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1 Kings 19:1-15 (This Sermon was preached at Eastview Baptist Church
on January 4, 2004. 1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah
had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods
do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one
of them by tomorrow about this time." 3 And
when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba,
which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But
he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat
down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said,
"It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched
him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals,
and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7
And the angel of the LORD came back the second
time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey
is too great for you." 8 So he arose,
and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days
and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 And
there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold,
the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you
doing here, Elijah?" 10 So he said,
"I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children
of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed
Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take
my life." 11 Then He said, "Go out,
and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed
by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the
rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and
after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire;
and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So
it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle
and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice
came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14
And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts;
because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down
Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left;
and they seek to take my life." 15 Then
the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus;
and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Introduction: Think of ministry like the old-fashioned well. In the well, is refreshing, life-giving water. You drop the bucket down and draw out water to give to someone. But suppose the year has been dry, and the water level is low. One day you drop the bucket and hear a thud instead of a splash. Nothing is left to give. That is what can happen to any Christian who actively serves the Lord. Caring, committed Christians can give and give until they feel like that there is nothing left to give. This is often referred to as spiritual burnout. Spiritual burnout isn't something that is new, that has just effected Christians today. It's something that's been around since Man has been serving God. It can affect you at anytime during your ministry, whether your ministry is at an all time high or at an all time low. Today I want to look at a man who experienced spiritual burnout at the height of his ministry and how God restored him. I. Why Spiritual Burnout Comes
(vv.1-10). A. Fair weather followers (18:1-46).Transition: The lack of support by others can make the most successful ministries turn into. . .1) Elijah has just reached the height of his career, he took on the nation of Israel at Mt. Carmel.A) The false prophets went first and built an alter.2) The people turned on the false prophets and destroyed them.(1) They had 450 prophets of Baal, with 400 prophets of Asherah as cheerleaders.B) Then Elijah steps forward. B. Stormy weather loners (vv.3b, 10b, 14b).Application: Now we come to the present, and where are all the people? It's easy to be a follower of Christ, when everything is going good - when the church is packed, people are getting saved and joining the church. The people of Israel fell on their faces and cried out "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!" (18:39), but within a few hours of their cries there was a deafening silence when the man of God needed their support. The difference between an emotional experience and faith is, faith continues on after the emotional high ends. Emotional highs will leave you parched and dried out when the droughts of life come your way, but faith continues on because its roots are fed from the deep springs of living water. The real test of faith comes, after the revival ends and the numbers drop off. It's during the hard times that you will find out who are the true friends of God, and who are the fair weather friends. It is also during these hard times that your ministry can suffer if you look towards others who have long ago fled instead of drawing from the springs of living water. Elijah was doing just this, and it began to impact his ministry.- Elijah became lonely and depressed, he felt isolated from all help. Transition: When the storms start to beat against a ministry of an individual or a church, you can expect that the next thing that will happen is. . . 2. The wagging of tongues (v.1). A. Talking behind the back of an individual undercuts the ministry - "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done. . ." (v.1a).Transition: look at the reason why I know that he had roasted preacher. . .1) Look at the first thing that Ahab did when he returned home from Mt. Carmel.A) He didn't go back and tell his wife how great God is. B. This type of talk is usually accompanied by the distortion of the facts.Illustration: Years ago, I had and aunt and uncle who lived on the out skirts of Indianapolis. Like a lot of people, they enjoyed feeding the wildlife around their house by putting out seed for the birds and squirrels. They also had these cute little chipmunks that were always running around outside, and were fun to watch as they would work very hard at getting to the food. Then one day, my uncle had noticed that his back patio was breaking up and falling apart. What was the source of his problem? The cute little chipmunks had undermined the whole patio and has caused hundreds of dollars of damage. What had seemed cute and innocent at first, in the end became very destructive.1) Ahab told Jezebel how Elijah had executed all the prophets.- Notice Ahab said "prophets" and not "false prophets" (which they were).2) Ahab failed to receive God's message but instead twisted it to suit his own views.- He had also found a willing ear that would listen to him in Jezebel (as we will see in a moment by her response). Application: Having roast "preacher, teacher, deacon, music minister, youth director, etc." for Sunday dinner may seem very innocent at first, but in the end it will undermine the foundation of any ministry or church. If you want to destroy a ministry or a church, the best way is to undermine it with words of division. We need to heed the words of Proverbs 26:20, "For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down" (NASB). Transition: The once quiet whispers of a few very seldom are content to remain quiet, but often get blown out of proportion until they lead to open. . . 3. Criticism and hostility by others (v.2). A. Open criticism - "Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah. . ." (v.2a).Illustration: There was a man who went to hear George Whitfield preach, and he went with his pocket crammed with stones. As Whitfield preached, he first took out one stone, and threw it behind him; and then another stone, and threw that down; until at last there was not a stone left except the one in his own breast--his heart. . . (Stories for Preachers & Teachers). This is the problem of most criticism today, it comes from a stoney heart and not a heart of love for the Lord.1) This is when the little spark of the waggling of the tongue gets fanned into an open flame and sets the forest on fire.B. Hostility - ". . .So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time" (v.2b).A) This wasn't constructive criticism that is done to help someone to do a better job, Jezebel's criticism was intended to stop someone from serving the Lord.2) Jezebel wasn't content to contain her words just to her husband, but instead sent an open threat to Elijah. Application: Today we are more refined, people will either slip a letter under the pastor's office door or they will try to get someone else to say what they want to be said, without their name being brought out. I remember as a younger Christian, finding a note left in a chair for the pastor with some sharp criticisms about his sermon - the funny thing was, what they were criticizing the pastor for saying in his sermon, he didn't even say. Criticism does nothing but tears down and destroys a ministry. It is like a disease the spreads from one person to another, to another. Charles Spurgeon put it this way, "Fault-finding is dreadfully catching: one dog will set a whole kennel howling " (John Ploughman's Talks, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1976) . You will not find love anywhere in this type of criticism - if fact it is designed to the just the opposite; the love of God gives joy, but criticism will rob a ministry of its joy; love can make a ministry thrive, but criticism can cause a ministry to die; love encourages, criticism discourages; and love will make your well overflow with living water, whereas loveless criticisms can cause your well to go dry. Jezebel's criticism caused Elijah to flee from his ministry - she stopped it dead in its tracks. The nation of Israel went from revival on the mountain to a mud slide in the valley - all because of criticism and hostility of a few. The Bible gives us much advice about our tongues, and we would do good to heed it; Proverbs 12:18, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (NIV); Proverbs 15:4, "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit" (NIV); James 1:26, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless" (NIV); Proverbs 21:23, "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles." Transition: With all these things going on, the lack of support, the backbiting, the criticism and hostility, you can imagine why Elijah had. . . 4. A loss of focus (vv.3-10). A. By being focused upon others - "And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life. . ." (v.3a).Application: Elijah stopped drawing from the living water and took water from shallow wells of the world. He stopped being God centered and became self centered. He was over worked, over worried, and over whelmed physically. He was no longer walking by faith but by sight. And needless to say, the joy of serving the Lord was no longer there. When a person, a ministry, or a church loses its focus upon the Lord, then their focus will be redirected towards someone else or themselves. When this happens, ministry stops, spiritual growth stops, spiritual life stops! Stagnation and death will set in. Instead of ministering to the nation of Israel, Elijah was now focused on running elsewhere, and not in doing anything for the Lord.1) Elijah got Jezebel's message, and she got his attention focused upon what she was threatening to do to him.B. By being focused upon ourselves. Transition: This truth
leads us to the next point, when all hope seems to be gone, when we
feel like we have nothing left to give in service, God gives us direction
and hope, just like He gave Elijah. . . II. Returning To Useful Service (vv.11-15). 1. Get refocused - "Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD. . ." (v.11a). A. Elijah needed to get refocused, if God was going to use him.Illustration: Jimmy Johnson told the 1993 Dallas Cowboy team before they went out to play the Super Bowl, "If I laid a 2 by 4 across the floor, everybody there would walk across it and not fall, because our focus would be on walking the length of that board. But if I put the same board 10 stories high between two buildings, only a few would make it, because the focus would be on falling." Johnson told his players not to focus on the crowd, the media, or the possibility of falling, but to focus on each play of the game as if it were a good practice session. The result was the Cowboys won the game 52 to 7 (Leadership Journal, Edward Rowell).- He needed to stop making excuses and to get right with God.B. So God, got Elijah's attention and focus back to where it needed to be, on Him. Application: Likewise, when a person's, or a church's focus isn't where it needs to be, then they will fall and lose ground. But if we keep our focus upon God's eternal game plan, and not upon the immediate circumstances, then we will not get sidetracked or stopped when we face challenges in our ministry. Ministries that grow, are ministries who get and stay focused upon the Lord. If your focus hasn't been upon the Lord, but somewhere else, then you need to "go forth and stand before the presence of the Lord again." You need to get your eyes back on the Lord, and not on yourself or others, and stop making excuses. Transition: Once you get your eyes back on God, the next step that you need to do is. . . 2. Seek the Lord's presence (vv.11b-12). A. Seek Him where He is and not where you think He should be.Transition: In order for Elijah to learn this truth, he had to. . .1) Elijah had to learn that God doesn't always work with great displays (i.e., wind, earthquake, or fire) to be accomplishing His will.- In fact, most of the time this is NOT how He works!2) There are a lot of Elijah's today in Christianity, they are the ones who hop from church to church looking for the spectacular displays of God.A)The reason why they never stay happy where there are, is because, their focus isn't upon God, but upon His works. B. Take the time to listen to God's answer.Illustration: William Barclay says that, "There are different kinds of listening. There is the listening of criticism; there is the listening of resentment. There is the listening of superiority; there is the listening of indifference. There is the listening of the man who only listens because for the moment he cannot get the chance to speak. The only listening that is worth while is the listening which listens and learns. There is no other way to listen to God" (William Barclay, The Gospel of John).- God spoke to Elijah in a manner that Elijah never expected, in a "still small voice" (v.12b). Application: Christians often miss the voice of God because they are too busy looking for God in all the wrong places. We get too busy looking for the miracles and the spectacular, in the crowds and the numbers who come, and all the while God is standing next to us speaking in His "still small voice" and we aren't listening. We are too busy asking and seeking God's blessings, instead of listening to what God has to say. Thomas Benton Brooks put it this way, "If you would have God hear you when you pray, you must hear Him when He speaks" (Herschel Hobbs, My Favorite Illustrations). If your ministry or church is struggling, then get refocused on the Lord, and get on your knees in prayer and don't get up until God answers and your willing to listen to what He has to say. The least attended service of a spiritually dying church is the prayer meeting. Transition: And finally, if you want to overcome a spiritual drought. . . 3. Return to service (vv.13-15). A. If you have stopped ministering, then start again.Transition: And. . .1) Elijah tried to cry on God's shoulder with the "I alone," woe is me, speech but look at how God responded,- "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus. . ." (v.15a).2) God knew what Elijah was going through, Elijah didn't need to go and tell the Lord.A) The problem wasn't that Elijah was being persecuted for the Lord, the problem was Elijah wasn't where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to be doing! B. Stay involved, and don't stop ministering.Application: God's work is too great and important for any one who calls themselves. a Christian to stop serving and ministering. People are still dying and going to hell, while many believers sit by and give excuses why they have quit. Don't expect the Lord to let you cry on His shoulder, instead He is saying to you, "Go, return on your way." The work is great and the workers few, and so there is no time to stop or to get sidetracked. John 4:34-37, "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.'"1) God told Elijah to go and return service and stay involved in the ministry.- "Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria" (v.15).2) God knew that Elijah still had work to do.A) It wasn't time for him to quit. Illustration: They're saying things that are not true;Are you serving the Lord, or have you allowed the worries of this world to cause your well to run dry? The only answer that God gives you, get involved and don't stop! Invitation: 2. Has your well been dry lately? If so, do what Elijah did right now: A. Keep your eyes on the Lord.3. If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, don't let those who have never loved the Lord or those who have become disobedient in their walk with Him stop you from coming to Him. A. God will deal them - they are not a reflection of who God is and His love for you.- In fact they are a reflection of why we do need Christ.B. You need to consider God's love and offer to you.1) John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." |