I trust you found your place in the book of 1 Kings 1 Kings chapter 18 1 Kings chapter 18 and I'll be reading from verse 1 down to verse number 19 1 Kings chapter 18 beginning in verse number 1 The Bible says, And it came to pass, after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab, and there was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water. And Ahab said unto Obadiah, going to the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks, for adventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alike, that we lose not all the beast. So they divided the land between them to pass through it, throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him. And he knew him and fell on his face and said, art thou that my lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am. Go tell thy lord, behold, Elijah is here. And he said, what have I sinned that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab to slay me? As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom within my Lord hath not sent to seek thee. And when they said, he is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, go tell my Lord, behold, Elijah is here. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not. And so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me. But I, thy servant, fear the Lord from my youth. Was it not told my Lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord? How I hid a hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave and fed them with warm bread and water? And now thou sayest, go tell thy Lord, behold, Elijah is here, and he shall slay me. And Elijah said, as the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him today.' So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubled Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now, therefore, send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel and the prophets of Baal, 450, and the prophets of the groves, 400, which eat at Jezebel's table. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for making us clean. Thank you for what you did on Calvary's cross and that your sacrifice satisfying the wrath of the Father by providing the atonement. Lord, we thank you so much for your goodness towards us. We are so unworthy, and yet, because of your love, your mercy, and your grace, you have made us clean. Lord, we thank you for this opportunity. We have to look into your word, continue to use it, to guide us, to make us more like you. We are so thankful once again for the resurrection and for all that that means to us. May you continue to strengthen our hearts, help us to do your will, open our minds, our understandings, and help us to be what you'll have us to be. Thank you for your grace, your mercy, your patience towards us. May you use your word, as you've done so many times, to make us more like you, to draw us to yourself. Give me the words you'll have me to say. cleanse me of sin, empty me of self, and fill me with your precious Holy Spirit. I'm going to thank you and praise you for it. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Now, we began looking at this passage, this period in the history of the children of Israel. And we recognize that during this period, they were a divided kingdom. They had been divided into a northern and a southern kingdom. And God's judgment had come upon them because they had willfully and brazenly, so to speak, forsook the commandments of Almighty God. They had, as it were, just provoked the Lord to wrath. And so in 1 Kings chapter 17, we recognize that Elijah, the prophet, had brought the report to this wicked King Ahab, who the Bible says had done far more than all the kings before him, that there would be not any dew or rain, and as a result there would be a famine in the land. And we have seen a number of parallels between the tragedy, the tribulation, the trials that we're currently facing as we deal with this unprecedented situation worldwide of this coronavirus and this worldwide pandemic. And I found this passage so very encouraging, even as we face what we are facing today, because even in the face of difficulty, even in the face of trials, even in the face of death, and so much uncertain about our future, and even as we adjust to the, as it were, new normals that we are facing right now, more than likely will face in the days ahead, that with all that said, God is still working. Amen? We have the assurance that God is working. In good times, God is working. In bad times, God is still working. That's the kind of God that we serve. And he weaves and he He takes situations, whether good or bad, to accomplish his will. And it's for that reason that in spite of what we face and what we are going through right now as individuals, as families, as a church, as a nation, as a world, let's continue to trust God and to be obedient as he directs us during this turbulent time. I'm sure if I were to take a poll of individuals, even those who are gathered here in this online forum, that some people are sick and tired of being quarantined. Some people can't wait to get back out to life as normal. Some people might be content with things as they are. and actually happy and all of the benefits, but irrespective of where you are in terms of your opinion regarding this situation, one thing that we can all say with full assertiveness that God is working. He's working through these situations. And just as he worked in the lives of the children of Israel to accomplish his will, he is doing that even now so that we can understand better who he is. We can learn the mind of God, the heart of God, that even when things don't make sense to us, we can trust him. And so we've been looking at this series, talking about seeing God at work. I can assure you, and I can say this from personal experience, when you have the assurance and the confidence that God is working, it gives you a sense of peace. gives you a sense of calm and a calm assurance that even though the storms and the winds and the waves and the billows are swirling around us, that God is in the midst and he is doing something. And it would be who of us to get our spiritual glasses on to see what he's doing, even when it's not comfortable for us. Even when we have scenarios and situations individually that we're dealing with that just seem so difficult. that amidst it all, God is working. And so by looking at this passage, God has kind of pointed out to me a number of phases that I am sure we can find some great similarities in our current situation. By way of review, we saw the first phase of personal isolation that God took. Elijah, and put him away in isolation by the brook Cherith. Just as we are here in isolation as families, away from each other, quarantined in our homes, in some cases by our own will, in some cases by force, we are quarantined, we are confined. And God uses this time of personal isolation to draw us closer to him, to say some things to us that we probably were not hearing Hitherto, we now have a chance to slow down, to stop, to listen, to hear that soft, still voice speak to us. And God used this time of personal isolation to teach Elijah some things, to prepare him for the future. And I can assure you that God wants to grow us up, to teach us some things during this time of personal isolation. So don't push back on it. Embrace it. Take the time. Use it wisely. Seek to hear from God, to talk to God, to strengthen that personal walk. We saw this time of personal isolation. And that during such a time, as God provided for Elijah, God will provide for his people. as we are obedient to him so we saw first of all that phase of personal isolation but we saw right thereafter a phase of practical application just as a teacher teaches shortly thereafter that teacher finds a way to test his or her students and God used this time of a practical application to take Elijah from this brook, Cherith, after the brook had dried up, and expose him to a widow of Zarephath. And God was putting the lessons that Elijah would have learned at the brook, Cherith, to test. And thank God that because of Elijah's faith, and his obedience, and his growing confidence in God, he passed that test with flying colors. And I trust that during this time that we are confined, that God is going to put us to test. He's going to put what he's teaching us during this time of isolation and confinement, he's going to put it into practice. He's going to cause us to put it into practice by way of practical application. And God, Elijah rather, saw God work in an amazing way. And he was able to put his faith into practice and to say confidently to this woman of Zarephath that God will provide if you put him first. It was a period of practical. application. But we notice thirdly, and this is still by way of review, that there's also a phase that I've dubbed persuasive affirmation, persuasive affirmation. And you can see the progression very clearly because God teaches us some things individually. one-on-one. He grows our faith, he builds our confidence to understand his character and how he works in and through our lives, but he does not want us to keep these lessons to ourselves. He wants us to take what we have learned and help others to recognize the great God that we serve. And that's exactly what happened in 1 Kings 17, verses 17 down to verse 24. He used a crisis of this woman of Zarephath losing her son. such that when this entire situation was over, Elijah was able to say in verse number 23, see thy son live it. What Elijah was saying was, lady, I know that you were skeptical about this great God that I serve, but my God is an awesome God. And she was able to make that statement of her own in verse number 24. She says, now by this I know that thou art a man of God and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true. That's a very important phase and a very important time to transition not only what we have been assured of but that other people can know and make the same statement from their own mouth that we serve a great God. God wants that to be the result. God wants this time of isolation and this time of being in a pandemic for us to be able to testify and to let others know that we do serve a great God and it's not just coming from our mouth but they're able to see the evidence and the proof and say it for themselves. So we saw this time of persuasive affirmation. But tonight, I want us to notice this fourth phase in the text that I read that I've entitled a phase of purposeful presentation. Purposeful presentation. Now, you would notice back in 1 Kings chapter 17 that God ultimately said to Elijah, I want you to isolate yourself. I want you to hide yourself. And God worked on him in a variety of different situations and circumstances to grow up Elisha, to show him who he was. And so Elijah can apply some things to his life as he was a prophet of the Lord. But notice in verse number one of chapter 18, after Elijah had hid himself, God now said to him in verse number one, go show thyself unto Ahab. You see, God puts us in isolation, in private, to teach us some things. And when he's ready, He presents us. He puts us in a place where we now have to then show ourselves. And so Elijah got this command and this instruction from Almighty God. Notice by way of this purposeful presentation, that it first involves some divine instruction, divine instruction, because God was ready for him to reveal himself to Ahab. And he says to him, go show thyself unto Ahab and I will send rain upon the earth. Know that when God is ready for you to present yourself, he will let you know. He will assure you and he will let you know unashamedly and unreservedly what you have to do. That is why it's so important for us to hear from God. So God says to Elijah, show thyself. God gave him some divine instructions because God had a purpose for Elijah to fulfill. This is kind of like when school is over and you have graduated, you've taken all your tests, you've passed your exams, you've gotten your certificate, but now it's time for you to go and get your resume and go on that job interview. It's time for you to take all of that training and all of that studying and all of that hard work and now put it to a test. Oftentimes, a job interview can be a very nerve-wracking experience because you're coming into a situation where you had the training, but now you have to demonstrate that to someone else who doesn't know you to show that you are worthy of a particular job. This is such a situation where Elijah had the training prior. Now it was time for him to present himself, but he only presented himself first when he got the divine instructions from Almighty God. And I love his response. His response should be our response. His response was what I call determined intention. Look at his obedience in verse number two. He responds to God's instruction. And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. Elijah was obedient. Elijah simply had the mindset. God said it. That settles it. I'm going to do what God said. And the verses following demonstrate that Elijah was determined to do what God said. You know, oftentimes when God gives us an instruction, sometimes we hesitate because it seems too daunting. It seems too overwhelming. No, make no mistake. God said to Elijah, go and present yourself to Ahab. This was not an easy feat. Elijah, as you would notice in this passage, was aware of the fact that, listen, Ahab had a bounty on his head. Ahab had already determined, as you would have followed the text, that, listen, I want to find Elijah. Wherever he's hiding, I need to find him because I need to get rid of him. And so when God says to Elijah, go present yourself to Ahab, this could have been a very scary proposition. But Elijah was obedient to God. nonetheless. Now, I don't have time to read all the verses. I trust that you are following along as we read. But make no mistake that when God gives us a command, not only at times it's going to be scary for us, but at times there are going to be obstacles that come in our path to accomplishing what God has said to us. Just as obstacles were presented in the path of Elijah. Recognize that he came across this governor, the governor of the house of Ahab by the name of Obadiah. and Obadiah was a well-meaning man the Bible says that he feared the Lord greatly and so here you have Elijah on his way to see Ahab and he runs into Obadiah and says Obadiah Go tell your master, go tell the king that I want to see him. And Obadiah says, Elijah, Elijah, I mean, I thought you were my friend. Elijah, I thought that you and I are on good terms. Why are you putting me in such a dangerous situation where my head could be cut off? Because he said, in other words, if you put me in this situation, I'm going to go tell Ahab that you are here, and then all of a sudden the spirit is gonna sweep you away you're gonna find yourself in some unknown place and then I'm gonna come back you're not there and the king is gonna say off with his head he says Elijah why are you gonna put me a well-meaning man who loves the Lord in such a position But Elijah, I love the fact that Elijah was not deterred. Elijah was not dissuaded, even though what Obediah said sounded like a very reasonable statement. It sounded like a reasonable proposition. Elijah knew that he had heard from God and he was determined to do what God said. He had a determined intention. I don't want to say by extension and application to all of us. When God has given you the assurance and you are certain that God wants you to do a particular thing, Don't let any obstacles prevent you from doing what God has laid upon your heart. Whether it seems rational, whether it seems reasonable, whether or not people dissuade you, whether or not somebody tells you it can't be done, you have that determined intent that I will do what God has said. That's exactly the response of Elijah. He recognized that God had prepared him for this situation, for such a time as this, to present himself before Elijah. Notice there was a determined intention. But we notice, thirdly, there was what I call deliberate intimidation. deliberate intimidation. Now, if we fast forward down to verse number 17, Obadiah was convinced that Elijah was not going to be dissuaded. Elijah was not going to accept no for an answer. And so Obadiah went and he called Ahab. And Ahab eventually comes and meets Elijah. But look at the deliberate intimidation. Ahab, Bible says in verse number 17, came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, are thou he that troubleth Israel? This was nothing more than intimidation. You have the king who finally, who was big and bold and looking for Elijah, finally meets him face to face. And he says to him, are you the one that is troubling Israel? He pulled out the intimidation card. And when it comes to being obedient to God, when it comes to seeking to do what God has laid upon our hearts, people are going to try to intimidate you. Sometimes they're going to try to intimidate you based on their position. They're going to try to intimidate you based on their demeanor, their presence, whether it's how much money they have or whatever it is. People are going to try to intimidate you when it comes to doing what God has said. I don't want to encourage you, don't let intimidation stop you from being obedient to Almighty God. Notice, not only there was deliberate intimidation, but I love the response of Elijah, which I have referred to it as direct injunction. Elijah was not dissuaded. Elijah was not deterred from the king's statement. This was a king, the one with power to do whatever he wanted to do. Elijah knew that God had a purpose for his life. God had prepared him for this very moment. And look at what the Bible says in verse number 18. Elijah answered him with no water in his mouth. As we see, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that he hath forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Balaam. Elijah message was direct. It was to the point. It was not sugar-coated. It was not watered down. He was not afraid, as it were, of Ahab's face. He says to him, now therefore, send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal 450, and the prophets of the groves 400, which eat at Jezebel's table. Elijah pretty much said, Ahab, King Ahab, I'm not backing down. I'm not going to turn back based on your intimidation tactic. God has prepared me for this occasion. God has worked in my heart. God has given me a message to deliver to you. And I will deliver this message verbatim, what thus said. the Lord. And the message for us tonight is that when God works in our hearts, when he takes us in private and he reveals to us his purpose for our lives, there's a point at which we're going to have a purposeful presentation, a time where we have been hid, as it were, for God to teach us some things. But there's going to become a time where God is going to say to us, OK, now it's time. Now you've learned some lessons. You've passed the test that I've given you. And now it's time for you to present yourself. This presentation is one of purpose. It's not one to be prideful about. It's not one to feel as if you've arrived. But it's one to fulfill a God-given purpose that has been my intention all along. to accomplish my will and purpose in your life. And I trust that as we continue to deal with this worldwide situation, that we won't just see it as a worldwide phenomenon, which it is, but we'll also see it as a time that God is using to work on each and every one of us individually. Make no mistake, it doesn't matter who you are, man, woman, boy or girl, God has a purpose for your life. God has a plan for your life. And in the midst of this situation, he's using it to accomplish that purpose. Are you willing to embrace it? Are you willing to hear from God as to what exactly that purpose is? Are you willing to let God use you in a special way? Don't be intimidated. Don't back up, don't back down. Once you hear from him, you recognize that God will give you the power and the presence, and God will be with you to accomplish that task. God has something for each and every one of us to do, and I trust that we'll identify it and we'll, like Elijah, do it boldly. and do it with the full assurance that God will be with us. And that's why I'm so excited about what's gonna happen in the days ahead. Because if we put these lessons into practice, God will do some amazing things in our lives, not only individually, in our families, in our church collectively, but in our entire nation to bring about revival and healing in our land. And I trust that God would help each and every one of us to identify what he wants us to do and to do it willingly. And God will bless. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for this time that we've been able to spend hearing from you. We thank you for the wonderful principles that we can glean from your very word. We're thankful that as we look into your world, we learn more about who you are. We learn about your character. We learn more about what you're doing in our lives. And even when we don't understand, we can have the full confidence and assurance that you are indeed working. Thank you once again for each one here tonight. Continue to bless, work in our hearts and in our lives to accomplish your will and purpose. May you draw us closer to you, draw us closer to each other. May you help us. And even when we fall, that we'll get up. I will continue pursuing your will for our lives. Thank you once again. Continue to bless. Have your divine will. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.