit down on Him and say, "I've done enough! Someone else can take over for me." No! Let us resolve, like Elijah, that we will "still go on" until He calls us to leave this world.

Conclusion: Is there anyone in the room who has set down on God. If so, it's time to get up and get back in the battle.

There may be some who aren't even walking with the Lord at all today. You've never even had that Gilgal experience. You aren't looking for the Lord to return, and if He did, you would be in sad shape. It's time for you to come to Jesus and be saved.

Some of you are in the thick of the fight today but you are tempted to quit and stop walking with the Lord. Friend, it's time to renew you commitment to the Lord. Today is a day when great victories can be won by those willing to walk with the Lord.

Many of you are serving God with faithfulness and integrity. You know there's no place to quit, understanding what Paul the Apostle said:

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11 NKJV)

Whatever the need is in your life our Great God is more than sufficient to meet your need. I invite everyone to come and pray today.

September 20, 2009 Sunday Morning Message at the Winston-Salem COGOP

WHEN GOD SAYS "THAT'S ENOUGH!" 1 Kings 21:17-29 (#10)

(1 Kings 21:17-19) Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. "You shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Have you murdered and also taken possession?"'

And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours."'" (NKJV)

(1 Kings 21:20-22) So Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD:

'Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. 'I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.' (NKJV)

(1 Kings 21:23-25) "And concerning Jezebel the LORD also spoke, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.' "The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field." 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. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 21:26-27) And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 21:28-29) And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house." (NKJV)

Introduction: The events of which we have just read take place some 5 to 6 years after the events on Mount Horeb. In that interim, Elijah has not been heard from nor seen in the life and affairs of Israel. Perhaps his time was spent training the prophet Elisha to take his place. Perhaps it was time wherein God allowed the prophet to rest his spirit, his mind and his body. Whatever the reason, it seems that there is a 5 or 6 year span in Elijah's life when he is not being used by the Lord in a public way.

But, this quiet time has not been for naught! During those silent years, the Lord has reworked the prophet of God and when he appears on the scene again, he is neither defeated nor discouraged. When he comes back into view he stands forth as a man of God once again.

There is a lesson for us in all this. Let us not despise the times when God pulls us from the public eye and closes us up with Himself. It may not be pleasing to the flesh and the ego, but it is a time that God has chosen to reform us and to mold us more perfectly into the image of His Son.

Now, Elijah is back! He is ready to serve and he is not disappointed. God gives him a new mission. As we see him carrying out the will of the Lord we can see that Elijah is still the Faithful Man Of God. Notice three elements of this text that demonstrate the faithfulness of Elijah and the power and purpose of God as we consider the thought, "When God Says "That's Enough!"

I. V. 17-19 GOD'S MISSION DECLARED

A. V. 17-18a The Comfort Of It - God's word, which came to Elijah, brought with it a two-fold comfort.

1. God's Grace In The Situation - Perhaps Elijah thought that he had served the Lord for the last time. Perhaps he thought that his last days on the earth would be spent preparing Elisha for the tasks that lay ahead in his ministry. But, the Word of God did come to the man of God again! God still had a plan for this man's life and He intended to use him again for His glory.

• I would imagine that Jonah thought he had preached his last message as he lay in that whale's belly. He was wrong!
  
• Peter thought he was washed up as a disciple when he denied Jesus at that Roman fire. He was wrong!
  
• John Mark thought that he would never be trusted by the Apostles after he abandoned Paul and Barnabas on the mission field. He was wrong!
  
• David probably thought that he would never shout and sing again after what he did with Bathsheba. He was wrong!
  
• And, friend, if you think you are washed u p this morning because of some sin or circumstance in your life, you are wrong too! We serve the "God of the Second Chance!"
  
• Your answer is the same as Elijah's: confess your sins, humble yourself before the Lord, learn the lessons He is trying to teach you and wait for Him to call you back into effective service for His glory!
  
• Use the in between time wisely. Pray, seek God's face, learn God's Word. Be faithful to Him even when you are in one of the dry times of life. There will come a day when the Master will give to you a new mission for the glory of the Lord. God hasn't forgotten about you!
  

2. God's Grasp Of The Situation - God's words to the prophet let him know that the Lord is on top of the situation. God knows where Ahab is and what Ahab has been doing. Surely it brought comfort to the man of God to know that his God was in control.

I just want to remind each of you that God is in control of your situation as well!

Just as God knew all about Elijah's enemy; where he was and what he was doing, God knows what your enemies have been up to as well! He is aware of what you are facing in life and He knows all about the obstacles, the trials, the failures, the hopes and the dreams. He knows where you are and what you are facing as His servant this morning,

(Hebrews 4:13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (NKJV)

(Matthew 10:29-31) "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (NKJV)

B. V. 18 The Cause Of It - The reason God sends Elijah with this message of death and destruction is because of the events of 1 Kings 21:1-16. In these verses Ahab and Jezebel have committed some horrible sins in that they have perverted the Law of God, put an innocent man to death, bribed false witness to lie against him, and they have taken that which belonged to the dead man.

In the events surrounding the confiscation of Naboth's vineyard, this diabolical duo has plumbed the depths of depravity! They have earned a judgment sentence from the Lord.

C. V. 19 The Content Of It - God's message to this wayward pair is direct and plain. There will be no misunderstanding that which the Lord is trying to say to them. There are two basic divisions in God's message.

1. The Sin - God knew what Ahab had done. He knew the extent of it and He knew the vileness of it. Nothing got by the gaze of God. Those things that we think are hidden from view are and never hidden from God. He sees all and He knows all and He will deal with men on the basis of their sins!

Just a reminder: God knows everything there is to know about us. Nothing in our lives escapes His gaze.

(Proverbs 15:3) The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. (NKJV)

2. The Sentence - For Ahab's sin, there can be but one sentence: Death! This man is guilty of murder, theft, deception, idolatry and every form of wickedness and evil. He is guilty in the sight of God and he is sentenced to die! Ahab had been given plenty of rope. He has been given opportunity after opportunity to repent of his sins and turn to God. However, he had procrastinated and continued in his sins. Now, God says, "That's enough! It's time to face your deeds!"

Just a word of application here: There will come a time when God says, "That's enough!"

He may allow man to wander in sin for a season, but the day will come when the hammer of God's judgment will fall, and when it does, His judgment will be swift, sure and harsh! Do not think that you can play around on God and get by. There is always a price to pay for sins committed and not confessed.

(Galatians 6:7-9) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (NKJV)

(Numbers 32:23) "But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out. (NKJV)

The wheels of God's judgment may seem to us grind slow, but they grind exceedingly fine!

The day will come when God will look at your life and say "That's enough!" What will it cost you in that day? God knows how to get you attention, and He will not hesitate to touch the most precious thing you have to do just that! (Ill. Joab's barley fields - 2 Sam. 14:29-32)

A certain man wanted to sell his house in Haiti for $2,000. Another man wanted to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn't afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: he would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.

The moral of the parable is, "If we leave the devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ's habitation." This is the truth taught in Eph. 4:27!

(Ephesians 4:27) nor give place to the devil. (NKJV)

I. God's Mission Declared

II. V. 20-26 GOD'S MESSAGE DELIVERED

When Elijah receives this new call, He wastes no time, but sets out to do the bidding of the Lord. He goes directly to Naboth's vineyard where he finds Ahab enjoying his ill gotten gains. When he arrives, he faithfully and forcefully delivers the message of God.

A. V. 20a The Challenge - When these two men meet, the first to speak is Ahab. He sees Elijah approaching and calls him his enemy. It had been a long time since these two had seen each other, and there was no love lost between them. Ahab looked at Elijah as his enemy.

Elijah was, in fact, the best friend Ahab had! How so? Elijah tried his best to teach Ahab the proper way to live his life. He tried repeatedly to point him in the right direction. If Ahab wanted to find his real enemy he needed to look no farther than his wife. She was the source of his trouble, not Elijah! The Word of God tells us that much of what Ahab did was because he listened to his wife, v. 25. She was a vile and wicked woman!

These are events that repeat themselves all the time! You let a person get sin in their heart and then someone comes along and tells them the truth about them and their situation and they will become angry. People do not appreciate having someone point out their errors. In fact, they will often turn on the person entrusted with carrying the truth to them.

The man who tells you the truth is not your enemy, but he is your friend!

B. V. 20b The Confrontation - Elijah's response to Ahab is to confront his sin head on. The man of God pulls no punches, but he lets Ahab know that his sins have been exposed! This reminds me of the time Nathan came to King David and said, "Thou are the man!"

I am sure that Ahab had already rationalized the events with Naboth away by saying, "Well, I didn't have anything to do with it. I was in the palace minding my business when Jezebel came and told me that Naboth was dead. If she had a hand it, well that's just too bad, but it isn't my fault!"

• However, Elijah's statement exposes the fact that Ahab is at the center of the blame for all that has taken place!
  
• Naboth is dead because Ahab was covetous.
  
• Naboth is dead because Ahab had no control over his wife.
  
• Naboth is dead because Ahab turned a blind eye to that which was right.
  
• Naboth is dead because Ahab had no regard for the clear Word of God.
  
• Naboth is dead because Ahab is sold under sin!
  

When Elijah uses the word "sold", it is an interesting play on words. This is a word that means "a habitual lifestyle given over to something." It can also mean "to marry." Not only has Ahab manifested wickedness in his life day by day, but he had also married wickedness when he took Jezebel to be his wife.

When will men ever learn that we are not hiding anything from God? He sees everything we do and He even knows the motives behind what we do. That is why when we sin, there is no use to try and sweep it under the rug. The only course of action that can bring peace and restoration is full confession.

(1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)

(Proverbs 28:13) He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (NKJV)

Why? Because there will come a day when we will be confronted because of our sins. God will not let them go on forever, but will bring them out one day.

Jacob, the son of Isaac, is about to die but before he does he speaks his blessing to his twelve sons. His firstborn is Reuben and Jacob pronounces blessing and judgment on Reuben in Genesis 49:3-4. In those verses, a sin that had been covered up for 40 years is dragged into the bright light of judgment and confrontation.

The day will come when your sin will be dealt with. Better that it should be early while there is time for mercy than later when there is time for nothing but punishment!

C. V. 21-26 The Condemnation - In these next few verses, Elijah delivers the terms of God's judgment to Ahab. He tells him in no uncertain terms just what is going to happen to him, his family and his kingdom because of his sins. Surely, this wasn't a popular message, but it was the message of the Lord and it had to be delivered! Notice three aspects of this message.

1. V. 21a, 23-26 It Was Personal - There is no mistaking the fact that the hammer of God of about to fall in the life of Ahab and of his family. Even the wicked Jezebel will be judged by God. The sinners will not go unpunished!

2. V. 21b-22 It Was Perpetual - Ahab is told that even his children will suffer because of his sins. This is one of the sad consequences of allowing sin to fester in our homes and hearts. Our children learn from our wickedness and often they will adopt our evil ways. This invites the judgment of God to visit their lives as well.

3. V. 21-26 It Was Plain - There was no question concerning what Elijah told Ahab. He didn't leave there scratching his head saying, "Now, I wonder what that fellow was talking about! His message didn't make a bit of sense to me!" He probably wished that he didn't understand, but he surely did. It was a message so plain and clear that even a wicked, hard headed, hard hearted king would have no trouble getting the point.

What can we learn from these events?

• First, that God is a longsuffering God Who gives men plenty of opportunities to repent.
  
• Second, there will come a day when the opportunities will run out and there is nothing left but the judgment of God.
  
• Third, when judgment comes because of sin, it is certain, it is swift and it is just.
  
• The best course of action for us this morning is to examine our hearts and see if we have sin that is hindering our walk with God and that is inviting His judgment to fall upon us. If so, now is the time to ask forgiveness before God says, "That's enough!"
  

I. God Mission Declared

II. God's Message Delivered

III. V. 27-29 GOD'S MERCY DISPENSED

A. V. 27 Ahab's Repentance - When Ahab hears the sentence that is handed down by Elijah, he knows that he has run out of chances, he knows that he must repent or perish. So, even this wicked little man does what he should have done many years before. He repents of his sins and walks in humility before the Lord.

Repentance is one of those words that doesn't get a lot of air time in our modern world. The idea of repentance refers to a "Change of mind that results in a change of action." It is best pictured by someone who is going in one direction and they suddenly make a 180 degree turn and start going in the other direction. While no one wants to hear much talk about repentance, it is the only way to get right with God!

(Luke 13:3) "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (NKJV)

(Acts 17:30) "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, (NKJV)

Do you want to see the hand of judgment taken off your life? If so, there is only one course of action: you must repent of your sins! That means you must acknowledge you sins to God; not only acknowledge but confess them to God. Literally that means you are to say the same thing about them that He has already said. Then, you are to turn from them and abandon them forever. Repentance is the key to enjoying God's presence and power rather than His punishment!

B. V. 28-29 Ahab's Respite - Because Ahab repents, God let's Elijah know that He is going to show Ahab mercy. Judgment is still coming, but it will be held off until after Ahab's death. My friends that is grace in action! If anyone deserved to pay the price for wickedness, it was that wicked king named Ahab.

(Ephesians 2:4-5) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (NKJV)

Was Ahab sincere? It appears that he was at this time. Later in his life, he fell into sin again and dies on the battlefield. When the blood was washed out of his chariot the dogs licked it up just like Elijah said would happen. However, he learned the truth that repentance turns away the wrath of God.

If you choose a life of sinful rebellion over a life of righteous obedience, then do not be shocked when God judges you and brings the rod of chastisement down on your back. After all, this is His promise to His children - Heb. 12:5-11.

Let us learn the lesson from Samson. Sin will blind you to its consequences, it will bind you in its power and it will grind you to powder! Is that really what you want?

Conclusion: Is God about to say "That's enough!" to something in your life? Have you been deceived into thinking that there will never be a pay day for your sins? Is there some little sin closeted away in your life that needs to be brought out into the open this morning? If the Lord has dealt with your heart today about some sin or some need in your life, I challenge you to bring that need to the Lord. Bring that sin before Him, jerk the covers off of it and throw it into the light of His justice and grace. He will help you with it. Don't allow what happened to Ahab to happen to you!

September 13, 2009 Sunday Morning Message to the Winston-Salem COGOP

HOW THE FALLEN ARE RESTORED (Sermon # 9, 1 Kings 19:1-21)

(1 Kings 19:1-2) 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." (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:3-4) 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!" (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:5-7) Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:8-9) So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:10-11) So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for 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 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; (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:12-13) 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?" (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:14-15) 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. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:16-17) "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. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:18-19) "Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him." So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:20-21) And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?" So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen's equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant. (NKJV)

Introduction: In our last message, we were forced to leave Elijah in the depths of despair. We last saw the prophet sitting under a broom tree (a desert shrub) asking God to take his life. The mighty prophet of God is discouraged and depressed. He has been used mightily of the Lord and he had expected a great revival to come to the land. The people on Mt. Carmel recognized who the true God was but King Ahab and his wife Jezebel still refused to follow the Lord. When Elijah was threatened by the wicked queen Jezebel, he felt as though he and his ministry were a failure. Therefore, he ran away from his position, his problem, and his people.

While Elijah is a perfect picture of one who is depressed, he is also a portrait of a man who may have been guilty of thinking more highly of himself than he should have. This is a problem we are all encouraged to avoid.

(1 Corinthians 10:12) Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. (NKJV)

(Romans 12:3) For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (NKJV)

Nowhere do we read in the Scripture that God told Elijah to flee from Jezebel so we can assume God's will for Elijah would have been for him to have stood up against Jezebel and to have led the country in renewed devotion to the Lord God. Of course, we all know that this isn't what happened. Yet, when we see how God deals with the fallen man of God, it can show us the steps God takes in the lives of those He wishes to restore to usefulness and power. Let's join our friend Elijah under that desert shrub and see the steps God takes to restore him to a place of service. We have seen How The Mighty Are Fallen, today let's see How The Fallen Are Restored.

I. V. 1-4 THE MISERY OF THE PROPHET

A. V. 1-3a We See Elijah Running

B. V. 3b-4a We See Elijah Retiring

C. V. 4b We See Elijah Rationalizing

(For the full development of these points, please see Sermon # 8, How The Mighty Are Fallen, 1 Kings 19:1-4 on the Church website or the pastor's forum.)

I. The Misery Of The Prophet

II. V. 5-14 THE MINISTRY TO THE PROPHET

A. V. 5-8 A Ministry Of Consideration - After Elijah's display of self-pity, one might think the Lord would just write him off as a lost cause. Thankfully, the Lord doesn't operate that way! Men do that all the time, (Ill. Paul - Acts 15:37-39) but not the Lord! God knew that Elijah needed some things straightened out in his life. So, the Lord performed a ministry of consideration on behalf of the prophet. This is seen in two ways.

1. V. 5-6 Involved Rest - God knew the prophet had expended all of his physical energy and was worn out. What Elijah needed was a break! God knew that and allowed the prophet to rest.

Just a reminder: God never intended these bodies to run like we force them to! You and I should never be guilty of laziness, but we should get the rest our bodies need. When we are rested, we will accomplish more for God than we will if we are physically exhausted. Remember, even the Lord Jesus took time to rest, "And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.", Mark 6:31.

2. V. 5-8 Involved Refreshment - Twice we are told that an angel appeared to the prophet and supplied him food in the wilderness. This time there would be no brook or ravens; there would be no widow's barrel and cruse of oil. Now, the prophet would eat directly from the hand of God's angel. What grace!

Think about it, here is a man who has run out on God, yet God hasn't run out on him! Just as Jesus later fed His wayward disciples, John 21:1-14, here He feeds His discouraged prophet. The Lord knew that more than a lecture, Elijah needed to be rested and refreshed, so the Lord looked after the prophet's basic needs.

When we are in a time of discouragement, depression, or doubt, we will find that the Lord knows just how to meet our need. Often, He will deal with a symptom before He deals with the problem. Why? So that we might be in a position to listen more clearly! If the Lord has tried to reason with Elijah when he was exhausted, hungry and depressed, nothing would have been accomplished. Therefore, the Lord met him, dealt with his symptoms and then moved on to take care of his greater need.

You see, what you are dealing with right now may not be your real problem, but the Lord will deal with you where you are so that He might get you into a position where you can hear Him better. He does have a way of getting our attention!

B. V. 5-8 A Ministry Of Compassion - It is a blessing to see how the Lord spoke to this discouraged and defeated prophet. It teaches us that the Lord has compassion on the fearful, the fallen and the foolish. After all, Elijah was all of these things and so are we at times!

1. V. 5-7 Involved Gentleness - When the angel comes to Elijah, there are no sermons, no lectures, no threats, no reproaches and no rebukes. The angel simply touches the prophet, meets his need and gently speaks to him.

I think too many of God's children have the impression that God is standing over them with a cosmic baseball bat, just waiting for them to make a mistake so He can bash them with it. While it is true that God is a God Who chastises His children, Heb. 12:6-11; Rev. 3:19; it is also true that God is longsuffering and patient with His children, Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18. Thank God that He is!

How many times have we seen the Lord deal with us tenderly and patiently? I think of what the Bible tells us about Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord tried repeatedly to speak to his heart in Daniel chapter 2-4. When the king failed to repent and turn to the Lord, God judged him and brought him low for seven years. At the end of that period of time, Nebuchadnezzar repented of his sins and turned to the Lord. God did judge him, but He dealt with him patiently first!

May we all accept the hand of God's mercy and gentleness and avoid His chastisement.

2. V. 7-8 Involved Grace - God's compassion is also seen in the fact that He dealt with the prophet with a hand of great grace. This is seen in three areas.

a. God's Presence was with Elijah - Even though Elijah had run away from God. God has not left Elijah! God's was still faithful in spite of the failure of the man. God extends the same grace to you and me! Regardless of where the paths of sin and suffering lead the saint of God, we need never fear being abandoned or forsaken by Him.

b. God's Provisions sustained Elijah - Even though Elijah was in a place of his own choosing, running away from the will of God for his life, still God met his needs! Notice especially the words of verse 7. Elijah is on a journey of his own choosing, headed to a destination of his own choosing, and still the Lord is concerned about meeting the prophet's need!

How many times has God done the same for you and me? We run from Him and His will for our lives and yet He is still faithful, ever present and He continues to allow His blessings to fall on our lives. Why does He do this? It is always an effort to bring us to the place of repentance, Rom. 2:4.

Don't make a mistake and take this the wrong way! If you go off into sin, the Lord will deal with you patiently and with love and compassion. However, if you refuse to repent and return to Him, the day will come when He will deal with you and with your sin harshly. He may exercise patience for a while, but the time will come when you will either repent before Him or you will die, 1 John 5:16; 1 Cor. 5:5.

c. God's Patience with Elijah - Even though Elijah is on the run in body and in heart, the Lord is so patient with him. He even allows Elijah to go his own way for a time. God doesn't write Elijah off as a lost cause, because God still has plans for the prophet. However, God allows Elijah to come to the end of himself so that he will learn to look to the Lord again.

God is patient with you and me as well! If we got what we deserved, God would abandon us for a people who would love Him first, serve Him with dedication and honor Him as Lord. Yet, even when we fail Him, He is faithful to stand by us! Why? Because He has plans for our lives and a purpose for our future, Jer. 29:11.

May we never forget, though, that Elijah never again rose to the level of prominence he enjoyed before this incident! His disobedience cost him plenty, and it will cost us plenty as well. I wonder what we could achieve for God if we really lived for God as we should.

C. V. 9-14 A Ministry Of Confrontation - While the Lord was considerate of the prophet's needs and compassionate with him while he worked through his problems, God knew that the root of the problem had to be dealt with. Elijah had pride in his heart and that had to be rooted out before the Lord could use him again. These verses tell us how the Lord went about getting the prophet's attention.

1. V. 9-10 God's Challenge to Elijah - Elijah arrives on Mount Horeb which was another name for Mt. Sinai. This mountain was a place of great significance for the children of Israel. Here, Moses had met God by a burning bush. Here, God had handed down His Law to the people of Israel on Mt. Sinai, one of the summits of Horeb. Perhaps Elijah went here so that he too might hear the voice of God. When he arrives, he goes into a cave and sits down to wait for God to speak. He is not disappointed! The Lord's voice does come to the prophet in that dismal cave, and when the Lord speaks, it is to issue a challenge. He asks Elijah this question: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" This question is a rebuke to the prophet!

What God is asking is this: "Elijah, what are you doing in a cave on Mount Horeb? Did I not send you to preach to my people Israel? Shouldn't you be in Israel leading my people in a great revival? I didn't call you to run to this cave and hide yourself away. I called you to stand before kings, to defy false gods and prophets and to be an example of righteousness for the people of Israel. So, Elijah, what are you doing here?"

It was a call for Elijah to examine his life and his priorities. It was time for Elijah to come face to face with the fact that he had sinned against the Lord. Of course, Elijah replies by reminding the Lord of all he has done and how alone he is. Basically, Elijah is whining about what he thinks the problem is. By the way, if you must whine, resolve to do it only to the Lord. He can take it! It just drives other people crazy!

I wonder if the God is asking anyone here the same question this morning? "What are you doing? I didn't save you to be in this condition! I didn't call you to be doing things like that! I called you to serve me! What are you doing?"

No doubt many of us from time to time have heard that gentle rebuke from the Holy Spirit. We allow ourselves to wander from the path of fidelity to the Lord and we go our own way. Or, we develop a bad attitude. Or, we get slack in our service to God. Or, we walk into open sin. When we do, the Lord says, "What are you doing here?" This is God's way of getting our attention!

If He were to speak to you today, would He have to ask you the same question? It's tough to think about, but I thank God for the challenges from the Word of God and from the Spirit of God. Remember, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.", Rev. 3:19. If the Lord challenges your life, it's only because He loves you!

2. V. 11a God's Command to Elijah - Now that the Lord has Elijah's attention, He commands the prophet to stand before God. By the way, this is where Elijah should have been all along! God is calling Elijah back to the place of total surrender….back to the place where nothing was greater in his sight than the Lord God. You see, Elijah had let Ahab, Jezebel and the sins of the people eclipse God. God calls him back to that place where nothing but God matters!

That is the place we all need to be today! Did you know that your problems aren't your problem? Did you know that your trials aren't your problem either? Did you know that your depression, your discouragement, and your defeat aren't your problem? Did you know that even your failures aren't your real problem?

When we have problems in life, whether they are spiritual, material or emotional, the real root of the problem is that something has gotten larger than God in our eyes!

If God is all He claims to be, then what problems are there? If He is really God, and He is really in control, then He can take care of any situation.
He will resolve the situation; remove the situation; or renew us so we can endure the situation!

Like Elijah, we must learn to take our hands off the wheel and relinquish all control to the Lord. Let us take the admonition from the book of Hebrews and fill our vision with Jesus and Jesus alone, Heb. 12:1-2.

3. V. 11b-14 God's Confrontation of Elijah - While Elijah stood in that cave on Mount Horeb, the Lord passed by. First, there was a great strong wind that rent the mountain, then an earthquake that shook the mountain to its foundation. After that there was a great fire. However, we are told that the Lord was in neither of these. After that, there was a still, small voice. What the earthquake and the fire could not do, the small, still voice did: it touched Elijah's heart! This was what Elijah needed. He needed to know that God isn't interested in the great, striking things that impress men. He is interested in working in men's hearts.

Elijah was used to the remarkable. He was used to the astounding! After all, who else was fed by ravens? Who else saw God feed three people with a barrel of meal and a jug of oil that never ran out? Who else had seen God raise someone from the dead? Who else had rebuked a king and lived? Who else had defied 450 Baal prophets, prayed fire down from Heaven and then killed the prophets? Elijah is used to the spectacular! God wants to teach him that it is God's work in the heart of the individual that is vitally important!

The power of God is in the Word of God and in the work of His Spirit in the hearts of men.

We're guilty of the same thing aren't we? When we see great things happening we get excited! When we see the church growing, people getting saved, sanctified and baptized in the Holy Spirit, shouting and all the wonderful things we all like to see, we get fired up and talk about how the Lord is moving. However, we forget that God doesn't always move in big, visible, outward manifestations.

Often, the greatest works of God are done in the secret places of the heart. As God speaks to and grows the individual, His glory is revealed in ways that it could not be otherwise! God is in the business of growing men into the image of His Son, not just working miracles, Eph. 4:13. However, taking a sinner, saving him by grace and reproducing Jesus in him is a miracle of the highest order!

I. The Misery Of The Prophet

II. The Ministry To The Prophet

III. V. 15-21 THE MENDING OF THE PROPHET

Verse 13-14 tell us that Elijah is again asked the question, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" His response is still the same old whiney answer.

Note: God's question is present tense. Elijah's answer is past tense. It doesn't matter what you've done for the Lord in the past, the question is: "What are you doing today!" This time God sets the prophet straight and tells him how things really are. God has a threefold plan for getting Elijah back on track. Let's consider that plan together.

A. V. 15-17 It Involved A New Commission - Elijah is told to return to Israel through Syria. There, he is to anoint two kings and a prophet. He is given an important assignment from the Lord. He is given evidence that the Lord is not finished with his life. Surely, this was an encouragement to the man of God!

It would do those who have wandered off the Lord's path good if they were to come before Him this morning, confess that they have sinned and ask Him for a new assignment. The Lord is faithful, He will forgive you and He will use you again. You can be a blessing to the kingdom of God! If you are depressed, why not bring that to the Lord and ask Him to use you again for His glory. He still has plans for your life, or else you would already be in Heaven!

B. V. 18 It Involved A New Comfort - Twice Elijah had complained that he was all alone in his devotion to the Lord, v. 10, 14. However, God tells him that there are 7,000 others who have not worshiped Baal. Elijah is not alone! There are others who will stand with him. He is given hope and encouragement.

Friend, you aren't alone either today! Whether its discouragement, depression, sin, or anything else you wish to name, others have been through it and are going through it as well. Even if no human comfort can be found, the Lord knows what you are going through and is ever present to help you through any crisis you might face in life

(Hebrews 4:15-16) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (NKJV)

(Philippians 4:6-7) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

C. V. 19-21 It Involved A New Companion - When Elijah went into the wilderness, he left his servant behind in Beersheba, v. 3. He was all alone. God knew this was not good and He gave him a man named Elisha. Elisha was to be a companion to Elijah and would take Elijah's place when his ministry ended. I like the concluding words of this chapter, "and ministered unto him."

God knew that the burdens Elijah carried were too heavy for him to bear alone, so He gave him a confidant, a friend, a peer. He gave him one to walk beside him through the valleys and through the difficulties. Notice that God told Elijah to meet three people, v. 15-16. Notice also that Elisha is the first one Elijah meets. God puts this man into the prophet's life to help him along his way!

We all need that kind of personal ministry from time to time!

(Proverbs 27:17) As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. (NKJV)

We must not cut ourselves off from other people. We need friends and companions as we go through this life. What a blessing to have someone to confide in. To have a friend who hurts with you, who will help you bear life's loads, who will pray with you, cry with you, and even when they don't understand you will still love you! Certainly, we have that kind of ministry in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:16-18 NKJV)

However, we still need human interaction! Let us resolve to ask God to put someone into our life who will help us be accountable to the Lord in all we do as we go through life. Imagine the ministry Elisha had in the life of Elijah!

Conclusion: As this chapter in the life of Elijah comes to an end, we find him well on the road to recovery. He is back, and he is serving God once again! The Lord's ministry in his life has delivered him from the brink of death and of shipwreck. Some of you need that ministry today. You may be on the verge of quitting on the Lord. You are discouraged and defeated. Others have wandered off into sin and are living lives that are not pleasing to the Lord. I wonder if He is speaking to your heart this morning. Is He saying, "What are you doing?" If he has spoken to you, you need to come!

September 6, 2009 Sunday Morning Message at the Winston-Salem COGOP

HOW THE MIGHTY ARE FALLEN (Sermon # 8) 1 Kings 19:1-4

(1 Kings 19:1-2) 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." (NKJV)

(1 Kings 19:3-4) 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!" (NKJV)

Introduction: We have followed the prophet Elijah through many valleys and across a few mountain tops. He has been at the lowest of lows and he has enjoyed the highest of highs. He has witnessed the power of God on a personal level and on a national level. We have seen him as the Student Servant and the Champion Soldier. In this chapter we will meet the Depressed Saint. In chapter 17 we saw his humility. In chapter 18 we saw his heroism. In chapter 19 we are confronted with his humanity. We are given startling evidence of this by the words James used concerning Elijah, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, (James 5:17a NKJV)

In essence, what we see here is a picture of a man who has pushed himself beyond his physical and emotional limits. Elijah is in a period of depression. In this chapter, we are allowed to see a side of Elijah that both shocks us but also helps us.

It shocks us when we realize that great men and women go through periods of deep, dark depression. For instance, Winston Churchill said, "Depression followed me around like a black dog all of my life." A young lawyer in the 1800's suffered such a deep depression that his friends did everything they could to keep all razors and knives away from him. He wrote these words, "I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not." This lawyer later became the 16^thpresident of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln.

Even the great preacher Charles Spurgeon was given to periods of depression. History tells us that there were times when Spurgeon would be so depressed that he would refuse to leave his home to go to church. On more than one occasion, his deacons had to come and physically carry their pastor to the pulpit.

While these accounts shock us, they also serve to help us. How? They remind us that depression is a common experience. It is something that often happens in life. In other words, if you go through a time of depression, you are not alone. Notice these facts concerning depression.

• Depression affects all classes, races, ages, groups and genders of people.
  
• 17.6 million Americans will deal with some form of depression this year.
  
• One out of every 5 Americans can expect to deal with depression in their lifetime.
  
• The rate of clinical depression in women is twice that of men. Statistics teach that one person out of every seven in this very room will need some form of professional help in dealing with depression in their lifetime.
  
• The National Institute of Mental Health estimated that depression cost the nation between $30-$44 billion in 1990 alone. In addition to that, over 2 million work days are lost each year due to depression.
  
• Depression is one of the leading cause of alcoholism, drug abuse, and other addictions.
  
• Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide.
  
• Depression is not something to mess with! If you are dealing with depression, get help!
  

Of course, not all depression is bad. Depression is the body's natural reaction to shock. When a time of grief, stress, frustration, or illness occurs, the brain will release chemicals that will serve to numb the mind and body. This is like a shock absorber. However, there are times when the brain and its chemicals become so out of balance that clinical depression may occur. Professionals say that a period of depression lasting over 2 weeks should be considered serious and needs treatment.

With these thoughts in mind, let's look at this account from the life of Elijah and think about the subject, How The Mighty Are Fallen. What happens when depression comes and how can we handle it?

In these first four verses of this chapter, we will witness THE MISERY OF THE PROPHET

I. V. 1-3a WE SEE ELIJAH RUNNING

A. After the great events on Mount Carmel, Ahab returns home to his wife Jezebel. She is, no doubt, waiting to hear the news that her prophets wrought a great victory. After all, she may have seen the fire fall from Heaven and now she sees the rain. She must believe that Baal is responsible for all these things. Instead of good news, Ahab tells her that it was Elijah who won that day and that he has even slain her priests! When she hears this, she is infuriated! She takes matters into her own hands and decides that Elijah must die!

I just want to interject a few thoughts right here. Jezebel is a typical domineering woman. Her actions prove this to be true. First, she made all the decisions in this matter. Second, she performed Ahab's job her way. Third, she used scheming and intimidation tactics when she saw her puny little husband beginning to cave into the pressure. Ahab, on the other hand is a true henpecked husband. He may have been the king, but Jezebel wore the crown in that castle! She was the boss, he was her puppet!

Besides this, Ahab paints another picture for us. He had been confronted with the truth that God was greater than Baal. He knew that, like the people of Israel, he should fall before the Lord in humble repentance. Yet he refuses to do so. When he arrives home, he even refuses to give God the credit for what transpired on Carmel, v. 1. He gives all the glory to Elijah!

Ahab is a picture of a lost man or woman who is confronted with the truth of salvation. But, while they come away knowing what they need to do, still they persist in their sins and refuse to bow before God. Friend, when the Lord calls you to come to Him, do not delay, but come quickly, while there is time and hope. Remember, the opportunity may never present itself again, Gen. 6:3; John 6:44; 2 Cor. 6:2.

B. When Jezebel hears the news that Elijah has slain her prophets; she sends him a warning that she is going to have him put to death. Instead of standing, like he did before Ahab and the prophets of Baal, Elijah runs away. After all he had already faced: the dry brook, the empty barrel, the dead boy, the prophets of Baal and the lack of rain.

Let's remember all that he had seen the Lord do: close the heavens, replenish the barrel, raise the boy, consume the sacrifice, enable the prophet to destroy the false prophets and to run to Jezreel - it seems that Jezebel was a nothing, a non-problem. Yet, Elijah does that which is irrational and runs away. I mean when you are kicked by a mule, just consider the source! When a carnal person kicks your life and work, just ignore them and carry on!

He doesn't just leave Jezreel, Elijah runs due south almost 125 miles. He actually left Israel and ran all the way to the southern border of Judah. He went as far as he could so that he might avoid the reach of one woman!

His behavior is irrational, but that is one of the effects of depression on the human mind. It causes the sufferer to think in ways that are not normal. Depressed people often do things that defy logic and description. Yet, to them, their actions make perfect sense.

A good example of this pattern of thought is found in Psalm 42. There, the Psalmist vacillates between sorrow and joy. He pours out his pain and lets us know that one minute he is up and the next he is brought low.

I. We See Elijah Running

II. V. 3b-4a WE SEE ELIJAH RETIRING

A. Elijah leaves his servant at Beersheba and goes alone another day's journey into the wilderness. Sits down under a broom tree, throws in the towel and asks God to take his life. Poor old Elijah has reached rock bottom. There are several aspects of these events that we want to consider this morning.

B. Elijah displayed some characteristics in this event that show us that his thinking was anything but rational. Elijah is at the end of himself and it shows. When these characteristics begin to appear in our lives, we need to take a close look at the condition of our heart. Note these warning signs.

1. Elijah cut himself off from those close to him, v. 3. As a result, he felt all alone. However, notice that this is irrational thinking. God still had 7,000 who had not bowed to Baal in Israel, v. 18. Elijah never sought them out.

One of the worse effects of a depressed spirit is the desire to separate oneself from every one. Many people who become discouraged have a tendency to develop an "I'm all alone" or a "Nobody understands" mentality. If these feelings are allowed to go on unhindered the pessimistic person begins to think that they are the only person in the world who is right. It becomes, "me against them." That is a sad, lonely place to be!

You see this kind of thinking in the church. A person will become discouraged and will drop out of church saying, "No one understands me. I just don't fit in." What they are doing is projecting their own feelings of hopelessness onto those around them. They are looking for a scapegoat to place blame upon so that they do not have to look too closely at themselves. Yet, the fellowship of the church is so important.

(Hebrews 10:25) not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (NKJV)

Even if the people at church don't understand what you are going through, at least they can pray with you and be a friend to you! You need people around you! You need your church family.

2. Elijah took his eyes off the Lord and focused instead on his own circumstances, v. 3. When we leave God and His power out of the picture, we are in trouble. (Ill. Peter - Matt. 14:28-31. We must learn to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus - Heb. 12:1-2)

3. He stopped interceding for others and started requesting for himself, v. 4. This was the first time we read of Elijah praying for himself. He had forgotten that he was the prophet to Israel. His attention is full of himself.

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.

4. Elijah adopted an attitude that said, "Life is hopeless.", v. 4. Elijah said, in effect, "I've had it! I quit!" He sat down and he gave up. Elijah felt that life was no longer worth living.

As long as we can remember that there is hope, we can make it through. May we never forget that God is still on the throne, and no matter how bad things become, God is in control! He knows where we are and what we are facing. He will see us through! As long as there is a God in Heaven, there is hope for you. Elijah gave up on life and on ministry. Notice God's Word:

(Romans 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV)

(Romans 8:18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (NKJV)

(2 Corinthians 4:17) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, (NKJV)

(Job 23:10) But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. (NKJV)

5. Elijah claimed that he wanted to die, v. 4. Many people who are depressed have these types of thoughts. However, most are irrational as were Elijah's. If he really wanted to die, why didn't he just stay in Jezreel and let Jezebel take care of it for him? Again, this is just more evidence that he is thinking very irrationally.

C. All of these things that Elijah said and did are typical of depressed individuals. In fact, it might be helpful to you for me to list some of the symptoms of depression.

• Lethergy - Everything seems like it's too much trouble to do.
  
• Disturbed Sleep - Early waking, difficulty getting to sleep, waking up tired after a normal might's sleep
  
• Loss of interest in Usual Activities
  
• Feelings of Guilt, Worthlessness and Hopelessness
  
• Lack of Concentration
  
• Irritability
  
• Exhaustion
  
• Lack of Sexual Desire
  
• Sensation of Utter Despair
  
• Sense of the Hopelessness and Uselessness of Everything
  
• Fear Of Death
  
• Phobias
  
• Obsessive Behavior
  
• Permanent Sense of Anxiety
  
• Feelings of Wanting to Cry, but inability to do so
  
• Bouts of Uncontrollable Crying
  
• Thoughts of Suicide
  
• Changes in Appetite and Weight
  
• There Are Many other symptoms. This is not a definitive list by any means.
  

D. If several of these things are true about your life, then you may need to seek some counseling. Do not be ashamed to get the help you need, because depression can literally ruin your life. It can even take your life!

I. We See Elijah Running

II. We See Elijah Retiring

III. V. 4b WE SEE ELIJAH RATIONALIZING

A. Elijah attempts to rationalize his request for death by saying that he was no better than his fathers. The question I have is "Who told him that he was better in the first place?" Apparently, Elijah had come to believe that he was something special. After all, hadn't God used him in a great way? Hadn't he trusted God and seen the impossible done time and again? Yes he had, but he was no better than anyone else.

It seems to me that Elijah must have thought that Ahab and Jezebel would repent when they saw what God did. He must have had dreams of leading the whole nation into a great revival. I guess that he thought he was the man of the hour and that the world would fall at his feet. Nothing shocks the ego system quite as hard as finding out you not all that you thought you were!

What is Elijah's problem? Pride! He was guilty of believing his own press! He was caught in the backwash of a great victory and he may have felt as though he were invincible. He believed himself to be more than he was and when he was reminded that he wasn't what he thought he was, he was thrown into the pit of despair!

The saint of God had better beware of those special times of great victory! Of course, this is a problem that we can face from time to time! We can be guilty of believing that we are greater than we are in reality. When the truth hits home, it can lead to depression and times of spiritual drought. When we do hit bottom, we are often guilty of trying to rationalize our behavior. We try, like Elijah, to convince ourselves that things are as bad as we think they are. In truth, they never are, nor will they be, as bad as we think!

B. When we consider the great ministry enjoyed by Elijah, we may wonder what got him into this shape. I think there are two primary reasons why Elijah ended up under that broom tree asking God to take his life. These are the same two reasons that can lead to serious problems for you and me if we do not heed the warning signs.

1. Elijah Is Physically Exhausted - Think of the activity on Carmel and of his flight into the wilderness. This man is totally exhausted. The Lord knows this and therefore He does not rebuke Elijah for sleeping. Rather, God refreshes the prophet and allows him to sleep and to rest, v. 5-7.

These bodies were not designed to be pushed constantly. The Lord set this thing up so that man could have a day of rest, Mark 2:27; Even the Lord Jesus Christ took time away from His work to rest His body.

(Mark 6:31) And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. (NKJV)

That's why I say if you can take a vacation, take it! Your body needs the rest and the break from activity. Let's face the truth; we run from activity to activity, with a cell phone in one hand and a day planner or PDA in the other. We stay up late and get up early and never take time for our bodies to rest. This is not what God planned and it can lead to serious trouble for you!

2. Elijah Is Emotionally Spent - This man is drained from the ministry he has been performing. He has been giving out constantly. He is emotionally drained.

There is an old Greek saying that goes "You will break the bow if you keep it always bent." There are times when you and I must unstring ourselves and relax. It we do not, we will break after awhile! God never designed us for the types of pressures we allow ourselves to be subjected to.

The constant stress of life is a major cause of disease and death. You see, when we are under stress, our bodies release a chemical called adrenalin. It energizes us and helps us get the things done that need to be done. It gives us sudden bursts of energy. However, when adrenalin is constantly being pumped into your system, it can have negative long-term effects on the body. Some scientists believe that it can cause serious damage. Hence, there is the need to unplug, especially after times of stress and pressure.

C. Ill. Elijah Was Not Alone In His Feelings - I can think of at least two other men in the Bible who had feelings similar to Elijah's. One was Moses, Num. 11:10-17. Moses nearly broke under the physical and emotional demands of leading Israel. The Lord helped Moses by giving him 70 assistants to aid him in the work.

Another that comes to mind in Jonah, Jonah 4:8-9. Jonah was depressed because of faulty thinking on his part. His primary problem was spiritual. Of course, he too was physically and emotionally drained. God told the prophet what he needed to hear. The Lord set him straight. Sometimes our depression can come as a result of faulty spiritual thinking!

I too have nearly broken under the constant pressures of ministry. The only thing a person can do is to unplug from the demands of life and seek refuge in the Lord. He will strengthen the burdened life and give renewed strength for the journey. I have also suffered from bad thinking. I have seen things from my own perspective rather than from the perspective of the Lord.

Conclusion: This is a bad place for us to leave our friend Elijah today. I wish there was adequate time to tell you all that the Lord did for him. However, we will consider all of that when we come back to Elijah next week. In the meantime, let me leave you with the following assurances:

1. Elijah had not been forsaken by the Lord.

2. God still had a plan for Elijah's healing and for his future ministry.

3. God wanted to bring Elijah out of the valley of his depression.

Friend, God wants to do the same for you. Do not think that you are above having episodes of discouragement and depression. It can happen to you! If you have recognized a tendency in your own life to be depressed and discouraged, let me invite you to bring your need to the Lord Jesus. He wants and waits to help you.

Remember the Words of Scripture:

(Matthew 11:28) "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (NKJV)

(Hebrews 13:5) Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (NKJV)

(1 Peter 5:7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (NKJV)

I will leave you with this thought, if you have been depressed or are currently depressed it is not a sin, and it may not always be the result of sin! However, if you allow yourself to remain in a state of depression it could very well lead to sin. If you see signs of depression in your life seek the help you need.

There are some people who do not believe that Christians can become depressed. They will say things like, "Just snap out of it."; "Where is your faith?"; "Just get over it!"; "If you trusted God like you should you wouldn't feel like you do." Such talk is foolish! I want you to know that Jesus Christ promised to save those who trust in Him from Hell. However, He never promised that we would avoid all discouragement or depression. He did promise to help us, to be with us, to sustain us and to bring us safely home when our journey is ended.

So, here is the invitation: If you are like Ahab and have never been saved and feel the Lord is calling you to come to Him, then you come and be saved today. If you are depressed and discouraged and need God's help with a matter, then you come. If the Lord is calling you to come to Him today for whatever reason, then you come right now. This altar is open and the Lord is waiting!

August 30, 2007 Message to the Winston-Salem Church of God of Prophecy

ELIJAH: NO TIME TO BE IDLE

(Sermon # 7) 1 Kings 18:41-46

Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, (1 Kings 18:41-42 NKJV)

and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot , and go down before the rain stops you.'" (1 Kings 18:43-44 NKJV)

Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:45-46 NKJV)

Introduction: The prophet Elijah has just been used by the Lord to accomplish a great miracle. He has just prayed a simple prayer and God has opened the heavens and sent down fire, proving that He was Lord of all. Elijah has just seen the people of Israel bow before God and proclaim their faith and allegiance to Him. Elijah has just killed the 450 Baal prophets. His day has been a busy one to say the least. Most of us would have been looking around for an easy chair so we could rest up. But not Elijah!

You see, the land of Israel has been languishing under a three and one-half year drought. Because of the drought people are starving and the nation is in a desperate condition. Of course, there has been no rain because of the idolatry of the people. Now, they have repented, the Baal priests are dead and it is time for God to open the heavens and send down the much needed rain.

So, instead of walking off into the sunset to savor his victory over evil, Elijah gets to work again to see that the rain comes like God promised it would. Elijah teaches us the lesson in this passage that there is no quitting place. There will never come a day in your walk with God when you will have the opportunity to sit down and do nothing. Too many are doing just that, but it isn't because there is nothing to do. It isn't because the Lord is allowing them to sit idle either.

We have all heard the old saying, "A man may work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done." That is a true saying for many women! The same can be said for many of God's servants. When a person has arrived at the place where they are totally sold out to the will of God for their life, they will never stop serving until He calls them home. Their venue of service may change but their service will continue.

Let's join Elijah in the aftermath of his great victory on Carmel and learn the lesson that there is still work to be done. There are three characteristics displayed by Elijah in these verses that teach us how we can stay busy in the Lord's work.

I. V. 41 ELIJAH THE PROMISE CLAIMER

The rain - Elijah knew rain was coming. How? The ear of faith hears what the eye of flesh cannot see! When a man reaches the place where the hullabaloo of the world is shut out, he can hear the caravan of God's blessing before it ever appears in his sight.

(John 20:29) Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (NKJV)

In these verses, we can see that Elijah was a man who believed the promises of God. He believed them so much that he was willing to claim them and live in them. Someone has taken the time to count them and they tell us that there are over 7,000 promises in the Bible. However, only a fool thinks he can claim all of them for himself! Some were personal promises made to individuals, others were universal promises made to all. Joshua 6:3-5 (marching around the walls of Jericho) is a personal promise given to a specific people at a specific time for a specific purpose. You have no right to claim it for yourself now!

These Promises I Can Claim:

(Romans 10:13) For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." (NKJV)

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (NKJV)

(Philippians 4:19) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

(Psalms 103:11-13) For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. (NKJV)

(Proverbs 3:5-6) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

(Matthew 7:7-8) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (NKJV)

Some of the promises in the Bible are either conditional or unconditional. If I am going to claim a conditional promise, then I must meet all the conditions.

For Instance: (Matthew 21:22) "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (NKJV)

If that promise is going to work for me, then I must pray in absolute faith. It is conditional. However, Psalm 119:105, which says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Is an unconditional promise and is given without strings attached.

In these verses, we see that Elijah is claiming a promise that is both personal, and conditional, 1 Kings 18:1. With that little primer on promises in mind, let's see how we can be active as a promise claimer.

Elijah's confidence was based on:

A. The Precious Word Of God - In 1 Kings 18:1, God told Elijah to confront Ahab and He would send the rain. Elijah did as he was commanded, and he knew the rain was coming. Elijah believed God when God said something.

Friends, we serve a God who is able to keep His promises:

(Romans 4:21) and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. (NKJV)

(Ephesians 3:20) Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (NKJV)

B. The Perfect Will Of God - In 1 Kings 17:1, Elijah had been God's instrument to bring the drought upon the nation. Elijah knew that the drought had been sent because of the idolatry of the people. The rain had stopped because the people were worshiping Baal instead of Jehovah. Now, the Baal prophets were dead, the people had repented and had returned to the Lord God. Elijah knew it was time for the rains to return.

When God's will had been revealed about a matter, it is settled already. It will be done! Then, some may ask, "Why bother to pray about it?"
Because, God's promises are not given to restrict our prayer life, but to energize it!

When God reveals His will in a matter, we have direction, purpose and power in prayer. We can pray specifically about a situation with the confidence that God will do as He has purposed and willed. Also some prayers are conditional and our praying helps prepare us to meet the conditions.

Take Phil. 4:19 as an example. There, God has show us that it is His will to meet the needs of His children. This verse, coupled with Matt. 6:25-34, tells us that God will supply the needs we have. Therefore, we can pray with absolute confidence concerning the needs that arise in our lives.

C. The Prior Work Of God - Elijah knew that he could trust God to send the rain because of all that he had already seen the Lord do. Remember, he had already witnessed the faithfulness of God at the brook, in the barrel, with the boy, in the bull and over Baal. He has seen the Lord work many miracles before and there was no reason to think that God could not continue to move in power and glory.

I would just like to remind you that God has not changed! He is still the same God today that He has ever been, Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; James 1:17. Think of all the promises He kept and the power He demonstrated in the past, (Noah, 3 Hebrews, Daniel, Manna, Red Sea, Water from Rock, Empty Tomb, etc.) What He has been able to do He can still do! In fact, I believe that we have never even seen the fullest extent of His power revealed! If He can save a sinner from Hell, then He can do anything, Luke 1:37!

There is work to be done regardless of where and how you serve in the area of claiming God's promises and taking Him at His Word.

I. Elijah: The Promise Claimer

II. V. 42-45 ELIJAH: THE PRAYER WARRIOR

In these verses, we can see a major contrast between Elijah the prophet and Ahab the king. Their reactions and actions in the aftermath of the events on Carmel reveal much about the condition of their hearts. Our main focus this morning is Elijah, but let's try to glean all we can and look at these two men for just a moment. Notice what they did, it reveals who they are.

A. Ahab Went to His Feast - As soon as this powerful manifestation of God is concluded, Ahab goes to eat and drink while Elijah goes to pray.

Like so many who attend church, their bodies are there, but their hearts and minds are thousands of miles away. You see, our hearts are revealed by what we think about during service, where we rush off to after service and by what we get the most excited about. Some can't even sit through an entire service!

By the way, you attention span for spiritual things is a barometer of your spiritual growth! Some folks can't seem to sit still through a 45 minute sermon, but they can sit for hours and watch a ball game or a race. It's all a matter of your priorities! This sad state of affairs is seen clearly when one compares the interest in prayer meeting as opposed to an eating meeting!

Ahab had been a follower and promoter of Baal worship. Baal had occupied the Lord's rightful place. So it is in the church today. The preacher preaches on sin and people sit unaffected, unmoved and act as though the message were given to everyone but them. That is why lots of folks can continue to live their lives in rebellion to the Lord! They simply cannot see the condition of their own heart. Oh, they can see the sin in their neighbor's life! They can see where the message affects someone they know. Yet, they cannot see how they might be wrong in their own life.

B. Elijah Went To His Father - While Ahab wandered off the feed the flesh, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel to meet the Father. Even though the Baal prophets were dead and gone, there was still work to be done. It was time for the man who believed God to call on His Name and finish the task he had been given. I want to examine Elijah's prayer so that we can learn more about genuine faith praying. But, before we do that, I just want to point out a couple of truths that need to be mentioned as we contrast these men this morning.

1. Why did Elijah go to the top of the mountain alone? Why didn't he invite Ahab to join him? Because those who are spiritual must separate themselves from those who are cold spiritually! If you allow yourself to be influenced by those who are cold in their walk with God, they will lower your spiritual temperature.

2. Just like Ahab, Elijah hadn't eaten or drank all day. Why didn't Elijah go have nice meal before he prayed? Because he was like Jesus. He had food to eat that others knew nothing about, John 4:31-32. That is the difference between the mediocre believer and the spiritual giant! The mediocre believer allows the needs and desires of the flesh to come ahead of God. The spiritual giant, on the other hand, thrives in the presence of God. Nothing thrills the spiritual giant any more than getting alone in the presence of God and feeding on Him!

Now with that in mind, let's spend a few minutes looking at Elijah's prayer. How he prayed can help us to be more effective prayer warriors for the glory of God.

1. Elijah Was Humble - v. 42b, He bowed himself before the presence of the Lord. The man of God had stood tall as an ambassador of the Lord, now he bows low as an intercessor before the Lord!

It would do us good to remember that God does not exist merely to answer our prayers or fulfill our wishes. He is God and he will honor the person who comes into his presence humbly, 1 Pet. 5:5-6; James 4:6; 10. All we need do is remember the condition and that will help us to be humble in the presence of the Lord.

2. Elijah Was Specific - v. 43, James 5:17-18 tells us that Elijah was very specific in his prayer life. We don't know the general things he may have prayed but we do no he prayed specifically for rain. God honors this kind of praying! If you do not pray specifically, you will never know when the Lord answers your prayer! Sure, some of our prayers are general but we also need to pray specifically about the things you want to see done!

3. Elijah Was Earnest - Elijah was sincere about his prayer, James 5:16-18. He did not take a spiritless attitude toward his prayer life, but he prayed with fervency. His soul was moved with the need of the people. He felt the pressure of the thing he prayed for! May the Lord deliver us from flippant prayer that avails nothing! May the church regain the desire for prevailing, fervent prayer! We need prayer that moves the soul and lines our will up with that of the Heavenly Father.

After all, that is the purpose of prayer: to bring us to the same place God is at already in regard to our request!

4. Elijah Was Persistent - v. 43, Seven times the servant is told to go and look toward the sea. Six times there is nothing there. Yet, Elijah kept praying and kept believing. He did not allow the outward circumstance affect his inward assurance that the answer was on the way. He was persistent! Sometimes, like Elijah, we will experience delays in answers to our prayers. Why is this?

One writer said it this way, "It is s not that God is hard to persuade; it is that He will have us mean what we say."

There are times when God will answer prayer immediately. However, there are times when the answer is delayed. When those times come, God would have us continue faithful in prayer, waiting on His answer. Let us learn to be patient! It is in perseverance in prayer that the flesh is brought low and faith allowed to soar to its highest heights! God would have us never give up! If he has put something in your heart, pray until it becomes a reality!

5. Elijah Was Expectant - v. 41, 43 - Elijah kept praying and kept sending his servant to look to the sea. Why? Because he was operating in faith in the promise of God. He knew the rains were coming. He was expecting big things from God! Note: the word for "rain" in verse 41 refers to a heavy downpour. Elijah was expecting big things from a big God!

If we are ever going to see real success in our prayer lives, we must learn to pray with expectancy! We must pray and believe that God will do what He has promised to do.

(Mark 11:24) "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (NKJV)

Nothing cripples faith nearly so often as the sin of unbelief, James 1:6-8; Heb. 11:6; Rom. 14:23. Praying but not expecting is unbelief.

6. Elijah Was Answered - v. 44 - On the seventh trip, the servant saw a little cloud rising out of the sea. When this news is brought to Elijah, the prophet knew that God's answer had come. His prayers had prevailed and God was sending the rains!

We serve a God Who still answers the prayers of His children,

(Jeremiah 33:3) 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' (NKJV)

(1 John 5:14-15) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (NKJV)

He would have us know that real, faith praying is not a waste of time! God honors the prays of His people, because the prayers of His people honor Him!

It is easy to see the contrast between these two men. If you were perfectly honest this morning which of these two men best describes the life you live?

I. Elijah The Promise Claimer

II. Elijah The Prayer Warrior

III. V. 46 ELIJAH THE POWER RUNNER

We are told that when the rains came, Ahab left in his chariot. After three and one-half years of drought, a torrential rain would turn the ground to mud in no time. Therefore, Ahab wanted to beat the rain back to Jezreel. His iron chariot wheels would bog down in the mud and cause him problems traveling. As he went, suddenly, he heard the pounding of sandals against the muddy ground. Ahab looks over just in time to see Elijah pass him and run in front of him the 18 miles to the gate of Jezreel. I am reminded of those old Roadrunner cartoons. I find this to be very humorous!

A. The Source Of Elijah's Power - After the strenuous activity of the day, how did Elijah possess the ability to run that far that fast? The Bible says that "The hand of the Lord was on Elijah."

When a person is enabled by God, he can do things that are beyond the scope of ordinary men! He gives strength, stamina and ability to those who will walk in His power. As Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.", Phil. 4:13. While Ahab was bogged down in the mud of sameness and mediocrity, Elijah ran with hand of God upon his life and excelled! What a difference!

I don't know about you, but I want the power & anointing of God on me!

B. The Secret Of His Preparation - we are told that Elijah "girded up his loins". That is he wrapped his mantle about him and tucked the end of his robe into his belt and ran. Why the preparations? If he has tried to run without girding his loins, he would have been tangled up in his garments and would have fallen. He cleared every possible obstacle so that he could run well. What a lesson for those who want to run with God!

Altar Appeal

(Hebrews 12:1-2) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (NKJV)

Running To The End

If we will run well, we must rid our lives of those things that would hinder our progress. All the weights, all the sins, all must fall by the wayside if we will run with patience and power the race we have been given!

What needs to be removed from your life?

Conclusion: The battle had been won, but the work was not finished! Elijah still needed to claim some promises, prayer some prayers and run on for the glory of God.

There is no room for quitting in the family of God. If you are tired and weary and contemplating a season of spiritual retirement, may I encourage you to reconsider this morning? There is still work to be done. Promises must be claimed, prayers must be prayed, God still wants His people to run with patience the race of life for His glory.

If there is a need in your life today, will you bring it to the Lord? Whether it is a need for salvation, repentance, rededication, help in a situation or whatever, God has all you need. Will you come?

Aug. 23, 2009 Message at the Winston-Salem COGOP

SHOWDOWN ON MOUNT CARMEL (Sermon # 6) 1 Kings 18:16b-40

Introduction: We have had the privilege of observing God as He trained a man named Elijah. We saw God bring him from nowhere, set him before a king and use him to strike fear into a nation. We have seen God send him through one trial after another to teach him total dependence upon the power and provision of God. We have seen the contrast between this man Elijah and others who less committed to the Lord. We have learned much about this man. Yet, all we have seen Elijah go through was in preparation for the events we have read about this morning.

All the training, all the trials, and all the trusting have been to bring Elijah to the place where he could stand in the pure power of God and show a lost nation that Jehovah, not Baal, was Lord of all. You see, the entire nation of Israel, with the exception of some 7,000 faithful people, 1 Kings 19:18, had given themselves over to the worship of the false god Baal. Things were so bad that even the king and the queen of Israel were leaders in promoting the worship of these idol gods.

However, God had not forgotten His investment in His people! He had not forgotten how He had chosen them out of all the other people on the face of the earth. How He had brought them out of Egypt and led them through the wilderness. He remembered giving them the land, the Law and the covenants of promise. He never forgot for an instant that they were His people and that he had plans for them.

Therefore, God had called, trained, and groomed a man named Elijah. All the preparation had been for just this moment….A moment when God would call the nation back to Him….A moment when God would prove beyond all question that He was Lord and God.

For Elijah, this was an event that required great faith and courage, but he had been adequately prepared by the Lord for a task such as this. In fact, it was time for Elijah to prove that he was who he was rumored to be. It was time to put up or shut up. In other words, It's Showtime!

This passage has much to say to the church this morning as well. We live in a day where too many offer half-hearted service, when people serve the gods of self, materialism, recreation and pleasure more than the serve the God of Heaven. And, I am not just talking about the world. The same mentality that drives the world today has invaded the church world! God wants us to know today that He is still the Lord! He hasn't forgotten the investment He made in us, and like He called Israel back to Himself on Mount Carmel, He wants to call His people back to Him today.

I believe there are truths in this passage that speak to our hearts today. Let's dig into these verses this morning and see what they have to say to us about our relationship with and service to the God of our salvation. It's show time for Elijah; it's also show time for you and me. Let's notice the truths contained in this passage today!

I. V. 17-24 THE CHALLENGE EXTENDED

(1 Kings 18:17-18) Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?" And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 18:19-20) "Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. (NKJV)

A. V. 17-20 Elijah Challenges The Potentate - This meeting between Elijah and Ahab is an interesting one. Ahab is the king of Israel. He has chosen to lead the people of God away from the worship of God into the worship of a false God Baal. Elijah, on the other hand, knows nothing of compromise! He is totally sold out to the will of God for himself and for his nation. It is safe to say that these two men are not best of friends! In fact, some may wonder why Ahab would even allow Elijah to live at this point. After all, Elijah is the one who pronounced the drought that has nearly destroyed Israel. Why not just kill him and be finished with it? I believe that Ahab has come to believe that the drought will not end unless Elijah prays for it to. Therefore, he must indulge this man in spite of the controversy with Elijah.

1. V. 17 A Confrontation - When Ahab sees Elijah, he accuses him of "troubling" Israel. This word refers to one "who stirs something up, or causes a disturbance." However, it also carries the meaning of "a snake or serpent." This is equivalent to Ahab calling Elijah "a snake in the grass." There is no love lost between these two men! What Ahab failed to realize was that Elijah was the best friend that Israel had!

So it is with the men and women of God! People will get angry when truth is shared. They fail to understand that when God's man or woman tells them the truth, they do so because they love them and God loves them. You see, the truth has the power to set you free, John 8:32. Therefore, people would do well to receive the message of God and deal with it personally. The man who tells you the truth is not your enemy. The man who tells you all is well when you are wrong is not your friend!

2. V. 18 A Condemnation - Elijah's response to the accusations of Ahab is to look him squarely in the eye and tell him the truth. Elijah tells Ahab that the drought is really Ahab's fault! Because he, and his fathers, led the people away from the worship of God and into the worship of Baal, God sent the drought to get their attention and to call their hearts back to Himself, 18:37. In reality, Ahab was the trouble maker; Elijah was just the trouble shooter!

Do not forget that there is a price to pay for sin. If you make wrong choices in your live and wander away from God, don't be surprised when He chastens you? After all, isn't that what He promised to do? (Heb. 12:5-11; Rev. 3:19; Pro. 3:11-12) There always has been, and there always will be a price to pay for sin, Gal. 6:9. You never get away with it!) We live in a cause and effect world.

3. V. 19-20 A Challenge - Elijah commands Ahab to send for the people of Israel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah (The female consort of Baal). Elijah even points out the fact that king of Israel is using his own resources to feed these false prophets, v. 19. Basically, Elijah is challenging these false prophets to a duel. They will decide once and for all which God will be worshiped in Israel. In verse 20, Ahab accepts the challenge and goes to round up the participants. It may be that the prophets of Asherah did not make the trip to Carmel.

I just want to point out the fact that Elijah the prophet spoke 8 times during this event and each time he spoke, he issued a command. Why didn't someone kill him and shut him up? Because as long as you are in the will of God, you are invincible until the Lord gets through with you, Isa. 54:17.

(Isaiah 54:17) No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD. (NKJV)

B. V. 21 Elijah Challenges The People - Now the people and the prophets have heeded the call of Elijah and they have gathered themselves on top of Mount Carmel. This large mountain, near the Mediterranean Sea has a large flat top that would allow such a great crowd to assemble. Once they are there, Elijah ignores the prophets of Baal and turns his attention to the people of Israel, God's chosen. Note three aspects about his challenge to the people.

1. A Question - Simply put, Elijah's questions is this: "How long are you going to waiver or vacillate between two ways of life?" These people were guilty of trying to hold hands with God and Baal. They were guilty of what too many people are guilty of this morning. They wanted the best God could give them and they wanted what they could get from Baal worship. They wanted the best of both worlds! The words "How long" indicate that this had been going on for quite some time.

So it is in the church. People want to assurance that they are saved and a member of the church, but they want to hold on to their sins too. They want heaven, but they also want to do their own thing now and then. They want the Bible, but they want to curse when things go wrong. They want to be able to pray when they have a need, but they want to live life by their own rules and do as they please! My friends that will never work!

We might as well come to understand right now that divided allegiance is a wicked thing! This is proven by Christ's condemnation of the church at Laodicea, Rev. 3:14-22. A person is either for Christ or he is against Him! You cannot be neutral! You cannot occupy the middle of the road! Jesus said it this way, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." Matt. 12:30. Where do you stand in regard to the Lord Jesus Christ?

2. A Quandary - Elijah present the people with a problem. He tells them that they are being contradictory. If God is Lord, then Baal cannot be. If Baal is Lord then God cannot be. What Elijah is saying is that both God and Baal cannot both exist. There is room in the universe for only one Lord and one God! They are challenged to choose who they will follow.

This is the same challenge we face this morning! Many who claim to love the Lord are also holding hands with the world, the flesh, material possessions or whatever. This is a contradiction! Either God is the Lord or He isn't. If He isn't, then those other things you hold to must be. The bottom line is this: you have to make a choice! Who will you serve? Who is really the Lord of your life? You really can't have it both ways! If you say you love the Lord and deny Him by your life, your actions and your activities, then you really don't love Him at all! So, what's it going to be for you?

3. A Quietness - When Elijah extends this challenge to the people, they just say nothing! This is just what you would expect from people like these. They are cowards and they prove it by trying to stay in the middle of the road. Many people think by being quiet and maintaining a low profile that trouble and sin will just go away. My friend, if that is your philosophy, then you are deceiving yourself! Sometimes life will present you with opportunities to shut up, more often, faith will present you with opportunities to stand up!

C. V. 22-24 Elijah Challenges The Prophets of Baal –

(1 Kings 18:22-23) Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. "Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 18:24) "Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken." (NKJV)

Before Elijah finishes, he presents a challenge to the prophets of Baal. He calls upon them to put their faith in their god on the line. He tells them "It's show time!

1. V. 22 The Teams - Elijah is just one man against 450 men. Yet, he is willing to stand for God. Talk about courage! Talk about guts! Talk about faith! Where are the Elijah's who will stand against everyone if need be, so they can stand with God? This is what I mean when I say we have to choose sides! Let us not fear the fact that we are outnumbered. Let us not waiver because it may appear that we stand alone! If we stand with God, we are never alone, Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5! He is ever there and He will see us through all the battles. (Ill. David - 1 Sam. 17. He stood when everyone else cowered in fear. Because he stood, God wrought a great victory!)

2. V. 23-24a The Terms - Elijah lays out the challenge to the people and the prophets. They will offer a bull and pray. The God who answers by sending fire from Heaven will be worshiped as God. Of course, Elijah tells them that they are to put not "fire under", v. 23. History records that often pagan altars had a dug out underneath where a priest could hide and light a fire, making it look as though a pagan god was responding. The terms were just fine with the Baal prophets. After all, Baal was the god of life! He was a fertility god who was seen in the rain and in the sun. They felt that he was responsible for life.

Of course, Baal hadn't been able to send rain for three and a half years, but surely he could send fire. You see, the worshipers of Baal believed that he could be seen in the great thunder heads that brought rain to the land, but they also thought he could be seen in the sun itself. When they looked into the sky and saw the bright, burning sun overhead, they felt that they were looking directly at Baal. This was a contest that they felt confident of winning! Of course, Satan would have given them fire if he had been permitted to, Job 1:9-12!

There were some in the crowd who would remember that Jehovah had also spoken by fire in the past. They might have remembered the burning bush, the fire on the altar of the Temple, the pillar of fire in the wilderness, the fact that God had consumed a murmuring crowd with fire, or the fact that God's fire had lit the top of Mt. Sinai. Either way, it seemed a fair challenge to the people and to the prophets of Baal.

3. V. 24b The Tragedy - The whole tragedy lies in the fact that the people are even willing to consider that Baal might be real. After all the things that God had done for them, how could they doubt the existence of God?

Before we come down too harshly on these people, maybe we should admit that we are often guilty of the same things. When we allow life and all of its distractions crowd God out, we are as guilty as they are. When we come to the place where we wonder what God has to offer, then we are in bad shape. When we forget His blessings, His power, His grace and His goodness, we are in terrible shape spiritually. When we live lives that are substandard spiritually, we are guilty of asking God to prove Himself to us! When God has to compete with everything else in your life just to get a minute of your attention, let alone your faithful service, you are in sad shape spiritually! Do you see how it is possible to get in this position?

I. The Challenge Extended

II. V. 25-38 THE CONTEST EXECUTED

The challenge extended and accepted. Now the contest gets underway. As this story unfolds, let's notice how things work out for those involved.

A. V. 25-29 The Problems Of The False Prophets - The prophets of Baal get to go first.

(1 Kings 18:25-26) Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 18:27-28) And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 18:29) And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. (NKJV)

1. V. 25-26 The Prophets Ministry - From early morning to noon these false priests prayed, screamed and called on Baal, but no fire came down and no answer was given to them at all. They appeared to be wasting their time.

2. V. 27 Elijah mocks the prophets of Baal - When Elijah saw the foolishness and the futility of what they were doing, he stepped forward and mocked them and their god. He said, "Surely he is a god! You better cry louder! Maybe he is doing something else and is too busy to help you! Maybe he left town or is out hunting. Maybe he is asleep and you need to wake him up!" Elijah is pretty rough on these false prophets.

Many in this world around us are so foolish. They waste their entire lives living for things that will die with them. They spend their entire lives building a dream only to see everything vanish and be replaced by Hell when they die. God help us who know the Lord to love them, to reach out to them and to try to make a difference in their lives for the glory of God!

3. V. 28-29 The Prophet's Misery - Elijah's mockery sent these men into a fit! They screamed, jumped, even cut their bodies in an attempt to get a response from Baal. However, the Bible tells us that there was no voice, neither any to answer, or any that regarded! That last phrase means that by this time, even the people watching this spectacle had lost interest in what these false prophets were doing.

Just try to imagine this scene! 450 crazed prophets of Baal, prophesying, yelling, dancing, jumping, and cutting themselves all in an effort to get the attention of a god that didn't even exist.

A parallel to that are those people who live their lives in a frenzy to acquire and do more than their neighbor, only to die and leave what they have amassed or accomplished behind. They do it for their god: self. But, too late, they realize that their god cannot save nor can he give them happiness or peace. What a terrible way to live and die!

B. V. 30-38 The Power Of The Faithful Prophet 

(1 Kings 18:30-31) Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name." (NKJV)

(1 Kings 18:32-33) Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood." (NKJV)

(1 Kings 18:34-36) Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.

And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. (NKJV)

(1 Kings 18:37-38) "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. (NKJV)

After this pitiful spectacle of the false prophets, the faithful prophet Elijah steps forward. His example teaches us about the ministry of faith in God and faithfulness to God in service.

1. V. 30-35