Introduction:
How WILL the Lord Help Me to Not Give Up? (1 Kings 19:1-18)
- He WILL point me to His Daily Provision . (1 Kings 19:1-8)
- He WILL get my Attention . (1 Kings 19:9-14)
- By drawing me out of my Pity Party . (1 Kings 19:9)
- By redirecting my Focus . (1 Kings 19:10-14)
Romans 5:6, 8 - For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly...but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
- He WILL replace my half truths with His Whole Truth . (1 Kings 19:15-18)
- By reminding me that I have a Purpose . (1 Kings 19:15-17)
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
- By reminding me that I am not Alone . (1 Kings 19:18)
- By reminding me that I have a Purpose . (1 Kings 19:15-17)
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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You can turn your Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 19.
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1 Kings 19.
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You know, we all have success stories of how we persevered and stuck it out with something that was draining, time-consuming, and challenging.
01:05-01:10
But we also have a long list of things that we've quit and given up on as well.
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Personal goals, diets, health routines, Bible reading plans, and on and on the list goes.
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You know, to be clear, I'm not saying that walking away from something is always wrong.
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That's not the case at all.
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There are necessary times of transition in life when it is good and right to turn the page and move on to the bigger and better next thing that God has for you.
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But if we're honest, the list of how we stuck it out are much shorter than the list of how we quit.
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At least that's how I feel about my life.
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You know, growing up I quit T-ball, my parents tell me, because I was too bored, hot, and thirsty in the field.
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And one time I hit the ball at the tee, ran to first base, kept running into the outfield instead of going to second base.
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So maybe I should have quit that one.
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I also quit soccer.
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That didn't last very long.
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I didn't get very far past Hot Cross Buns on the recorder.
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But not to brag, I can still play that song pretty well to this day.
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I won't play it for you today, though.
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I think one of my biggest regrets in life a piano when my brother and sister stuck with it.
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You know, these are all minor examples, but I've been tempted to give up and quit when it comes to more serious commitments as well.
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This desire to quit struck me the hardest in 2015 and 2016 during my first ministry job as a youth pastor.
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For the first year and a half or so, I remember vividly every single night locking up the church building, looking up at the sky and just saying, I don't want to do this anymore.
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This isn't working, I just want to quit.
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And the Lord impressed upon my heart that I was not allowed to quit.
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I did not have his permission to wave the white flag and surrender.
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Without the Lord and his help, I would not have lasted in that job for almost eight years.
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And without the Lord and his help, I wouldn't be standing before you today.
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Maybe you were on the verge of quitting something that God has called you to.
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your reputation, your integrity that becomes harder and harder to maintain, your marriage, your faithfulness as a husband or wife, your work ethic, your dedication to the church, your hope and the promises and provisions of God, or maybe even your faith in Jesus Christ. You may think in this moment, "You know You know what, it's just too hard, I can't keep the plate spinning.
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It's time just to give in and give up.
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Well, before you make any hasty decisions, please press the pause button on quitting and hear how the Lord wants to encourage you through 1 Kings chapter 19, verses one through 18.
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This is the third week of our latest series, Just Like Us, the Life and Ministry of Elijah.
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And so far, Elijah has a perfect sticking with it record.
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He stands up to King Ahab for the idolatry of Israel.
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He prays for it not to rain for three and a half years.
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He stands up to the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, prays down fire from heaven, and then prays down rain from heaven afterwards.
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So far, Elijah has a perfect batting record.
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But that's all about to change.
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Elijah is about to become much more relatable.
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Because just like us, Elijah is tempted to give in to the pressures of life and give up on his God-given calling.
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We will also come face-to-face with the reality that God is totally unlike us, and he does not quit on us when we are tempted to quit on him.
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Just like Elijah almost 3,000 years ago, the loving help of our God is offered to you and to me right now.
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The Lord will help you to not give up if you simply grab a hold of his gracious offer.
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So before we continue, let's go to Lord in prayer and ask for his help.
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Please pray for me.
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I will faithfully proclaim the word of God and I will pray for you that you will faithfully receive it.
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Father, I realize there are a lot of people in this room who've come into this church this morning feeling beat up and discouraged.
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And they feel like giving up.
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Lord, I pray that you would minister to every single heart this morning.
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And you would give us the comfort that only you can.
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Lord, help us to be reminded what you will do to help us.
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We ask all these things in Jesus' name, amen.
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So how will the Lord help me to not give up?
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First up on your outline, he will point me to his daily provision.
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He will point me to his daily provision.
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Let's read chapter, I mean, sorry, chapter 19, verse one.
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Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, how he had killed all the prophets of Baal with the sword.
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So Ahab totally missed the point of the fireworks display on Mount Carmel.
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He totally missed the point of the slaughter of the prophets of Baal.
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He should have come back to his wife Jezebel to tell her all that God had done and call her to repentance.
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Instead he comes back to tell her all that Elijah had done and to whine to her.
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He says, "Honey, can you believe what that jerk did to us?
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"He killed all of our prophets.
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"What are we gonna do?" Parents in the room have seen this tactic a countless number of times.
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One of your kids comes to you with a quivering lip, tear-filled eyes, and a big cup of tea to spill about his or her brother, sister, or cousin.
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Let me ask you, why does your child share this tale of woe with you?
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So that you will do their dirty work for them, right?
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That's exactly what Ahab is doing in this moment.
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He knows that when he tells his scary wife about what happened on Mount Carmel, She is gonna dig in her heels and want to kill Elijah.
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Not surprisingly, that's what happens in verse two.
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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.
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This kind of feels like a laughable and empty threat, doesn't it?
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After all we've seen over the past few weeks, the Lord has used Elijah to embarrass the king and queen time and time again.
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There's no way Elijah falls for this, right?
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Well, the answer to that question may sadly surprise you from verses three through four.
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Then Elijah was afraid.
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And he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there.
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But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat under a broom tree, and he asked that he might die.
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He's saying, "It is enough now, Lord.
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"Take away my life, for I am no better than my father's." Are you serious?
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Elijah stomps on his enemies, now he's running away?
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What's his problem?
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Well, Elijah thought everything and everyone would turn around in Israel after Mount Carmel.
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He thought Ahab and Jezebel would repent, tear down the altar to Baal, tear down the Asherah pole, and accept him as the Lord's prophet.
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But that doesn't happen.
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His expectations aren't met.
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His hopes are dashed into a million pieces.
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And this shocking turn reminds us of a very important reality.
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No one is beyond discouragement.
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No one is beyond the reach of depression, anxiety, and fear.
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Even the strongest among us experience the weakest seasons of depression.
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Our worst losses can happen immediately after our greatest victories.
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Our worst moments come after our best memories.
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Like children on a sugar rush, we have a spiritual high and then we crash and burn with a spiritual low.
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One minute you're thinking the sky is the limit and the next the ground opens up underneath of you and you have no idea what to do next.
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Have you ever felt that way before?
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Do you feel that way right now?
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Let's see how the Lord provides for Elijah during his mental breakdown in verses five through eight.
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And Elijah laid down and slept under a broom tree, and behold, an angel touched him and said to him, arise and eat.
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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 laid down again.
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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 he went in the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights.
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The Hora of the Mount of God.
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So Elijah travels for over 100 miles, and he is exhausted, and he passes out.
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If I ever fall asleep on the couch, my kids are diligent to poke me, open up my eyelids, or yell, "Dad, wake up!" And I'm always annoyed by that, But Elijah can't really be annoyed by who wakes him up.
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The angel of the Lord.
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Imagine that divine wake up call.
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He's given food and he falls asleep again and the angel of the Lord says, "Shake him awake once more for his long journey." And you may be thinking, this is a weird story.
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This is random.
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Why are we learning about Elijah's diet and his sleep schedule?
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Well, notice that God doesn't slap Elijah upside the head and yell at him.
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Instead, he gives the prophet what he needs, a snack and two naps.
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We all need two naps today, don't we?
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The Lord knows exactly what Elijah needs and he knows exactly what you need.
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And he meets your needs every single day.
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The roof over your head, the food in your belly, the clothes on your back are from the Lord.
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We were created to be dependent upon God and what he gives us.
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We are embodied souls, which means that our physical health affects our spiritual health.
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And if you don't believe me, talk to someone in this church who's experiencing chronic pain or has experienced chronic pain in the past, and they will quickly tell you that what is happening in their body quickly bleeds into their minds and their souls.
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We all share the same basic needs, but we experience the side effects of those basic needs in different ways.
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Know what your body needs and take advantage of God's good gifts because if you don't, you will experience the consequences at some point.
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It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, it may not be next week, but the bill will come due.
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You cannot keep going and going and going like the Energizer bunny.
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Like Pastor Rich preached a few weeks ago, you need to rest.
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If you know that your body needs eight hours of sleep, maybe don't mindlessly scroll, I can't say TikTok anymore, can I?
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Too soon?
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Mindlessly scroll on Instagram until 1 a.m.
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Discipline yourself and go to bed the time you need to go to bed.
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Maybe you work way more than you should, and when you're home, you're not fully present with your family.
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Hammer out a schedule that will work for your work life and your family life, or both will suffer.
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You may be in the same boat as me when it comes to diet and fitness.
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You know you need to eat better and be more physically active.
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Or maybe for you it's over drinking.
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You drink too much and too often and you feel the negative effects of that.
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You feel tired, anxious, you snap at people.
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If that's you, please talk to me, Pastor Jeff, one of the other elders, we would love to help you.
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You know, in various ways, all of us are making our lives even harder, more difficult, but not taking advantage of God's daily provision.
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It's way easier to give up when you feel mentally and physically drained.
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If you are on the verge of burnout right now, do not wait to make necessary changes.
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Submit to the help of God and start new behaviors that will create new habits that will then lead a better state of mind, body, and soul.
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Instead of giving up, you need to get going.
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So how will the Lord help me to not give up?
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He will get my attention.
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He will get my attention.
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After getting fueled up, Elijah travels another 250 miles from Beersheba to Mount Horeb, which may not sound very familiar to you, but its other name might, Mount Sinai.
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This is where Moses encountered the Lord in the burning bush.
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This is where Moses was given the 10 commandments.
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This is the perfect spot for the Lord to grab ahold of Elijah's attention and your attention as well.
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The Lord will get my attention, letter A, by drawing me out of my pity party.
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By drawing me out of my pity party.
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Let's read verse nine.
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Then Elijah came to a cave and lodged in it, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to Elijah, what are you doing here, Elijah?
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Once again, it's important to note that God doesn't lecture Elijah.
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A depressed person doesn't need a lecture.
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A depressed person needs compassion.
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God simply asks, what are you doing here?
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Don't miss the fatherly tone.
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It's like he's saying, talk to me, son.
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What is going on with you?
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As Pastor Jeff and I have said in previous sermons, when God asks questions, he isn't after information, he is after transformation.
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God is lovingly drawing Elijah out of his pity party that he is throwing for himself.
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God is the expert interrogator and question asker.
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And he doesn't need heat lamps or bright lights to get you to tell you what he wants because his questions are convicting and piercing enough.
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And this question asking began at the very beginning.
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After Adam and Eve's sin, what is the question that God asked them?
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Where are you?
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Does God not know where they are?
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He certainly does.
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They're like little kids covering their eyes and picking the worst hiding spot in the house.
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He asked them that question to draw them out.
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Or my favorite question pops up in the book of Jonah.
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Jonah runs away from God, then gets thrown overboard, swallowed by a big fish, spit out, and he finally goes to Nineveh to preach to them.
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And he goes, gets a big box of popcorn, goes on the hill to watch the city burn.
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But it doesn't happen, does it?
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God spares the city.
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And Jonah throws himself a pity party.
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And he feels so sorry for himself because also the plant that gave him shade wasn't keeping him cool anymore.
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And God asked Jonah a question that I think about almost every single day.
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Do you do well to be angry?
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Do you do well to be angry?
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Again, God knows the answer to that question, no.
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But he asked that question to draw Jonah out.
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You know, just like Elijah today, you may be depressed.
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Maybe you're experiencing a worse depression than you've ever felt before.
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Maybe a devastating loss or trial has fallen upon your life like an atomic bomb.
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Instead of grieving well, you've been cutting yourself off from the comfort of the Lord and others.
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And people around you are waiting for you to live again.
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Or maybe you're dying a death by a thousand cuts.
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Just when one wound seems to heal, another five are opened up.
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Everywhere you turn a new fire, it's raging.
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Work, financial, and family fires are happening at the same exact time, and negativity and complaining have become your go-to pastimes to deal with the stress.
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Or maybe, like Jonah, your preferences haven't been met to your exact specification.
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You're throwing yourself a pity party.
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You know a few weeks ago I had a very similar experience to Pastor Jeff's cinnamon crunch bagel debacle.
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You guys want to hear about this?
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Darla does, I'll tell Darla.
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So a few weeks ago we ordered Chipotle.
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I went to go pick it up.
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And when I got home I realized they didn't give us two of the chips that we paid for.
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Get in the car, drive all the way back, oh we're out of chips.
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And the app didn't know that.
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How do I get a refund?
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but we'll call this 1-800 number.
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No sorry, no help, and I go home, I'm fuming to my wife.
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Like, oh, today stinks, this is the worst, nothing's going right, I hope Chipotle goes out of business, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, pity party.
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We've all been there, and we'll all be there again.
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In this moment, the Lord may be lovingly drawing you out of your pity party with the same exact question that he asked Elijah, what are you doing here?
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Do you want to stay in this bad place or do you want to get to a good place?
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Do you want to keep pushing me away or are you finally ready to invite me into the pain of your struggle?
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What are you doing here?
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How will you answer that question this morning?
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Your answer to that question can determine the trajectory of the rest of your life.
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The Lord will get my attention by redirecting my focus.
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Letter B, by redirecting my focus.
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And in verse 10, Elijah takes this question from God as his cue to vomit up his emotions.
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Elijah says, I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, throw down your altars, and killed your prophets with a sword, and I, even I only am left, and they may seek my life and take it away.
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We'll talk even more about the details of this ramp because Elijah repeats it word for word later on in this passage.
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But it's important to note that Elijah shares a lot of half-truths with God.
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And as I've said before, half-truths are whole lies.
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Elijah is evaluating his circumstances from his own limited perspective and he needs his focus redirected.
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And in verses 11 through 13, the Lord redirects his prophet's focus and brings necessary clarity like an eye doctor helping a patient with horrible eyesight.
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Let's read verses 11 through 13 together.
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And the Lord said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.
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And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broken pieces the rocks before the Lord.
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But the Lord was not in the wind.
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and after the wind, an earthquake.
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But the Lord was not in the earthquake.
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And after the earthquake, a fire.
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But the Lord was not in the fire.
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And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper.
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And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
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And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" You know, this is the same mountain that Moses was on hundreds of years before, and some scholars think this is the same exact spot where Moses hid himself while the glory of God passed by.
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God used this location as part of their refocusing process.
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He turns Elijah's focus away from his present circumstances to his past faithfulness, and he calls Elijah out of the cave, and there is a great wind that cuts the rocks apart.
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There is a great earthquake that shakes the mountain of jello and a fireball like the one that fell on Mount Carmel.
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But the Lord doesn't speak to Elijah through those natural disasters.
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The wind, the earthquake, and the fire are attention-getters.
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It's like a father or mother grabbing their child's face to show them that what they're about to say is very important.
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It's like God is saying, "Elijah, I could speak to you "with a thunderous and terrifying voice, "but I'm not gonna do that, so pay attention." After he redirects Elijah's focus, he speaks, and asks the same question yet again in a low whisper.
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"What are you doing here, Elijah?" You know, Elijah and the rest of us deserve to be treated harshly and without kid gloves.
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But praise the Lord, he doesn't treat us that way.
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When we're down and doubting him, the Lord doesn't yell at us and say, get over it, you baby, rub some dirt on it and move on.
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No, at our worst and weakest moments, the Lord offers you his greatest and best acts of grace.
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Grace is how the Christian life starts.
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As Pastor Jeff read in Romans 5, 6, for while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.
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And two verses later, "But God shows his love for us "in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Grace is also how the Christian life continues.
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As Paul was experiencing depression, Jesus told him this, "My grace is sufficient for you, "for my power is made perfect in weakness." The Lord redirects Elijah to his grace and he is doing the same exact thing for you right now.
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He is grabbing ahold of your face and redirecting you to Christ.
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To the one who took the angry wrath of God so that you could receive the gentle love of God.
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You know, a few months ago, actually last month, I was looking at my Christmas Eve message on the couch at home and my daughter, Emmy, came up to me and said, "What's that?" I said, "Oh, this is Dad's sermon.
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"I'm gonna talk about Jesus." And I thought she'd be really excited 'cause we talk about Jesus all the time.
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But she gave me this response.
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"Jesus again?"
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(congregation laughing)
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Maybe you feel that way about the sermons preached here at Harvest.
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Really, Jesus again?
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Don't you have anything else up your sleeve, preacher boy?
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Honestly, I have nothing and no one else up my sleeve because Jesus is more than enough.
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Jesus is more than enough for every pity party, every bout of depression, every horrible season of life, submit to God's redirection and look to Christ, whether it's for the very first time or the millionth time.
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Instead of asking Jesus again, passionately declare Jesus always.
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How will the Lord help me to not give up?
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Number three, he will replace my half-truths with his whole truth.
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He'll replace my half truths with his whole truth.
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After God asks Elijah the same exact question, Elijah offers the same exact response in verse 14.
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Elijah said, "I have been very jealous of the Lord "and God of hosts, the people of Israel, "forsaken your covenant, throw down your altars "and killed your prophet with the sword.
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"And I, even I only am left, "and they seek my life to take it away." Elijah still isn't getting it.
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He's still not getting his facts straight.
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He said, "I've been very jealous for the Lord." Well, sure you have in the past.
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How about right now?
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Does running away seem very passionate to you?
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He says, "All the Israelites have torn down your altars "and abandoned you." But what about all the people, all the Israelites who fell down and worshiped God and helped Elijah slaughter the prophets of Baal and Mount Carmel?
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Elijah says, "I am the only surviving prophet of the Lord." Well, we know this isn't true because Obadiah told Elijah in chapter 18 that he hid a hundred prophets in a cave.
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You know, our memories have a funny way of being fuzzy and wrong when we're experiencing intense emotions.
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Every single one of us can embellish the truth and add our own spin on things to further our own false narratives.
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But the Lord flips Elijah's script replacing Elijah's half-truths with his whole truth.
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Let's read verses 15 through 17.
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"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, Maloah, you shall anoint "'to be prophet in your place.
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"'And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, "'shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes "who shall Elisha put to death." So the Lord will replace my half-truths with his whole truth by reminding me that I have a purpose, by reminding me that I have a purpose.
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The Lord reminds Elijah that he has work to do.
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His time as a prophet isn't over yet.
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He has kings to appoint and his own replacement to train.
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God is telling Elijah, Stop running away from your responsibilities and do what I've called you to do.
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Man, wouldn't it be nice to have God directly tell you what he wants you to do?
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Oh wait, he has done that for you, hasn't he?
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In his word, he has told you exactly what you were called to do, you are to be an ambassador for Christ, you are to make disciples, you are to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
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And that will be the main focus of our message next week.
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but you cannot give up on your God-given calling because the Lord isn't done with you yet.
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If you still have breath in your lungs, you have a purpose stamped on your life.
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Listen to what Paul promises in Ephesians 2.10.
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For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
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God has specific people for you to bless, specific people for you to share the gospel with, specific people to love.
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He has specific ministries in this church for you to start or continue with.
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You cannot give up because there is too much ministry to be done and too many blessings to forfeit.
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Finally, the Lord will replace my half-truths with his whole truth by reminding me that I am not alone, by reminding me that I am not alone.
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Let's wrap up with verse 18.
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The Lord says, "Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, "all the knees that have not bowed to Baal "and every mouth that has not kissed him." Elijah claims to be the one and only faithful servant of the Lord, and God calls him to the carpet on this outrageous claim.
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There's a big difference between one person and 7,000 people, isn't there?
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The Lord always has a faithful remnant who will serve him and not give up.
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Elijah is not alone and neither are you.
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Maybe you are single, widowed, or divorced and the loneliness you experience is overwhelming at times.
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And maybe it feels like no one really cares about you.
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Maybe you feel alone even though you're constantly surrounded by coworkers throughout the week.
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Maybe you feel alone even though your kids You're constantly in your face, 24/7, asking for stuff all the time.
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Maybe you feel alone even though you've been at this church for a long time.
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And I certainly won't tell you not to feel this way because that would be pointless.
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Feelings are feelings.
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But I do want to remind you of the truth as you experience these feelings.
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You are never truly alone if you are a part of the family of God.
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You have a heavenly Father who cares about you, a big brother in Jesus who looks out for you, a comforter in the Holy Spirit who lives within you, and brothers and sisters in Christ, in this church who will stand shoulder to shoulder with you.
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If you haven't already, I want to encourage you to take the step to pursue after meaningful relationships today.
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Your involvement in the church is a lot like skiing.
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Your natural reaction, your natural urge is to lean back while you're going down the hill, but if you do that, you will wipe out.
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You have to resist against that urge and lean forward.
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If you feel disconnected, talk to me after service.
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I would love to get you connected to a small group.
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Ladies, if you feel alone, please sign up for the Seek Truth Women's Conference on February 22nd.
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It's a great opportunity for you.
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Men, sign up for the Tune Up Men's Conference the next week on March 1st.
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This is a great way to kickstart new Christian friendships.
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If you notice someone in this church who constantly sits by themselves, ask him or her if you can sit with them.
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Invite that suffering couple over.
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Call that person you know is struggling.
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Small group leaders, be on the lookout for people in your group who are disconnected.
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Let us help one another to not give up.
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You know, over the past few months, I've been walking my dog late at night while everybody else is asleep.
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Not really recently, 'cause it's been really cold, but before that, it was.
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Maybe when it's not like zero degrees out.
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But I love listening to podcasts, praying and meditating, especially when it's a clear night, which isn't very often in Pittsburgh.
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When it happens, it's nice.
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But a few weeks ago, it was a totally clear night, not a cloud in the sky, but I couldn't see the moon anywhere.
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I looked up on my phone, This was the new moon, the invisible phase of the moon.
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We couldn't see the moon with our own two eyes.
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But let me tell you, in that moment, I didn't lose it and freak out and worry that the moon exploded or turned off.
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In that moment, even though I couldn't see the moon with my own two eyes, I knew it was there, and I knew it was doing its job.
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You know, in a much greater way, even though you cannot see the Lord with your own two eyes right now, He is here and He is offering His help to you.
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Even though you may not feel close to Him at this moment, the Lord is closer than you can possibly imagine.
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God is always at work, so you must never give up on the work He has given to you.
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Do not give up on loving and serving your spouse, even if he or she is cold and distant right now.
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Do not give up on patiently discipling your children, even when they couldn't seem to care less about what you have to say.
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Do not give up on serving this church, even if your efforts don't seem to make a difference.
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Do not give up on pursuing after the Lord because he pursues after you.
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Do not quit on God because he has never once considered quitting on you.
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Let's pray.
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Lord, there's so many hurts and pains in this room, I can't even begin to list them off.
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health concerns, financial concerns, family concerns.
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Lord, it can be overwhelming to consider everything that everyone is going through, but none of these things overwhelm you.
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You know every single detail down to the letter.
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Lord, only you can give us the help that we need.
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And Lord, I pray if there's someone in this room who doesn't know you, that you would lead them to a saving knowledge of Christ, and they would look to Jesus for salvation be forever changed. And for the rest of us, Lord, help us to look to Christ once again, to find our hope, to find our confidence, to find the only answer in a world full of questions.
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We thank you and we praise you no matter what happens.
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And we ask all these things in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read 1 Kings 19:1-18
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
How do you see your physical health affecting your spiritual health? How can you take advantage of God’s provision and make changes right now?
Why do we often choose to throw a pity party when we feel discouraged rather than seek comfort and help? What should you do when you feel the urge to isolate yourself?
Why must Jesus ALWAYS be your focus when you are struggling and feeling depressed?
Breakout (by gender)
Honestly share how you feel tempted to give up right now. Pray for one another.