Open—S. Ruga, N. Wood
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First Kings chapter.
19.
And, ahem, told Jezebel.
Oh, that Elijah had done, and with all how he had slain all the prophets.
With the sword.
And then Jezebel sent a messenger onto Elijah saying.
So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I may not, my life is the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
And when he saw that?
He arose.
And went for his life.
And came to Beersheba, which belonged to Judah.
And left his service there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came.
And sat down under a juniper tree.
And he requested for himself that he might die.
And said it is enough now. Oh Lord, take away my life.
For I am not better than my father's.
And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an Angel touched him.
And said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and behold there was a cake, bacon on the coals, and a cruise of water at his head. And he did eat, and drank, and laid him down again.
And the Angel of the Lord came again the.
Second time and touched him and said rise and eat.
Because the journey is too great for the.
And he arose and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat.
40 days and 40 nights.
Until horrible the amount of God.
Uh, let's read, uh, verse 13.
Oh, verse 12 and after the earthquake of fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
After the fire, a still small voice.
And it was so when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle.
And went out, and stood in the entering into The Cave. And behold, there came a voice unto him, and said.
What doest thou here, Elijah?
And he said I have been very jealous.
For the Lord God of hosts.
Because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant.
Thrown down by altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword.
And I even I only am left.
And they seek my life to take it away.
I wonder what we have thought. This is not a first time this portion has been before our attention. I wonder what we've thought when we've we've read this in the past.
Reading this, would we say that, uh, Elijah was discouraged?
Would we say that?
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He is afraid.
Was he?
Depressed.
Might be a little bit of all of that.
Says that he arose and went for his life.
Something bothered that man.
And we can rightly say that man of God.
What a man of God he was.
But here.
Something disturbed him and, uh, he, we're not seeing him act here like he has.
On a previous occasion.
Or on occasions after this.
Here's Elijah running for his wife and, uh.
Feeling very down, if we might say, and that could be a condition that.
Some of us, perhaps all of us, have been at one time or another, we felt a little down, a little depressed.
And here's God's man of the day and, uh, it's recorded for our instruction, for our learning.
That Elijah felt that way.
He's not feeling so good. He umm.
He sits under a juniper tree and requests for himself that he might die.
Alright man always thinks that's the best thing for him. When things really go wrong, even the unsafe, they take their lives.
And uh, Elijah, this is, uh, an insight into how low the man felt. He wanted to die. It just wasn't worth living for anymore.
Uh, things were not good.
He had just done something, uh, that amazes us every time we read of it. Uh, how he, uh.
Umm, destroyed all the profits of bail. None of us have ever done a mighty act like that in defense of the truth and upholding God's righteousness in his name. Tremendous thing. He did kill them, ordered they'd be brought before him and slaughtered.
And they were.
He was a man who, when, when uh, the nation was divided and he was going to prove who is God.
He would take not ten stones, but 12 Stones and make an altar to the name of the Lord.
It's amazing what, uh, faith sees even in times of breakup and the clenching, uh, Elijah recognized that in the eyes of God, his people were one and ought to be one. And he was trying to bring him back to that state. They were going away and further and further away, and he was trying to bring them back.
And he could mark the mighty, uh, religious men of his day.
Bring them to an open chain.
What a man Elijah was. And he could, uh, at the right moment.
Ask the Lord to consume the fire, the uh, the uh, burnt offering. The sacrifice and fire could come down from from heaven and consume it all. Mighty man of God. Well, why is he getting depressed? What is wrong with Elijah?
And, uh, if we put the, uh, Searchlight in our own souls, we wonder why we ever got discouraged.
Because we do.
We all have. We're made of the same material that, uh, Elijah was. Scripture tells us that.
He was of like passions as we are. We're no different.
And, uh, that can come into our lives.
And even after a very close walk with the Lord that, uh, if we get our eyes off the Lord, we can become very quickly downcast and, uh, say like Elijah here, uh, I'm not better than my father's. Nothing's working. Lord, just take me now.
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I'm valueless.
Well.
That wasn't true. If he's gonna act in his own strength, he was. He couldn't be of much use to the Lord. He would run away from the people that God sent them to be a witness to. He belong back there with those 10 tribes. That's where he belong. God sent him among them. God raised him up for that purpose.
But he got his eyes off the lawn. Perhaps he thought that when they acknowledged that, umm, the Lord, he is God, he would see some response, clusters of of exercise souls saying, you know, we better go back to Jerusalem. That's where the one true God is, is worshipped in the right way. He didn't see any of that. Rather than that, he hears that.
Someone is coming after him in 24 hours he's going to be a dead man.
And uh.
He didn't take it to the Lord, He took it to heart. He should have taken it to the Lord.
And uh.
You can pronounce judgment on her later on, but right now he's afraid and he runs for his life.
No, I take courage from the way the Lord deals with this servant of His.
He's running away from what the Lord told him to do. Jonah tried that, didn't he? The Lord told him to do something. He goes in the other direction. He forsakes the position that God told him to get into. And, uh.
The Lord still washed over him, didn't He? We know that story so well. How?
Lord of the Rock, the whole ocean.
To, uh, wake up Jonas to his wrong position. Here, he treats Elijah a little differently.
Elijah is exhausted, apparently.
Lays down asleep and.
He wakes up.
An Angel tells them to eat.
That's, uh, what we need to do, brethren, is to eat.
We need to feed on the word of God and if there's a a lacking in our lives.
And our assemblies in our homes.
Perhaps because we're not eating. And what was he told to eat? Food that God had prepared.
God made it for him.
Amazing that God would so care about his poor discouraged servant that he would, uh.
Horse and make some food for him.
Loving God that he makes food from those hot too is on the coals. He says go ahead and eat.
Well, if we're sleeping, we can't eat, you know, do the two things at the same time. You had to wake him up, Wake up 100 And so the Lord would tell us to wake up to.
We would perhaps like to see, uh, more response sometimes from God's people and we don't see it and we might get discouraged and cast down, but what is our recourse?
Not to fall asleep about things.
So let's eat. The food is still warm.
The food is still warm, brethren.
Especially if we take it from the hand of our God.
So.
Uh, it shouldn't press our souls that, uh.
I don't think the Lord was happy with the Elijah running away like that, but he was still watching over him.
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He's still watching over him. The Lord isn't always happy with the course we pursue, but if there's been any ma measure of faithfulness on our part.
Uh, he's gonna try and wake us up.
As to what we're doing. And His infinite love is to provide for what we need and, uh, try and strengthen us and bring us back to Himself.
Poor Elijah, he eats and he goes to sleep again.
Mine must have been exhausted.
No, he's been running away.
He could do mighty things in the strength of God, but his own strength, he couldn't do a thing. And, uh, he eats and he falls asleep again. This time God would let him stay asleep. No, there's that patient, loving God who watches over his people.
He sends his Angel and wakes him up again and tells him to uh.
Horizon E Same words eaten. That's what we need to do.
Feed on God's Word a little bit at a time, but feed on God's Word. God has prepared things for us in His precious Word, and we do well to feed on it.
The Angel tells him the journey is.
Too great for the None of us can walk with the Lord in our own strength. Not one. Not even Elijah, not even the apostle Paul.
When they wondered if the Lord had eaten.
The Cycar as well, He said my meat is to do the will of him that sent me. So the Lord is communion with the Father and he could do things that surprised his disciples.
And here he's told to eat once more. God graciously provide the foreman.
And I told him that, uh, the journey was too great for him and uh, the journey is too great for us, Dear brethren, we can't make it on our own. We need one another. We need the Lord, we need the precious word of God. We need to go on in prayer. We need to go on and communion with the Lord and one another. We can't do it on our own. And so he goes in the strength of that meet and says.
40 days and 40 nights.
That had to be a miracle. I don't think there's any meal that we could eat that could sustain us for 40 days.
And 49th that's a long time.
No, I, I I wonder why that's written there.
And it just springs my own soul that, uh, it's a miracle any one of us go on to the water.
Any one of us, we know that there, there's got to be desire and, uh, perseverance in these things that will to please the Lord. But nevertheless, it's a miracle that we go on just on the basis of what this blessed book tells us.
Just that, that, that, that, uh, that, uh.
Cake, bacon on the coals and the crews of water. But that's all we need and we don't want anything else but the pure, unadulterated word of God. You know, we live in a in a, in a, in a very sad time. Elijah lived in a very sad time. We live in a, in a time when.
Things are being let go.
I sometimes hear the expression, well, the, uh, standards are being lowered.
I don't know what that Why don't we say the truth is being let go? Because the truth is the standard for the believer, isn't it? Is there any other standard that you and I go by but the word of God? Do we want anything else?
And so we don't want to say, oh, the word of God is being let go or the truth is being ignored. We use another word. The standards are being lowered. Oh, dear Brandon.
Let us not get used to that kind of talk. The truth is being.
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Let go and we're to cleave to the truth. We're to hold it fast, not change it.
I was impressed in reading through the book of Deuteronomy and the first time we come across the expression.
It reads something like this. Thou shalt not remove the ancient landmarks.
Which, uh, they of all time have set up.
We need the. We need these landmarks.
Isn't the question of it being old fashioned? The word of God is never old fashioned. The truth of God is never old fashioned. But there are landmarks set and godly men before us, and women have walked in the truth and have given us a foundation whereby today.
There are gross people here gathered to the Lord's name.
And and.
God.
And his interest for his people of old Holden. But they shouldn't remove the old landmarks. It's got to be clear, distinct boundaries, places we can go another direction we should not go. We're off base. We need the landmarks and they shouldn't be removed. And I kept reading in the book of Deuteronomy and it doesn't say that. The second time it mentions it, it says.
Person cursed be they that removes the old landmarks.
Uh, Bradford, are we guilty sometimes?
I don't like to use the word lenient soft.
And we don't uphold the truth of the Word of God as we ought to.
Says cursing. That's one of the curses that we're going to be pronounced when they got in the land. Don't remove the old landmarks and another place, it says.
If the foundations be destroyed, where will the godly stand? Where will the righteous man stand if you destroy the foundation?
And so if we in any way tamper with the truth of the Word of God.
What are what are God's people going to do?
A child of God asked that question here. Maybe 11 song.
What do we do?
Well, the answer is the Lord is in heaven.
He's still on his throne and he looks down upon the children of men. And so our, our safeguard today is we can look to the Lord and we can say Lord.
We're thankful that thy word does not change and give us grace to walk and to stand by it. And even if there's failure to go on for thee now, this is failure on the part of Elijah.
When I read the last little bit there because, uh.
If he hadn't spoken, we wouldn't have. The Lord didn't record this incident here. Lord didn't talk to him and make him come out with it. We wouldn't have known what was really in his heart. And uh, for one thing, he was occupied with himself there.
When that small, still voice speaks, he says in verse 14, I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts.
And then the second eye, an eye even, I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away.
Elijah was thinking a lot about Elijah.
He wasn't thinking about Elijah when he faced a head. He's only thinking about the Lord. And if the Lord gives us something to do and we don't keep himself and his glory and his honor before our souls, and then the old flesh and us manifest itself one everything the flesh is. And it gets uglier as it gets older, doesn't it? And, and, uh, Elijah has to deal with it. And the Lord is, is, is is working with him.
We see another thing that bothered him there. He says, The children of Israel have forsaken my covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword.
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The Lord doesn't talk to him about that. He mentions it.
Later on and uh.
And, uh, the New Testament. But it was true nevertheless, it was true that, uh.
They forsook the covenant.
They, uh, threw down the altars.
Explain the profits with a sword. That's exactly what uh uh, Jezebel had done. An Ahab train seen to it that the prophets of the Lord were all killed.
So he was telling the truth.
But he said it in the sense that he was the only one left.
And that's a bad, uh, state of soul to get into.
For for any one of us, why did you got into it? So let us not deceive ourselves in thinking that, well, that won't happen to me.
He thought he was the only one left. He had forgotten that there was at least 153 people alive who feared the Lord. Because I hope that I had told him that he had hit the, the prophets of the Lord 53 times over and there was open eye himself. There's at least 153 there. And the Lord had to tell him, you know, uh, I've got 7000 lights but haven't valid any.
But it still remains true.
That, umm.
Only Elijah was publicly faithful to the truth. 7000 weren't obaniah wasn't the 100 and 5050 prophets that he saved the lives? I said 100 and 53151.
None of them were publicly faithful to the truth like Elijah was.
And it it cost something to be outwardly faithful to the truth sometimes.
Our brethren will disagree with it, sometimes our family will disagree with us, but nevertheless, May God give us the grace to stand up for the truth. Don't let the old landmarks be removed.
So there was Elijah. He had to learn a lesson from the Lord, and uh, another person he forgot about was a man the Lord told him to anoint in his stead.
Elijah.
Oh, he had forgotten all about Elijah. And uh, he, the Lord told me you anoint Elijah to, to, to take your place, to stand in your room. And I thought about that.
And I said, wouldn't it be nice?
If we as believers via walk in ways.
Is that we're able to encourage another believer to walk in our footsteps, to walk twice as faithfully for the Lord than we have? Because Elijah was so taken up with with his master Elijah that he wanted a double portion of his spirit. He didn't want to be like Elijah. He wanted to have a double portion. Wouldn't it be nice, dear brethren, if by our walking ways we encourage at least one other believer to be at least as truthful?
And faithfulness things of God than we are.
And then it turns out there's a double portion. That's how the Lord blesses, and He delights the bless. But he wants in us a willing heart, a devoted heart, a separated life.
I'm sure we all enjoyed this morning, the theme in our reading meet, in the reading meeting on John 14, and the various hymns that reminded us so vividly of the Lord's return for us to take it home.
And, umm.
Something that struck me was a question that Carl, uh, then Franken asked and he asked, yes, but are we ready? And you know, that's a, that's a practical question, isn't it? And I suppose I should stop just to quote John 3 and 16 in case there is somebody here that isn't ready to, to meet God, some boy or girl, maybe, umm, maybe there won't be a gospel meeting tonight. And so we can quote John 316 for God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him.
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Shall not perish, but have everlasting life. And so if there's a boy or girl here that isn't ready, then accept Christ this very moment. You may never have another opportunity. But that isn't what Carl was talking about. Carl was talking about our state of soul. Are we living close enough to the Lord that we're really ready? We're watching and waiting with our lower lights burning. And you know that's what the Lord wants. He works with us daily.
Uh, brother Sam was talking about.
How the Lord worked with Elijah, and you know He's working with every one of us to that end that will be watching and waiting ready for him. And Peter speaks about an abundant entrance. And I'm sure that's what the Lord would have in mind for everyone here. Well, let's just turn to Jeremiah 18 because this tells how the Lord works with each one of us.
The Lord the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Arise and go down to the Potter's house, and there will I, I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the Potter's house, and behold he rod to work on the wheels, and the vessel that he made a play with marred in the hand of the Potter. So he made it again another vessel. It seemed good to the Potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Oh, half of Israel cannot I do with you, if this Potter says the Lord.
Behold, as the clay is in the Potter's hands, so are ye in my hand, O House of Israel, and I just pray for you. There's no question. But what's the word of God here is speaking about Israel and how they deny their Messiah. And so the vessel was marred, uh, by their own doing. And but the Potter, the Lord, he's going to make another vessel. I, I'm sure during the tribulation, and this will be a beautiful vessel.
And we'll see how beautiful it is, uh, during the tribulation period. But just to apply this to your heart and mind. And of course, I'm talking to myself. And if there's anything that's worthwhile for you, well, that's good. It's a marvelous thing to have a soft heart. And that's why youngsters are so precious. Umm, it's because they aren't hardened yet. They're generally soft, and that's a marvelous thing.
Because the Potter can, uh, work with that soft tart and produce a vessel that will be so pleasing to him. And sometimes as we get older, our hearts get hardened. And that's a very sad thing, isn't it? The Lord has to work for this too. Well, here's the Potter, and I've never worked with clay, and there may be somebody here that works with clay, so I'll have to be pretty careful. But I've seen a Potter work with clay. They have this wheel and this, uh, massive clay there starts with just a lump of clay. Next, certain kind of clay mixed with some water.
So, so the consistency is just right. And then sometimes they have a treadle wheel, like on an old sewing machine, and that turns the wheel and the Potter works with his hands and he shapes the vessel that he has in mind. And you know, that's so much like, uh, our Lord, uh, the Good Shepherd, uh, that is working with us every day. Well, isn't it a marvelous thing? And of course we're the clay. That's the human part.
I know we're we have a new life and we're born again and the Lord works with the whole thing.
And his hands work with us. But you know, in order for the Lord to have that vessel come out right, the clay has to be just at a certain consistency. It can't be too hard. And you know, if it's too hard, the Potter will pour in some water, which to you and me means the word of God. And but perhaps we'll see a part of that play where there seems to be lots of water on it.
But yes, the, the, the, the, the clay is still hard underneath. So what's happened there? So don't you think it's the fact in that situation where perhaps that water, the word of God is just in our head and we haven't got it down into our heart. So, uh, the, the, the, the, as it were, that part of us hasn't been stopped. Well, you know, the Lord, umm, can stop that wheel so that all of our progress stops and he can work specifically with us. Umm, that hard little lump that's in that you or me.
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And, uh, the water poured in and the Holy Spirit applying that water to our souls and to our goods, the Lord has a real stuff and he's working right on that little hard spot as we get, of course, in Song of Solomon, uh, sometimes the Lord allows the north wind to blow the cold wind. He brings in trouble as he did in, uh, Eli Elijah's life. And he uses that, uh, the wheel is tough to work with us on that little lump. Well, how marvel, how marvelous and how patient he is.
And how nice it is when we just turn our wheels over to the Lord Jesus, when we do that, then we're so lovely and pliable. And think of those hands that the Lord uses to shape us. Those were the hands that were nailed to Calvary's cross. Those were the loving hands that, uh, he touched people with, with diseases. Oh, they're tender, loving hands. And that's how the Lord is working with you and me.
In that very day, and perhaps particularly in this meeting, the Lord, the Potter in the heavens, is applying some pressure to that clay, because the Lord cannot shape out a beautiful vessel if he doesn't apply some pressure. And so if we've never felt pressure in our lives, umm, of this nature, maybe we can ask ourselves, you know, do we belong to the Lord at all? Oh, how good. And why is the Master Potter is to get the clay?
In just the right condition and then those loving hands.
That, uh, uh, wrap around the clay and bring the pressure just at the right time to bring a lovely vessel. Wouldn't it be a marvelous thing if all of us here, if we let the Lord do that? And so the Lord would produce for us here just the most beautiful vessel that he has in mind. Oh, we have that little poem. I can't put it all. How does it go? Have thine own way, Lord have thine own way.
Thou art the Potter, we are the clay.
And, uh, so it goes on that, uh, as we yield, the Lord is able to do exactly the very best for us, uh, during every day here. You know, we have that little hymn that says we need the every hour, oh gracious Lord. And, uh, you know, you and I can shorten that up a lot, can't we? We need the Lord every minute and we need him every second.