As I've promised, we're going to get through another chapter. For you who are very good with numbers, we did chapter 17, 18, 19, and then we'll see what happens next week. It is Easter. But we have a high view of God's Word, so we like to dive into it. And we're not ashamed to go more than 25 minutes or 30 minutes, because we believe actually what we read in Psalm 119. We believe that God gives life. Romans 10 of course Paul talks about how will they believe unless the word is preached So we're not ashamed. We're not afraid to preach the whole counsel of God Because it continues to renew our minds Romans 12 talks about another force that is constantly trying to bring us into its mold to shape and to fashion us and it's this world system every time I turn on the TV I or my Yahoo account, or every time a flyer comes into my mailbox, or I listen to a discussion at the bus stop, or at the library, or in the supermarket. So every time I look at what is available to the eye at the checkouts of Superstore, there's this world system that is trying to mold me, that is trying to shape and fashion me into its image, and it's trying to draw my heart away from Christ, and it's trying to cast my vision upon things like success, and wealth, and affluence, and comfort, and material possessions, and more of this and more of that. And so we unashamedly say, no, we actually believe that God has given us a tool, a spirit's weapon is a sword. That's Ephesians 6, and so we're not ashamed to read a whole chapter and to work through it. I promise you it's not going to go 82 minutes like last week, but it probably will go more than 40. So let's read the Word. This is God's Word. Isaiah 66 says that God will listen to the requests of those who do what when they hear His Word? Who tremble at His Word and who are humble. Remember, God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. that God would give us great humility to heed what he says and to actually place ourselves underneath the authority of his scripture, which is inspired. Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow. Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah. And he 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 asked that he might die, saying, It is enough. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my father's. And then he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you. And he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him. And he said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? He said, I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. And I, even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away." And he said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and a strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord. The Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind and earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake of fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him, and said, What are you doing here, Elijah? He said, I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and died. Even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu, the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel. And Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abel, Mahola, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death. And the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave. 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mount that has not kissed him. So he departed from there and found Elisha, the son of Shethath, who was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was in the 12th. Elisha passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. So he left the oxen and ran after Elisha and said, 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? And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and sacrificed them, and boiled the flesh with the yokes of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. And then Elisha arose, and went after Elijah, and assisted him. Now I'm just going to do a quick review, a reminder, just to sort of place us in the historical context, because D. A. Carson often is quoted in this pulpit, and one of his quotes I love the most is, a text without a context is a pretext for a proof text. What is a proof text? It's basically when a preacher has something in his mind, and he uses God's word to somehow validate his preconceived notion or message. And what I want to say is, I want to preach to you what God says, and not something I concocted, or not a clever little ditty that is going to impress you, or wow you and say, wow pastor is so unique, he's so fresh, he's so easy to listen to. We are reminded that 1st and 2nd Kings are one book in the Hebrew Old Testament, and the reason why it's broken up into 1st and 2nd Kings is because they had scrolls back then, and that's a big scroll. So they broke it down into two separate schools, but there's really one book, and there's one theme, one overarching principle that permeates, that is constantly brought up in 1st and 2nd Kings, and that is that God's Word shapes, directs, molds, dictates history. And so, we've seen that in these last few chapters where we focused on Elijah, that we're slowing down the pace. Chapter 11, we have Solomon, and he refuses to heed God's Word. And then in accordance with God's Word from 2 Samuel 7, where God spoke to Solomon's father David, the kingdom is rent, or torn in two. And then we have this downward spiral. into apostasy, where one wicked king in Israel, the Northern Kingdom, follows another, and it just keeps getting worse and worse and worse and worse, until we get to chapter 16, where King Ahab, the worst of all the Samarian, or the Israelite kings, sits on the throne, and he's married this wife, Jezebel, from Phoenicia, which is the heartland of Baal worship. Okay, and then God says, I hate idolatry, I'm going to destroy idolatry. Chapter 18, last week, we thought that he would destroy idolatry by coming down in a great manifestation of his kavod, or his weightiness, or his glory, when the fire comes down and licks up, consumes Elijah's sacrifice, while the pagan altar remain untouched. But if we interpret chapter 18 and 19 in light of the whole story of 1st and 2nd Kings, namely that God is accomplishing all of His purposes, not through these supernatural manifestations that wow our eyes, but rather He's accomplishing His eternal purposes through His sovereign Word, that will help us to understand what's going on. And so when I focus on this low whisper, I want you to understand that God is shaping, molding, directing, dictating all of history by His Word. And what makes my heart hurt a lot is that so many churches, especially in North America, they're so bedazzled with a big show. They want a big, loud band. And I'm not against that. You know I was in a metal band. I'm not against drums and distorted guitars. My girls love that the most. They're always like, Daddy, play your electric guitar. So, it's not that. But when a show usurps the proclamation of the Word of God, that is where I have a problem. Where they're like, well, I care about people getting to Denny's by noon, so I'm going to make the sermon really short. A couple more stories, maybe draw some tears, give an altar call. They're missing the point of Genesis to Revelation. What has God given to His people as a gift? He's given us His Word. And yet we forsake it. We want something else. We want to be entertained with the show. Here's a quote from a guy named Dale Ralph Davis. He's one of the commentators I read. And he said, it is pagans who like to work themselves up into orgasms in their worship of their gods. It is the people of God who are satisfied with the word. You think that God can maybe accomplish his purposes through his word? That's the problem with Elijah. He's like, you manifested yourself! You destroyed that altar! You licked up the water! Surely that will destroy Baal worship! And God said, no Elijah, I'm going to accomplish my purposes and destroy Baal worship through my word that directs history. My word that is going to anoint Hazael. My Word that is going to anoint Jehu, and My Word that is going to anoint Elijah. It is through that Sovereign Word and its fulfillment that I'm going to accomplish all that I intend to do. We've looked at Isaiah 55 verses 10 and 11. Turn there, because I want to show you the verses that precede it. See, this is the dilemma of Elijah. He's put God into a box, which is what we naturally do as idolaters. We like to sort of delineate and define the parameters where in which God has to work. And since God isn't fitting the mold that Elijah has cast for Yahweh, he's a little bit depressed. And I want to say this a little gently. If you define God by your notion of what God should be, you're going to get depressed when he doesn't deliver. But if you let God be God, and let Him define who He is, that will help you out. You know, I see a lot of Christians, they get into the slew of despond. You know why? It's because they think God is going to do this thing, and then they make Him do that, and then when He doesn't, they think He has failed them. The whole time they've missed the point that they are committing idolatry. So, in Isaiah 55, which is two chapters after Isaiah 53, what's in Isaiah 52.13 to 52.13? It's where the servant of the Lord is going to do the unthinkable, and through giving Himself, this God-man is going to redeem a people to Yahweh. This blows the mind of the natural person. And then we move to Isaiah 54. I'm not going to read it. And then Isaiah 55. God issues, in light of this servant's death, an invitation. Come to me! I've provided everything you will need. Come! Feast! I've provided salvation for you. It says, seek the Lord in verse 6, while He may be found in light of the servant's sacrifice. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return. It's the same idea as repent. Let him repent to the Lord that Yahweh might have compassion on him. And repent or return to our God for He will abundantly pardon. I've witnessed to a lot of unbelievers, and they don't get this. This is what they say. If God knew all that I have done, He would never accept me. If He actually knew the debauched life of immorality I lived. If He knew all those women who weren't my wife that I slept with, or all the drugs I've done, or all the people I've hurt and screwed over. If God only knew all that I've done, surely He would not accept me. What's the first word of verse 8? It's a very important conjunction, no matter what language you speak. For. So this is speaking to Elijah, but it's also speaking to us. For my thoughts, this is Yahweh speaking, this is God. My thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth. Oh, that's pretty high. For as the heavens are higher than the earth in the same way, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." And so basically God is saying, I am sovereign. You cannot contain me. You cannot tell me what I can and what I can't do. I have the right, as the only living and sovereign God, to have mercy on whom I will have mercy, because I and providing a way of salvation that blows your mind. This is a great verse. Everyone says, my ways are... It's in the context of how God orchestrates history to accomplish His plan of redemption. His plan of saving a people for Himself in Jesus Christ. And then verse 10, which I've been quoting to you the last two weeks, begins with the same word. So it links verses 8 and 9 to verses 10 and 11. God's going to accomplish these mind-blowing purposes through what? through fire, and people speaking in tongues, and people being raised from the dead, and crazy things, people picking up serpents and biting their heads off. No! God is going to accomplish all that He intends by His life-giving, life-transforming, life-moving Word. Which is why I have nothing within me that wants to apologize for preaching this word in season and out of season. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there, but instead water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower, bread to the eater, so in the same way shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty. Rather, it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing which I sent it." Back to 1 Kings 19. This is the interpreted grid that Elijah is missing. Okay, so we see in chapter 18, this is crazy. It's not every day that you set up an altar, you repair it, set up the 12 stones. You watch these pagans cry and cut themselves and slash themselves up, trying to get Baal to rain down fire from heaven, because Baal is the storm god, right? He's the guy with the thunderbolt. If there's any god in the world, Baal will be the guy who delivers. He doesn't. Elijah sets it up, puts the bullock on, empties a whole ton of water in a drought. He calls out once. And what comes down from heaven? Fire. I've never seen that. Elijah's seen a lot of crazy things happen in the last two chapters. It's not every day that ravens feed me. Sometimes I wish they would. They always fly when I try to get near them. They're my favorite bird, you know that. And then after that, he's supernaturally preserved as he goes up to visit the widow in Zarephan. It's not every day that the oil that she had and the cakes that she was making would last for three years. It's kind of supernatural, I think. It's not every day that her son dies and that Elijah is the instrument through which God raises her to life. And it's not every day that chapter 18 happens. And so he's thinking, yeah, this is it. God's been doing all these crazy things that dazzle my eyes. Surely He's going to accomplish His purposes through them. What does Isaiah 55 say? God is going to accomplish His purposes by sending His Word. So we see right at the beginning here, we have Ahab, who's kind of the puppet king, we all know who's wearing the pants in that household, and it's not him, it's Jezebel. So I just imagine in my eyes, he comes whimpering home, and he's crying, and he's saying, oh, all of you prophets have been slain. Notice he doesn't mention that fire came down from heaven, he just sort of trashes the prophet. People love to trash God's messages, I don't know why. It's probably because they hate him too. He tells her, they've all been killed by the sword, And then she utters a threat. Don't miss this. God is sovereign even in this. Say I wanted Daryl killed. Just pretend. Pretend he irked me more than he usually does. What do you think I would do? If I sent somebody and I wanted Daryl killed, who would I send? Would I send a messenger or a hitman? I would send a hitman. Jezebel, who is under the reign of Yahweh, she's sitting on the throne, or so she thinks. She sends a messenger. Basically, God preserves Elijah through that. Do you think she's serious about killing Elijah? Yeah, because we saw in chapter 18, what is she doing with Yahweh's prophets? She's killing them, right? So that Obadiah has to actually hide two groups of 50 in caves. So, I think Jezebel actually hates Elijah, and actually does want him killed. And yet in God's providence, she sends a messenger rather than just someone to take him out. He responds. He responds not to God's word, but rather he responds to her word. Right? That's the danger. We can see all kinds of crazy manifestation in God at work in our life. And it's funny. that when we heed the voice of a human, of a man or a woman, how that brings about fear. Remember that acronym that I always use for fear? False evidence appearing real. And all of a sudden, he took her word to trump God's. And that's the danger. That's why you need to constantly be meditating on the word. Trust me, this world is constantly bombarding you with its word, with its message. And if you heed that, you will live a life of fear. If you forget that God is on His throne and that God is overruling all the actions of all people, kings included, it will give you great peace. But the Bible is God's Word and it's not a shame to depict for us that man is at best dust. That even the great Elijah, James 5 said, is a man with a nature that is just like ours. And I'm actually kind of encouraged by this. I'm not saying God's condoning our fear of man, but it just reminds me that Elijah, like me, like you, needs a Savior. Because Elijah, like you, like me, is a man of the dust. A man who is frail and feeble. A man who still has a sin nature. A man who wants to serve the Lord with all of his heart and soul and strength and mind, and yet, still at times, falls short of God's glorious standard. I'm there too. And sometimes I listen more to what people say than what God says. And so God in His great mercy this morning is reminding you, don't listen to what men say. Listen to what I say. Their word will fall to the ground. God's word will not fall to the ground. It will accomplish everything. It will not return to Him. Boy, it will not return to Him. So, he's a little bit freaked out. In verse 3 he says, Then he saw. ESV says afraid. It's hard to translate that. It could be both. It's a play on words in the Hebrew. It's the same word structure. But I like, Then he saw. What is Elijah focusing on before he runs away? On Jezebel's threat. If Elijah was looking to God, Do you think there would have been a different outcome? Yeah, there has been in chapter 17 and 18. God tells Elijah to do some crazy things. Remember where I went through this? Elijah takes God at His Word and God delivers. Elijah takes God at His Word, God delivers. Elijah takes God at His word and God delivers. That's three times in chapter 17. Chapter 18, just so you know, standing before 450 bales and a king who is a prophet murderer, it's the same situation as chapter 9, but the difference is that Elijah took God at His word and God delivered. And all of a sudden he had what you call spiritual amnesia, which we all suffer from at times. I have seen God do some crazy amazing things. I've seen His word work. in mysterious ways, and yet there's still those times where I just completely forget about that. I'm so thankful that God is compassionate and gentle and merciful with his people. He could have just given Elijah a good old spanking, but he lets Elijah sort of go in his way, and then he gently speaks to him in a soft whisper. He doesn't yell. He's not like me. He's a little bit more God-like than I am. So he's afraid, or he sees and is afraid. And he arose and he ran for his life. And he came to Beersheba. It's about 200 kilometers, I think. Yeah, the Yiddish study Bible, it says. 200 kilometers south. Remember there in sort of Mount Carmel, which is sort of the border between Samaria and Phoenicia. That's a pretty good journey. 200 K. He didn't have his private Learjet like a lot of the false prophets today. Yeah, that's a shot. This took him, this is quite the journey. And he's not rich like a lot of the false prophets today. He's probably hungry the whole time. What did he eat? He ate locusts and honey. Anyways, he goes on this journey, a day's journey into the wilderness. He leaves his servant behind and he just wants to rest a bit under a broom tree. And he has a request. And his request is consistent with his spiritual amnesia. His request is consistent with the man who has turned his eyes away from God and has turned his eyes upon the fear of man. The fear of man, Proverbs, I forget, 24, 29. The fear of man bringeth a snare. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord makes life make sense. And so when you fear the Lord, things make sense. But when you don't fear the Lord and you fear men, your life just gets really complicated. Really messy. So I'm not surprised that Elijah, and like me at times, when I turn my eyes away from Jesus, things just get crazy. And you start asking for the most ridiculous things. This man has seen God work In crazy ways the last two chapters, and now he's saying, just take my life away. You know why? Because he is putting God into a box. God, surely you should have defeated Baal. The last two chapters, what's going on here? Obviously you're not at work. Just kill me. If you're not at work God, I want to die. If you're not going to save your left people through me, I want you to die. If you're just going to stand by and do nothing and watch as I and my zeal serve you, let me die. Do you not see all that I'm doing? Is this all in vain? Am I no better than my fathers? If you're just going to sit here and do nothing God, then let me die. Is God working? Yes? Does Elijah see it? Does Elijah comprehend it? Or is Elijah like Job? Job didn't understand all that was going on. He says some pretty stupid things in the book of Job. Some pretty arrogant things. Doesn't Job ask to die as well? A multitude of times. And then you get Job chapter 40 and rather than having the three idiots speak, someone else speaks. God speaks. So God speaks for a couple chapters, and then in chapter 2, Job responds. What happens when God speaks? God could have done crazy things, but in the Word, there's this reoccurring theme. Job doesn't get it. Job questions. Job despairs. God speaks. Things start to make a little more sense. He says, I have heard about you, but now my eyes have seen you. Did God appear to Job? Right? No, God just spoke to him. So how does Job see God? God speaks to him His Word. And Job says, I now cover my mouth with a pen and sackcloth and ashes. Things make sense when Job hears God. Elijah has not been listening to God. Things will start to make more sense when he hears God. So here's my little pitch. Do you listen to God? And I'm not saying now, stare at a doorknob for four hours and hum, or stretch, or do some, you know, try to make yourself into a pretzel. Do you listen to God? How has He spoken to His people? Through His Word. Let me put it this way. When you pray for people's salvation, how do you pray? Do you pray that God would send a messenger, messenger, it's the same Hebrew word as angels, just so you know, malak? Prophet Malachi, means my messenger. So we have a messenger sent from Jezebel, and we have a messenger sent from God. When Elijah heeds the messenger of the world, he's freaked out. When Elijah heeds the messenger, same Hebrew word of God, things start to make sense. Who are you heeding? Are you listening to what the world says? Or are you actually getting up, getting into the word of God, letting it interpret, provide for you a framework, a grid work, lenses for you to interpret life, not just all in other countries, but even your own life. And we really want to encourage you to be a person of the Word, to be a man, to be a woman of the Word of God. I know unbelievers think it's foolish, but when the Holy Spirit transforms you and gives you a new heart, all of a sudden this Word becomes not the Word of man, it becomes the Word of God. So that you cry out with Peter when Jesus says, you guys gonna name me too? John 6, and Peter says, no we can't! Who else has the words of eternal life? Or I would translate, who else has the words that give eternal life? You want eternal life? It's in this book. Christian, if you want the life that Christ came to give you, Jesus says in John 10, I came to give you life, and that, abundantly. It's not going to be sort of, you know, looking for tornadoes like those. I always wonder who would want to do that for a living. It's really stupid. Not looking for tornadoes or looking for, you know, these crazy things to happen, which a lot of Christians do. You want to know how you can actually meet with God, and hear from God, and see God as it were, and be changed by God? I know it's old school, but it's actually in a book, or if you're hip. Not like me. You can have it on your iPad. I'm cool with that. On your iPod. You can carry it around in your whatever. But these are the words that God has inspired 2 Peter 1. He moved men of all the law to speak to us. God speaks two ways to people. Only one of them is saving. He speaks to us through what? Nature and creation and crazy things. Psalm 19. The heavens are declaring the glory of God. Romans 1. Paul says that the pagans, they can see that there is a living and a true God. They just have to look at nature. Does looking at a tree or seeing fire fall from the sky bring about true salvation, though? If it did, we wouldn't send missionaries out, would we? Would me and Marvin sort of set up a bottle drive to get the Word of God into the people's hands in India, if nature could save them? No. So we have that God speaks through general revelation, but God speaks savingly, through supernatural, the Word, through that kind of revelation. Inspired Word revelation. So, parents, Get that word into your kids' hearts. Thy word have I stored up in my heart that I might not sin against you. It's not like I'm just like, here, look at this calendar. This will keep you from sinning against God. Whoa! The Grand Canyon. As cool as that is, we have a gift that is a lot sweeter. You don't need to go and see the seven wonders of the world to be inspired and wowed. The fact that God sends Christ into the world to die for your sins, That blows my mind far more than anything natural could. Okay, so we're back in it. Elijah runs away, he's complaining, I'm no better than my father's. He sleeps. I'm not going to preach a psychiatric message, but sleep and food, they sometimes can help. Right? I get really cranky, or even more cranky let's say, when I don't sleep and eat. So God actually gives some natural means. Elijah, first of all you need to turn towards me. But a little sleep, a little food, it won't hurt. So I would encourage some of you who are not sleeping much, God has given you a physical body. You're to respect it, and you're to take care of it. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit if you're a Christian. Treat it accordingly. And then in verse 5, He lays down, He sleeps, and behold! It's like, all of a sudden something crazy happens, if you're reading it in the Hebrew. An angel or a messenger touched him and said to him, arise and eat. And he looked and behold there was at his head a cake baked on the stones and a jar of water. Anybody recall where Elijah ate a cake and had some water? It's chapter 17. Yeah. Remember when God supernaturally looked after Elijah then? Elijah's basically saying, God, you're not at work! Something has drastically gone wrong! Obviously, you're not doing anything! You've let me here to be by myself! If you were really God, you would have delivered me and vindicated me! Obviously, you're not working! And God, as He so often does, gently rebukes us. And He feeds him with the exact same thing He fed Elijah with in chapter 17. The exact same Hebrew words. Cake. And a jug of water. And he's just sort of nudging, saying, Elijah, I have not forsaken you. Isn't the scripture promised that God's people will never ever be left or forsaken by Him? You might think that, but God is reminding us this morning, even when we don't understand how God is working in our life, in our situation, we're like, yeah, life sucks, obviously God has left me. I've been preaching the gospel to my family, God is obviously not He's not left you, He's not forsaken you. He's looking after you and He's sovereignly on His throne, caring for you. He comes a second time, just the way He ate twice in chapter 17. And He says, eat, you've got a great journey. And He's going to journey now to Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai. What's the significance of Mount Sinai if you read the Old Testament? The law, that's where the Decalogue is given, or the law. Who meets God up on Mount Sinai? Moses, and he's given a covenant. A covenant is just a big, fancy, biblical word for an agreement. It's like a marriage vow. Okay? And so God enters into covenant with the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. Okay? So we have Mount Carmel. Some crazy things happen! Okay? And Elijah thinks that God HAS to be at Mount Carmel! And He is. And I want you to understand that I think the inspired author in 1 Kings 19 is saying, if you thought God was really there at Mount Carmel, with all that supernatural phenomena, He's really there at Mount Sinai in a small, still voice, where He gives His people His Word. I thought that was really cool. This reminds me that man didn't invent this. You think that mountain is the manifestation of God? How much more this one? Elijah, you know what happened there. Yeah, there were earthquakes and peals of thunder and rumblings. But what makes Mount Sinai so sweet is that it reminds you that is where God entered into covenant with His people. And as a wedding present, He gives His people the law. He gives them His divine work. Elijah, oh, I'm on my throne. I am definitely on my throne. I have not forgotten my covenants. Elijah is saying, God, you've forgotten your covenants. I'm the only one left. Those people are killing your prophets. They are violating your covenant. Obviously forgotten. God says, no, I remember Elijah. I'm taking care of business. Just not the way you think I should. I think some of us need to be rebuked and let God be God and not tell him how he has to carry out his preordained will. That's when I get upset. I'm like, okay, I kind of see God moving here, so He's going to do this. And when He doesn't, I'm like, oh. And then I get depressed. Elijah, I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. There he came to a cave and lodged in it. Behold, things changed in verse 9. It's cool when a malak, or a messenger angel comes. to Elijah, but things start to click for Elijah when the Word of the Lord comes to him twice. Remember I said 1st 2nd Kings is emphasizing on the Word of God? This is again the hinge here. Things will change when Elijah gets the Word of God. What are you doing here? Elijah gives his pity party, and he basically says, you're not working? Verse 11, Yahweh responds, go out, stand on the mount before Yahweh. And behold, the Lord passed by. Okay, just like Moses on the mount. And you think, okay, if God passes by, there's got to be some kind of crazy lightning, some kind of windstorm, some kind of earthquake. It says, the Lord passed by. How is Elijah going to see the Lord pass by? Three times it says, He was not in the wind, He was not in the fire or the thunder or the lightning, whatever you want to, and he was not in the earthquake. Where did God manifest himself to Elijah at Mount Sinai? In his voice, his call, his word, in his gentle voice. And he's basically saying to Elijah, I've not left you. Still running things according to my word. Elijah, chill out. It's all good. I'm going to accomplish all that I intend to. Remember Isaiah 55, 10-11? Which reminds me of the audience that this book of 1st and 2nd Kings is written to. It's written to people in exile who are in Babylon. People who, according to the Word, were kicked out of their homeland. People who are in Babylon who are crying and saying, is God on His throne? Surely He's forgotten His covenant promises with David and Moses. There's people in Babylon, they're weeping. They're like, God is not on His throne. They get this book and it reminds them, yes, God is on His throne. Everything happens in accordance with His word. Yeah, God could come out and He could just wipe out Babylon like He did Sodom and Gomorrah. He could! But, more consistently with His nature, He's going to act in a way that totally blows our minds. He's going to sort of act What's the word I'm thinking of? Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like a little bit of leaven. You can't see it working, and yet it accomplishes. It gets through the loaf. It's sort of doing undercover work. And God says, I'm still working out my sovereign plan. I still will bring you back into the land. He says to Elijah, I'm still going to judge those covenant breakers, and I'm still going to save my elect people. You don't think so, it doesn't look like Elijah, but my word must be carried out. The desert of the torn returns to me void. Okay, so he's not in all those things. He's actually in the sound of a low whisper, the ESV translates. And when Elijah heard it, what does he do? Verse 13. He's humbled. He covers his face like a cherubim, like Moses. Because when Elijah hears the word of God, he has come into direct contact with the living God. If a Jew read this and they said, oh he covered his face, they would know that Elijah met God. So do you have a high view of this book called the Bible? Or you should just treat it like you do a girlfriend, just visit it when you want to, when you need to. Or do you make it a priority? God speaks to him and then he asks him the question again. What are you doing here Elijah? And Elijah starts to get it. I've been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts. The people have done all these things. I'm the only one left. And God says to him, this is how my word is going to be accomplished. I'm going to direct history in a way you don't understand. It's going to seem just normal or natural. I'm going to accomplish my purposes through a government regime change. Like when we vote for our presidents and our prime ministers, do you actually think that God is carrying out his sovereign plan and purpose? You wouldn't think so. But is he? I'm not going to preach through the next section in chapter 19, but it's the call of Elisha. Elisha is going to take care of business. Does God's word come to pass about Elisha? Yes. Chapter 20, who does Ahab fight against? Syria. Who's going to become the king of Syria? It's going to be Hazael. And then everyone knows about Jehu. What does Jehu do? He wipes out all of Ahab's relatives. So Elijah's like, God you're not working. Surely you should have judged Ahab and all those wicked idolaters. And God says, I will. I'm going to do it through a way that you just don't see me working, but I'm still working through Hizal, king of Syria, who's going to kill a lot of people, through Jehu, who's going to wipe out Ahab's family, and I'm going to do it through Elijah, who's going to speak the word. So he's to anoint all these people, and then it says in verse 18, but don't think they're going to completely wipe out everyone. Not only by my word will I judge the people, but by my word I will save the people. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the message of Christ. I forgot that King James says the word of God. So God is going to judge people according to His word. Which should scare the living crap out of you this morning. Because you've heard His word and you're held to a higher standard now. The worst thing you could have done if you leave here rejecting is actually heard the word. You would have been better off to stay at home and slept. Because God's going to judge you according to what you've heard. And God has spoken to you this morning. And you are now culpable and accountable to what His word has declared. He has declared that He is holy, that He will judge and punish covenant breakers. And yet in His sovereign mercy, and in the same word He says that He will save covenant breakers. humble themselves, repent of their sins, and trust in Jesus Christ as the only way, the only way that we can be made right with God. Or, as we sang this morning, that mighty gulf can only be spanned at Calvary. That word is going to save us. It says, I will leave 7,000 in Israel. You're not alone, Elijah. You're not alone. It might seem that way. You might not see them with your eyes, but I'm working. I have a people I've predestined from the foundation of the world. Elijah, you don't see them. Trust me. Walk by faith, not by sight. I will leave and will save 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. Turn to Romans 11. I will close with this. Paul's addressing a theological situation. I know a lot of Christians, if they could take out three chapters of the Bible, if they could, it would probably be Romans 9-11, because this completely destroys man's love of self, and his autonomy, and the fact that man thinks he directs history, when actually Romans 9-11 says that God is on his throne and he's directing history. Even if you don't like it, Doesn't matter. God's still running. And so basically Paul's saying in Romans chapter 8, nothing will separate God's people from himself. That's how it ends. On that glorious mountain. And then the Jews thinking, well what about us? God has forgotten about us. Tons of Gentiles are getting saved. What about the Jews? And Paul says, God's word will not return to him white. God has saved for himself a remnant of Jewish people. Doesn't look like it. But God is still working, even if it doesn't look like it. Like when I read the news and I see all those pagan Jews. Yeah, Jews are pagans. They're not God's people anymore. Christ has come. They've rejected Christ. They're dogs according to Philippians chapter 3. And they're dogs according to the book of Revelation. All Christ rejecters are pagans. And yet God promises to save some of ethnic Israel for himself. Chapter 11 verse 1. Right, we're still focusing on God's word here. What is the hope of anyone being saved, especially of ethnic Jews whom God has hardened and blinded their eyes? It's their word. Right? It's not all these things. It's not the U.S. helping them with their army. I'm not against that. But the only hope for the nation of Israel, ethnic, physical, racial Israel, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I ask then, has God rejected his people? Isn't that exactly what it seems like is going on in Elijah? He's like, God, what's going on here? You're not working! I'm the only one left! What about your promises to save the people for your glory? What about your promises to save the world through Israel? What's going on here? Are you not at work? And Paul is going to theologically interpret Elijah's question. By no means. For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God does not reject his people whom he..." I know, it does say foreknew, and the Greek word, you know what it means? Foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah? How he appeals to God against Israel? Paul interpret what's going on. Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life. But what is God's reply to him? I have kept for myself that 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. So too at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. But if it is by grace it is no longer on the basis of works. Otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened. As it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear down to this very day. And David says, let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see. and bend their backs forever. So I asked, did they stumble in order that they might fall by no means? Rather, through their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles so as to make Israel jealous." Now, if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their inclusion mean? Let me just interpret this to you very quickly in closure. We don't understand how God works! Let God be God! You don't understand Elijah, that God has a sovereign purpose even in hardening the Jews of that time. If God did not, we as Gentiles would not have been saved, Paul says. God moves then a mysterious way, William Cooper writes. His wonders to perform. Forget the one verse I'm thinking of. I think it's number 21 in the Trinity. I think it's judge not according to feeble sense, but... Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace. Behind a throning providence he hides a smiling face. Blind unbelief is sure to err, last verse, and scan his work in vain. God is his own interpreter and he will make it plain. William Cooper suffered with deep despondent depression. And at the end of his life, he can ultimately say, I only know that God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. Okay, so all I want to say is this, I have one point. Don't put God in a box. If you do, that idol will not deliver you, you will be depressed. Let God be God. Heed Him. Take Him at His Word. Let Him interpret His Word. Let God be God. God is working, even if you with your frail human eyes can't see. We are to walk by faith, not by sight. You know why so many Christians stumble? They walk by sight. Is Elijah walking by sight right now? Yes. Are some of the people that Paul is addressing in Romans 9-11 walking by human sight? Yes. But God calls us to walk by faith. To take Him at His Word. To trust Him that He is sovereignly accomplishing all that He intends in His plan of redemption. God is saving people. Let Him save them how He wants to through His Word. Last thing I want to encourage is from 1 Corinthians 19. The Word of God says, go back on your way. The NLT says, go back the way you came. So we have this prophet who is slightly rebuked and admonished by the Word of God. He is looking at man and he says, go back to where you were. Go back to the days when you looked upon me and took me at my word, like chapter 17 and 18. Go back. Quit trusting in man. Quit trusting in your strength. Quit trusting in your judgment. Elijah, take me at my word. And He recommissions Elijah. He's doing that for all of us again today. Just like He did in Ephesians. He says, go back to the place from where you've fallen and repent. Remember your first love. So if some of you are maybe erring or wandering this morning, God says to you the way He says to Elijah, go back the way you came. You have wandered far from God, trusting in your own reason. Repent of that, and trust in God again. Blind unbelief is sure to err. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense. All I want to say is, let's have a high view of the Word of God, and let us trust that He is accomplishing His will. If you were to read the rest of 1 Kings and 2 Kings, does God destroy Or does God accomplish His purposes that Elijah thought He wasn't? Absolutely. I encourage you to read what Hazel does. I encourage you to read what Jehu does. And I encourage you to read what Elijah does. Elijah doesn't look like God is working. Oh, but He is. Trust Him. Take Him at His word. His word will not return void. If you're not a Christian here this morning, let me say it like this. God's word will not return void. All those who denied the Lordship of Jesus Christ will be judged. I'm not asking if you're a good person here this morning. Because there is none that is good. There is none that seeketh after God. All have turned away. All like sheep reject Him. I pray for Divine Grace to open up your eyes to see with Elijah that God is speaking. And He's speaking upon a mountain on a hill far away. stood an old rugged cross. You think he thundered at Carmel? You think he spoke clearly on Sinai? God speaks most clearly in Golgotha and on the mount where Christ died. Please do not leave here receiving the word of God and then just doing with it as you want. Do not receive the grace of God in vain this morning. Today is the day of salvation. I'm not going to trick you, twist your arm. I can't. I'd love to put you in a fish hook or something like that and make you become a believer. I'm trusting God to accomplish His purposes. I'm trusting that the Word that has been proclaimed this morning will give you nightmares. That it will be a pebble in your shoe that will not leave you alone. I'm trusting that even this morning God will use His Word to save. Trusting in His Word that He has reserved for Himself a people who will trust in Christ. People who He will draw to Himself through the Gospel. I pray to God everyone here would repent and believe in Christ. If not, God's Word will not return void. You reject Christ, Jesus says in Mark 8, when He comes with His glory and His angels, He will reject you. If you need to speak to me, come and talk. I'll try my best to make the Gospel far more clear than I did this morning. Please don't leave here thinking that somehow you are going to be the first person upon whom the Word of God will not come to pass. That's a lie from the pedophile. Do not think you'll be the first person whom God cannot exact His Word upon. Father, we thank You for Your Word. I pray that You would speak to us softly and for those of us who have wandered and strayed Father, please admonish us and exhort us and encourage us just to return more to the place where we were just trusting You like children. I know the world locks us, but You tell us that the Kingdom of God is for children, for those who just take You. That's Your Word. Father, for those who are not saved, I pray that Your Word would not fall upon the soil that is hard where the bird will pluck it. I pray that it will not fall upon the soil that has very shallow soil, where it will quickly be scorched by the sun. And I pray that it will not fall upon the soil that is infested with thorns, where things like the love of money and pride and possessions will wither that seed. Sovereign Spirit, I pray, cultivate and till hearts even this morning, that the Word might find good soil and might bring forth and sprout and produce fruit thirty and sixty and a hundred fold. Father, I pray that our church would be a church of the Word. Remind us that it is Your Word alone that You reveal Yourself to us and show us to Christ. I pray we would not be looking for visions and dreams. and all kinds of other funky things. Help us, by grace, to listen for your still, quiet voice that is building your church and directing history, I pray. You must do this, Spirit. We will not appreciate the word for what it is without your intervention. So come work on our hearts, I pray. In Christ's name, Amen.