.jpeg)
COLERAINE
INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY 21 JULY
2024 – MR ANDREW DALY
1 KINGS 19 VERSES
1 – 18 – DESPONDENCY
During the great Depression of the last
century a certain man was sitting on his front porch when he saw the postman
coming to deliver a letter. He was
waiting on the social security cheque coming.
He asked himself “is this all there is to it, I have nothing to do but
sit week by week waiting for the cheque.”
A discouraging thought. Hr became
despondent and desolate. But he was not going
to be defeated. He sat down and took out
a notebook. He started to count his
blessings and named them one by one. It
did surprise him. He was the only person
to have his mother’s fried chicken recipe.
So he took himself off to a local restaurant and asked if he could cook
his recipe and sell it to the locals. That dish became the most popular meal on
the menu. Soon he left that restaurant and he opened his own. His restaurants snowballed until he had built
a chain. That man was Colonel Saunders
of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.
Discouragement, despondency, depression – he experienced them all. He could have been defeated buy it but he
held onto the promises and blessings of God.
He became the most successful business man of the last Century.
At certain points in time we can become
despondent, depressed. No matter our age
or circumstances there are periods in our lives when we become discouraged and
despondent. Maybe you are in that situation
right now. The concerns of life lay
heavy on your shoulders. It seems that
there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Perhaps you are discouraged, depressed.
When we come to the word of God we are actually in good company. Men and women in the bible have had that same
experience. Think of Jonah, the mighty
man who witnessed revival in the city of Nineveh. He was sent by the Lord and he saw
revival. Yet a few chapters later Jonah was
asking the Lord to take away his life. “It
is better for me to die that live.” He
got despondent, depressed. Moses was a
man of God chosen to lead the children of Israel through the wilderness into
the Promised Land. He was prone to despondency. He asked the Lord to kill him.
This morning we come to another mighty man
of God, a prophet included in the hall of fame.
James reminds us he was a man who was selfish too – “a man of like
passions such as we are.” He had some
physical limitations, spiritual weaknesses like we have yet in the word of God
he is a mighty man of God. Elijah, the
prophet of God departed into heaven without going through death. On the Mount of Transfiguration he was with
the Lord. A spiritual giant. Yet in 1 Kings 19 we find he was fearful,
exhausted, ready to throw in the towel.
He was despondent. He got to the
point in verse 4 where he said “it is enough now O Lord take away my life.” He has got to the point where it would be better
if God would take him out of this life. Satan
has got him to the point where he believed his ministry was over. His circumstances were too difficult. He does the same today to us – he tells us we
are finished, our days of usefulness are behind us. Satan is a liar. I have good news for you today – if God were
finished with us he would have taken us home earlier. Elijah would have to find that out for
himself.
The timing of despondency. It
was a rather unusual time. In chapter 18
Elijah wrought one of the great miracles in the history of Israel. He had stood on Mount Carmel and confronted 450
prophets of Baal, false apostate prophets with 10,000 people looking on. It was a battle between Jehovah and the
apostate God of Baal. The nation had
gone astray. They started to worship
Baal but were still trying to include God.
It was ecumenical worship. The
God who reigns in fire from heaven, that is the true God. Baal was the prophet of the sun who produces
heat. It should have easy to bring down
heat to consume the fire. The prophets
tried every possible way of bringing down fire on their sacrifice but it did
not work. Then Elijah stepped up, he
cast his eyes to heaven and asks the Lord to reveal himself. Fire fell and then rain fell. The people had to see how the Lord is
God. In other words revival broke out. Verses 46 “and the hand of the Lord was on
Elijah.” God is using this man and he is
demonstrating through him what he could do.
Hadn’t God supplied the need?
Throughout his life hadn’t God supplied everything for him? He sent the ravens, the brook to be
nourished. His prayers were answered on
Mount Carmel. God had honoured him. He saw thousands of people turned from idols
to worship the true God. Elijah was in
the hour of victory. An unmistakeable
work of God. He should have been on the
mountaintop but was in the valley. Satan
brought him down to the point of despondency instead of victory. We can be on the mountain top one minute,
when sin has been conquered and we are on top of the world but then Satan comes
and fills our minds with doubt. He brings
up our past sin. We give in. We go from victory to defeat. From the mountain top to the valley in a
short period of time. We need to take
heed less we fall. The devil wants to
get us when we are on top of the mountain.
Elijah is under the juniper tree.
It is the time of despondency.
The topic of despondency – verses 1 and 2. King Ahab was a very wicked man. He was a worshipper of Baal. He had taken the nation away step by step
from Jehovah to the worship of Baal. He
had seen the heavens open and the fire fall and the rain fall. He saw the prophets slain. Now he reports it to his wife. She was the most wicked woman ever known in
scriptures. Jezebel was furious at what
she heard. She issues a death warrant on
Elijah. She threatens and intimidates
the man of God. She will have him killed
within 24 hours. Elijah got the word and
he was frightened. He compared her words
to what God has done for him in his life – and he felt nothing. Elijah had stood on Mount Carmel, he had seen
God providing everything that he needed.
He relied on the word. He relied
n the promises of God. He had proved God
throughout his life time and time again.
What confidence he should have had in the Lord. His fear has paralysed him completely. How easily it would have been for the God of
heaven to keep him from that evil woman.
God had provided for him and protected him on that mountain. When 10,000 people had watched. She would have lynched him if she could yet
God had protected him. If only he had
remembered David’s words when he said “my times are in thy hands.” What a wonderful reminder. Our times are in his hands. The divine protected hand of God is with us
on the mountaintop and in the valley.
Nothing should discourage us when God’s hand is upon us. We can have full confidence that he works all
things together for good. We are in the
palms of his hand. He will do what is
right. Think of what David had come
through. Saul had tried to kill him so
many times yet he couldn’t. Think of the
rebellion of his son Absalom and the coup against him His testimony was "my times are in thy
hands”. Elijah needed to learn that lesson. What could harm this man when he was in the
protected hand of God? Verse 3. what is he doing? Elijah takes off. He runs for his life. He goes a full days journey out of Jezebel’s
reach. He left his servant behind. Everything was left behind. Despondency.
He runs from his troubles right into the wilderness. Who told Elijah to go there? No-one.
There were times in the past when he had relied on the word of God for
every direction. He was not only
concerned about God’s word but also about God’s will. Time and time again we read “and the word
came unto him.” The will of God was his
concern for his life. He goes to a place
where God never told him to go. He was
in a place he never should have been at all.
Verse 9. “what doest thou here
Elijah?” What are you doing in this
desolate place in the middle of the wilderness?
Is that where I have directed you to be?
Are we in a similar place. Is it
because we haven’t relied on the word of God?
On the will of God? Is there some
decision you never brought before the Lord and you find yourself under the
juniper tree? Do you think all hope is
gone? There is mercy with the Lord. He is the one who gives his word and gives
his spirit. In every change of
circumstance. God will change our gloom
into glory if only we will come and seek him.
Solomon in Proverbs said “in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall
direct thy paths.” When we seek him,
trust him let him direct our ways his plan is perfect. The acceptable will of God. Elijah didn’t do the Lord’s will. He runs from the evil woman and finds himself
under a juniper tree.
The toll of despondency. It doesn’t just impact us in one way. For many who are affected by despair they will
tell you that they cannot eat or sleep or function. They are not able to go out. They are physically exhausted. These effects
were found in Elijah’s life. He feels it
is no use in going on. “Enough now O
Lord.” The place of despondency. The weight of evil was on Elijah. He felt he couldn’t go on. Today we have a suicide epidemic particularly
among young men. We cannot understand what
young men are going through. We see some
of the symptoms in Elijah’s situation.
He went through physical exhaustion.
He was not immune to pain and tiredness.
He had just gone through 3 years of famine. He had faced down 450 prophets of Baal. He had missed meals and a lot of sleep. He had travelled a great distance. Physically exhausted by the weight of the
physical battle. George Whitfield was
once asked “do you ever get tired of your work?” He replied “I sometimes get tired on eh way
but never of the way.” Elijah is weary
in well doing the word of God. It has
taken it out of him physically. He is physically
wrecked and emotionally drained. Who
wouldn’t be fearful. The fear of man had
become a snare to him. That fearless
prophet standing on Mount Carmel with such faith is crumbling under such
fear. What was his biggest worry? That it was just him all alone – verse 10. Elijah thought it was him against the
world. Only one engaged in the battle
for Jehovah. If it weren’t for him there
wouldn’t be anyone else. Sometimes we
can get into that same place. We feel
the weight of it. If it weren’t for us
there would be no-one else. God is
God. He was here long before us and will
be here long after us. Elijah thought it
was him against the world. Elijah
thought it was just him. Elijah also had
a problem with his ego. He thought it
was just him. “For I am not better than
my fathers.” Did he think he was any
better than Abraham, Isaac or Jacob? Or
Moses or Joshua or David? He believed
himself that he was the only one that remained, that he was just a nobody. God worked through the experience of Moses
who was brought up in Pharaoh’s palace when he though he was somebody. In the backside of the desert he was a nobody
and for the last 40 years of his life he realised what God can do with a nobody. Was the Lord using this experience to humble
Elijah? Paul talked of his thorn in the
flesh. He asked the Lord 3 times to
remove it but God showed him the correct perspective – “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance
of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger
of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.8 For
this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.9 And
he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.10 Therefore
I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2
Corinthians 12) Paul was brought down. Elijah was brought down. Elijah was physically wrecked. He was emotionally strained and mentally
drained. The spiritual weight of the
service he was involved in was too much.
Satan went first to his mind.
Paul reminds us to put on the helmet of salvation to protect us. He was spiritually pained. He was God’s man whether the prophets and
people admitted to it or not. The work
of God takes energy. It takes a strain. Many don’t realise the man of God can become
spiritually pained. Everyone sees the
public sight of his ministry yet do not see what goes on behind closed doors
24/7 in his life. It takes it out on the
prophet of God. It was the lowest point
in his life. He was spent. When we get to that point that is when Satan
comes and circles us. On his agenda is
the tool of discouragement. Maybe you
are ready to despair in the work you are involved in. You feel the responsibility is too much. It feels as if you are under the juniper
tree. “It is enough now Lord I cannot
take any more of it.” There is a time of
despondency and a topic of despondency and the toll of despondency.
A tenderness in the despondency. That is the character of
God. None so tender as the Lord. He has walked this scene of time. Think of his way ward disciples. Like Thomas who doubted. He was not there on the first Sunday when the
disciples seen the Lord. When he came
the next Sunday he said “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the
nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into
his side, I will not believe.”
When the Lord came he didn’t rebuke him and say “you don’t have enough
faith.” The Lord held out his hands and
told him to thrust his hand into his side.
He dealt with him tenderly. That
is how the Lord deals with us – tenderly.
The Lord has already been dealing with Elijah and he didn’t realise
it. He had provided the juniper tree to
protect him from the burning eastern sun so that he would not be dehydrating. He provided for him physically. Verse 6.
He was dehydrated. He was
hungry. He was exhausted. The Lord gives him food, drink and
sleep. The Lord provided for him
spiritually too – “the word of the Lord came to Elijah” verse 13. If ever a man needed a word from God it was
Elijah. If ever a man needed to know the
will of God it was Elijah. We are not
meant to be hiding from God. He has a
work for us to do. God was meeting
Elijah spiritually. He was calling him
back to the work he first called him to do.
There was still a purpose in the divine plan of God. Not even Ahab and Jezebel could thwart that
command. Verse 15. Elijah had to appoint Hazael to be king over
Syria and Jehu to be king over Israel, then Elisha to be a prophet in his place. The devil has ben saying “you are finished,
your ministry is done” but God said “no Elijah it not final, I have work for
you to do, go and return on your way.”
He provided for him emotionally. Verse
18. God had a faithful remnant in Israel –
7000 standing behind Elijah in the spiritual battle. Isn’t that one of the great things about the
church. We are never alone in the
fight. There are brothers and sisters
behind us in the time of need and despondency.
Not only 7000 but the power of God in the school of spiritual
mathematics. God plus one is always
victorious. God came and met him at the point
of need. What is your need today? Are you despondent, discouraged,
depressed? Cast your anchor on
Christ. The one who will never leave you
nor forsake you. He will supply all your
need. Grace for your every situation.
Standing somewhere in the shadows
You’ll find Jesus
He’s a friend who
always
Cares and
understands
Standing somewhere
in the shadows you’ll find Him
And you’ll know Him
by the nail prints in His hands
.
No comments:
Post a Comment