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2026 Spring Bible Conference Message (4 of 4)
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Message recorded 24 March 2026
by Dr Joe Shakour
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Recommended
Transcript
Welcome and Introduction
00:00:06
Speaker
Well, glory. Take your Bibles if you would tonight. Let's go to 1 Kings, 1 Kings chapter number 19. It's going to be back in Texas, Columbus, Texas, right?
00:00:16
Speaker
And all right, I switched the pictures there. I was like, well, I'm seeing somebody different up there, but that's good. I got to check myself, but I don't want to join is I love your pastor I tell you and to be with dr.
Travel Experiences and Focus on Texas
00:00:30
Speaker
Mrs. Witt is just a joy.
00:00:32
Speaker
i just I love spending time with them. I'm just traveling and we had some barbecue on the way over Texas style brisket and all that good stuff and just had a time of fellowship or reminiscing what the Lord did in Israel.
00:00:45
Speaker
Baruch Hashem Adonai. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And all the Lord did but we were there. And I told them I had an invite to go to Rome this week. And I said no, i'm going to Texas. and And all those were that were interested, they were interested in the Antichrist. And they had heard some things I'd done on that on prophecy and studying Bible manuscripts. And so they want to be part of it.
00:01:06
Speaker
What's going on there in Rome with that group that's down there. And I was i'd rather be here. So i don't know what's going on there. i don't want to talk about the Antichrist. I'll talk about Jesus Christ. Amen. And I'm just glad to be here in the house of
Improvised Message from 1 Kings 19
00:01:18
Speaker
the Lord. I realized when it flew here that I left my notes all in my truck. And so I'm just kind of pulling something up here.
00:01:25
Speaker
What the Lord has for this evening. First Kings chapter 19. I'm not here to show off a sermon, but to deliver a message. I want to be an encouragement to you. want to be help to you. And it was encouraged by this example of this man named
Elijah's Boldness and Showdown at Mount Carmel
00:01:38
Speaker
Elijah. In 1 Kings 19, we're introduced to a prophet named Elijah. i love Elijah.
00:01:44
Speaker
He's got a lot of boldness, a lot of belief. highlight of our Holy Land tour just recently was to be there on Mount Carmel and to see and where he stood. And I have, there have been Shakur relatives that have lived at the base of Mount Carmel for centuries.
00:02:01
Speaker
And when think about Elijah, think about this man, we don't know much about his background. The scripture says that he was a Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead. He could have been from Dan or Benjamin, but most likely he was not even an Israelite, but rather a sojourner. His name means my God is the Lord. My God is john And even in his name itself, he was declaring faith in the Lord. He was from the mountain region. This mountain man, this mountain prophet comes down to the northern kingdom during the reign of the wicked king Ahab and his wife Jezebel.
00:02:34
Speaker
Chapter number 17, it was Elijah who stood before Ahab and said, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, there shall not be dew or rain these years according to my word.
00:02:46
Speaker
How could he say that? Well, he knew God's word well enough to know that if they were in rebellion, there would be no rain. So he took God at his word and he declared what God has simply said. God says, go hide yourself.
00:02:58
Speaker
And there he is supernaturally sustained. You know the story about the brook Cherith. He's fed by ravens who don't feed. They take their scavengers. Morning and evening, he's fed by a widow.
00:03:10
Speaker
Normally when you go places, that's not the one that you go to have a source of sustenance. But God supernaturally supplies that cruise of oil and it did not fail.
00:03:22
Speaker
He prays and God resurrects this child. God worked in wonderful, powerful ways. Chapter number 18 is the story of the showdown on Mount Carmel.
00:03:32
Speaker
God says, no longer hide yourself, but show yourself. And I'll send rain. Elijah calls for a contest. Whoever answers by fire, let him be God.
00:03:45
Speaker
He called for the 400 prophets of Baal to call first. and they And they cried from morning till noon and nothing happened. And Elijah's there standing, so cry louder. And they're cutting themselves. They're crying out.
00:03:59
Speaker
And now it's time for Elijah. lija He repairs the altar of the Lord. He builds it up. He brings the sacrifice. And he then he did something during a drought that you wouldn't do.
00:04:09
Speaker
He takes water. And he pours water upon the sacrifice and the stones. And it fills up the the trench that's there. Where they get that water? Most likely they have to supply of their own. Maybe they're in faith.
00:04:22
Speaker
And then he prays a short prayer. And fire falls from heaven. Did you know there's a charred place nearby there? They say that might have been the place. I don't know. But as he calls out upon the Lord, fire falls. And the scripture says that it licked up and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the stones. And listen, it licked up the water of the trench.
00:04:43
Speaker
it It evaporated the entire thing in a second. And then the people cry out, the Lord, he is God. That was Elijah's name. Elijah, Elijah, the Lord, is God.
00:04:57
Speaker
Elijah says, go chase after the prophets of Baal. and let not one of them escape. So the Bible said they took them down to the brook Kishon, slew them there.
00:05:09
Speaker
Rain falls, Elijah outruns, Ahab's tarried by the hand of the Lord. Now, when I was at Mount Carmel and I was sharing this, I got a message that I believe my heart I was gonna bring tonight.
00:05:23
Speaker
And I've been sharing it, I've been studying it, I've been developing it, I shared it in a counseling session with somebody. Because it's not what's found in chapter 17 or 18, but what's found in chapter 19.
Elijah's Fear and Theological Missteps
00:05:34
Speaker
I would expect after God brought fire from heaven, after God answered that this prayer, after the Lord did wonderful things, after he outran a chariot and rain fell, that chapter 19 would have been a chapter of national revival.
00:05:52
Speaker
But I want you to see what happens in chapter 19 that most most often happens in our life. Look at verse number one. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain the prophets with the sword.
00:06:06
Speaker
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah saying, so let the gods do to me. And more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
00:06:20
Speaker
Look at verse number three. And when he saw that, he arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
00:06:30
Speaker
Now, want to notice that phrase in the Hebrew and here in the text that I'm reading from tonight. The Bible says when he saw that. if you look at that Hebrew word for saw, it doesn't say when he heard that.
00:06:41
Speaker
It doesn't say in the Hebrew when he read that. There's a particular word that's found here, the word to see. The word is used of the Lord when he was in the wilderness and Hagar was there and God provided for Hagar and Hagar said, thou God me.
00:06:59
Speaker
He envisioned it Instead of realizing it was God looking at him, he began to look at his own problems and he envisioned something that was not A reality.
00:07:14
Speaker
And when he saw that, what did he see? What was her statement? She makes the statement, well, number one, it was wrong theologically. Think about this statement that he saw.
00:07:25
Speaker
It was wrong wrong theologically. See, I believe that he was envisioning his own death. I believe after he had slain, listen, in counseling terms, this was a a traumatic episode.
00:07:38
Speaker
He had gone to Bible college. Elijah never learned how to slay 450 prophets of Baal. It was a bloody, gruesome mess. He saw that. It was in his mind. It was a traumatic experience. It was emotional. And he was envisioning because the way she worded it was, going to make your life as the life of one of them By tomorrow at this time, he was envisioning his own death, but he should have been listening very carefully and casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted the self against the knowledge of Christ.
00:08:08
Speaker
What did he do? He was wrong theologically. She said, so let the gods do to me. Jezebel, last time I checked, there's only one God. My God is the Lord. His name means God. Her name means Baal exalts. Well, how did that work out for you?
00:08:24
Speaker
Baal has failed. That ought to be in her name. Baal didn't bring down fire from heaven. It was wrong theologically. There aren't plural gods. After she said that, he should have just ignored everything else.
00:08:38
Speaker
But then notice else, not only was it wrong theologically, and so many times we get messed up with things that we know aren't right, we know aren't in the Bible, we know these things that cause us anxiety sometimes are not even wrong theologically, but sometimes they're not even not even right logically.
00:08:54
Speaker
She said, I want to make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow. Now, how can you be deader than dead? She said, she said ah let the gods do to me and more also. They're dead.
00:09:07
Speaker
What more? then it's wrong logically. You see, Elijah didn't have direct message or text message. This wasn't posted online. This wasn't instant. If you're going to take somebody, why would you give them a 24-hour notice?
00:09:23
Speaker
A message had to be sent from Jezreel all the way to where Elijah was. and Most likely, the time had already expired. You know, sometimes the things that we fear about the most, the things that we worry about, the things that discourage us, listen, if we just filter them theologically through the word of God, we could cast them down. If we just filter them logically to things that are surrounding us, we could cast them down. But sometimes it's in our irrationality that we do and act in ways to our own destruction.
God’s Care for Elijah and Lessons in HALT
00:09:52
Speaker
That's what happens to Elijah. And instead of going to the Lord, instead of going to friends, he actually begins to isolate himself more and more. He travels a day. He's tired.
00:10:04
Speaker
He leaves those closest to him. if you follow the story, he leaves the servant, the one who was assigned to help him. And what does he do? He crawls under a juniper tree. And look at verse number four.
00:10:16
Speaker
But he himself went on a day's journey in into the wilderness and came and sat under a juniper tree. And he requested for himself that he might die. And said, it is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father's.
00:10:33
Speaker
Now I think when he was there, now he wants to die. I think when he was there and he laid down and he prayed that prayer. Now remember, Elijah was a man of prayer. A man of like passion, like as we are. He knew God's word and he claimed it. He knew what God would do and he believed it. I believe that as Elijah prayed this prayer...
00:10:50
Speaker
I believe that he thought it was over, that his task was done. God had told him everything he was going to do. he He was just supposed to stand. He was just supposed to speak. He was just supposed bring fire from heaven.
00:11:01
Speaker
And God was to pray that prayer and to see rain fall. And now he's done. I believe when he fell asleep, that he wasn't expecting to wake up. But he woke up.
00:11:14
Speaker
God said Now aren't you got glad sometimes God says no? No. God says, no Elijah. Now look what happens, verse number five.
00:11:24
Speaker
As he lay and slept on a juniper tree, behold, and an angel touched him. He probably thought he was in heaven. An angel, he's touched by an angel, and he said unto him, Arise and eat. He's thinking, maybe I'm here at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Look at verse number six. And he looked, and behold, there was a cake, bacon on the coals, and a cruise of water on his head. And he did eat and drink and laid him down again. I looked in the Hebrew here, and I realized this was, um he had some Bojangles biscuits.
00:11:52
Speaker
Now, to North Carolina, night you know what I'm talking about. Everybody have Bojangles biscuits. All right, you you're missing out. You may have some good barbecue, but we got Bo Cheddar Bo Biscuit, Hoot Cheese. Hoot Cheese, Cheddar Bo, get the sausage, stick it there in the center, and you'd be all right. You know, that's all in the Hebrew. He says here, i'm kate bacon in the coals.
00:12:14
Speaker
I heard one preacher put it this way, and this was his whole message, and he stopped right here at this message. This was it. He said, sometimes you just need a nap and a snack. Now that's true.
00:12:25
Speaker
That's true. But too many naps, too many snacks, you got more problems. Someone said it like this. got to deal with the physical. It's true. We are spirit, soul, body. Deal with holistically the the body.
00:12:39
Speaker
You can think of this acronym HALT. When you're hungry. Be careful. When you're angry, be careful. When you're lonely, be careful. When you're tired, be careful. Halt.
00:12:51
Speaker
Just take a step back. Filter some things logically. Filter some things theologically. Don't get alone. Don't act irrational. And certainly don't go by yourself and just give up at those moments.
00:13:05
Speaker
Just halt. Physical exhaustion can cloud spiritual vision. maybe Maybe tonight there is some help in medicine. Praise the Lord.
00:13:17
Speaker
i'm not um I'm not somebody that gets up here and says, if you're if you take medicine, you're not right with God. That's absolutely false. People that get medicine in every other area, the brain sometimes needs some help. There's a difference through the brain and the mind.
00:13:29
Speaker
Sometimes you need medicine. Sometimes you need a meal. But it doesn't stop there. Look at verse number seven. And the angel, he says, lay down again. he lays down again.
00:13:41
Speaker
Verse number seven, the angel Lord came again the second time and touched him and said, arise and eat. There's the there's the meal again. Because the journey is too great for thee. This time, I think it was Whataburger. Y'all have that down pat. I think there was Whataburger there. Verse number eight, that right there is in the text. Verse eight, and he arose and did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meat 40 days and 40 nights unto Horeb, the mount of God. Now, why don't you stick with me?
Elijah’s Journey and Divine Encounters
00:14:11
Speaker
Here's Elijah. He's not directed where to go. We're not exactly sure. But Horeb was Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai was where Moses received the law. Mount Sinai was where Moses heard and saw there the Lord in the burning bush.
00:14:25
Speaker
And he heard that name, I am that I am. And I just happen to think that Elijah may have a fan of Moses. And he didn't know where to go and what to do next.
00:14:36
Speaker
And so while he's not instructed, he goes to... Sinai. He goes to this place that the Lord had given the law. The Lord had met with his servant.
00:14:47
Speaker
And maybe he's thinking, I've been to Mount Carmel. If going to go to the next level from Mount Carmel, it's Mount Sinai. In fact, I told our group, I sort of hope we do get stuck here. And they're looking at me like I'm crazy. I said, because we do. We don't fly out of Tel Aviv.
00:15:00
Speaker
We get to go down by Egypt. Maybe I get to see Sinai. Because up in heaven, you know Moses is going to it's going to look like Charlton Heston, I believe it. And that's just the way it's going to be. But I i love i love Moses. I love that story. I love that account. And maybe Elijah was a Charlton Heston thing.
00:15:18
Speaker
But it goes to Sinai. And i want you to see the story.
00:15:24
Speaker
You see, with Moses, he spent 40 days and nights and received instructions. Elijah travels 40 days, 40 nights. He shows up at mountain. Moses asks to see God's glory. God's glory. God passes by, shields him with his hand, and proclaims his name. It's where Moses returned with so much of God on him. His face shone, and they had cover it with a veil.
00:15:45
Speaker
I imagine when he showed up at Mount Sinai, he was thrilled to be at the mountain of god And he gets to that place. Look at verse number nine. And he came thither to the cave and he lodged there. And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him and said unto him, not what God said to Moses.
00:16:04
Speaker
No, I am that I am. No thunder, no lightning at this first question is simply a question. What doest thou here, Elijah? What are you doing here?
00:16:16
Speaker
No question stirs the conscience. An accusation hardens the will. it's a It's a question of evaluation. If you're feeling and you're thinking something that you know isn't biblical, isn't theologically right, it's not biblically right, you know it's not logical, you've got to ask yourself, what am I doing here?
00:16:32
Speaker
It's self-assessment. It's what every counselor does with those that come into the office. How did you get here? What's going on in your life? And this is the question. And God is doing intake on Elijah.
00:16:43
Speaker
Elijah wants to die. Elijah says, I'm done. Take my life. And God says,
00:16:51
Speaker
And he goes to Sinai and he hears this question.
00:16:58
Speaker
God says, when God asks a question, he knows the answer. Remember how he said to Adam, where art thou? He knew where Adam was. He just wanted him to admit. Remember when he says Cain, where is thy brother?
00:17:12
Speaker
When he says to Abraham, is anything too hard for the Lord? When he says to Jacob, what is your name? He wanted Jacob to admit that he was a supplanter. When he says to Moses, Moses says, I can't do it. God says, what is in your hand?
00:17:27
Speaker
Who made your mouth? When he says to Job, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Oh, when God asks the question, he knows the answer.
00:17:38
Speaker
When he asks Jonah, do you do well to be angry? When he asks Peter, do you love me more than these? And here he looks at the Elijah. Like he's speaking to our heart right now.
00:17:52
Speaker
And he says, what are you doing?
00:17:57
Speaker
A line jump, this is the question. Notice he starts to talk about himself. at verse number 10. And he said, well, I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altar, slain thy prophets with a sword.
00:18:11
Speaker
And I, even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away. I can tell he's a Baptist preacher. There's a three point sermon thrown down, forsaken, slain, departed, demolished, destroyed, even alliterated. If you want to make it that way.
00:18:26
Speaker
He says, Lord, he said, what are you doing here, Elijah? Well, Lord, i've I've been faithful to you. I've served you and I'm the only one. He knew better than that. He had just helped out Obadiah and all those prophets there. In fact, the Lord's going remind him at the last verse, by the way, 7,000 have embowed their knee to Baal or kissed his hand. You're off by 6,999. looks at him and God says,
00:18:48
Speaker
look said him and
00:18:52
Speaker
god gave some demonstrations. Look at verse number 11. I'm glad the Lord doesn't just move them aside and take them out. He teaches them. And he's teaching us tonight.
00:19:04
Speaker
Look at verse number 11. He says, Go forth and stand up on the mountain before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by a great and strong wind, wreathe the mountains, break at pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind.
00:19:16
Speaker
And after the wind and earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Verse number 12. And after the fire, a still, small voice.
00:19:29
Speaker
What he's saying to Elijah is don't look for experiences to make your next steps. Don't follow your emotions. People say, well, just follow your heart. Well, if you do that, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?
00:19:44
Speaker
If you follow your heart, you'll fall into a ditch. Here the Lord shows Elijah where he was emotionally, where he was mentally, and it was the emotion of it all that caused him to be in a place of desperation.
00:20:05
Speaker
Once again, God is not was not in the fire, was not in the earthquake, was not in the wind, but in that still, small voice.
00:20:16
Speaker
And once again, the question is asked, What doest thou here, Elijah? God's not in the drama. He's in the quiet that draws you close to him.
00:20:30
Speaker
I've heard people say, preacher, I want God to speak to me. He does.
00:20:37
Speaker
he speaks to you in a still, small voice. It's not in the prominent emotions. It's not in the powerful experiences. In fact, I can guarantee he's he's spoken to you at some point in your life. You say, how do I know that?
00:20:50
Speaker
It usually starts with no.
00:20:54
Speaker
No. You remember when were about to do a sin were about to commit something or you knew was wrong, there's something down deep within you that just said, no, God, through the conscience, will often try to restrain and direct.
00:21:07
Speaker
He had already told Elijah, no, Elijah was a prophet of God. Elijah should have gone right on back to his ministry and his service, but he was moving emotionally, perhaps, to Sinai. I don't know exactly, but he was going to place where he was looking for more mountaintop experiences.
00:21:22
Speaker
It's not always the mountaintop experiences. He's always the God of the mountain. But you want to hear him speak, he says no. And if you respond to the no, he'll give you where to go.
00:21:38
Speaker
Say, preacher, I'm looking for the Lord to direct my life. Oh, he is. First, deal with yourself. Ask yourself tonight, is there anything in my life between me and the Lord? I think of the Wells Revival when that that preacher preached that four-point message, confess all known sin, deal with anything doubtful, be ready to follow the Holy Spirit instantly, confess Christ publicly. He preached that the first night, nobody responded. He preached it second night, a little girl got up and said, I love Jesus for my whole heart.
00:22:03
Speaker
And revival spread throughout Wales. 100,000 people were saved within a year.
00:22:11
Speaker
Will you deal with it now? God told Elijah, no. And he's going to tell them where to go next. I want to just just briefly tonight just give you something to hold
Overcoming Discouragement and Personal Stories
00:22:23
Speaker
on to. Maybe me jot these down. ah Four ways to overcome discouragement in your life.
00:22:27
Speaker
Would you notice first of all, remember your victories. If I could sit there with Elijah tonight and I would say, Elijah, what can you do to get back to where you were? Remember your victories. Elijah, you just saw fire fall.
00:22:40
Speaker
Elijah, you saw rain fall from heaven. Elijah, you were the one that claimed God and his word. You ran faster than a chariot.
00:22:50
Speaker
You imagine that fiery display reminded Elijah of the mountain. Oh, it's not always going to be Mount Carmel, but we serve the God Mount Carmel. Oh, I think about how the Lord spoke to Elijah maybe that day. i i was saying with a still small voice, I sustained you by the brook Cherith.
00:23:04
Speaker
I'm the one that kept oil in that cruise of oil. I resurrected a young man. I'm the one that told you to hide yourself and show yourself. and I didn't stop with the show yourself. My command hasn't changed.
00:23:15
Speaker
Go and continue. Don't let fear and discouragement make you forget the victories God has already given you. Hey, listen, if you're saved tonight, you've got some victories. God has already answered your prayer. You say, God's never answered my prayer. Then you're not saved because God answers prayer. The first prayer is the sinner's prayer to come to him in salvation.
00:23:33
Speaker
Oh, we've got one prayer answered. If you're saved, you went to God and asked him to forgive you of your sin. And he said, yes, amen. He saved us from hell. If God can save us from eternity in hell, don't you think he can save you for what's happening in your life right now?
00:23:49
Speaker
Oh, he's still God. Don't let fear and discouragement make you forget the victories. God has fulfilled some of his promises. God will fulfill all of his promises.
00:23:59
Speaker
God has given present power in your life to live. Let's not contradict our own testimonies. Remember his words. How long halt you between two opinions? You can't serve God and man. You've got to serve him wholly.
00:24:14
Speaker
And as that still small voice is speaking to Elijah, I think of that first area. Remember your victories. I don't know where you're at tonight. Sometimes you just need to jot down a ah prayer list.
00:24:26
Speaker
Sometimes you need jot down prayer praise list. And just remember what God has done. When I was a junior in high school, my father moved from North Carolina, where we were, up to New Hampshire, back to the family business.
00:24:38
Speaker
My family was involved in all sorts of unusual business practices, and my father was brought in after my grandfather passed away to help be the voice of reason in the company and maybe be the the good guy there. And so he was there, and it had not changed. My uncle had was operating the same way as my grandfather did. And he, he very in a desperate move, he took everything he had out of the company, he bought a company that turned out to be a scam.
00:25:02
Speaker
He didn't research it and go into it. He made a decision. And just after a few months, I remember my father, his hair went from jet black to to white. I was just a junior. I watched my father just go through this time of stress and mess. ah He had to declare bankruptcy in the businesses. and then it went personal. And I remember as a kid, nights of being a panic and fear. I remember the first time having a panic attack and i didn't know what it was.
00:25:25
Speaker
I remember as a kid not knowing where we could do or what we would go. There were moments of discouragement. It was it was like a pallor of death over the house. I remember one time my father was driving, and I didn't know he was going through all this, but he was so hurting that as he was on the road, he jerked the car off to the road where our family was in the car, and we ended up on the side of the road almost there to the ditch.
00:25:47
Speaker
He was going all way.
00:25:49
Speaker
My dad had to walk back through times of help. we never saw a counselor, never saw a therapist, never saw anybody, but he went to God's word. And this is what he had to do in the car just to keep him on the road.
00:26:02
Speaker
He wrote verses. And he wrote God's promises. He would draw little pictures of mountain, lay that weight upon the Lord, will renew, God will renew his strength and mount up his wings as eagles. And i remember him saying, God loves you. He's got a plan for you. he had a little picture that said, fulfill the ministry that he's called you to.
00:26:18
Speaker
I don't know what need to do. don't know what you need in your life to remind yourself that God has a plan and purpose for your life and he loves you. But just think back what God has already done.
00:26:29
Speaker
remember those moments of victory. His moments of pain. Number one, remember your victories. Number two, refrain from venting. Elijah's problem is that he talks about himself.
00:26:42
Speaker
Notice, I, even I only.
00:26:47
Speaker
I remember when I was in Bible college and I was ready to quit. I was there in college in Florida and there was hurricane that was coming our direction. And I was starting off studying for the ministry and I called my dad and I said, um um there's a hurricane here. And he said, well, you know, you need to continue on. That's all right. And then it destroyed my car and broken down and I i had nothing. I said, I'm coming home. And my dad said, you need to stay there and finish the course.
00:27:11
Speaker
And then I started talking about my roommates and how horrible they were. And I said, I'm not called to ministry because I can't stand the people in my room. One of my roommates thought that Febreze was an adequate substitute for laundry detergent. The other one was just ah just stayed up all night. I said, I can't do this. And I was talking about them. And my my father had just come through his own problems and his own issues that were way bigger than mine. He told me something i never forget. He said, listen, son, you're usually not as good as you think you are.
00:27:39
Speaker
and it's usually not as bad as you think it is. Here's Elijah. I'm the only one. No, Elijah, you're not. My Bible tells me that no temptation hath has taken you but such as is common to me.
00:27:50
Speaker
But God is faithful who will with the temptation also provide a way of escaping. You may be able to bear it. That means that what you're experiencing, God has brought somebody else through. and even more than that, I think about the Lord Jesus Christ, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Oh, when you think you're alone and you think you're the only one, you're not. Jesus knows. Jesus cares. Jesus understands. And he's brought somebody else through it and he'll bring you too as well. So instead of... it and
00:28:22
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How about you praise Lord? Thirdly, rely on his voice. That still, small voice. How do you hear a still, small voice? You've got to get close.
00:28:33
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You've got to pay attention. You've got to listen carefully. God's speaking. He's directing. How does he speak? Through his word. ah You want to hear God speak? Read his word. You want to hear him speak out loud?
00:28:44
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Read his word out loud.
00:28:48
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Pretty simple. And then he just directs you. If you respond to the no in your open communication with the Lord and yielded to him, you'll know.
00:29:01
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You'll know when go. You'll know what to do. Say, how do you explain that I can't explain it. But you will. That still, small voice.
00:29:13
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Finally, want you see this. Realize your value. God has a purpose for you. When you're under the juniper tree and you want to die and you want to quit and you want to give up, God has something for you to do.
00:29:25
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He has somewhere for you to go. There's something you can accomplish today for His glory. There's something He have for you if He allows you to live tomorrow for His glory.
00:29:36
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Look at verse number 15. And the Lord said unto him, Go.
00:29:43
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What did he tell him to do? If you notice in the story, God tells him to go back. He gives him three tasks. Remember he had three complaints? God says, here's three tasks. I want think about this. The first task was to anoint Hazael.
00:29:57
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Hazael, king of Syria. and Normally a prophet wouldn't do that, but he says, go anoint Hazael. And then he says, go and anoint Jehu
00:30:09
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to be to be king. Now think about it. If he had anointed Hazael, Hazael was the one that wiped out the line of Ahab. That's his enemy. If he had anointed Jehu, Jehu was the one that ends up wiping out Jezebel.
00:30:24
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Now I want you to show you this in the text. Elijah doesn't do the first two.
00:30:33
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Elijah doesn't go down and anoint Hazael and tell Dan the description where we're at, listed him as a king. He's listed there in the text. He doesn't take care of Jehu, but the third one, he reluctantly does. He says, if you're this good and you're that great, go find somebody and pour into them everything that's in you.
00:30:52
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You say, preacher, what do I do the rest of my life? What are your daily responsibilities? And what are your opportunities, your mentoring opportunities? You say, what's my purpose?
00:31:04
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Glorifying God through the day to day. A prophet was supposed to preach, anoint. So he said, go do what a prophet does. Go speak, go anoint, do your day-to-day responsibilities, and then take opportunities.
00:31:22
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Go encourage somebody else. Have you ever found out when you help someone who's hurting even worse than you are, God helps you as you're helping them? That's the scripture. He comforts you wherewith the trouble, we are comforting ourselves for God.
00:31:33
Speaker
You say, preacher, don't know where to do. I'm discouraged. I don't know where to go. Hey, take the Elijah plan. Go take the opportunities and the responsibilities. And you don't know how God's going to work that out. You don't know how the day-to-day responsibilities of of getting up and doing what you're called to do and accomplishing that. I think about that speaker that spoke to all those in the Navy. It was Admiral McRaven who said, just make your bed.
00:31:59
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I put it this way? Read your Bible.
00:32:03
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Pray through a prayer list. Share the gospel. Take opportunities. Take your daily responsibilities. And God is God. he is bigger than all. And in know in a way beyond beyond your comprehension, God will work through those responsibilities to accomplish this plan.
00:32:19
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And God work through your opportunities because here's Elisha who's going to have a double portion and do double of what Elijah would do for the Lord.
00:32:31
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We know the story. It's Elisha who ends up accomplishing the first two tasks.
00:32:37
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The story ends in 2 Kings chapter 2. If you turn there, I want you see this. 2 Kings chapter 2.
00:32:46
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God tells Elijah, it's time.
Elijah’s Miraculous End and Lasting Impact
00:32:50
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And Elijah goes and he follows the Lord. Elisha falls close behind. Now remember Elijah's prayer on the juniper tree?
00:33:01
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Elijah prayed, Lord, it's enough now. Take my life. God says no So powerfully, Elijah never dies.
00:33:14
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Look at chapter number 2, verse number 11. And it came to pass, as they went up and talked, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and part of them both asunder. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. God had something better for Elijah than he could ever imagine. I can imagine here's Elijah going up in a fiery chariot saying, well, i'm so glad God didn't take my life.
00:33:35
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They're under the juniper i'm so bad but I'm so glad that I wasn't thinking biblically and I wasn't thinking logically. But I wanted to die and I just wanted to quit. I'm so glad that God said no.
00:33:46
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Aren't you thankful for the times God says no? And it may not look like what you were asked for. It may not be in your situation where you want God to do. But God's working a plan that is beyond your comprehension.
00:33:58
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And God's got so so much bigger and better things for your life. Don't settle for your idea of what God wants. Just trust Him. God said no. The mantle falls.
00:34:09
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Now, I was thinking through this when I was in Israel. We went there to the Mount of Transfiguration, not too far from Mount Carmel. God said no.
00:34:20
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But do you remember that time, Luke chapter 9, records it, that Jesus took... Remember, he took his three disciples, Peter, James, and John, and he brings them up to a very high mountain.
00:34:33
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And Jesus in the earthly ministry is transfigured before disciples. Do you remember who was with them? Two prophets. Moses and Elijah.
00:34:49
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And the Bible says that they had a Bible conference on that mountain.
00:34:54
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Luke 9, 28.
00:34:57
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His countenance was altered, verse 30. And there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. They stood on the mountain, and when they talked about the cross.
00:35:13
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They talked about how Jesus was the prophesied Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. They talked about how Christ would be offered as a substitutionary sacrifice. And they talked about what Jesus would do and say, it is finished.
00:35:26
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And I believe on that day, as Elijah stood on the Mount of Transfiguration, oh, another mountain with his hero, Charlton West.
00:35:36
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I can imagine them standing there as they stood that day. imagine Elijah thinking, I'm so glad. I'm so glad god said no. He wasn't done. Elijah was included into the earthly ministry of Christ.
00:35:52
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Now that's not it. I was preaching through the book of Revelation and I came across a passage in Revelation chapter number 11. Now the Bible says Revelation chapter 11, there'll be power given to two witnesses and they shall prophesy 2,203 score days clothed in sackcloth. These, the two olive trees and two candlesticks. Stand there for the Lord God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, he it must in this manner be killed. They have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of prophecy. They have powers over the water to turn them to blood.
00:36:26
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Who does that sound like? And maybe another prophet. Prophets. But it just may be the one that turned water to blood. Might be Moses.
00:36:39
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Elijah. Elijah. Never died.
00:36:44
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And now God said, no, not only does he have a ministry during Christ's earthly ministry, he has a ministry just maybe during the tribulation. And this time, there's fire coming out of his mouth.
00:36:58
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I wish I probably wanted to have that when Jezebel was talking to him.
00:37:05
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Then he dies, is resurrected, and brought to heaven. Aren't you glad sometimes God says no?
Encouragement to Persist and Closing Prayer
00:37:17
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God's got something bigger than you could possibly imagine. God's got something greater than you could possibly imagine. What are you doing here? What are you doing here? Where are your responsibilities, Elijah?
00:37:30
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What are you doing here? What are opportunities you can take? What are you doing here? You may not know what tomorrow holds, but I have a God who holds tomorrow. And if you think that fire fall from heaven is great, Elijah, you're going to be in fire going up to the earth, Elijah.
00:37:47
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If you think that's wonderful, you're going see me in transfigured glory. Your ministry's not done. I got something for you. You think that's great, Elijah? I got something for you with tribulation. Oh, what a day.
00:37:59
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I don't know what God has for you. Don't give up I don't know who's hurting. I hear so many things from those that are hurting and sad and they just want to quit and listen to the devil and just throw in the towel.
00:38:10
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Don't quit. Don't give up. You say, well, you just realize what my responsibilities were, yeah. Just do what he's called you do today. Listen to when he says no.
00:38:21
Speaker
Step out when says go. Don't grieve or quench the Holy Ghost. God's preparing a ministry for you. God's preparing something for you. Eyes have not seen or heard neither into the heart of man. The things that God has prepared for those that love him forever and hear because the Spirit's revealed it to our hearts in the search of the deep things of God.
00:38:40
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Would you just heed that still small voice? talk to folks so often in my counseling office and young people in particular, I see so much in them and they just want to... Don...
00:38:57
Speaker
Deal with the physical, please. Deal with the physical. Get some medicine. gets to Get a meal. Get some rest. But then be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
00:39:09
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Listen to that still, small voice. Respond when God says no. Step out when God says go. Would you love him? He loves you. Would you follow him? He's got something for your life.
00:39:20
Speaker
Heavenly Father, you know how you laid this upon my heart. Lord, as I was going through the passages of Scripture, I know that I was burdened about it because I think of my dad's story. I'm thankful for his faithfulness and how he stayed strong. And one of the major reasons why I'm in ministry today is because my dad never gave up in his faith.
00:39:38
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Oh, I knew he was hurting. I knew was hard.
00:39:43
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But I can envision those verses right now in his steering wheel. I can envision nights of prayer on his knees. I can see your hand provide how my sister graduated debt-free from college. And I graduated debt-free from college all because of a miracle.
00:39:59
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Lord, I'm here tonight in Texas preaching the Bible. Not in some bar, not in some place that if my dad had turned back and given up. Thank you, Lord, for that testimony.
00:40:11
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Lord, I don't know who's hurting. I don't know what someone's going through tonight.
00:40:26
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This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.